How Not to Die by Michael Greger
- Planted:
I read How Not to Die by Michael Greger. It’s sort of the bible of evidence-based veganism for health. I’ve heard Animal Liberation by Peter Singer is the vegan bible from an animal ethics angle, but I haven’t read that. I’ve been mostly vegan since February, and it all started with this book. In lieu of a full, polished book review or write-up, here are some incomplete notes I jotted down while reading:
- This book is friggin’ dense, but it’s good
- Oranges keep your fingers and toes from getting cold (by improving blood flow)
- Coronary heart disease is all about LDL cholesterol
- Plaque builds up in your coronary arteries until wham—blot clot and blood stops pumping to your heart for a beat, or longer
- Number one killer in the US, but not a problem in lots of places without animal-based diets
- Stroke and even Alzheimer’s also have to do with cholesterol and arterial plaque buildup
- Cholesterol causes arterial plaque to build up then again, wham—blood doesn’t get to the brain
- Alzheimer’s has a similar mechanism. Something something amyloid buildup caused by cholesterol
- Genes do play a role in Alzheimer’s, but diet sounds like half the battle
- Oxidative stress happens when oxygen intercepts electrons meant to produce energy and instead creates free radicals (superoxides) that damage cells and DNA, which can be in turn cause cancer and aging
- Electrons from plants (from carbs, proteins, and fats, so I guess glucose) are used by mitochondria in your cells to release energy
- Antioxidants combat oxidative stress
- In general, the more colorful the fruit or vegetable the more antioxidants it contains
- Think blueberries, beets, purple cabbage, carrots, etc.
- Nitrates in beets help get oxygen to cells by dilating arteries and they also allow cells to use oxygen more efficiently. Major improvements in endurance sports have been studied. Like, almost two minutes longer max effort cycling after drinking some beet juice!
I’ve eaten lots of beets this year. I buy canned beets in beet juice for ease of consumption and to avoid staining everything. Anecdotally, I do think beets before running have given me an energy/endurance boost :)