A plant-based diet (rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, etc.) plays a role in helping to prevent, treat, and even reverse the leading causes of death in the United States and the rest of the modern world.
My fundamental belief is that our most powerful weapon against disease is the food we eat every day. Almost all of us in the United States will die of what Dr. T. Colin Campbell calls, “diseases of affluence,” namely, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Why You Shouldn’t Drink Milk:
Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves. Cow’s milk is engineered to bring an average 100-pound calf at birth to over 800 pounds by the time it is weaned. No mammalian species on the planet consumed milk by the time they are weaned from their mother’s milk…except humans.
Contrary to popular belief, many studies demonstrate drinking milk from a young age does not protect against fractures and osteoporosis. In fact, they actually increase it. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
Milking cows are given antibiotics and most are also injected with a genetically engineered form of bovine growth hormone (rBGH). A man-made or synthetic hormone used to artificially increase milk production, rBGH also increases blood levels of the insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in those who drink it. And higher levels of IGF-1 are linked to several cancers. Research shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent (source).
Dairy (filled with pesticides from the cow’s food, hormones, and antibiotics to keep sick cows from dying) that contributes to prostate cancer (and many others), heart disease, digestive problems, allergies, ear infections, Type 1 diabetes, constipation, and anemia. Increase dairy intake can double your risk of heart attack (source). Cow’s milk contains estrogen and other hormones (naturally), which promote the conversion of precancerous cell to invasive cancer and enhance the progression of cancer cells (source).
Calcium is a mineral. It comes from the ground. If you want to get a first class, highly absorbable form, you want to get it from plants. By weight, you’ll find more calcium in broccoli, kale, grains, and soy, than your average cup of cow’s milk.
Why You Shouldn’t Eat Meat:
Alongside dairy, meat increases your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other health problems.
Meat and animal products have high microbial loads, which release bacterial endotoxins (source). These bacterial endotoxins are responsible for causing inflammation and no amount of cooking gets rid of them. Plant foods do not have high microbial loads and they also possess many anti-inflammatory properties making them ideal for workout recovery and health in general.
N-Glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) is a sugar molecule found only in animal meat that promotes inflammation, heart disease, and cancer progression (source). The inflammation it causes seems to feed tumors and harden arteries (source).
Arachidonic acid (naturally found in animal foods) is linked to brain inflammation, depression, anxiety, and stress (source).
High-fat animal products consumed will cause inflammation within the lungs. Even wild, grass-consuming animals cause inflammation in our bodies (source and source).
Chicken has been linked to urinary tract infections (source and source).
Cholesterol has been shown to feed and promote the growth of cancer; animal products are the only source of dietary cholesterol and your body needs zero dietary cholesterol (source). Your body produces all of the cholesterol that it needs to function optimally.
Half an egg a day or more is shown to double the odds of mouth, throat, esophageal, prostate, and bladder cancer; triple the odds of colon and breast cancer (source).
Harvard studies of 37,698 men and 83,644 women, over 22 and 30 years, respectively, found red meat to increase total mortality rates and cancer mortality rates (source).
Fish is not safe either! High levels of PCB (industrial toxin) are found in most fish oil, fish meat, and eggs (94% of eggs tested) (source).
One of the longest running studies showed meat consumption to increase allergies. This included asthma, bee stings, drug allergies, and hay fever (source).
Bacteria-eating viruses (bacteriophages) have been approved as meat additives. Meat contaminated with fecal food-poisoning bacteria (e.g. salmonella) can legally be sold (source).
Healthy target cholesterol levels are not obtainable when meat is consumed (source).
One of the largest studies ever, which followed 500,000 people over 10 years, links meat consumption with increased overall death, death by cancer, and death by cardiovascular disease (source).
Arsenic, lead, mercury, lead, cadmium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and veterinary drugs have been found contaminating animal products (source).
Fire retardant chemicals (PBDE) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) found heavily in meats (source).
So in conclusion…
If eating meat, cheese, milk and eggs is the norm, why do most people end up with a disease and a cabinet full of pills? Am I supposed to believe that the multi-billion dollar hospital, medical, pharmaceutical and vitamin industries were created for the small percentage of the world's population that labels itself vegan?
HECK no.
So, what causes cancer and other diseases?? When asked this question, most people will say “genes” or accuse some other factor that they have no control over. They probably won’t mention diet, but in fact only 5-10% of cancer cases can be attributed to genes (source). Research proves that most cancer cases are due to POOR DIET.
And I’m guessing you’ve never seen the headline “Beware! New study reveals broccoli causes cancer!” We all intuitively know that eating fruits and vegetables does not cause disease. If fact, we praise plant foods for preventing, even reversing, chronic, degenerative diseases.
Based on all the research and some basic, intuitive critical thinking, I have come to understand the profound power of consuming a plant-based diet.
Here’s to your outstanding health!
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