For many years, tobacco companies were able to maintain a strong pro-tobacco façade. Smoking focuses the mind. It's good for you (doctors smoke!). It's great for weight loss. It's sexy. It's cool. The tobacco industry spent big bucks to keep these ideas in the mind of the public for as long as it could.
And for many years after the lethal effects were universally known and undeniable, some of our nation's smartest and most successful businessmen continued to believe, because it was in their interest to believe, that "nicotine is not addictive." (Watch the seven most powerful tobacco executives of 1994 make exactly that statement, under oath, to Congress -- not even two decades ago.)
I was reminded of how far tobacco has fallen reading the New York Times magazine interview with perhaps the most successful screenplay writer in history, Joe Eszterhas, who has lost 80 percent of his larynx to tobacco, and has apologized for his glamorization of smoking in such films as Basic Instinct.
When I think about the effect of animal products on human health, I'm reminded of how quickly we've done a national about face on tobacco, and I look forward to the day when the Times magazine has a similar apology from someone who promoted animal products -- because the evidence is in and it continues to grow: Animal products kill a lot more Americans than tobacco does.
The West's three biggest killers -- heart disease, cancer, and stroke -- are linked to excessive animal product consumption, and vegetarians have much lower risks of all three. Vegetarians also have a fraction of the obesity and diabetes rates of the general population -- of course, both diseases are at epidemic levels and are only getting worse.
But much more important than the vegetarian community's general statistics are what can be done with the right vegetarian diet: For some years now, doctors have been not just preventing, but even reversing, heart disease using a low-fat vegetarian diet.
That's right -- the disease that kills almost as many Americans as everything else combined can be not just prevented, but reversed, with a low fat plant-based diet, as documented by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.
There's a link from animal product consumption to our country's No. 2 killer, too: According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, about as much cancer could be prevented by diet and exercise as is caused by smoking -- and you know what's causing all that cancer? It's not whole grains, legumes, fruits, or vegetables. Dr. T. Colin Campbell has documented the link between cancer and animal products.
There's a lot of money in the meat industry, just like there's a lot of money in big tobacco. For many years, the tobacco establishment pointed to elderly smokers like George Burns and millions of others as proof that their very-natural product could not be harmful. Even long-distance runners and members of the military could be found smoking a cigarette at the end of a long run or intense drill.
Similarly, today the meat industry points to the fact that there are an awful lot of old meat-eaters, conveniently ignoring our sky-high heart disease and cancer rates, as well as our ballooning rates of obesity and diabetes, all of which are linked to their products.
Bill Clinton went on what he was told was a healthy diet after his emergency quadruple-bypass in 2004, and yet he didn't lose weight or feel better, and he required follow-up surgery in 2010. After that surgery, he was introduced to the work of Dr. Esselystyn and Dr. Campbell, and he went vegan -- which allowed him to lose 24 pounds in a year and feel better than ever, as he discusses with Wolf Blitzer on CNN.
Eszterhas wrote in his tobacco mea culpa, "My hands are bloody; so are Hollywood's. My cancer has caused me to attempt to cleanse mine. I don't wish my fate upon anyone in Hollywood, but I beg that Hollywood stop imposing it upon millions of others."
He could just as easily have been writing about animal foods, which is why I was delighted to read Mark Bittman's recent New York Times column in which he noted that meat consumption is down more than 10 percent since 2007. It seems that more and more people are catching on to the perils of animal foods.
In large part, that's thanks to the work of Doctors Esslestyn and Campbell, so I've also been delighted by the success of the film Forks Over Knives, an entertaining documentary that chronicles the success of their work. Ellen and Oprah have both plugged the movie, but perhaps even more importantly, Dr. Sanjay Gupta called Forks Over Knives "a great film," and Dr. Mehmet Oz said to his fans, "I loved it and I need all of you to see it."
It may be awhile before eating a chicken wing is seen, as it should be, as the heath equivalent of smoking a cigarette -- the meat industry is still more powerful than tobacco has ever been, and most of the medical establishment is not yet as nutrition-focused as progressive scientists and doctors like T. Colin Campbell and Dean Ornish.
But the best research clearly points in that direction, and more and more, I'm seeing cause for optimism.
By Amanda Gardner Cardiologists and other doctors already view artery-clogging red meat as a villain, and they now have another reason to urge their...
Perhaps the most common question veggies get is, "But where do you get your protein?" Concerned mothers, incredulous friends, and curious coworkers all want to know!
The religious overlay that nutrition has taken on is neither holy nor wholesome. It precludes us from breaking bread together. It forestalls the public health progress that could occur if we could all find a seat at a common table.
Can eating meat be detrimental for your mood and mental health? Is there a reason that your vegetarian friend is so energetic and cheerful all the time? The latest nutrition research suggests there may be scientific validity to these observations.
Eating some meat, preferably from lean, well-fed, well-exercised, and kindly tended animals is assuredly consistent with human health. But the health of humans and the planet argue consistently for Michael Pollan's excellent and pithy advice: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
In recent years, concerns around food safety, health and nutrition, climate change and animal welfare have led to more people making informed food choices.
Here are the numbers: Every 50 grams of processed meat you eat on a daily basis (that's about one hot dog) increases your risk of colorectal cancer by 21 percent.
According to a study recently published online by the journal Circulation, red meat may not increase the risk of heart disease. Processed meat, in contrast, apparently does.
Meatless Mondays is focused on convincing the world not to eat chickens, pigs, and other animals--just one day per week (on Mondays, as you may have guessed).
Yes, and next week, meat will be the only way to defeat all health ills. Look, I know the author of this article is Vegany, and I understand they are going to jump all over anything that supports their own argument, just like everyone else does. How about we all just eat considerately? Free range meats that are humanely treated and organic produce. Or grow our own, so we know what's happened to our food.
April_Pells: Yes, and next week, meat will be the only way
Thanks to my limited budget, I can only treat myself to beef products once a week. I eat the cheap chicken and pork products the rest of the time. I also only seem to have access to produce, grains and legumes at the food bank.
While I have noticed that the seasoning and processing of soy has improved over the years (Boca), the overall blandness (not to mention expense) of vegies still keeps me away from regular intake.
Ricardo_Martin: Thanks to my limited budget, I can only treat myself
I hope you consider giving S. Asian 'pickles' a try. There are dozens of varieties: traditional pickles were any vegetable (preserved so they could be eaten year round) preserved in a mixture of oil and spices. They were also used to perk up the rather bland diet of rice and legumes so many people ate for their primary diet. Chutneys also perk up bland foods, and they're the sweet alternative to sour pickle. My favorites are lime pickles and garlic pickle - seriously NOT bland.
TeamSanity: I hope you consider giving S. Asian 'pickles' a try.
Daily Red Meat Raises Risk for Diabetes, Large Study Says
People who eat as little as one serving of red meat a day, whether it is processed or unprocessed, have an increased chance of getting type 2 diabetes
An average of just one 85-gram (three-ounce) serving of unprocessed red meat—such as a medium hamburger or a small pork chop—per day increased by 12 percent the chances a person would get type 2 diabetes over the course of a decade or two. And if the meat was processed—such as a hot dog or two slices of bacon—the risk increased to 32 percent, even though serving sizes were smaller.
hp_blogger_Bruce Friedrich: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=red-meat-diabtetes Daily Red Meat Raises Risk for Diabetes, Large Study
Preposterous. Meat is good for you, as long as it is pastured meat and not whatever the heck they're selling in the supermarkets these days. The only "link" between heart disease and meat consumption was imagined up by Ancel Keys back in the 50's because he couldn't bear for his hypothesis to be wrong so he cherry-picked his data. Every single new study on the subject has been unable to link heart disease with meat consumption, aside from findings that people who consume more saturated fat have lower rates of heart disease than people who consume high carbohydrate diets. The older you are, the higher the level of blood cholesterol that is required to keep cardiovascular functions working properly.
howtowasteyourlife: Preposterous. Meat is good for you, as long as it
Do a Google news search for heart disease and meat, and you'll find the Harvard study from last week, which shouldn't have been a surprise, since study after study has shown exactly the same thing: Meat consumption causes heart disease.
Not sure why my last reply was deleted, but here goes again: the "Harvard Study from Last Week" you refer to was done by a group of Public Health researchers, not by medical doctors. You cannot determine causality by doing a bunch of surveys and questionnaires. That study should not be the basis for any kind of solid argument.
‎"Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind." ~ Einstein
GODSWILLFIRST: ‎"Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If
A plant based diet, devoid of processed foods an oils has been shown to prevent and, in some, reverse heart disease in angiographic studies. Those who study nutrition have known for many years that meat and dairy products are associated with many diseases however lobbyists from the meat and dairy industries are strong enough to suppress this information.
copperkettle3: A plant based diet, devoid of processed foods an oils
Those studies were not conclusive in any way. They have not controlled food consumption from birth going forward, nor did they track the other lifestyle habits of either group.
When I diet, about 75% of my food is meat, and I lose weight because I'm not eating Girl Scout Cookies.
Your opinion is not fact.
Corey_Cheri: Those studies were not conclusive in any way. They have
Just look up "rabbit starvation" and that pretty much demonstrates this point. Your chance of survival were better if you didn't eat at all than if you ate rabbits.
People lose weight on the Atkins diet, b/c they are feeding their body crappy fuel that the body has to burn inefficiently, producing a crapload of waste products in the process.
Carbs are your body's preferred fuel, producing CO2, H2O + energy. You don't see runners or bicyclists eating chicken legs during a race.
It's fascinating the mental gymnastics meat eaters go through to justify the practice, when there's enormous body of literature that shows vegans have lower risks of heart disease, type II diabetes, gout, kidney stones, diverticulitis, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, colon cancer, breast cancer, have lower BMI, lower cholesterol scores, despite their 60+% carb intake.
I get it though, I was like that up until I was 27. I had that many years entrenched and invested into the practice, I went through the same denial and justification, but eventually the science was to big to ingore. That was 15 years ago and now I'm healthier than when I was an 18 year old HS athlete. Thanks Science!
Evil_Chemist: Just look up "rabbit starvation" and that pretty much demonstrates
Equating natural meat that humans evolved to eat successfully for thousands and thousands of years with tobacco is intentionally dishonest in my opinion. These diseases that are cited are associated with sugar and processed foods consumption. Amish people eat plenty of meat and are healthy and not obese. Many native peoples eat an unbelievable amount of natural meat and have no associated health issues.
Your body has evolved to eat meat. It is healthy, particularly if the animals are grass-fed.
Some people on the left are against eating meat because they view harming animals as bad and want to force their moral views on others IMO.
NewsCoffee: Equating natural meat that humans evolved to eat successfully for
Well said. I'm getting tired of this "meat is bad for you" mentality. There is ZERO scientific evidence that solidly links consumption of meat to heart disease. In fact, since Diabetes is the number one cause of heart disease in the US, and overconsumption of GRAINS and SUGARS causes diabetes, I think it's fair to say that carbohydrates and sugar are more closely linked to heart disease than meat consumption.
howtowasteyourlife: Well said. I'm getting tired of this "meat is bad
Vegans have much lower risks of heart disease and type II diabetes, better glucose control, lower BMI's and they eat far more grains than meat eaters. How do you remedy that contradiction?
There is tons of data that links meat eating to heart disease. I think meat eaters just don't like looking at the science, b/c it tells them stuff they don't want to hear. I thought the same thing when I was a meat eater and then when I got into arguments with those vegan jerks, I did the research and found out the science was right on the mark when it comes to the etiology of heart disease and how to prevent it.
I'm super healthy thanks to all those vegan jerks I used to fight with.
Evil_Chemist: Vegans have much lower risks of heart disease and type
Evolutionarily speaking, however, humans didn't eat meat often, and when they did they ate all of it as quickly as possible. This is why fat-soluable vitamins are stored in our fatty tissue (A,D,E,K). Our bodies didn't know when they'd get that sort of food again, so it squirrelled it away.
We did not evolve to eat meat every day, nor to eat the sort of frankensteined meat we so frequently consume - yes the Amish are 'fairly' healthy - but they live off of food they grow and animals they raise (i.e., no chemicals, modern fertilizers, factory-processed meats).
It's not so much a 1-1 ration. Our bodies are dynamic machines that respond to myriad inputs, but in a modern, sedentary world with so much food-that's-not-food being available for quick, cheap consumption, a vegetarian diet makes much more sense, health-wise.
TeamSanity: Evolutionarily speaking, however, humans didn't eat meat often, and when
I find that I feel healthier when I eat a variety of food. I feel like garbage if I get into a habit of eating too much of ANY food group save for carbs and starches. Nausea from meat and dairy, severe stomach pains and indigestion from vegetables, and acid burns in my mouth from fruit, to be specific.
Mostly carbs and fruit (acid burns are worth it) for me, but a little bit of everything. Good thing I'm pretty active.
IdleCrumble: I find that I feel healthier when I eat a
Gross. Carbs are the worst food group you could possibly eat. Sounds like you have an eating disorder. Who gets sick from eating vegetables besides a person with a psychological problem?
howtowasteyourlife: Gross. Carbs are the worst food group you could possibly
The liver produces all the cholesterol your body needs. There's no need to eat more cholesterol. People, please do a little research on the web before posting comments.
Regan Jane, the fact is b12 is the only thing in animals that we need. Everything else the body needs can be found in plant based food.
fu_dss: The liver produces all the cholesterol your body needs. There's
Actually B-12 is in the soil, not 'in the animals'. The most direct source of B-12 would be to eat mineral rich soil, like the animals do. But since we find that icky, most of us take supplements or sprinkle some nutritional yeast on our baked potatoes or kale chips instead :)
Rosemary_Thompson: Actually B-12 is in the soil, not 'in the animals'.
What about our body's NEED for cholesterol, and fats, and fat-soluble vitamins? The health of society decreased as people ate LESS meat and MORE processed foods. There is a much bigger picture to look at, people. Your body as a whole entity, needs a whole lot of nutrients. The fact of the matter is, some of these nutrients are only available in animal products. Fat is a macronutrient, meaning our body needs it - in big proportions. There are so so many reasons to be vegetarian, I have been so a couple times in my life. Saying that animal meat is like cigarettes though? You shouldn't guilt people into becoming vegetarian. There are perfectly safe ways to enjoy meat and animal products. Let everyone decide for themselves! Seek knowledge.
Regan_Jane: What about our body's NEED for cholesterol, and fats, and
Then you are following the wrong guy. The consumption of meat products has INCREASED in the past forty years. Peoples health began declining when food producers began creating all that stuff in boxes, the amounts of wheat products consumed increased, and the amounts of fruit and veggies decreased thanks to the subsidies that go to meat farmers but not the produce farmers.
And why is it called 'guilting' people into changing, when we're sharing our opinions. We are allowed and you don't have to listen if you don't want. Besides, fairs fair, if we can't discuss the subject, you can't talk about whatever is important to you either.
DebbyM: Then you are following the wrong guy. The consumption of
You neglect to mention the new studies coming out about meat consumption and the heart disease it causes. I became a vegan three years ago. I have lost weight, I have better energy, I sleep like a baby, my ulcerative colitis literally disappeared, and on my recent birthday, two friends guessed my age at 15 years younger than I actually am. (I was pleasantly surprised!)
The whole idea of the Paleo diet is a joke. Early humans foraged for grains and vegetables. Meat was a luxury for them.
Give up meat, show compassion to animals and be the healthiest you've ever been!
DuxMom: You neglect to mention the new studies coming out about
You are misinformed about the research and about paleo-anthropology. First, the studies that claim an association with meat and heart disease are cohort studies, and poorly designed ones at that. Cohort studies cannot prove causality. In fact, medical practices based on the outcome of cohort studies alone can have serious consequences. For example, it was believed that hormone replace therapy (hrt) reduced the risk of heart attacks in post-menopausal women based on cohort studies. This was proved to be wrong when randomized controlled studies were finally done on hrt. In the past few years there have been several randomized controlled studies comparing different diets (Atkins, Ornish, Mediterranean, Zone and so on). In every study, the Atkins-style, high-saturated-fat/low-carb did better than the others in terms of weight loss and heart health. Also, several meta-analysis of the research on this subject found that there was no link between meat and heart disease.
Likewise, the notion that meat was a luxury to early humans (assuming you mean homo sapien, homo neanderthalensis and homo erectus) is not supported by the evidence. Indeed, our physiology suggests that our prehistoric ancestors were evolving towards carnivory.
FaunaAndFlora: You are misinformed about the research and about paleo-anthropology. First,
It won't unless prices continue to climb, those advocating for a 'plant based diet' are a fringe element
something like less then 2% of the population.
SusanElizabeth1949: It won't unless prices continue to climb, those advocating for
While I have noticed that the seasoning and processing of soy has improved over the years (Boca), the overall blandness (not to mention expense) of vegies still keeps me away from regular intake.
Daily Red Meat Raises Risk for Diabetes, Large Study Says
People who eat as little as one serving of red meat a day, whether it is processed or unprocessed, have an increased chance of getting type 2 diabetes
An average of just one 85-gram (three-ounce) serving of unprocessed red meat—such as a medium hamburger or a small pork chop—per day increased by 12 percent the chances a person would get type 2 diabetes over the course of a decade or two. And if the meat was processed—such as a hot dog or two slices of bacon—the risk increased to 32 percent, even though serving sizes were smaller.
Here's a good distillation of last week's article:
http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/harvards-meat-and-mortality-studies/
Here's some good reading to straighten everyone out: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/will-eating-red-meat-kill-you/#axzz1pUerzkCv
When I diet, about 75% of my food is meat, and I lose weight because I'm not eating Girl Scout Cookies.
Your opinion is not fact.
People lose weight on the Atkins diet, b/c they are feeding their body crappy fuel that the body has to burn inefficiently, producing a crapload of waste products in the process.
Carbs are your body's preferred fuel, producing CO2, H2O + energy. You don't see runners or bicyclists eating chicken legs during a race.
It's fascinating the mental gymnastics meat eaters go through to justify the practice, when there's enormous body of literature that shows vegans have lower risks of heart disease, type II diabetes, gout, kidney stones, diverticulitis, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, colon cancer, breast cancer, have lower BMI, lower cholesterol scores, despite their 60+% carb intake.
I get it though, I was like that up until I was 27. I had that many years entrenched and invested into the practice, I went through the same denial and justification, but eventually the science was to big to ingore. That was 15 years ago and now I'm healthier than when I was an 18 year old HS athlete. Thanks Science!
Your body has evolved to eat meat. It is healthy, particularly if the animals are grass-fed.
Some people on the left are against eating meat because they view harming animals as bad and want to force their moral views on others IMO.
There is tons of data that links meat eating to heart disease. I think meat eaters just don't like looking at the science, b/c it tells them stuff they don't want to hear. I thought the same thing when I was a meat eater and then when I got into arguments with those vegan jerks, I did the research and found out the science was right on the mark when it comes to the etiology of heart disease and how to prevent it.
I'm super healthy thanks to all those vegan jerks I used to fight with.
We did not evolve to eat meat every day, nor to eat the sort of frankensteined meat we so frequently consume - yes the Amish are 'fairly' healthy - but they live off of food they grow and animals they raise (i.e., no chemicals, modern fertilizers, factory-processed meats).
It's not so much a 1-1 ration. Our bodies are dynamic machines that respond to myriad inputs, but in a modern, sedentary world with so much food-that's-not-food being available for quick, cheap consumption, a vegetarian diet makes much more sense, health-wise.
Mostly carbs and fruit (acid burns are worth it) for me, but a little bit of everything. Good thing I'm pretty active.
Regan Jane, the fact is b12 is the only thing in animals that we need. Everything else the body needs can be found in plant based food.
And why is it called 'guilting' people into changing, when we're sharing our opinions. We are allowed and you don't have to listen if you don't want. Besides, fairs fair, if we can't discuss the subject, you can't talk about whatever is important to you either.
The whole idea of the Paleo diet is a joke. Early humans foraged for grains and vegetables. Meat was a luxury for them.
Give up meat, show compassion to animals and be the healthiest you've ever been!
Likewise, the notion that meat was a luxury to early humans (assuming you mean homo sapien, homo neanderthalensis and homo erectus) is not supported by the evidence. Indeed, our physiology suggests that our prehistoric ancestors were evolving towards carnivory.
something like less then 2% of the population.