Thank you for writing in and sharing your experiences and feedback. I so hear you and sympathize as it seems our world has still such a long way to go when it comes to getting on board with healthy food that will nourish our bodies, rather than cause disease. We have become a society of habit and convenience where we want everything fast and cheap. And big cities all over the world are the worst culprits. Problems like this tend to be almost non-existent in more natural or rural settings, regardless of what part of the world we are talking about. But big city life is fast, stressed and busy typically and hence the food choices mimic the lifestyle in what the restaurants serve. Of course some restaurants and parts of the world are taking a stand and making a difference by offering whole, healthy food, rather than using excuses that “if they serve *that* people won’t eat it”. The good news is that as more and more people are awakening and seeing the connection between the food we eat and the modern disease and weight problems, not to mention environmental degradation and animal welfare, more are forcing and creating change, by making different choices.

So let’s start with your easy question first, the cholesterol. I don’t mean to put down your doctor, but there is no other way of saying it, in that most doctors operate from a very old thinking about nutrition, not to mention that most doctors worldwide have no proper training in nutrition. So generally speaking I don’t recommend for people to talk to their medical doctor about nutrition as they get old, outdated information that confuses them more. A Naturopathic doctor or a nutritionist would be a good option to talk to about food choices. Talking to a medical doctor about nutrition, is like talking to a car mechanic about your television. Sure they may have one, but they are not trained in fixing TV’s, they are trained in fixing cars. Same with medical doctors, they fix diseases and know drugs. They don’t specialize in prevention or know the depth of nutrition and its role in health.

Meat is one of the main sources of saturated fat, not monounsaturated fat. We are seeing the complications of this play out all over the world. While all saturated fat is not bad, something about animal product saturated fat, along with naturally occurring trans fats is damaging our cardiovascular systems. So while your doctor is right that monounsaturated fat is linked to a reduction of LDL chol. and an increase in HDL chol. they neglected to tell you that the saturated fat which meat is full of is linked to an increase and production of LDL chol.

And yes, our bodies need cholesterol to function properly, but they make their own cholesterol. This is something most people are not aware of. NO CHOLESTEROL needs to come from the diet. Given a diet that is rich in a variety of healthy fats, (be it a 100% plant one) our bodies are capable of producing all the healthy cholesterol they need.
PLUS, HDL cholesterol is most raised, while LDL lowered by exercise.
PLUS, worldwide, animal product consumers have normally the worst cholesterol profiles. Where as vegans typically have no problems with their cholesterol.

I myself am a prime example when in my mid-20′s after eating lots of dairy, because that is what my doctor told me is good for a young woman and her bones ended up with elevated bad cholesterol. I removed the dairy, increased fruits and vegetables and within months my cholesterol reversed itself and healed to text book perfect levels. Never had a problem again since going vegan.

So it saddens me to hear that such misinformation is spread by the medical authorities, but that is our world today.

Now when it comes to not having proper choices outside, again I understand based on what I mentioned about big city life above. The way to get around this is first and foremost, and always making your own meals. I know this can be very hard depending on the family schedule and people’s work and other responsibilities, but the more we make this a priority in our life and re-structure our life, the easier it becomes. Nothing beats nutritionally and financially getting your own high quality food items from local markets or grocery stores and preparing our own meals. This is the only way to ensure we get what we want and what will serve us best nutritionally for our health short and long term.

Ultimately it is important to be easy with oneself, and move toward your goal, but do it at a pace you are comfortable with. Normally well thought out and step by step implemented change is long lasting and deeply lived when it is done this way, rather than drastic, over night changes.

So with your girls, again I understand as refined sugar is highly addictive and literally acts on the brain like a drug. Therefore refusing to give them sweets or cutting them off all at once won’t work out very well. The best way is to find healthy sugar alternates, like homemade raw, vegan desserts (check out my recipe section on the site for ideas) that are made with dates or raising. Basically whole food sweet foods. Overall to make dietary changes stick with kids, it has to be a whole family paradigm shift in how food is viewed and consumed. Just telling kids this is bad for you and you can’t or shouldn’t eat it goes nowhere. Just by you living as the example in the family and being the inspiration for your family will go a long way. If your kids don’t see you eating the stuff, they will start to shift their perception of it. Saying things like “mommy wants to have a healthy body and not get sick so mommy loves eating apples” are small but powerful examples. Or being honest with them too, they may be young, but kids know more than we realize, like “mommy just learned that this food (fill in the blank with some processed sweets) can make our bodies sick, so mommy is choosing not to eat it anymore.” And don’t tell them what to do, you just live the change and let them ask questions and come to their own conclusions. When we empower kids, rather than dictate what they should be doing, amazing things happen :)

I hope the above helps and wish you all the best on your personal health journey!

I live in Beirut, Lebanon, and our lifestyle here makes it quite difficult to eat very healthy, especially for people who have children. We eat out a lot, and there aren’t many options for vegan foods, especially gluten-free and whole grain ones. I am still trying to make the healthier choices for my family. I haven’t completely gone vegan yet, but I am strongly considering it. Your article had a strong effect on me.
I watched forks over knives recently and found it very interesting. I do find it very hard though to implement these dietary changes in our lives. Most foods here contain either meat, dairy products, refined sugar, or processed foods, so I am really having a hard time. Also my two daughters’ sweet tooth doesn’t help, and I don’t like the idea of seeing them suffer and beg for foods that they see all their friends and family eating. My older daughter is almost six and the younger one is 19 months old. I can reason to some extent with the older one, but not with the little one.

I would love to hear your ideas on this issue.

Also one thing that has been puzzling me is that my doctor told me that I should eat meat as it is the main source of monounsaturated fats which are linked to a reduction in LDL cholesterol and an increase in HDL cholesterol. Our bodies need cholesterol to function properly. And meat is the only source of cholesterol. What is your opinion on that?

Correct me if I’m wrong but, sadly, everything that has been said about meat equally applies to vegetables. In order to produce more vegetables (and yes, make more $$$), in any kind of climate and condition, farmers not only plant genetically modified seeds but also pour tons of chemical fertilizers on the crop. Imagine the effect this has on the soil which is then reused to plant more crop. Sure the veggies look amazing, bright in colour and defectless in shape, but do they really hold any nutrients?

If you think you know what a real tomato or apple tastes or even smells like, think again.

Let’s not mention the 2% milk we drink which tastes like water…

Up to 100 years ago people used to die from tuberculosis and flu, nowadays you get the cancer of this the cancer of that and we all wonder why.

Fantastic addition! I would definitely agree that this is VERY true. We are what we eat, and most in our world have yet to discover how much and what, other than nutrients and calories is passed on from living being to living being in the consuming process.

Thank you for your beautiful and valuable comment. You have shared so well how our bodies do react to the different foods and substances we eat and more people are awakening to eating in the most compassionate way for all of creation, all the animals and plants and beings on this planet.

I wish you all the best on your personal journey, it sounds like you are in such a wonderful place and know exactly how to proceed for your health and the welfare of the planet! Thank you!

Excellent point and thank you for adding it through your comment here.

I have seen and reviewed Forks Over Knives and it is fantastic! I definitely highly recommend this film to anyone who is serious about their health and looking at food in a new light. We have evolved today to be more compassionate not only towards other beings, but also to ourselves, our bodies and taking better care of them.

All the best!