Day 5: What The China Study Says About Supplements

Another great day. I had more energy than I’ve had for a long time.  I finally submitted my short story and poem for publication!

Breakfast  Same fortified cereal but with ½ cup blackberries and ½ cup blueberries and coconut milk.

Lunch  Leftovers of the sweet and sour stir fry and the rice spaghetti.

Snack 1 cup blueberries

Dinner 1 cup black bean curry with 1 cup  quinoa with mixed vegetables.

The books that we ordered  finally arrived. Now I can learn how to actually do this. I also found out from the  Forks Over Knives Facebook page, that in September/October they're releasing a new movie to show how to follow this diet. I really need that!

I’m off now to a doctor’s appointment. I recently developed an infection (thanks to a particular medication) for which I was put on an antibiotic. The infection finally cleared,  but it turns out that I have picked up a secondary infection because of the antibiotic. Sound only too familiar?  This convinces me even more to let my food be my medicine!

It turns out that my doctor is okay with me being on this diet and thinks I should be able to get most of my nutrition from it. But she did caution me to be careful about getting enough Zinc because vegans can become deficient.

While I was in the waiting room, I read some of The China Study book. It seems that Dr. Campbell disapproves of the use of dietary supplements and believes that everyone should get as much of their nutrients from food itself. He explains how vitamin B12 is more problematic and that we 're unlikely to get enough of it from a plant-based diet. He also accepts that vitamin D supplementation may be needed for people who spend a lot of time indoors or live in northern places and get less than 20 minutes of daily sun exposure.

When I got back home, I read some of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition. When I ordered this book, I really did feel that ignorant about veganism! What I like about this book is that is really begins at the beginning and is great for those like me who are clueless about plant-based nutrition. It also de-mystifies terms like "free radicals" and "anti-oxidents". I especially like the nutrition charts that show how much of each nutrient such as zinc or calcium foods contain. An added bonus is that it includes recipes at the back of the book.

After reading it, I'm feeling more confident about plant-based nutrition!