- Joined
- Jul 16, 2008
- Messages
- 24,646
- Points
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SINGAPORE: In 1980, I became a vegetarian for what I planned to be a year. My main reason for it was reading Diet For A Small Planet, a book by food expert Frances Moore Lappe about how meat production contributes to world hunger.
My one year of vegetarianism became 43 years. During that time, I went vegan and became an activist for plant-based diets and alternative protein, heading Vegetarian Society (Singapore) for more than 10 years.
Then, on Mar 18 this year, I had a heart attack, needing two stents and a lot of medication.
It wasn’t supposed to happen. Aren’t vegans “heart attack-proof”? I felt a bit like the fitness guru, Jack LaLanne, who until his death at age 96 in 2011, used to say: “I can’t die, it would ruin my image”.
My diet was good. I wasn’t a “junk food vegan”. Even with all the vegan ice cream, cakes, and other sweets newly arrived on the market, I stuck mostly to less processed plant foods.
I didn’t eat fried foods or refined grains. I resisted the siren song of potato chips and other salty snacks, and stayed far away from sugary drinks. Overall, I knew to avoid foods high in SOS (Salt, Oil and Sugar).
Also, I exercised regularly: Walking 10,000 steps on most days, plus swimming and playing pickleball and tennis.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/vegan-diet-heart-attack-reduce-health-risk-3538846