What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About Nutrition!

Doctors Without Nutrition?

As the saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Plant power = health! Simple right? Ha!

As soon as the word “vegan” comes up at a doctor’s appointment, it often becomes the focus, even if your complaint is a sprained wrist. Decades of manipulative marketing by the meat and dairy industry have left many doctors with deeply imbedded misconceptions about nutrition, like protein has to come from animals. Doctors will often push that canard even though black beans, quinoa, soy, spinach and kale are just some of the many protein-rich vegan options. These plant-based protein sources have the additional benefit of being cholesterol-free, unlike meat. Historically, doctors have gotten very little education in genuine nutrition.

Now, a new book that every doctor should read… and it was written by that rare doctor who is an expert in nutrition.  Dr. Reshma Shah and registered dietician Brenda Davis are the authors of Nourish,  the definitive guide to the unbiased nutrition information you need for a truly healthy diet.

Listen to them break it down to JaneUnChained’s Jane Velez-Mitchell!

Americans Need Nutrition Help!

A recent study published by the Mayo Clinic found that less than 3% of Americans follow a “healthy diet.”

Consuming animal products has been proven to lead to a heightened risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and many other health issues. “Diet is the number one risk factor for diseases that kill people in the world,” explains Brenda Davis, world-renowned expert and pioneer in plant-based nutrition.

 “Nutrition education in medical training is lacking,” explains Dr. Shah, board-certified pediatrician and clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine. “Only about 25% of medical schools meet the current recommendations set by the academy of medical sciences in terms of how much nutrition education to give.”

 “One thing I always tell pediatricians is, what would you do if you had a child who was allergic to cow’s milk? Because it’s a common food allergy. You certainly wouldn’t tell them that they had to drink milk.” – Dr. Shah

Nourish: a Book to Fill the Gaps

Dr. Shah and Davis’s new book educates readers on a variety of topics: why to go plant-based, the nutritional benefits, the misconceptions.  It’s also packed with resources and recipes.

Vegans often feel the need to be very knowledgeable when it comes to nutrition, if only to defend themselves against society’s bias.  There’s that added pressure of setting the example for how to be a good vegan. “Whenever a vegan ignores their own health and they don’t do well, they become exhibit number one for why everyone around them feels justified in eating meat,” Brenda Davis explains. “We want to be the healthiest person in the room because we want to disable that argument that ‘vegan’ isn’t good enough for health.”

Having these conversations with doctors is an important part of the process. “Physicians are getting more interested, and we need to approach them with compassion,” says Davis.

Order Nourish now and get all the information you need to be your healthiest self and, in being so, inspire others, maybe even your doctor.