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Based on the findings of her father, T. Colin Campbell in 'The China Study', *LeAnne Campbell - in her complementary book, "The China Study Cookbook", recommends selecting whole plant-based foods in their native state rather than trying to obtain specific nutrients from highly processed foods or supplements.

This recommendation is based on three important points:

1) Optimal nutrition occurs when we EAT food rather than take nutritional supplements.

2) The closer foods are to their native states— prepared with minimal cooking, salting, and processing— the greater the long-term health benefits will be.

3) Choose locally and/or organically grown produce whenever possible, but don't be afraid of, or abstain from conventionally grown -- just wash and prep consciously. Be aware of your food sources.

One of the interpretations of T. Colin Campbell's research (as cited* by LeAnne Campbell in The China Study Cookbook) was that the consumption of a variety of different parts of whole plants promotes optimal health. Given this, the Campbell's have broken the plant into seven categories— fruits, grains, leaves, roots, legumes, flowers, and nuts— and given mushrooms a separate category because they can’t be easily categorized as part of a plant. This categorization is to make you aware of the different parts of the plant and to help you think about consuming all parts of the plant. It is not meant to be a strict guideline but merely a framework to use in trying to put together a meal that Nature deems nutritionally ideal.

They created these categories rather simply. Obviously, roots are the parts of plants that grow below the ground. Leaves include all lettuces, kale, spinach, celery, collards, Swiss chard, cabbage, and so on. Fruits are the parts of plants that contain seeds, such as tomatoes, apples, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, and oranges. Grains consist of the seeds themselves: wheat, corn, barley, quinoa, oats, and the like. Legumes are made up of all the different types of beans: soy, pinto, red, black, lentils, kidney, and even peanuts. Flowers are broccoli, cauliflower, dandelions, etc. For nuts, include all tree nuts.

Almost every part of the plant is edible, nutritious, and delicious, and each part has a different nutrient composition; even the smallest sprout of seed, legume, flower, root, nut, grain or leaf categories play a power-packed 'alive' superfood role of the utmost nutritional density. So it’s important to consume a variety of the categories in order to obtain a full complement of nutrients on a given day and across a week or month.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:  Here’s a look at some of the nutritional value of the eight categories (seven types of plant parts plus mushrooms): FRUITS are packed with vitamin C and other phytochemicals. GRAINS abound in carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, and B vitamins. LEAVES are lush with antioxidant vitamins, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. ROOTS have lots of carbohydrates; some have carotenoids. LEGUMES are a hearty source of protein, fiber, and iron. FLOWERS are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals. NUTS are loaded with omega-3 fats, vitamin E, and protein. MUSHROOMS offer a good supply of selenium and other antioxidants.

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To be consistent with the message in The China Study and especially its sequel, 'Whole' by T. Colin Campbell, "The China Study Cookbook" nutrient compositions are not presented with recipes. Nutrient contents in different samples of the same food often are highly variable, leading consumers to be concerned with trivial and meaningless differences instead of the far more important health characteristics of food variety and wholesomeness.  "no need to count calories....just eat plants"

 

CATEGORY EXAMPLES:

FRUITS: ACORN SQUASH, APPLE, AVOCADO, BLACKBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CRANBERRIES, CUCUMBER, EGGPLANT, GRAPEFRUIT, GREEN PEPPER, KIWI, MANGOES, OKRA, ORANGE, PAPAYA, PEACH, PEAR, PUMPKIN, RASPBERRIES, RED PEPPER, STRAWBERRIES, TOMATO, ZUCCHINI, WATERMELON

GRAINS: AMARANTH, BARLEY, BUCKWHEAT, CORN, KAMUT, MILLET, OATS, QUINOA, RICE, RYE, SORGHUM, SPELT, TEFF, WHEAT

LEAVES: ARTICHOKES, ARUGULA, ASPARAGUS, BASIL, BEET GREENS, BELGIAN ENDIVE, BOK CHOI, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, CABBAGE, CELERY, CILANTRO, COLLARD GREENS, KALE, LETTUCE (ALL VARIETIES), MUSTARD GREENS, PARSLEY, RHUBARB, SEAWEED, SPINACH, SWISS CHARD, TURNIP GREENS

ROOTS: BEETS, CARROTS, GARLIC, GINGER, LEEKS, ONIONS, POTATOES (ALL VARIETIES), RADISH, RUTABAGA, TURNIPS

LEGUMES: ADZUKI BEANS, BLACK BEANS, BLACK-EYE PEAS, CANNELLINI BEANS, GARBANZO BEANS, GREEN BEANS, KIDNEY BEANS, LENTILS, PEANUTS, PEAS, PINTO BEANS, SOYBEANS, WHITE BEANS

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FLOWERS:  BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, DANDELIONS 

NUTS: ALMONDS, CASHEW, HAZELNUT, MACADAMIA, PECANS, PISTACHIO, WALNUTS 

MUSHROOMS: BABY BELLA, CREMINI, OYSTER, PORTOBELLO, SHIITAKE, WHITE BUTTON


 

THE GREAT EXCHANGE:  

SUBSTITUTIONS TO CREATE PLANT-BASED RECIPES

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As you transition to a health-promoting eating style, you may want to re-hab a favorite animal-derived recipe to a plant-based garden approach (as well as extra-sugary recipes to less refined ones). Here is a list of possible food substitutions. You may know of other suggestions that work well. Use whatever makes the dish tasty for you and your companions without compromising your health directive. Be creative and experiment with new ingredients, spices and flavorings.

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Click here for our favorite PlantBased WholeFood recipes.

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REPLACE MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH: Depending on the recipe and your food preferences, you can use favorite vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, beans, grains, or portobello mushrooms or a 'steak' of broccoli spear to replace these items. Another food you can use as a substitution while transitioning to a whole food, plant-based diet is tofu, which is available in varying consistencies, from very soft to extra firm (for slicing and crumbling). For optimum benefit create your own 'faux meats' and veggie burgers or nut n' tofu loafs - there is a multitude of combinations. There is also seitan, a wheat product that comes in plain and spicy flavors, as well as soy hot dogs, veggie burgers, tempeh, and soy crumbles (similar to ground beef). 

REPLACE DAIRY MILK: Nondairy milks include soy, rice, almond, hempseed, cashew, coconut, hazelnut, and many others. Experiment with a few different kinds to find one that works best. Generally soy milk will produce a thicker product, and rice milk a thinner one. When making a creamy sauce or a pudding, I have found the best replacement to be unsweetened soy or almond milk. Otherwise, rice milk or any other type of milk substitute can be used in its place.  To replace cheese, consider different recipe blends of tofu, miso, nutritional yeast and nuts, although it won't necessarily melt, the flavor and texture is all there.  Melting varieties (high oil/fat content) of commercial 'dairy free' cheeses are available but read the labels carefully - some still use casein which defeats the purpose of plant-based substitutions.

CHOOSE WHOLE GRAIN FLOURS: There is a wide variety of whole grains, parts of grain (endosperm, bran, cracked), and combinations of grain flours (5-grain, 7-grain, 9-grain) in the market. Wheat, oat, triticale, rye, barley, flax, spelt, brown rice, and durham grain flours are some examples. Use whole grain products, not refined flours. For some people, their choice of which whole grain (as flour) to use will depend on their sensitivity to gluten, especially found in wheat, barley, and rye. To some extent, determining which grain flour to use in order to avoid this allergy is a matter of trial and error.

REPLACE CHICKEN EGGS: There are many different substitutes you may use for eggs. In most cases, you can use whatever is easiest or more convenient for you without it affecting taste or consistency. Some examples of egg substitutes are: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons hemp heartsdissolved in 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon chia seed meal with 3 tablespoons water, ½ mashed banana, ¼ to 1/ 3 cup silken tofu, commercial egg replacer used according to the directions on the box, or ¼ cup applesauce— each replacement equals 1 egg. 

SUBSTITUTE FATS AND OILS IN MAIN DISHES OR SALADS: Use vegetable broth, water, or wine for sautéing or frying. Or simply bake instead of frying. Try oil-free salad dressings with a base of vegetable broth, water, avocado, nut butters, or vinegar.

REPLACE FATS AND OILS USED IN BAKING CAKES, COOKIES, AND SWEET BREADS: Prune paste is one of the best substitutes. It does not change the taste of the dish as much as other substitutions do. Puree 1 cup of pitted prunes in a food processor with ½ cup of water. Substitute 1/ 3 the amount of prune paste for the amount of oil called for in the recipe (i.e., use 1/ 3 cup of prune paste to replace 1 cup of oil). Pureed bananas also work well in some recipes, but they do not hold moisture as successfully as the prune paste, and they distort the flavor. Unsweetened Apple sauce is an excellent replacement for oil/butter.  Consider raw cacao mixed with water and a splash of maple syrup for a rich chocolatey syrup solution.  

CHOOSE WHOLESOME SWEETENERS: When substituting for the sweetness of refined sugar, try concentrated pure fruit juice— specifically apple juice— maple syrup, or any of a wide variety of pureed fruits, including applesauce, bananas, preserves, and jams. Dried fruits, such as dates and raisins, work well for baking. Shredded coconut adds a sweet touch, too. The sweetness of each sweetener varies, so you may need to alter the amount according to taste.

For sweeteners, there are two categories: wet and dry.  I recommend tasting your recipe along the way to determine if more or less is needed. 

Here are a few examples of both:

Wet: brown rice syrup, agave nectar, maple syrup, molasses, fruit syrup, barley malt syrup 

Dry: date sugar, stevia, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, Sucanat, evaporated cane juice 
 

REPLACE SALT: Depending on the recipe, seasonings such as onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, and celery seed can be used. Fresh onion, garlic, lemon juice, salsa, or any type of hot sauce can add zing without sodium (just be careful to check the brand; some are high in sodium). Granulated Sea vegetation like Dulse or Kelp is a great substitution for salt and supplies the much needed B12. Low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's Amino Acids are delicious in many recipes.


*Campbell, LeAnne (2013-05-07). The China Study Cookbook: Over 120 Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes (Kindle Locations 523-526). BenBella Books, Inc.. Kindle Edition.