Theodore,
I agree with you in that even if one does not accept a diet with little to no meat as a permanent way of eating, that a fruit and vegetable cleansing diet would at least be beneficial during the cancer treatment period for a pregnant woman. However, why get cancer in the first place, when there is good evidence that you never have to? If a mother does not discover she has cancer until it is at stage three or four, she may then find herself in the position of choosing a conventional treatment which recommends the aborting of her baby. For this reason, I offer some more support of the whole foods, plant based diet, to prevent this outcome.
Actually, it is very possible to succeed on a vegan diet with no meat, IF the diet is rich in uncooked green leafy vegetables, sprouted grains, nuts and seeds, and fruits. There are a good number of "processed food vegans" out there, who don't eat enough fresh fruits and veggies, possibly resulting in the malnourished individuals that you speak of. I personally believe that some meat is fine (though not necessarily ideal), because I come from a Christian perspective that realizes that God allows us to consume meat. It is important to keep in mind though, that in biblical times they ate far less animal products than we do today in America. The evidence in the China Study shows that up to five percent of a diet could contain animal products, which, per my calculations, for someone on a 2500 calorie diet is approximately a steak per week...or no meat, but a small amount of milk or cheese each day (note: the author of the China Study recommends simply abstaining from all animal products, because he is concerned that people wouldn't closely follow the five percent allowance). However, God's original plan was for us to be vegetarian, a plan that existed from creation until after the global flood. Only then did he finally give
permission, but not command, us to eat meat (except to the Israelites in certain religious feasts). Interestingly, in heaven there won't be any death or suffering and we will be eating like we were in the very beginning. I know this appeal to Biblical history/prophecy probably won't persuade those of you who do not accept the Bible as historical fact (but check out
www.answersingenesis.org for stunning Bible-based scientific research, that gives us confidence in the Bible). Anyhow, our bodies are still well-equipped to function primarily or even solely on a plant-based diet.
When we eat, say, chicken, cooking will denature a good bit of the protein that is in there and then our body needs to break down the protein molecules into their building blocks of amino acids. Then our body reassembles these amino acids to form proteins that our body can then assimilate. Leafy greens contain ALL the essential amino acids required to form protein and when we consume them raw, our body can start right away with these building blocks to form protein—actually making protein from this source easier to assimilate than that from an animal source. Here is a link with more info on this topic:
http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/store2/abugree.asp
The author of this excerpt, Victoria Boutenko, wrote an excellent book called “Green for Life,â€
-- If you research further (or even just click on mini page) you'll see.
