Most of us have grown up learning that meat is an important food group. From school lunch meat sandwiches to a steakhouse filet, the American diet revolves around livestock and poultry. We have been told meat is great protein and “lean” meat is especially great for us. “Chicken is good for you!” and “Eat your burger, get some protein!” are two sentences I’m sure you’ve heard in some variation throughout your life. But what would you do if I told you the meat you eat at every meal is the reason your chances of developing a life-threatening disease are through the roof? Would you still consume animal products?
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement explaining the health risks of red and processed meat.[1] These meats contain carcinogens, a substance which causes cancer. Scientists have found evidence that regular meat consumption increases the risk of colorectal cancer. This increased risk puts meat in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. So, if we stopped smoking years ago, why are we still voluntarily filling our bodies with carcinogenic foods?
It doesn’t stop at cancer, though. Most children by the age of 10 have fatty streaks in their arteries, which is the first sign of atherosclerosis— the leading cause of death in the United States.[2] Many people believe heart disease and high cholesterol are hereditary, I know I did. There is a common misconception that high cholesterol and heart disease are unavoidable, so consumers continue to eat their meat and accept their blood test results. Fact of the matter is, we can do something to save ourselves and reverse the damage we have caused to our bodies. But are you willing to make a change?
Eggs vs cigarettes, how could they ever compare? Eggs are a healthy breakfast food, a great start to the day, right? Wrong. The Harvard Nurses Health Study found that the amount of cholesterol in a daily consumption of one egg can cut a woman’s life span short as much as smoking 20 cigarettes a day.[3] Have you thrown up yet? Because I have.
I am not here to tell you that you are going to die if you continue to eat meat, but I am here to tell you that your health can improve by giving up your meat-based diet.
Most people see chicken and fish as a healthy dinner or lunch option because they are not red meat nor processed. The unfortunate fact is, though, that heart disease patients who continue to eat these foods still tend to get worse over time.[4] The only successful way to reverse heart disease is to adopt a plant-based diet and avoid processed foods.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a press release in 2010 explaining that “as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue.”[5] These trends include eating processed and red meats and a lack of physical activity. Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrate consumption is inversely related to the development of diabetes. Just one serving of processed meat per day increases your risk of developing diabetes by 51 percent.[6] So that Wawa Italian hoagie you ate for lunch today (and the day before) has increased your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease significantly. Is it still appetizing to you now?
Although there is sufficient evidence for you to choose a plant-based meal over a meat-based meal, don’t blame all of the ignorance on yourself. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has a website full of recipes containing red meat like pork chops, chicken, fish and eggs.[7] Because health organizations like the ADA along with the American Cancer Society do not spell out the harmful consequences eating meat has on human health, Americans see meat as a healthy source of protein. But the harsh reality is that consuming meat and fish is only detrimental to your health.
I am not here to tell you that you are going to die if you continue to eat meat, but I am here to tell you that your health can improve by giving up your meat-based diet. If you are taking a list of medications to control your blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease, it’s time to change what you are eating. There have been studies on reversal of heart disease with a plant-based diet and people have seen their cholesterol levels plummet after only a few days of eating a plant-based diet.[8] There have been clinical trials that found a vegan diet is more than twice as powerful in controlling and/or reversing diabetes than any meat diet (not to mention, the ADA promotes a diet that includes food that causes diabetes)![9] You don’t have to suffer and drown in your medications! Make a change and save yourself from avoidable diseases!
Anna Moses is a second-year Political Science major and minoring in Journalism. AM881827@wcupa.edu
Sources:
[1] Aubrey, Allison. “Bad day for bacon: Processed Meats Cause Cancer WHO Says”. npr: the salt. Oct. 2015
[2] Greger, M.D, Michael “Heart Disease Starts in Childhood”. NutritionFacts.org video. Volume 14. September 23rd, 2014
[3] Greger, M.D, Michael “Eggs vs. Cigarettes in Artherosclerosis”. NutritionFacts.org video. Volume 12. March 11th, 2013
[4] “Cholesterol and Heart Disease”. Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine
[5] “Number of Americans with Diabetes Projected to Double or Triple by 2050”. Center for Disease Control and Prevention
[6] Micha, Renata, et al “Unprocessed Red and Processed Meats and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Type 2 Diabetes- An Updated Review of the Evidence”. Current artherosclerosis reports. 2012 Dec;14(6): 515-524
[7] https://www.diabetesfoodhub.org
[8] Wang, Fenglei, et al “Effect of Vegetarian Diets on Blood Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials”. Journal of the American Heart Association. October 27th, 2015; “Halt heart disease with a plant-based, oil-free diet”. Harvard Health Publications
[9] Barnard, Neal D, et al “A low-fat vegan diet and a conventional diabetes diet in the treatment of diabetes: a randomized, controlled, 74-wk clinical trial”; “Recipes for Healthy Living: All of Our Recipes”. American Diabetes Association