Based on my learning from the eCornell class on Plant-Based Nutrition, as well as The China Study and other books, here is a summary of the risks of a diet filled with meat and poultry, fish, eggs, milk, butter, cheese and other dairy products:
Risks:
X heart disease, including heart attacks, congestive heart failure, hypertension and angina
X cerebral vascular accidents, i.e. strokes, including possible dementia, loss of motor function and loss of ability to swallow foods of normal texture or speak clearly or remember words
X osteoporosis, due to the creation of an acidic balance in the body which causes the body to draw calcium from bones as a chemical buffer to the cells of the body
X cancer, due to the creation of free radicals from animal products, which increase the risk of activating pre-cancerous conditions
X diabetes mellitis; both adult onset, and juvenile which can be caused by drinking cow's milk too early and creating antibodies which attack the pancreas
X diabetic neuropathy, organ deterioration, loss of sight and limbs
X constipation and diverticulosis
X malnutrition from failing to eat a full complement of fruits and vegetables and whole grains [because the stomach was too full of spaghetti or macaroni and cheese or burgers or fish and chips, etc]
X obesity
X lack of mental clarity
X emotional complacency.
Whew!
These are the benefits I have discovered from experiencing the freedom to eat any foods I desire, including animal products.
Benefits:
O liberty [You know what Baha'u'llah says about liberty.]
O fellowship with others also eating animal products
O feeling included in a group
O flexibility
O self-indulgence and lack of discipline
O the ability to treat stress by eating food
O convenience
O conformity with others
O lack of the necessity of changing habits, which is difficult
O pleasure from the taste of the food
So, there it is.
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4 comments:
Re Obesity, allow me to recommend an interesting book called The Obesity Myth. It would be interesting to read what you, as a nurse, think of it.
I'm sure this is a trite observation, but I can think of many old sharp people who ate animal products.
First read The China Study.
Anthony Bourdain (who has to take Lipitor) probably said it best: "Some foods just kill you quicker than others."
I've read "The China Study" and also "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes - almost total opposites, in spite of research that backs each approach. So confusing!
I suspect that when the government has to foot the medical bill for the obesity epidemic (especially diabetics), that we will be forced to do accurate research, also funded by the government, so we can provide healthy options for Americans.
I would not be surprised if the ultimate outcome of this research becomes a 'systemic' approach - the balance of a variety of lifestyle factors, not just what we ate. Stress and exercise can be major contributors to disease or health. I think of the elderly in tribal groups in Africa who raise only goats and cattle. They drink the milk and blood, and have very little of anything else. But, they walk, have intimate community life, and have no stress.
According to "The Obesity Myth", there are many reasons to question the research which states that obesity is so bad for your health. It also calls into question the statistics and research which have led to the so-called obesity epidemic, and also goes into the cultural oppression which leads to fat people still being an acceptable group to judge, ridicule and humiliate. Anyone who has been fat probably has experienced being made fun of while exercising in public.
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