A massive collaboration between Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, the China Study is the most comprehensive study of diet, lifestyle and disease that has ever been conducted in the history of biomedical research.

Over the course of the intensive study, researchers surveyed a wide range of diseases and diet and lifestyle factors across rural China and Taiwan, and eventually produced more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease.

So, What does it tell us?  Basically, what the Taoists have been telling us for years.  Avoid eating meat as your source of protein and eat vegetable protein and grains instead.

The study also showed that even relatively small intakes of animal-based foods were associated with adverse effects. And what’s more, the study revealed that the source of animal protein didn’t matter. Whether it came from a lean pork chop, egg whites, or a glass of whole milk, the results were all the same.

In the Basic Chang Ming Cookbook, there is a list of foods that Chee Soo taught students of the Daoist Arts of Lishi to avoid eating.  This list includes:

– Meat such as pork, beef, mutton and lamb.

– Salmon, mackerel, shark, swordfish, tuna and whale.

– Concentrated meat extracts, soups and gravies.

– Milk, cheese, butter, dairy yoghurt, boiled or fried eggs.

– Lard or dripping that comes from animal fats.

– Any bird or fish that has a lot of fat tissue.

 He also advises on a number of foods that can be eaten and these include:

– All locally grown vegetables that are in season, especially root vegetables

– Eggs, if scrambled or in omelettes; better still, eat only the yolks.

Once again, the ancient wisdom of the Daoists is still cutting edge and modern research is only just catching up with what they have taught for thousands of years.

What it really comes down to is that eating animals is a significantly different nutritional experience from eating plants. On top of the aforementioned, plant-based foods have substantially more antioxidants, fiber and minerals than animal-based foods and significantly less cholesterol and saturated fat. Plant-based foods also tend to be alkaline forming, which can help your body combat inflammation, reduce stress and protect bone health.

To find out more about the Chang Ming Healthy living guidelines, ask your Lishi teacher, find a class near you or get yourself a copy of The Basic Chang Ming Cookbook from amazon.

E-News July 2015

Abbot Zhao from the White Cloud Temple visits Lishi in Leeds