[Applause]
i'm vegan
now in saying that i'm giving some
credence to a myth
perpetrated by some non-vegans the joke
being
how do you know someone's vegan
don't worry they'll tell you
now
the theme of these tedx talks is
regeneration
a look at the world of tomorrow its
science
its health
its economics its
and i want to talk about health
in particular
about what we need to do
to improve the health
of human beings
now at this point i need to make it
absolutely clear
i'm not a doctor
nor am i offering medical advice
however i am a biologist
and what i'm going to say is based on my
understanding
of how the body works
and indeed on my own experience
in his introduction to
the man who mistook his wife for a hat
oliver sacks refers
to the quintessential
human condition
of sickness
he says animals get diseases
but it's only humans who fall radically
into sickness
and he quotes the 19th century
philosopher nietzsche
as for sickness
are we not almost tempted to ask
whether we could get along without it
the problem is
that so many people believe that
sickness
and poor health
is a normal part of the human condition
and that all others should expect to be
unwell from time to time
and many will suffer from long-term
chronic disease
the nhs and other health authorities
around the world
are battling against a rising tide of
chronic disease coronary heart disease
cancer type 2 diabetes and so many more
all of which are contributing to
people's lives
being cut short
why is it
that we're not stumbling over the bodies
of other animals
dying on a regular basis
from these diseases
why is it that we're not tripping over
obese mice or rabbits
why is it that we're not surrounded by
the corpses
of magpies or pigeons
having fallen from the skies following
massive heart attacks
well the reason as oliver sacks says
is
that such sickness is
quintessentially human
and these sorts of diseases simply don't
exist
in other species
of animals
so why is it
that the health services around the
world
are struggling to cope
and in fact the situation only appears
to be getting worse
the reason i would contend
lies in what people eat
to reduce or even eliminate
all this chronic disease
the answer lies not
in more drugs and medication
but in advising people
on what they eat
there's a huge amount of evidence
beginning to suggest that if people were
to adopt a plant-based diet
then all of this chronic disease
would disappear
so how have we got into this situation
it's explained very well in rohan
milson's book
why animals aren't food
milson suggests that what people eat
can be put into three categories
number one
animal products
meat
dairy and eggs
number two
processed
refined
manufactured products
the sorts of things that are sold in
packets with a list of ingredients
the supermarket shelves are full of them
and milson
and many other people refer to these
products
as junk
number three are plants
whole unprocessed plants
consumed as close as possible
to the form in which they have grown
and been harvested
milson argues
that it's only the third of these
whole plants which promote good health
reduce chronic disease
and should be regarded as food
the first two categories animal products
and processed products should not be
regarded as food
and it is the consumption of these
that causes so much sickness
and chronic disease
advocates
of a plant-based diet for health
promote the consumption of only whole
plants
and they refer to this
as a whole food
plant-based diet
now it's very clear that all chronic
disease
is caused by a similar number of
underlying factors these include chronic
inflammation
oxidative stress and atherosclerosis
the laying down of fatty material
inside blood vessels
and these conditions are further
exacerbated
by the development of a less than
healthy population of bacteria in our
gut
so why is it
that animal products and refined
products
promote such poor health
well in short
animal products contain many components
which are detrimental to our health
they're either carcinogenic
or they cause
chronic inflammation
oxidative stress and atherosclerosis
and they're certainly not conducive to
the development
of a healthy population of gut bacteria
the so-called gut flora or gut
microbiome
of particular importance
is the fact that animal products
contain no fiber whatsoever
and it's impossible to over emphasize
the importance of fiber
in a healthy diet
as far as processed refined foods are
concerned what everyone needs to
understand
is that these are manufactured according
to recipes and created in factories
they're composed in such a way that
people will enjoy eating them and will
want to come back for more
but they contain ridiculously high
levels of salt
sugar and fat
and they're certainly not the types of
products that our digestive system is
designed to process
and they certainly don't encourage
a healthy
population of gut
bacteria
so where's the evidence
well most people
won't take these claims at face value
the power of a plant-based diet to
promote good health
and eliminate chronic disease
in 2005
t colin campbell a professor of
nutritional biochemistry at cornell
university in america
published the china study
after several decades of investigation
he came to the conclusion
that the types
number
and distribution of cancers all across
china
were entirely
diet related
in 2006 neil barnard published his
program
for reversing diabetes
a scientifically proven system
for reversing diabetes
without drugs
he has demonstrated time and time again
that type 2 diabetes can be reversed on
a plant-based diet
quickly
and easily
in 2007
dr coldwell b esselstyn a cardiologist
from cleveland ohio
published
prevent
and reverse
heart disease
based on his experience of treating his
heart patients
by giving them advice on a plant-based
diet
rather than resorting to drugs
or surgery he also demonstrated that
coronary heart disease need never exist
and it's entirely
diet related
so are the authorities taking much
notice well i think that's probably
quite hard to say
but what i do know is there are more and
more doctors and health professionals
beginning to realize
the huge health benefits
of a plant-based diet
and are starting to advise their
patients on what they should be eating
rather than immediately
resorting to more drugs
and medication
as long as 1985 neil barnard in america
founded the physicians committee for
responsible medicine
their mission statement is
the physicians committee is dedicated
to saving and improving human and animal
lives
through plant-based diets
as well as effective and ethical
scientific
research
in 2018
plant-based health professionals uk
was launched by dr shireen kasam a
consultant hematologist at king's
college hospital in london
the purpose initially was to organize
plant-based health conferences to bring
together like-minded individuals
to exchange views and ideas
and generally promote the huge health
benefits
of a plant-based diet
their mission statement is
to provide education
and advocacy
on healthy plant-based diets
for health professionals the public
and policy makers
earlier this year after two years of
consultation
henry dimbleby and his committee
published the uk's national food
strategy
they are in no doubt
that the type of diet consumed here in
the uk
is contributing to very poor health i
quote
how have we ended up with a food system
that can feed the world
but makes us so ill
it's bizarre but not surprising that
here in the uk we can buy 28 different
kinds of kit kat
a chocolate snack is an easier sell than
runner beans and therefore a more
interesting
commercial proposition
18 of the largest food and drinks
companies
rely on product portfolios
85 percent of which are considered so
unhealthy
has to be unsuitable to be marketed to
children
under world health organization
guidelines
children's diets are simply not good
enough
during primary school age obesity rates
more than double
and on average
a secondary or primary school
student
fails to consume the daily recommended
five portions
of fruit and veg a day
and actually
no age group or income quintile meets
that recommendation
the uk
climate change committee has suggested
that if we're to meet
zero emissions by 2050
we need to cut our meat consumption by
between 20 and 50 percent
the national food strategy have
suggested
we need to target a 30 reduction
in the next 10 years
and i want to finish with another quote
from t colin campbell
he's recently published a book called
the future of nutrition
and he refers to the typical american
american diet as actually being
malnutrition
and i'm sure it applies here equally in
the uk
and he says
malnutrition
is undoubtedly
the main
cause
of death
thank you
[Applause]
you