Table Of ContentPRAISE FOR THE CAMPBELL PLAN
“With this most worthy companion book to The China Study, Dr. Thomas
Campbell is once again a superb guide on our journey to optimum health. What
will strike the reader most is Dr. Campbell’s admirable balance between
confidence and humility. When he’s not yet sure, he tells us why. When he is
sure, he not only explains why, but also shows us how. Don’t miss it.”
—Douglas J. Lisle, PhD, coauthor of The Pleasure Trap
“The Campbell Plan is a terrific adjunct to The China Study and will ensure that
your path toward better health is not only easy but truly enjoyable!”
—Alona Pulde, MD, and Matthew Lederman, MD, authors of The Forks
Over Knives Plan and founders of Transition to Health Center
“The Campbell Plan is a clear, concise, and thorough strategy for anyone who
wants to take their health to the moon following the principles of a whole-foods,
plant-based diet. Who better to guide the way than Dr. Tom Campbell!!”
—Rip Esselstyn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Engine 2 Diet
and My Beef with Meat
“Dr. Tom Campbell expertly and creatively blends evidence-based
recommendations and practical information in The Campbell Plan. I urge you to
read this book to put the remarkable benefits of building your meals from fruits,
vegetables, grains, and legumes into action. Your body (and doctor) will applaud
you.”
—Amy Joy Lanou, PhD, chair and associate professor, Department of Health
and Wellness, University of North Carolina, Asheville
“The groundbreaking research of the original China Study helped usher in a
revolution in thinking; today, the global scientific community recognizes the
clear connection between healthy diets and lower risk for many cancers.”
—Marilyn Gentry, president, World Cancer Research Fund International
“I was thrilled to read Dr. Tom Campbell’s new book, The Campbell Plan,
which transforms the scientific insights of his previous groundbreaking book,
The China Study, into an easy-to-understand-and-apply approach to getting and
staying healthy! This book will be mandatory reading for all of our patients.”
—Alan Goldhamer, DC, director, TrueNorth Health Center, Santa Monica,
California
“Reading The Campbell Plan puts you in the presence of a caring, experienced
family physician who powerfully reveals the Standard American Diet as the
chief culprit in our major disease epidemics: obesity, diabetes, high blood
pressure, heart attack and stroke, and many cancers and autoimmune diseases.
This is one ‘doctor’s appointment’ you will enjoy—and benefit from all your
life. Highly recommended!”
—Michael Klaper, MD, staff physician, TrueNorth Health Center, Santa
Monica, California
“As the evidence on smoking and health became clear in the 1960s, doctors led
the way by quitting smoking in record numbers. Over time it’s become a
standard of care to advise smokers to quit. As the evidence on a whole-food
plant-based diet accumulates, more and more doctors and health-care providers
will improve their diets and help their patients to do so as well. This book is a
breath of fresh air.”
—Gary A. Giovino, PhD, MS, professor and chair, Department of Community
Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo, SUNY
“This book is a wonderful and helpful sequel to The China Study. Tom Campbell
summarizes the research demonstrating the health benefits of a whole-food,
plant-based diet (why we should change our diet) and then provides very
practical advice on how to adopt such a diet, even including menu plans, recipes,
and shopping lists. I highly recommend The Campbell Plan to health
professionals, patients, and the general public.”
—Thomas L. Campbell, MD, chair, Department of Family Medicine,
University of Rochester School of Medicine (no relation to the author)
For Erin, my favorite;
For Mom and Dad, the kindest revolutionaries I’ve ever known;
And for the patients everywhere looking to take control of their health
CONTENTS
Foreword, by T. Colin Campbell, PhD
Introduction
Part 1
FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTH
Chapter 1 The China Study
Chapter 2 Cavemen Counting Carbs
Chapter 3 The Three Food Groups
Chapter 4 The Daily Practice
Part 2
HOT TOPICS
Chapter 5 Refined Plants: Sugar and Soy
Chapter 6 Oils and Fats
Chapter 7 Fish
Chapter 8 Is Wheat Truly Terrible?
Chapter 9 A Gluten-Free World
Chapter 10 Organic and GMO
Chapter 11 Supplement Mania
Chapter 12 The Art of Feeding Monkeys Children
Part 3
THE 2-WEEK CAMPBELL PLAN
Chapter 13 The Campbell Plan: Out with the Old
Chapter 14 The Campbell Plan: In with the New
Chapter 15 The Campbell Plan Menu Plan and Shopping List
Chapter 16 The Campbell Plan for Life: Making It Stick
Chapter 17 Conclusion
Recipes
Notes
Acknowledgments
FOREWORD
I
’ve presented hundreds of diet and health lectures over the last 20 to 30
years, mostly concerning the exceptional health benefits of a whole-food,
plant-based (WFPB) dietary lifestyle. The world of diet and health is littered
with claims and counterclaims, but a tipping point for the WFPB idea is
beginning to peer above the din. Interest in this extraordinary way of achieving
health is gaining unprecedented momentum. Many are wondering why they have
not heard this before, while others are anxious to get started, wanting to know
how best to do it. As this interest grows, questions naturally arise about the
supporting evidence, in part because this idea challenges long-held, almost
sacred assumptions and practices.
It is extremely important, therefore, that discussion of this evidence be
articulated in a way that is, first and foremost, true to its scientific foundation.
The evidence is both compelling and promising because it points a way to
resolve a broad range of difficult societal problems. These problems are
complex, collectively defining the human condition, both private and public. As
much as any other consideration, and perhaps surprising to many, deciding what
to eat goes a long way toward solving these problems. If this dietary lifestyle is
done right, it means maintaining and restoring personal health, minimizing
health care costs, preventing environmental degradation, limiting unnecessary
violence, and reconfiguring a badly distorted food production economy. Because
the root causes of these seemingly diverse problems converge on our food
choices, it is paramount to ask what is the evidence for this dietary practice and
how is it obtained, understood, and used?
Tom Campbell, MD, my son, is unusually prepared to tackle this question.
Trained in arts and communication—theater arts was his major at Cornell
University—he joined me in coauthoring The China Study, bringing with him
skills that made our book unusually readable and, ultimately, eminently
successful. That experience and the exceptionally promising evidence for this
dietary lifestyle prompted him to seek a career in medicine, eventually leading to
board certification in family medicine. His training in medicine, his in-depth
knowledge of nutrition, and, along the way, his experience with patients in his
clinic provide an unusually good combination to consider this evidence in a way
that works, both for his patients and for his colleagues.
Getting the evidence right especially requires tackling the difficult issues,
