The Starch Solution (21 page)

Two important studies show that elevated mercury in the body, primarily from eating fish, causes heart trouble.

• A study published in 2002 in the
  New England Journal of Medicine
  found that higher levels of mercury in toenail clippings predicted a
  greater chance of future heart attacks.
  ¹⁸
  
 

• Another study found that high content of mercury in hair may be a risk factor for acute coronary events and CVD (coronary vascular disease), CHD (coronary heart disease), and all-cause mortality in middle-aged eastern Finnish men. The researchers concluded that any protective effects on the blood vessels and heart from the “good fats” in fish were
  negated by the damaging effects of mercury.
  ¹⁹
  
 

One of the most recent reviews of the overall effects of recommending fish and fish oils, from the 2009 issue of the
Canadian Medical Association Journal,
came to this conclusion: “Until renewable sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids—derived from plant, algae, yeast or other unicellular organisms—become more generally available, it would seem responsible to refrain from advocating to people in developed countries that they increase their intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids through fish consumption.
The evidence for the comprehensive benefits of increased fish oil consumption is not as clear-cut as protagonists suggest
.”
³¹

The research refuting any benefit to the heart from eating fish or taking fish oils is clear and convincing. If you are seriously contemplating these substances as a means for preventing or treating heart disease, it is worth your time to carefully consider the evidence.

Studies show that fish causes or contributes to a variety of ills beyond heart disease.

• The fat you eat is the fat you wear and there is nothing especially attractive about
  becoming overweight or obese
  by eating fish fat.
  ³²
  
 

• Fish causes an
  increase in blood cholesterol
  similar to that caused by beef and pork.
  ²⁰
  
 

• Fish’s highly acidic proteins accelerate calcium loss, contributing to
  osteoporosis
  and
  kidney stones:
  ³³
  
 

• The blood-thinning properties of omega-3 fats that may help prevent the formation of clots also
  increase the chance of bleeding complications.
  ³⁴
  
 

• The anti-inflammatory properties of “good fats” can
  suppress the immune system,
  increasing risk for cancer and infection.
  ^{35
  –
  39}
  
 

• Omega-3 fats
  inhibit the performance of insulin,
  increasing blood sugar levels and aggravating diabetes.
  ^{40
  ,
  41}
  
 

• High intake of fish can prolong pregnancy and increase birth weight, prompting a greater chance of
  fetal death, Caesarean section, and birth injury.
  ^{42
  –
  46}
  
 

The high cost of fresh, wild fish, coupled with concern about our oceans, causes many consumers to put farmed fish on the family table. Fed a diet of fish oils and fish meal made up of small fish taken from chemically contaminated seas, these farmed fish are loaded with concentrated toxins. They are also fed by-products rendered from cows,
raising concern that the agent causing mad cow disease could be transmitted to the fish and those who eat them.
⁴⁷

Because fish meal boosted with “good fats” is expensive, fish farmers frequently opt for cheaper fish meal that contains palm, linseed, and canola oils. As with humans, the composition of a fish’s body fat varies depending on its diet. With the cheaper oils, you may be eating fats that are far from heart healthy while thinking you are boosting your levels of healthy fish oils. As a result, your supposedly healthy diet of fish may be inflaming your arteries and increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.
^48
,
49

Fish farming also raises serious environmental concerns. Waste from fish cages and chemicals used in farming contaminate the waters where they are dumped. Also, fish kept in close proximity breed disease. Robbing the ocean of herring and other small fish to feed farmed fish depletes the food supply for native ocean fish, including salmon, trout, tuna, grouper, and cod.

And, in case you were wondering, fish
do
have feelings.
⁵⁰
I can only imagine that life for fish in a fish farm must be like living in prison, on death row.

My favorite place to visit is Cocos Island, more than 300 miles west of mainland Costa Rica. The trip from the mainland takes more than 30 hours by boat. In this national park, scuba divers can take a swim with large fish, including dozens of varieties of sharks and rays, whale sharks, humpback whales, swordfish, and tuna. Even though park rangers protect these waters, poachers have reduced the area’s sea life by 70 percent over the last 20 years. It is predicted that within 3 years, no large animals will remain in the park; they will all have been caught and eaten by people who believe that a diet with plenty of fish will boost their health. It pains me to think that my grandchildren will never, ever experience the vibrant sea life I once frequently visited.

In my lifetime I have witnessed firsthand the destruction of our environment and its impact on the world’s seas. While I once enjoyed fishing, now, even though I follow a vegan diet, I would eat a beefsteak before I would harm ocean life again. Whether I consume fish or another animal would have roughly the same effect on my health. Fish is not health food. If you believe otherwise, you’d better get your fill now, before the last 10 percent of the fish population is devastated by those who have been falsely convinced that fish equals healthy eating and minimal environmental impact.
¹

The situation is not entirely hopeless, however. Accurate information can fuel concerted efforts to change. We can make sensible choices, enjoying the enormous variety of delicious health-promoting starches and plant foods that surround us. The Starch Solution offers a chance to reverse the downward spiral of our own and our oceans’ health, if only we can begin listening soon enough.

M
y first exposure to veganism—the practice of consuming no foods from animal sources—was in 1977, when I was working as a medical resident at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. My young medical intern had gone vegan out of a personal commitment not to harm animals. If you didn’t know this, you might think his nylon belt and plastic shoes were just frightfully bad fashion sense. I figured a diet of vegetables, fruits, and grains ought to make vegans healthier than meat eaters. So I was surprised that this young, vegan doctor was quite overweight, with an oily face pockmarked from acne.

It didn’t take me long to discover the reason for his poor health: This busy intern’s diet consisted largely of potato chips and Coca-Cola, both readily available in the hospital’s dining room, gift shop, and vending machines. He was the ultimate junk food vegan. Sadly, it turns out he is not a point far off the curve. The fact that vegans are vigilant about what
doesn’t
go into their mouths does not guarantee that they follow good eating habits. In fact, a great number of vegans are overweight and unhealthy.

On its own, a diet free of hot dogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, shrimp scampi, grilled salmon, mac ‘n’ cheese, eggs over easy, and ice cream does little to assure good health. Neither does going a step further, omitting honey (made by bees), sugar (which may involve using bone in processing), wine (which may be filtered with egg
whites), and other foods in which animal products play a minor role in production.

That doesn’t mean you should give up on the idea of a vegan diet. It only means you need to learn what makes up a
healthy
vegan diet. You won’t be surprised that the answer revolves around obtaining the bulk of your calories from starches.

Giving up favorite foods is terrifying. Swearing off meat and milk feels tantamount to risking starvation. Some people overcome those fears by making their dietary choices feel familiar and safe. They exchange animal foods with ersatz equivalents—foods made to look, feel, smell, and taste like those they replace. If before going vegan dinner was a burger, roasted chicken, hot dogs, or a cheese pizza, now it is soy burgers with painted grill marks and liquid smoke, “chicken” chunks sculpted from vital wheat gluten, tofu dogs, and fluffy white bread pizza topped with sweet tomato sauce and soy mozzarella.

Instead of replacing the meat with healthier alternatives, vegans too often fill their plates with meat equivalents crafted from highly processed soy proteins bathed in vegetable oil. They put down butter and pick up a margarine spread. They swap ice cream for frozen soy treats packed with fat and sugar. When they do eat vegetables, it is typically as a side dish glistening with “healthy” olive oil, the way most Americans eat them. Ignorant of the damage to their health, they give themselves a congratulatory pat on the back for saving animals from suffering. However, they are leaving one very important animal off their list of concerns: themselves.

Calorie for calorie, fake foods are not much better nutritionally than the animal foods they replace. In some cases, they are worse. Even though they may contribute less fat and more carbohydrate, the isolated soy protein in these foods increases calcium loss as much as animal protein does, hastening the path toward osteoporosis and kidney
stones.
^1
–
3
It also increases growth factors that promote cancer and aging more readily than does cow’s milk.
^4
–
6
Olive oil and nondairy butter replacements are just as high in fat and have exactly the same effect: fat stored on your thighs, hips, and buttocks. Vegetable oils often contribute even more than do animal fats to promoting cancer.
^7
–
10

Figures represent percent of total calories.

We all know that vegetable oils, like olive oil, protect us from heart disease…right? That may not be the case. In fact, the heart-healthy benefits of the widely promoted Mediterranean diet—an elusive concept considering that a wide range of diets is eaten throughout that part of the world—have been shown to accrue from the starches those populations eat, such as pasta and beans, accompanied by fruits and vegetables.
^11
–
13
But what gets the credit? The olive oil. In fact, the Mediterranean diet promotes health
in spite
of olive oil, not because of it.