There is no better way than the empirical way to prove any given nutritional theory. Our knowledge of intricate body chemistry and metabolism is rudimental and new facts are discovered daily. But if we can put the theory into practice and see what results it has produced through centuries or even millenniums of use, then it is worth more than bookshelves full of scientific reasoning.
The secret of the Hunzaluu
There is one particular nation which is generally considered “the healthiest people on earth”—the Hunza people. First “discovered” by Sir Robert McCarrison, famous British physician, in the beginning of this century, Hunza has been visited since that time by many researchers, attracted there by the Hunza people’s remarkably good health and freedom from all diseases common to the “civilized world.” Hunza is located in the Himalayas and is a quiet, isolated kingdom of about 25,000 inhabitants.
Cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, rheumatic diseases and many other diseases common in western countries are unknown in Hunza. Do not try to discount this by the usual “they-don’t-have-proper-diagnosis” argument. A very competent physician, Dr. McCarrison, lived among them for 11 years and tried hard to find traces of these diseases. “They know no sickness,” he said. They live up to 90, 100 and over 100 years of age; are virile, strong and active long after they reach the usual three score and ten.
The researchers who studied Hunza agree that their diet is the major factor in their unusual health and longevity. Primitive life and healthful mountainous climate are, of course, contributing factors; but some other tribes in the same area, but with different eating habits, do not demonstrate nearly as good health as the Hunzakuts do. The Hunza diet is a high natural carbohydrate—low animal protein diet! Their staple foods are grains, such as wheat, barley, millet, and buckwheat; fruits, mostly apricots, apples, and grapes; assorted vegetables, generally eaten raw; and very little milk, largely goat milk. They eat few eggs and very little meat, only on festive occasions and not more than once a month. Needless to say, because of their isolated and inaccessible position in the Himalaya mountains, they have no access to refined, civilized foods made from white flour, white sugar, canned foods, etc. The Hunzas are a living proof that an unrefined, simple diet, rich in natural carbohydrates and low in animal proteins is superior to our over-refined, devitalized protein-rich diet.
Yemenites
A few years ago, a tribe of Semitic origin was discovered in the mountains of Yemen. Several thousand people were living high in the mountains in an area isolated from the rest of the world for over 2,000 years, with customs and living and eating habits of the pre-Christian era. Of course, the sensational news was publicized in the world press. Many scientists from all over the world immediately rushed to Yemen to study these people, their way of life, their health conditions, eating habits, etc. They discovered that these Yemenites were specimens of perfect health who lived to a very old age and knew practically no diseases. And what did they eat? You’ve guessed it! Yes, theirs was a low animal protein—high natural carbohydrate diet!
Russians
Russians are known for their endurance and good health. They have seven times more centenarians per million than the United States. Russians are a low-protein people. Their staples are black whole-grain bread with lots of vegetables (mostly cabbage, onions and potatoes) and grains like millet and buckwheat. Russian sour black rye bread,* borsch (vegetable soup) and kasha* (millet or buckwheat porridge) are world-famous. They seldom eat meat more than once a week. 74.5 percent of their protein need is derived from vegetable sources and only 25.5 percent from animal sources (as compared with the United States figures of 29 percent vegetable and 71 percent animal!). Of course, the greatest number of Russia’s 21,000 centenarians are vegetarians, or nearly vegetarians. During the war many of their armed units lived on meatless diets for months and demonstrated remarkable stamina and endurance.
Bulgarians
Bulgarians are among the healthiest races in Europe. They are, along with the Scandinavians, the tallest people in Europe and they possess great vitality and longevity. There are more centenarians in Bulgaria than in any other civilized country. They are known to retain the characteristics of youth to an advanced age. The virility of their “old” men is legendary. According to the 1930 census, Bulgarians had 1,600 centenarians to every million of population as compared to nine persons of 100 years old or older per million in the United States.
The diet of the Bulgarians consists largely of black bread (mostly whole rye and barley), vegetables and soured milk in the form of yogurt or kefir. They eat relatively little meat.
Seventh-Day Adventists
A grand-scale scientific evidence supporting the low animal protein diet is presented in the health statistics from a religious group, the Seventh-Day Adventists.
A study conducted by Dr. Frank R. Lemon and Dr. Richard T. Walden, of the Loma Linda School of Medicine, reveals that the Seventh-Day Adventists, as a group, have better health and live longer than the general population. Their rate of lung cancer is practically zero, 1000 percent or ten times less than among the general population. This is true even among those Adventists who live in the heavy-smogged Los Angeles area! The rate of coronary disease among them is 40 percent less than in the general population. Studies reveal low mortality and low morbidity among Seventh-Day Adventists from all cancers of the respiratory tract and esophagus, emphysema and bronchitis, and from coronary artery disease.
The Seventh-Day Adventist mortality rate from all causes is two times lower, and from respiratory diseases four times lower, than among the general population.
Now, here we have an extraordinarily remarkable scientific study made by reputable medical men and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which shows that a certain group of people, living in the United States seemingly under the same conditions as the rest of us, possesses vastly superior health. Wouldn’t this study be worth looking into in our multibillion-dollar quest for ways of improving the catastrophic state of our health?
The answer to the superior health of the Seventh-Day Adventists lies in the health program advocated by their Church. They look upon their bodies as the Temples of the Spirit and, as such, keep it clean and in good repair. They are lacto-vegetarians; they eat no meat. They do not smoke, drink no alcohol, nor do they use coffee, tea or other caffein-containing beverages such as cola drinks. They are also advised to abstain from the consumption of sugar and refined starches. A recent study made by the Colorado State Health Department reveals that Seventh-Day Adventist children have about 50 percent fewer cavities than the other children in the area.
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