Plant B

I watched some videos of Plant B by Bassem Yousef where he talks about unhealthy-eating habits. He also explains the vegan diet which is not only cutting out meat and fish but also dairy products, white rice, white wheat including pasta and the like. I got so convinced with the information provided by doctors and medical experts that I've already started to believe that it's the healthiest diet to follow, especially for those with chronic diseases. In practice, however, it's so difficult to apply. All the food we should avoid if on a vegan diet, we consume on a daily basis. 

For example, I have cheese almost every day with my dinner. White wheat, in the form of bread, biscuits or other pastries, is a main component in my three daily meals. White wheat and rice are provided for all Egyptians on their ration cards at subsidized prices. On the other hand, whole grain and brown rice aren't very available and moreover, their prices are double that of white wheat. As well as that, oil and butter, which are unhealthy, are the only way you're expected to cook or fry food. It's said in the videos that even olive oil isn't good for health in quantities more than a soup spoon.

Later, I watched videos from the opposite perspective. It shows that not everything Bassem has mentioned is 100% correct which got me confused. I also read about a British woman who was diagnosed with curable breast cancer. Then, she refused chemotherapy and instead chose to take up a vegan diet and a holistic lifestyle. Days ago, she died after her cancer had developed to stage four. I believe that healthy diet on its own is not a treatment for diseases, but it could be a positive factor. Patients should not stop their medicines and expect to get well only by eating a healthy diet.

Now the question is what is a healthy diet? A vegan, a vegetarian, a keto or a paleo one. Everyone on YouTube defends their perspectives about the best nutrition and diet. Which one should we believe? Which diet is the best for health? How to decide what's good and bad for our health? 

I think everybody is different. What is healthy for someone, might not be the best option for another. However, there are some common ground that all agree on. First, sugar and processed meat are better to be cut out of the diet. As well as that, hydrogenated fats should also be reduced. It's better to eat fruit to benefit from their fiber instead of drinking them as juice.

For the moment, I will try to reduce the amount of white wheat I consume. It's a difficult goal to achieve though as pastry is my weakest point. If I didn't hate cooking, I would learn some recipes to make pastries with whole grain myself. Or maybe I should just get on with it and make some mess in the kitchen.