| A new study published in the Journal of | | | | important to realize as our world |
| the American Medical Association shows a | | | | population grows and it becomes |
| doubling of the risk of colon cancer for | | | | increasingly difficult to produce the |
| people who are heavy consumers of red | | | | protein required by the population. |
| meat. More specifically, it shows that | | | | How to make the transition away from red |
| the risk doubles compared to those who | | | | meat |
| consume smaller quantities of red meat. | | | | These are all reasons to avoid an |
| But how does this compare to people who | | | | animal-based diet and pursue a |
| consume no red meat at all? | | | | plant-based diet. Many people reading |
| This is conjecture, but I'm willing to | | | | this are already following a plant-based |
| bet that heavy consumers of red meat | | | | diet, but some of you who might be |
| probably have quadruple the risk (or | | | | considering making the change probably |
| more) of colon cancer compared to | | | | aren't sure exactly how to do it. |
| vegetarians or people who consume no red | | | | Perhaps you want to merely reduce your |
| meat. By the way, you don't have to be a | | | | consumption of red meat but not give it |
| vegetarian to boycott red meat. You can | | | | up completely yet, which is fine, since |
| still be a consumer of other sources of | | | | that's the way all of us ex-meat-eaters |
| animal protein (fish, seafood, etc.) | | | | got into plant-based diets to begin |
| while avoiding red meat. | | | | with. Few people ate more meat than I |
| There are plenty of health reasons to | | | | did because I grew up in an environment |
| avoid eating red meat, and a higher risk | | | | where we had all the red meat we wanted |
| of colon cancer is just one of them. The | | | | at no charge (my grandfather was a |
| saturated animal fat found in red meat | | | | cattle rancher). We had a freezer full |
| products contributes to heart disease | | | | of red meat at all times, and we could |
| and atherosclerosis. In addition, red | | | | have as much hamburger, steak or other |
| meat can contain contaminants such as | | | | cuts of meat as we wanted. I consumed |
| heavy metals, pesticides and undesirable | | | | large quantities of red meat for nearly |
| environmental pollutants that tend to | | | | 30 years. |
| collect in the fat tissues of cows, | | | | I found the transition away from red |
| which are absorbed into your body when | | | | meat to be difficult at first. I started |
| you eat cow fat. And you can't eat red | | | | consuming less of it and eating other |
| meat without getting some animal fat. | | | | meat alternatives, and pretty soon I |
| Then, of course, there's what I call the | | | | began to view red meat in a different |
| vibration of red meat, which concerns | | | | way, because if you eat less of it, you |
| the homeopathy of the meat, or the | | | | eventually start to lose your appetite |
| environment in which the cow was raised. | | | | for it. And within less than a year, any |
| Was it a natural environment? Did the | | | | time I would see red meat at the grocery |
| cow have access to open fields, sunlight | | | | store, it would gross me out. I look at |
| and clean water? Or was this a cow | | | | it and I realize what it is: a chunk of |
| raised as part of a slaughterhouse | | | | flesh sliced off the carcass of a living |
| operation, produced for the sole purpose | | | | creature that has been ground up and |
| of generating profits? If you eat cows' | | | | stuffed into a box. Usually there's some |
| meat that has undergone that kind of | | | | blood running around in the container as |
| experience, you are consuming a product | | | | well. Every time I would look at that I |
| that is tainted with the negative | | | | would get grossed out and think to |
| experience of the animal from which it | | | | myself, "Gee, is this really what I want |
| came. | | | | to eat for the rest of my life? This |
| There are a lot of negative effects | | | | sliced up chunk of a dead cow?" And the |
| associated with the consumption of red | | | | answer was, "No." So it didn't take very |
| meat, and this is why more and more | | | | long before I didn't want any red meat, |
| people are now giving up red meat and | | | | and now I can't imagine eating it. |
| moving to healthier foods like fish, | | | | That's one way to get rid of red meat in |
| free-range chicken, or better yet, | | | | your diet, but there are many other ways |
| plant-based proteins like spirulina or | | | | and I encourage you to experiment and |
| soy products like soy milk and tofu. | | | | see how you'd like to approach it. But |
| This is where you'll get your best | | | | the bottom line on red meat is that |
| protective effect and disease | | | | there is an increasing body of evidence |
| prevention, and you will be helping | | | | supporting the notion that you can |
| protect the environment at the same | | | | prevent cancer by pursuing a plant-based |
| time. After all, it's far less stressful | | | | diet. If you want to be healthy, it's |
| on the environment to produce food as | | | | time to join the vegetarians. Maybe even |
| plants than as animals. | | | | join the vegans, if you have the |
| It takes 10 acres to produce the same | | | | courage. |
| amount of red meat protein as it does to | | | | Think about limiting or eliminating your |
| produce one acre of soy beans. And | | | | consumption of red meat and instead |
| producing spirulina yields a tenfold | | | | nourish your body with the |
| increase over the production of | | | | phytonutrients, phytochemicals, |
| soybeans. So think about it: one acre of | | | | vitamins, minerals and even the living |
| farmland used to produce spirulina can | | | | energy of plants. That's how you'll be |
| produce 100 times as much protein as | | | | the healthiest you can be. |
| beef and red meat. That will be very | | | | |