The Meaty Truth by Shushana Castle, Amy-Lee Goodman
Authors: Shushana Castle, Amy-Lee Goodman
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Foreword
W hen I was growing up in Fargo, North Dakota, our family ate roast beef, baked potatoes, and corn. Day after day, that was about it. Sometimes a pork chop or slice of liver might replace the beef. But we never strayed very far from this rather unimaginative, meat-centered menu. After all, we thought we needed meat for iron and protein—which translated into health and strength—and we were prepared to overlook the unsavory aspects of slaughter and meat packing. Never mind that heart attacks were common—and still are. We attributed them to old age, or perhaps genetics, rather than to our meaty diet.
Later on, when I entered medical school, I learned something quite different. It turned out that people who avoided meat were healthier than those who ate it. Carefully conducted research studies showed that they were slimmer; had much less risk of heart problems, cancer, and diabetes; and lived years longer.
In 1990, medical science turned another page. That was the year when Dr. Dean Ornish showed that a plant-based diet, along with other healthful lifestyle changes, could actually reverse heart disease, causing narrowed coronary arteries to reopen without surgery. Meat-based diets—even “lean” meats—had none of that power.
At the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, our research team put a plant-based diet to the test for diabetes, weight problems, and other health conditions. We found that when people threw out the animal products—meat, dairy products, and eggs—and powered their bodies with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans, their health rebounded. Cholesterol levels fell, unwanted pounds melted away, blood pressure came back down, and diabetes came under much better control, sometimes disappearing altogether.
And the benefits go beyond human health. Environmental scientists have weighed in, showing that a plant-based diet does a huge favor for the Earth. Needless to say, the animals benefit, too. At the moment, Americans eat one million animals every hour. The more we chip away at that figure, the better off everyone will be.
So all in all, breaking the meat habit is just about the healthiest, smartest, and kindest thing you can do. If you are uncertain where to begin, this book will help you change your menu for the better. It will motivate you to begin the transition and will guide you along the way. I would encourage you to read it carefully, then share it with your friends. It will change their lives.
Neal D. Barnard, MD, President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Washington, D.C.
Introduction: Serving a Side of Truth
F ood is part of the emotional fabric of American life. We celebrate at restaurants and socialize with friends over lunch. However, what we are eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner represents today’s global health and environmental crises. The Meaty Truth is here to serve us a side of the truth.
Our health has turned to sh!t as America is rapidly becoming the home of the sick and obese! About half of the illnesses claiming American lives are all related to what we eat. The USDA knowingly allows toxins such as arsenic, bleach, pus, and feces into our meat and dairy products. The crap fed to children in schools is a national tragedy. We are reaching the end of the antibiotic era and the rise of pandemic diseases is around the corner. Filthy, disease-breeding factory farms that churn out twenty-seven billion animals per year rely on consumer ignorance to keep pumping out meat and dairy products that are poisoning us and our environment.
Our heavily meat and dairy diets are decimating our entire ecosystem. Half the Amazon is expected to be gone forever by 2030. Dead zones are expanding so rapidly that they are predicted to entirely wipe out fisheries by 2048. Imagine oceans without fish. This is where we are heading. Our vital resources are running so low that experts predict the next world wars will be over access to water and food
W hen I was growing up in Fargo, North Dakota, our family ate roast beef, baked potatoes, and corn. Day after day, that was about it. Sometimes a pork chop or slice of liver might replace the beef. But we never strayed very far from this rather unimaginative, meat-centered menu. After all, we thought we needed meat for iron and protein—which translated into health and strength—and we were prepared to overlook the unsavory aspects of slaughter and meat packing. Never mind that heart attacks were common—and still are. We attributed them to old age, or perhaps genetics, rather than to our meaty diet.
Later on, when I entered medical school, I learned something quite different. It turned out that people who avoided meat were healthier than those who ate it. Carefully conducted research studies showed that they were slimmer; had much less risk of heart problems, cancer, and diabetes; and lived years longer.
In 1990, medical science turned another page. That was the year when Dr. Dean Ornish showed that a plant-based diet, along with other healthful lifestyle changes, could actually reverse heart disease, causing narrowed coronary arteries to reopen without surgery. Meat-based diets—even “lean” meats—had none of that power.
At the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, our research team put a plant-based diet to the test for diabetes, weight problems, and other health conditions. We found that when people threw out the animal products—meat, dairy products, and eggs—and powered their bodies with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans, their health rebounded. Cholesterol levels fell, unwanted pounds melted away, blood pressure came back down, and diabetes came under much better control, sometimes disappearing altogether.
And the benefits go beyond human health. Environmental scientists have weighed in, showing that a plant-based diet does a huge favor for the Earth. Needless to say, the animals benefit, too. At the moment, Americans eat one million animals every hour. The more we chip away at that figure, the better off everyone will be.
So all in all, breaking the meat habit is just about the healthiest, smartest, and kindest thing you can do. If you are uncertain where to begin, this book will help you change your menu for the better. It will motivate you to begin the transition and will guide you along the way. I would encourage you to read it carefully, then share it with your friends. It will change their lives.
Neal D. Barnard, MD, President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Washington, D.C.
Introduction: Serving a Side of Truth
F ood is part of the emotional fabric of American life. We celebrate at restaurants and socialize with friends over lunch. However, what we are eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner represents today’s global health and environmental crises. The Meaty Truth is here to serve us a side of the truth.
Our health has turned to sh!t as America is rapidly becoming the home of the sick and obese! About half of the illnesses claiming American lives are all related to what we eat. The USDA knowingly allows toxins such as arsenic, bleach, pus, and feces into our meat and dairy products. The crap fed to children in schools is a national tragedy. We are reaching the end of the antibiotic era and the rise of pandemic diseases is around the corner. Filthy, disease-breeding factory farms that churn out twenty-seven billion animals per year rely on consumer ignorance to keep pumping out meat and dairy products that are poisoning us and our environment.
Our heavily meat and dairy diets are decimating our entire ecosystem. Half the Amazon is expected to be gone forever by 2030. Dead zones are expanding so rapidly that they are predicted to entirely wipe out fisheries by 2048. Imagine oceans without fish. This is where we are heading. Our vital resources are running so low that experts predict the next world wars will be over access to water and food
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