If a completely plant-based diet isn’t possible for me, is it okay if I eliminate red meat and cheese and eat a low-fat diet with egg whites, chicken, fish, and skim milk in addition to lots of fruits and vegetables?

General Nutrition - Questions and Answers ABOUT FOODS AND CANCER PREVENTION AND SURVIVAL

QUESTION: If a completely plant-based diet isn’t possible for me, is it okay if I eliminate red meat and cheese and eat a low-fat diet with egg whites, chicken, fish, and skim milk in addition to lots of fruits and vegetables?

ANSWER: Eliminating red meat and cheese is a start. However, you’ll want
to go further and base your diet on whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and
fruit. Your diet will be much richer in cancer-fighting vitamins, minerals,
fiber, and phytochemicals. Chicken and fish contain fat—including significant
amounts of saturated fat—as well as cholesterol and other harmful
compounds, so the most health-promoting diets avoid them completely.
Skim milk and egg whites contain animal protein and cholesterol and no
fiber, vitamin C, or healthful complex carbohydrate.
An easy way to shift to a completely plant-based diet is to do it 100
percent for three weeks. In the process, you will adjust to new flavors and
tastes. As those twenty-one days fly by, see how you feel. You’ll realize that
you feel a lot better (and perhaps lighter!) and that you don’t miss the highfat
foods.