| Claudette: |
Was the book "Health and Fitness: A Repair
Manual for Men" the outcome of what it meant to you to reach
middle-age and beyond? |
| Greg: |
Yes. It is basically a natural extention from my
own experience in reaching that time of life. I have read alot
of material on health and diet over the past 25 years and have
experimented with my own body to see what works for me. When
we made the change to a pure vegetarian diet seven years ago
we had the help of the late Joseph Oros as to cooking and
making up recipes. |
| Claudette: |
What ind of response have you received from the
general public to your books? |
| Greg: |
The feedback has been extremely positive. I have
people stop me in the street and in restaurants or calling or
emailing me with an amazing amount of positive feed-back. The
only negetivity came when a reviewer called a considerable
number of dietitians until finding one at the AIS who
disagreed with giving up dairy products. Many people have told
me how their health has been turned around by reading the
books. That's very encouraging. |
| Claudette: |
Why don't you use the V word? Do you think it
turns people off? |
| Greg: |
I made a conscious decision to try and reach as
many people as possible with the books. Bearing in mind that
it took me 20 odd years to come to a pure vegetarian diet I
felt it would be too confronting for most people, men in
particular, to be hit with such a large life-style change. I
believe the popularity of the books has vindicated that
decision. Most people won't become vegan but all can make
substancial life changes that will benefit their health and
the environment. What they need is informed information on
which to base their decisions. |
| Claudette: |
John Wright, the NZ cricketer, was known to use
visualisation techniques to prepare himself for an
international match. You also speak about the importance of
the psycho-physical link. Could you elaborate on that? |
| Greg: |
My mental skills were more important to me than my physical
ones once I had made it to international cricket. I practised
them every day and refined them continually. My attitude had
most to do with my success at that level.
Training myself to act and be positive was the critical
factor to consistant performance. I believe that is the case
with day-to-day life as well. If we were taught to maintain a
healthy and positive outlook to life and each other we would
all be better human beings and the world would be a happier
and healthier place. |
| Claudette: |
You became a vegan for health reasons, but of
course it's difficult to ignore the ethical issues as well. Is
there any animal that you particularly identify with? |
 |
| Greg: |
I have become more conscious of the ethical issues the
longer I have been a pure vegetarian. It is impossible to
ignore the ethical and environmental aspects of our
meat-eating culture. There is no one animal I feel for over
any other, for all intensively-farmed animals suffer a
reduction in the quality of life. From my own point of view I
would like to see farming returned to free-range farming at
least.
Because most people do not want to stop eating meat I
cannot see the day when the world will be completely meat
free. That is, willingly. It may be forced upon us one day if
we keep spoiling our environment and food, air and water
supplies. |
| Claudette: |
You have made mention in your books of
mainstream Aussie culture, esp the over-40s male, still
thinking that eating meat is considered a masculine-macho
thing to do. Do you ever see this changing and if so, how will
it change? |
| Greg: |
Unless it is forced upon us I believe the
marketing push for meat and dairy will always make it
difficult for the majority of people to accept that it is a
real meal if it does not contain meat. While the myth of dairy
being a "health food" and meat being necessary for iron and
other nutrients is allowed to be foisted on an unsuspecting
public, most people will continue to ignore the impact that
their eating habits have on their health. |
| Claudette: |
How have your meat-eating friends responded to
your lifestyle changes? |
| Greg: |
Most of our friends have regared us with some
suspicion. A minority have been supportive while a large
number have been openly disdainful of our chioce. Now of this
has concerned us overly for we have made the decision for our
own reasons based upon informed information. Having
experienced both a meat-eating lifestyle and a non-meat-eating
lifestyle I know which suits my body best and I will continue
to eat the way I do as long as those benefits continue. The
fact that it is better both for the environment and for my
health is all the encouragement I need. |
| Claudette: |
You have mentioned that the effects of giving up dairy
were immediate. What were they? |
 |
| Greg: |
I had suffered with a post-nasal drip all my life. Colds,
flus, and sore throats were a way of life and I was always
full of mucus. From a fitness point of view I always struggled
with long-distance running and fitness work, I was always
tired and usually hungry. Within 24 hours of giving up dairy
products my post-nasal drip had stopped, my energy levels rose
and my ability to run and to train generally increased around
100%. From that day I have not intentionally ingested dairy
products and instead of a cold a month I now suffer colds
rarely. If I am unwell it rarely lasts more than a day or two.
I am fitter and healthier now than I was in my 20s. Generally
when I feel off colour I stop eating solids for 24 hours and
just have fresh juices, water and broth and rest as much as
possible. This is usually enough to resume full health again.
If I were to suggest one thing to delete from the diet for
anyone it would be dairy products. Don't believe the myth that
you need dairy for calcium as there are other less harmful
ways to get it in your diet. |
| Claudette: |
Do you cook? |
| Greg: |
I do cook although only modestly. I tend to
specialise in vegetable soups and pasta. I also do baked
vegetables, and although I love veggie curries, I have yet to
find a recipe I prefer to any that Judy makes up. |
| Claudette: |
What are some of your favourite? |
| Greg: |
Anything vegan but I do have a particular
fondness for curries, either Indian or Thai. I like Thai
noodle dishes as well. |
| Claudette: |
What is your philosophy on life? |
| Greg: |
My basic philosophy can be summed up by the
phase 'Treat others as you would have them treat you." |
| Claudette: |
If you were stranded on a desert island which
book would you choose to take with you? |
| Greg: |
I would probably choose something to do with
yoga and meditation for I would obviously have a lot of time
to practise both. I would need something to keep both mind and
body healthy and I have not found anything better than these
two activities. |
" It is within the power of all of us to achieve good
health by
changing the way we live and, in particular,
changing the way we eat."
Greg Chappell
|
