A vegetarian diet means reduced health risks, not reduced protein intake
By Jeff & Martha Ellis

Back in the early 90s when I first joined the fire service, being a vegetarian was an anomaly. The guys made fun of my vegan cookies, turned their noses up at my meat substitutes and acted like they were doing me a favor by eating what I cooked for supper.

Having not eaten meat since 1990, I’ve heard it all. Some have approached me with an air of curiosity, while others have felt compelled to challenge my choice, perhaps in an effort to save me from the perils of a plant-based diet. I had to smile, however, when one of my captains secretly called me to ask for a recipe after I took a particularly colorful verbal beating one night for serving up veggie fare in the station.

But like so many things, times are changing. When Rip Esselstyn’s book, “The Engine 2 Diet,” was published in 2009, it became clear that the receptivity to a vegetable-based diet in the fire service may be changing. The tangible successes Esselstyn documents in his book, as well as the success of the book itself, indicate that people are more receptive to dietary changes than they were 15 or 20 years ago. (For more information on Esselstyn’s book, check out “Diet-Hard Fans,” July 2010, p. 15)

In this article, we’ll discuss the health risks involved with eating a diet high in animal products and provide some advice on how to start the transition to a plant-based diet.

Dining on Disease?
Considering the fact that in a typical year, 50 percent of our fatalities are due to cardiac-related complications, all firefighters should be sitting up and taking notice of some basic facts about animal products: They’re generally high in saturated fats, cholesterol and animal proteins, which can increase the cholesterol produced in your own body—which can in turn lead to cardiovascular disease. As we all know, poor diet and lack of exercise have long been identified as primary causes of heart disease.

Meat products are also very difficult to digest. Because it doesn’t contain fiber, meat moves through the digestive tract at a considerably slower pace. As a result, meat consumption is recognized as a factor in gastrointestinal diseases, such as diverticulitis, colitis and even colon cancer. Since studies have shown firefighters to be more susceptible to certain kinds of cancer, anything we can do to minimize our already elevated risk should be something to consider.

Hormones & Antibiotics
There’s also debate about residual antibiotic and hormone levels in animal products. Hormones and antibiotics are used regularly in animal production, such as in the dairy industry. Lactating cows are given hormones to synchronize the animals for breeding, forcing fertility. Many of these hormones transfer into the milk and cheese we consume.

Many debate the impact of residual hormones in these products, but heavy meat and dairy consumption has been shown to cause health problems ranging from early-onset puberty to certain types of cancer.1 

Growth-stimulating hormones (GSHs) are also used to expedite muscle mass development in animals. This may sound great to some of you trying to build muscle mass in the gym, but excessive exposure to GSH has also been linked to several cancers, including cancer of the prostate and breast.

To keep all of these mass-produced animals that live in close quarters from infecting one another, they must also be given antibiotics. One sick animal can set off a costly chain reaction. The problem: As humans and animals become more exposed to these antibiotics, so too are the bacteria that the antibiotics are meant to fight. Unfortunately, some bacteria appear to be building a resistance to the antibiotics.

Off Balance
Animal products tend to make your blood more acidic as well, and when that happens, your body works to achieve homeostasis, or balance. Calcium is one of your body’s best means to achieve that pH balance. If dietary calcium is not readily available, your body will leech calcium from your bones in an attempt to alkalize your blood. So when someone tries to convince you to eat more meat and dairy to avoid osteoporosis, take caution. You’d be better served to increase your consumption of leafy green vegetables, sea vegetables, sesame seeds and other nuts and seeds to acquire calcium that’s easily absorbed and utilized by your body.

A Matter of Protein
When you suggest a plant-based diet to most people, their first concern is, “How will I get enough protein?” The truth of the matter is plants—not just beans—provide complete proteins in greater amounts than most may think. Think about some of the most heavily muscled herbivores on this planet: cows, horses, moose, elephants, rhinoceroses. Where do you think they get their protein?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that humans consume 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram of our ideal body weight per a day. The U.S. recommended daily allowance is 0.8 grams, as it is in the United Kingdom. Those numbers increase to 1–1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight if you’re training for endurance-type activities or performing heavy weight training.

So what does that mean in plain English? If you’re a 6-foot-tall man with an ideal body weight of 176 lbs., or 80 kilograms, your protein requirements would range from 34 to 64 grams for normal activity levels (the lower number represents the WHO’s figures and the latter the U.S. figures, as there’s still much debate about dietary protein requirements) and 80 grams if you’re engaged in endurance training.

There’s an estimated 21 grams of protein in 4 ounces of chicken breast. That means, depending on which recommendation you choose to follow, you can get all the protein you need for daily maintenance in 6–12 ounces of chicken alone. That’s a fraction of what most normal meat eaters consume in a day. When switching to a plant-based diet, these protein requirements can easily be met by eating legumes, nuts, tofu, whole grains and vegetables.

If performance is your concern, keep in mind that there have been and continue to be a multitude of world-class athletes who eat a plant-based diet—Carl Lewis, Martina Navratilova, Edwin Moses, Jack LaLanne and Joe Namath, to name a few.

Note: For information on how to properly combine fitness with vegetarian nutrition, check out Brendan Brazier’s Web site at www.brendanbrazier.com.

Getting Started
If you’re interested in exploring a plant-based diet, but this type of lifestyle change is uncharted water for you, there are a couple of things you can do. First, check out some books on the subject. “The Engine 2 Diet” speaks to everyone; it’s easy to read and it makes the transition easier for the novice by dedicating the first portion of the book to answering the question “Why?” The latter part of the book provides easy-to-follow recipes, answering the question “How?”

“The Kind Diet” by Alicia Silverstone follows a similar format and provides additional information to draw on to answer your how and why questions.

Once you start getting your head around the idea, be kind to yourself. This doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing change initially. This is a huge change for most of us western-hemisphere-type people. Focus on the good of the change, and give the lifestyle a chance to work. Once you start to realize the weight loss and energy-increasing benefits of a plant-based diet, you may never want to go back.
      
Reference
1. Cancer Prevention Coalition. “American Beef: Why it’s banned in Europe. Hormones in meat fact sheet.” www.preventcancer.com/consumers/general/hormones_meat.htm

Division Chief Martha Ellis has been a firefighter with the Salt Lake City Fire Department (SLCFD) for more than 15 years, serving as a firefighter, an engineer, a media technician, an ARFF training officer, an airport fire marshal and currently the fire marshal for Salt Lake City. She has won the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge Women’s Division five times, and held the world record for 8 consecutive years. She also works as a certified fitness coordinator for the SLCFD.

Captain Jeff Ellis of the Murray (Utah) Fire Department (MFD) has served for more than 25 years as a firefighter, an engineer, a hazmat technician and a shift training captain. He’s been a certified fitness coordinator for the department since 1996. As a competitor in the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge, he has won two overall world championships, three Over 40 world championships and helped MFD take the team trophy. He has been active in teaching all aspects of firefighting, including swiftwater rescue and fitness and nutrition in the fire service.

E-mail your fitness-related questions or comments to Jeff and Martha at fit2serve@gmail.com.