McDougall on the proper diet for pregnancy: “Over the past four decades doctors and dietitians have successfully persuaded expectant mothers to eat ‘a well-balanced diet,’ and as a result, pregnancy has become synonymous with sickness. Women spend nine months in misery: fat and fatigued with chronic indigestion and constipation.”

McDougall says world security is threatened by hunger caused by gluttony: “In practical terms, this means Westerners living on and dying from their meat- and dairy-centered diets will simply switch to a starch-based meal plan so that there is sufficient rice, corn, wheat, and potatoes to feed the world’s population.”

McDougall features some recipes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s new book, Color Me Vegan.

Higher fiber intake is associated with significantly lower risk of dying, according to a study published online this week. Researchers looked at diet records from 219,213 people who were part of the NIH (National Institutes of Health)-AARP Diet and Health Study. Those who ate the most fiber had lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease and infectious and respiratory diseases, compared with participants who ate the least. Men who ate the most fiber also had a lower risk of cancer death, compared with men who consumed the least. Women with the highest fiber intake showed a non-statistically significant lower risk of death from cancer.

Fiber is only found in foods from plants, such as beans, grains, vegetables, and fruits.

Park Y, Subar AF, Hollenbeck A, Schatzkin A. Dietary fiber intake and mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Arch Intern Med. Published ahead of print February 14, 2011. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.18.