World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony

Will Tuttle PhD has written a non-traditional “diet” book, not for weight loss or to reduce symptoms of a chronic disease, but as part of an overall lifestyle choice for spiritual health and harmony with the earth around us. The World Peace Diet suggests that how we eat may move our consciousness forward so that we can live a more intelligent, loving and happier life.
The book primarily focuses on a vegan diet for both compassion reasons and for the benefits that it has on the environment. Ghandi said, “Our fork can be a weapon of violence.” Dr. Tuttle says that it is becoming increasingly obvious to him that the choices we make about our food are leading to “environmental degradation, enormous human health problems, and unimaginable cruelty toward our fellow creatures.”
As for traditional diet advice, The World Peace Diet does give information to the reader on how a balanced vegetarian diet can help someone improve their health and lose weight. It also examines the medical and hormonal effect to the body from eating a meat-based diet.
There are many nutritional, physical and environmental benefits to adopting either a vegetarian or vegan diet. A vegan diet is typically low in saturated fat, unless one consumes a lot of coconut or palm oils. The plant-based diet is high in fiber, benefiting both heart disease and several forms of cancer. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are excellent sources of many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.
Eating a healthy and balanced vegan diet has been shown to prevent a number of diseases as well. Cardiovascular disease risk is reduced because of higher fiber and lower fat and cholesterol intakes (only animal foods contain cholesterol). While many think that a vegan diet is “all-carb” and may not be suitable for diabetics, turning to a plant-based diet high in whole grains and low-calorie fruits and vegetables is actually beneficial for blood sugar levels.
As for weight loss, several population-based studies have found that a diet lower in meat and animal products generally leads to a lower BMI and a reduced level of body fat. Many people find an increased energy as well, making it easier to participate in physical activities that can further produce weight loss and tone the body.
Many people adopt a vegan diet out of concern for animals or the environment. Eating a plant-based vegan or vegetarian diet can reduce one’s carbon footprint. According to a presentation at the Copenhagen Climate Congress, adopting a diet lower in meat and animal products could cause changes that could potentially cut climate changes (global warming) by as much as 70%.