Happy Great American Smokeout
Happy Great American Smokeout
By Heather Moore
Thursday, November 20 is the Great American Smokeout. I wrote about this important event earlier in the month, to encourage smokers to start “practicing.” If you still smoke, it’s time to get serious about quitting. Not only is smoking harmful to humans, it also hurts animals. The next time you’re dying for a cigarette, remember that your friends, your relatives, your animal companions and animals in laboratories all suffer when you smoke. That will help deaden your desire for nicotine.
By now, we all know the health risks associated with smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men who smoke are 22 times more likely to die of lung cancer than those who don’t. Female smokers are 12 times more likely to die of lung cancer than female nonsmokers. Smokers also have a higher risk of getting at least eight other cancers, two to four times the risk of developing coronary heart disease and twice the likelihood of having a stroke. About 90 percent of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributed to smoking.
People who are exposed to secondhand smoke face equally grim consequences. Breathing smoke—indoors or out—for even a short time has harmful effects on one’s cardiovascular system. Exposing your loved ones to secondhand smoke increases their risk of heart disease and lung cancer by up to 30 percent. Passive smoke can cause sudden infant death syndrome and serious respiratory problems in children.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts and Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine have found that passive smoke harms animals too. A case control study showed that cats living with smokers are more than twice as likely to suffer from feline lymphoma, a deadly form of cancer. Other studies suggest that environmental smoke can cause lung and nasal cancer in dogs.
Joe Camel might have taken a few drags, but real animals would never inhale tobacco on their own. Yet mice, rats, ferrets, dogs and primates continue to be mutilated, pumped full of nicotine and forced to inhale smoke in cruel, archaic laboratory experiments.
In a recent experiment at a major U.S. tobacco company, more than 1,000 mice and rats were killed after being forced to breathe cigarette smoke to test the effects of adding high-fructose corn syrup to cigarettes as a flavoring agent—even though U.S. law doesn’t require tobacco products to be tested on animals (American Spirit cigarettes are not) and even though everything we know about smoking-related diseases has come from population and clinical studies, not from animal experiments. Different animals have different reactions to toxins and diseases, so they don’t make good models for humans. The experiments are also inaccurate because animals in laboratories aren’t normally exposed to nicotine in the same manner and on the same time schedule as humans.
Nevertheless, millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of animal lives have been wasted on experiments that are so inhumane and irrelevant that they’ve been banned in Britain for more than a decade and were recently banned in Belgium.
That alone should convince you to butt out cigarettes for good. When you consider all the risks of smoking—to humans and animals alike—you’ll surely find the strength to kick the habit once and for all.
Tying Your Shoes Can Be Hazardous To Your Health
Tying Your Shoes Can Be Hazardous To Your Health
By Heather Moore
Three days before my 36th birthday, I pulled something in my back when I bent down to tie my shoe. If you've read my previous post, “Age Really IS A State of Mind,” (http://veganchick.pnn.com/articles/show/30437-age-really-is-a-state-of-mind ), you’ll know that I was basically okay about getting older, but when I hurt my back in such an ordinary way, I couldn’t help but feel that I was starting to fall apart—even though it was just a coincidence.
Back pain aside, it was a fairly good experience. I’m definitely starting to see why so many people rave about chiropractors.
When I told the chiropractor that I didn’t have any pain when I was sitting down, he told me that sitting was “the worst thing in the world for your back,” and that I should move around as much as possible without overdoing it.
This didn’t really surprise me. I suspect that the real reason that I hurt my back is because I’ve been sitting at my computer (stressed out) for hours and hours at a time lately, and, as a result, my muscles are even tenser than usual. (A co-worker of mine sits on a stability ball because she used to have back pain and she hates chairs. She swears by stability balls, so now I’m considering buying one.)
The doctor—who had a great bedside manner, a rarity these days—discussed the age-old “to ice or to heat” dilemma with me, and explained that I should put ice (or a bag of frozen vegetables) on my back for the first few days to prevent swelling. After that, they would start applying heat.
When they put the ice on my back, they hooked me up to a machine that gave me little pulsing, shocking sensations. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant and it may have even helped me heal faster. But the best part was the massage. It was very theraputic and I couldn’t help but think that my $20 insurance co-pay was much cheaper than the $60 massages at the nearby spa. Now if only I could get the chiropractor to do an hour-long massage…
I was feeling much better the next day; two days later I felt almost 100 percent. I’ve gone back twice for follow-up visits and I will continue going for as long as possible for “maintenance.” The doctor told me that I have arthritis in my hips and that I would benefit from physical therapy. I’ve had three food surgeries; I have very bad balance, but no one has suggested arthritic hips before. It will take a lot to truly help me, but the manipulations the chiropractor made and the stretches he taught me have at least had short-term benefits. It's a good thing the practice has become respected--it has the potential to help many people with chronic pain, injuries, or mobility problems.
Kids with 45-Year-Old Arteries? Yikes!
Kids with 45-Year-Old Arteries? Yikes!
By Heather Moore
A disturbing new study from the Children’s Hospital in Kansas City showed that overweight children as young as 10 have arteries comparable to those of 45-year olds and heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease (For details, see
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jxSpsqPLqCFK4LRSYQGuNnx0aqBQD94D3O000).
Wow. This should open some eyes.
Overweight kids are also at risk for diabetes, certain cancers, asthma, and other health problems. Parents and schools need to get serious about helping heavy kids slim down. The best way to do this is to urge them to get active and to eat wholesome vegetarian foods. As the late pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote in his best-selling book, Baby and Child Care, “children who grow up getting their nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer.”
To read what other experts have said about vegetarian kids, see my previous post at
http://veganchick.pnn.com/articles/show/26562-vegan-kids-fit-for-life.
Kids enjoy healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grain breads and pastas, and soy products when they’re prepared and introduced to them properly. For some clever ideas, check out Jennifer McCann’s Vegan Lunch Box blog at http://www.veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/.
And, of course, we adults need to lead by example by exercising and eating nutritious, delicious plant foods as well. Kids don’t deserve anything less than healthy role models.
Age Really IS A State of Mind
Age Really IS A State of Mind
By Heather Moore
I’ll be 36 on Saturday—and I’m OK with that. I cried when I turned 30, partly because I never had the exciting, rebellious youth that I was “supposed” to have; partly because I wasn’t in a relationship; partly because I wasn’t satisfied with other aspects of my life, and partly just because round numbers are “supposed” to be tough. I was over all that by the time I turned 35—until a friend who is about the same age pointed out that I would be 36 before I knew it, and that 36 was uncomfortably close to 40. Then I felt like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. You know the scene. She’s crying because her ex is getting married and she whines about how she’ll be 40 someday. When Billy Crystal pointed out that she wouldn’t be 40 for another seven years, she sobbed, “but it’s out there, just mocking me.”
And so now I’m almost 36. Whatever. I’m still not in a relationship, but so what? I’ve come to terms with other areas of my life—finances, career, appearance, etc.—and I’m happy.
I guess age is a state of mind, after all. My state of mind might change on Saturday, or four years from Saturday, but I don’t think so. I look and feel youthful. I may have a couple of crow’s feet and some laugh lines, but I’m far from old—and what’s wrong with “old” anyway?
How to Prevent Food Poisoning
How to Prevent Food Poisoning
By Heather Moore
On November 4, The Washington Post ran an article about the dramatic increase in E. coli contaminated beef. The article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/31/AR2008103103483.html?wpisrc=newsletter) suggested that there may be a connection between the prevalence of E. coli and an ethanol product called distillers grain, which has been increasingly used as feed ingredient.
Now, I don’t know if that is true or not, but I do know that there are some simple ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from E. coli and other food-borne bacteria—chief among them is to go vegetarian. When I tell my non-vegetarian friends and relatives this, they inadvertently point out that spinach, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and other plant-based foods have also been implicated in food-poisoning outbreaks.
What they don’t understand is that farmed animals are the underlying cause for most outbreaks. Plant-based foods do not naturally harbor E. coli or salmonella. The bacteria live in the intestinal tracts and feces of cows, birds, pigs, and other warm-blooded animals. When animal manure is used to fertilize crops or leaks into waterways, fruits and vegetables can become contaminated. (Cross-contamination can also occur when fruits and vegetables are placed on the same surface as meat.)
According to the USDA, 70 percent of food poisoning is caused by contaminated meat. Studies have shown that when contaminated meat is recalled, only about half of it is actually recovered—the rest remains in grocery stores.
We’ve all seen the standard tips to prevent food poisoning (hand washing, cooking food properly, etc.) If you need a refresher course, see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-poisoning/DS00981/DSECTION=prevention)
But if we all stop eating so many animal products, fewer animals will be bred for food, thus greatly lessening the threat of yet another E. coli outbreak.
Healthy Foods for Healthy Skin
Healthy Foods for Healthy Skin
By Heather Moore
As the weather gets colder, my skin gets drier. I wouldn’t mind this so much if it meant that I never got another zit, but they still pop up every once in while. To combat both problems I use The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil mattifying moisture gel for oily and blemished skin. It moisturizes my skin and curtails breakouts. I recommend it for anyone with similar skin issues, but I also suggest eating foods that are known to promote clear, glowing skin.
By now, most people know that chocolate doesn’t cause acne, as once believed. Milk, however, is still implicated in causing pimples and other problems (Read “Four Ways Milk Causes Acne” from Natural News at http://www.naturalnews.com/024613.html to learn more.) The jury is still out on fried foods; some dermatologists still say they can cause acne, but personally I’ve never noticed a connection. (Of course, I don’t eat all that many fried foods anyway.)
Certain foods—or more specifically, the nutrients found in certain foods—can give you smooth, younger-looking skin. Be sure to include the following foods in your diet if you want healthy skin—and who doesn’t?:
*Antioxidant and vitamin C-rich foods, especially blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, plums, kiwis, red bell peppers, broccoli, and citrus fruits, produce collagen and elastin for firm skin.
*The essential fatty acids in walnuts, canola oil, and flax seeds are essential for healthy skin. Some people might include fish in this list but I don’t consider fish to be a healthy (or humane) food.
*The anti-inflammatory properties in green tea make it one of the best things you can consume for healthy skin. At least one study has shown that this “super food” can help reduce the risk of damage from ultraviolet light, thus reducing the risk of skin cancer.
*Carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and other antioxidant-rich orange, yellow, and red fruits and vegetables contain beta carotene, which defends against sun damage, and vitamin A, which is required for developing and maintaining skin cells, leading to supple skin.
*Foods like almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, whole grains, legumes, and green leafy vegetables are high in vitamin E which can slow aging and diminish the appearance of scars.
* Avocados and other foods that high in B vitamins and essential oils can help your complexion by soothing red, irritated or blotchy skin.
By eating a wholesome, balanced diet you can all get the nutrients you need to look like you belong in an advertisement for skin care products. Oh, and don’t forget to drink plenty of water too.
A Vegetarian Perspective on In-vitro Meat
A Vegetarian Perspective on In-vitro Meat
By Heather Moore
At first, the idea of eating meat that is grown in a test tube may make some people—especially vegans like me—a bit squeamish, but when you consider the current method of meat production and its devastating impact on the planet, you’ll likely agree that in-vitro meat is an appetizing alternative with positive ramifications for animals, humans, and the environment.
The technology is still several years away, but from what I understand, scientists think it will be feasible in the near future. To produce the meat, the scientists would extract muscle cells by taking biopsies from cattle, pigs, chickens, fish and other animals. From this tissue, they would isolate the cells that are the precursors to muscles, and these cells would multiply in the laboratory to form the muscle tissue — or meat.
I won’t pretend that I understand the science, but I do understand that this process is more humane and better for people and the planet than the current system of meat production.
Billions and billions of animals would be spared from pain and suffering, for starters. More than 40 billion cows, chickens, pigs, and other animals are killed for their flesh each year in the United States alone. An end to factory farms and slaughterhouses would mean an end to painful debeaking, branding and castration practices. Chickens would no longer be scalded alive in defeathering tanks or cows dismembered while they’re still conscious.
We would never have to see another disturbing video showing slaughterhouse workers stomping on chickens and slamming them against walls; dragging injured pigs around by their snouts, legs or ears; or pushing downed cows onto the kill floor with a forklift. Meat recalls would be a thing of the past.
We would have a greener planet and an end to the global food crisis. Greenhouse gasses would be dramatically reduced and animal waste would not taint our waterways. And it may eventually be possible to grow millions of pounds of protein from a single cell, a monumental improvement from the inefficiencies of animal agriculture. As things stand now, it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of meat. Around 1.4 billion people could be fed with the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. cattle alone.
And humans would be healthier. Not just because in-vitro meat will not contain antibiotics, listeria, and salmonella or because mad-cow disease and other animal-borne illnesses would largely diminish, but also because no one will have to live downwind of a stinky, pollution-spewing animal factory. A Scripps Howard synopsis of a Senate Agricultural Committee report on farm pollution warned, “Catastrophic cases of pollution, sickness, and death are occurring in areas where livestock operations are concentrated. … Every place where the animal factories have located, neighbors have complained of falling sick.”
Laboratory-grown meat would have a major impact on many facets on life, from ethical to ecological to economical. While mass quantities of in-vitro meat may not be available for several years, tasty mock meats and other vegetarian alternatives can be found in supermarkets today. These healthy, humane, and delicious foods are perfectly fine with me, but I realize that not everyone is willing to “give up” meat. If in-vitro meat is what it takes to reduce animal suffering, green the planet, and lessen health problems, I’ll support it. Will you?
A Sign of Good Things to Come!
A Sign of Good Things to Come!
By Heather Moore
Mohandas Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Last night, our nation took two small yet significant steps toward greatness—or at least towards moral progress.
An overwhelming majority of California voters supported proposition 2, the statewide initiative that makes it illegal for farmers to confine animals in gestation crates, battery cages, and veal crates.
Can I get a YEAH?!!
In case you don’t know, pregnant pigs are normally packed in individual metal gestation crates that are so small that the pigs can’t even take a step or turn around. They spend their four-month pregnancies stuffed in these crates. As a result, they often become lame and develop joint disorders. Newborn calves are taken from their mothers and chained in tiny wooden crates before they are killed for veal. Most egg-laying hens are crammed into battery cages. Each bird is forced to live in less space than a sheet of letter-sized paper and cannot engage in any natural behaviors.
California farmers will have until 2015 to provide chickens with enough space to turn around, stand up and spread their wings, and to phase out gestation crates and veal crates.
Although all three confinement systems have been banned throughout Europe, they are still common in the U.S. (Gestation crates are legal everywhere except California, Florida, Arizona, Oregon, and Colorado. Veal crates have only been banned in California, Arizona and Colorado. California was the first state to ban cruel battery cages.)
To learn more about this landmark victory and how you can help ban these intensive confinement systems in your state, see Farm Sanctuary’s Web page at http://www.farmsanctuary.org/get_involved/yesonprop2.html.
This victory is likely to pave the way for other states to treat animals less cruelly.
I think its tremendous news, but I really propose that we all stop eating animals altogether. It’s healthier, greener, and, ultimately, the most humane option. Animals feel pain just as we do; they value their lives just as we value ours. Once you understand that animals have interests and feelings that must be protected, you are one step closer to realizing that there is no good reason to eat them at all.
Goodbye to Greyhound Racing in Massachusetts
The other important victory was achieved by caring Massachusetts voters who passed Question 3, which bans greyhound racing throughout the state. These dogs don’t live like the dog(s) sprawled across your bed, happy to go for a run and play. They spend much of their time confined in cages that are barely bigger than their bodies. Many racing greyhounds suffer from fractured bones and other injuries, and when they become unprofitable, they are usually killed. (See Grey2K USA at http://www.grey2kusa.org/ to learn more.)
Yes We Can!
These victories may not have been discussed as much as the other positive events from last night’s election, but they are truly momentous and demonstrate that we can change things for the better. Thank you to all the caring voters in California and Massachusetts who are helping to make America a better place for all beings.
What Are You Thankful For?
What Are You Thankful For?
By Heather Moore
When November arrives, most people start thinking about Thanksgiving and what they are truly thankful for. For me, it’s a man I’ve never met. I don’t know his name, where he lives, or if he’s even still living. All I know is that he saved a darling dog’s life and ultimately enriched mine. She was about to be strapped to a table in his undergraduate physiology class, so that her stomach could be sliced open and her rib cage exposed. The students were going to “observe” her die. Her fate changed when this brave, compassionate man suddenly scooped her up and walked out the door.
From what I understand, he asked another student—one he usually made fun of for being a vegetarian--to comfort her and find her a home. Several years later, she ended up in the most loving home she will ever know—mine.
It’s hard to say what happened to her in her early years, but whatever abuse or trauma she endured in the past appears to have been forgotten. She spends her days napping on our bed, snacking on carrots and cookies, lying in the sun on our deck, and playing like a puppy. She is my joy, my companion, and my constant source of unconditional love. She makes me smile when I’m sad, she comforts me when I’m upset, and she reminds me how precious life is.
I can’t tell if she ever thinks about her time in the laboratory, how she ended up there, where she lived afterwards, or anything else before she met me, but I sure do. And as thankful as I am for her rescuer, I can’t help but wonder why none of the other students came to her rescue. Why was he the only one who intervened? Was it apathy? Did the other students think they would learn something of value by watching her die? Was each of them hoping that someone else would step forward? It only takes one person to make a difference, but I’ll be thankful for the day when everyone is clamoring to be that “one person.”
Paving the Way for Healthier School Lunches
Paving the Way for Healthier School Lunches
By Heather Moore
Let me tell you about one of my favorite school lunch crusaders: Jackie Domac. Jackie is a former teacher and health department chairwomen at Venice High School in California. When she informed a school administrator that a few of her students had requested juice in addition to soda in the school vending machines, she was told that selling juice would conflict with the school’s soda contract. Outraged that money from Coca-Cola sales was more important than giving students healthy beverage choices, Jackie, a vegan for nearly 20 years, and her students circulated petitions, met with parents, attended school board meetings, and more, in an effort to get healthier food and beverages in the school.
Not only did they convince school officials to replace the sodas in the school vending machine with bottled water, sports drinks, and juices; they also succeeded in getting the school to add a fruit and vegetable bar to the school cafeteria, and serve vegetarian-chili potato boats twice a week—a vegan option that meets the National School Lunch Program’s requirements. According to Jackie, Venice High School was also the first high school in the nation to get an organic soy milk vending machine.
But that wasn’t enough for Jackie. She wanted all students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)—the second largest school district in the nation—to have access to healthy vegan food. Jackie rallied students, parents, teachers, and school board members to support the LAUSD Obesity Prevention Resolution, which encourages schools to provide kids with healthy snacks instead of candy bars, eliminate contracts with fast-food companies, offer students at least one vegetarian option at lunchtime, and pilot soy milk in five area schools. Thanks to Jackie’s efforts, the resolution took effect in 2004. Since then, many other schools have introduced healthier school lunch options.
Jackie’s in law school now, but she still finds time to weigh in on school lunch issues. You can read about Jackie’s efforts on www. NoJunkFood.com.
Does Milk Do a Body Good?
Does Milk Do a Body Good?
By Heather Moore
It does if you’re a calf, but since you’re reading PNN I think it’s safe to say that you’re not a calf! Like humans, cows give milk to feed their babies (since we drink the milk meant for the babies, the babies are generally either turned into veal or raised to produce more milk, but that’s another article entirely). Cow’s milk is designed for calves to grow four stomachs and weigh about 300 pounds within a year. Studies show that cow’s milk can cause a variety of health problems in humans. Many experts believe that it’s safer and more natural for people to consume soy milk and other dairy-free foods instead of cow’s milk.
As Michael Klaper, M.D., the author of Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet, points out, “Humans are the only creatures that drink milk from the mother of another species. It’s as unnatural for a child to drink the milk of a cow as it is for a dog to nurse from a giraffe! Human children have no nutritional requirements for cow’s milk and grow up healthy and strong without it. Cow’s milk and the products made from it are laced with foreign, frequently allergy-inciting bovine protein and often contain hydrocarbon pesticides and other chemical contaminants, as well as health-endangering saturated fat. Clinical experience suggests that cow’s milk is linked to numerous common health problems (runny noses, allergies, ear infections, recurrent bronchitis, asthma, etc.) that often keep people returning to their doctors’ offices instead of to their jobs or classrooms. Parents should feel good about giving their children the many nutritious, tasty alternatives to dairy products instead.”
In Baby and Child Care, the world-renowned pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote, “I no longer recommend dairy products. … The essential fats that are needed for brain development are found in vegetable oils. Milk is very low in these essential fats and high in the saturated fats that encourage artery blockage and weight problems as children grow.” Dr. Frank Oski, the former director of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, concurs, saying, “There is no reason to drink cow’s milk at any time in your life. It was designed for calves, it was not designed for humans, and we should all stop drinking it today, this afternoon.”
Many people are lactose intolerant and can’t even digest milk properly. Consumption of cow’s milk and other dairy products can cause gas, nausea, cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.
Dairy products may also contribute to cancer and other serious diseases. Researchers at Stanford University and the National Institutes of Health found that high concentrations of the IGF-I, a hormone that occurs naturally in humans and cows and in all milk, stimulates cancer cell growth. According to the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, 11 separate human population studies have tied dairy consumption to prostate cancer. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) cites more than 12 epidemiological studies that show a positive correlation between dairy products and breast cancer. Several other studies, including one conducted by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, have shown that women who consume large amounts of milk may have a higher risk for ovarian cancer.
Men who consume dairy products seem to have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a disorder in which movement-regulating cells in the brain die or become impaired. In one study, researchers followed more than 130,000 American adults for nine years, and concluded that men who consumed a lot of dairy products, particularly milk, were more likely to suffer from Parkinson’s.
Other studies have shown that dairy products cause juvenile diabetes and acne, something most teenagers consider to be very serious! Dr. Walter Willett and his colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston surveyed more than 47,000 women and found a link between women who had acne and those who drank a lot of milk. They suspect this is because of the IGF-1 and other hormones in milk. Organic milk contains the same hormones as non-organic milk, and can also cause acne.
Bill Danby, a dermatologist at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, has said, “Objectively, human consumption of large volumes of another species’ milk, especially when that milk comes mainly from pregnant cows during the human’s normally post-weaned years, is essentially unnatural.”
Cow’s milk really doesn’t benefit humans in any way. Clinical and population evidence strongly implicates dairy in causing, rather than preventing, osteoporosis, because its’ excessive protein content leeches calcium from the body, causing severe bone deterioration. Even studies funded by the dairy industry have shown that milk does not prevent bone loss. In fact, studies have shown that postmenopausal women who drank three glasses of milk a day actually lost bone mass twice as fast as those who didn’t drink milk.
If you’re concerned about calcium, it is plentiful in plant foods, especially broccoli, collard greens, kale, almonds, sesame tahini, beans, calcium-fortified soy or rice milk, some brands of tofu, and calcium-fortified orange juice. Milk may not be the most “evil food” there is, but I prefer to consume healthy, humane foods instead. It’s fairly easy to wean yourself off of milk; most grocery stores sell Silk and other soymilks, as well as almond milk, rice milk, and other dairy-free foods. Even Starbucks offers Silk soy milk. So the next time you go for a cup of joe, or pour yourself some cereal, ask yourself this, “I’m a calf?” If the answer is no, why not opt for soy, almond, rice, oat, or hemp milk?
Mom Was Right: You Should Eat More Vegetables!
Mom Was Right: You Should Eat More Vegetables!
By Heather Moore
The American Cancer Society’s Web site states: “In the majority of population studies, greater consumption of vegetables, fruits, or both together has been associated with a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal and colon cancer. The best advice is to eat five or more servings of vegetables and fruit each day.”
That’s good advice indeed! Plant-based foods are cholesterol free and generally low in fat and high in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and other vital nutrients. Diets rich in soy and soluble fiber have been shown to ward off heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease. But don’t just take my word for it, read what the experts are saying:
-Dr. T. Colin Campbell, internationally renowned nutrition expert: “The vast majority of all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other forms of degenerative illness can be prevented simply by adopting a plant-based diet.”
-David Jenkins, professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Toronto: “The evidence is pretty strong that vegans, who eat no animal products, have the best cardiovascular health profile and the lowest cholesterol levels.”
-The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: “Vegetarian diets provide a nutrient combination that is likely to be beneficial in treating diabetes and preventing complications…. Not only does the diet help control blood sugar, but, because whole grains, nuts, viscous fibers, soy proteins, and plant sterols lower serum cholesterol concentrations, the diet also helps prevent cardiovascular complications.”
-The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada (joint statement): “Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than non-vegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.”
-Dr. Gabe Mirkin, physician, radio talk-show host, author, and athlete: “You can help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease by getting folic acids from all whole grains and fortified cereals, leafy green vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts, and many other plants, and by reducing your intake of methionine [a disease-causing amino acid] by eating less meat.”
-Dr. William Castelli, director of the Framingham Heart Study: “Vegetarians have the best diet. They have the lowest rates of coronary disease of any group in the country… they have a fraction of our heart attack rate and they have only 40 percent of our cancer rate.”
-The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: “You can decrease your risk of osteoporosis by reducing sodium and animal protein intake in the diet, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, exercising, and ensuring adequate calcium intake from plant foods such as leafy green vegetables and beans, as well as calcium-fortified products such as breakfast cereals and juices.”
But you probably already know that you need to eat more fruits and veggies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vast majority of Americans are not eating the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. If you want some tips on incorporating more wholesome plant foods in your diet, see my article “It’s Easy Being Green!” at http://veganchick.pnn.com/articles/show/26570-it-s-easy-being-green