So, I have been doing a lot of studying lately-A LOT of studying and reading and I have so many thoughts bouncing around in my head that I really want to share with all of you. And really, it's all about the medical proof of why you should make the change to a plant based diet. There is so much proof out there, it is really just mind boggling to me that I haven't put two and two together until now.
I am sure you hear this everywhere out there, because I know I do (but then I'm also looking for it), that America is heading for a health disaster. Our children may be the first generation to NOT outlive their parents. And this is due to things like: heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and alzheimer's disease/dementia....all caused by our over processed, high fat, standard american diet.
Now I don't know about you, but these diseases all sound really scary to me....and yet, they are all preventable. You don't have to experience any of these things if you choose not to. I have pretty much every single one of those lurking in my family history charts. I have always thought the chances were pretty dang high for me to come down with any number of those diseases. Now I am beginning to be pretty confident that I won't because I am the only one in my family (aside from my brother and his wife, well done guys!!) who has decided to make a stand and make a change.
In cases like heart disease and stroke, these are in large part due to the amount of plaque that you have built up in your body. Plaque is a waxy, fatty deposit that can build up in various parts of your body, including inside the arteries. Once it builds up in the arteries, it can slow the flow of blood to the heart, cause a blood clot, cause something similar to a pimple and explode, sending the plaque to your heart causing a heart attack or to your brain causing a stroke. (Obviously it's much more involved then that, but I'm no doctor, so I'll let you research that on your own.)
And where do you think this plaque comes from? Animal proteins! Animal based products contain all the building blocks for heart disease: artery-clogging saturated fat, plaque-promoting dietary cholesterol, animal proteins raise cholesterol.
Plant based products do the opposite. They discourage plaque build-up and promote the health of your artery lining because they contain healthy unsaturated fats, zero cholesterol (your body can make that on its own), friendly protein, and free radical-zapping antioxidants. Not to mention that plants are nutritional powerhouses!
Do you know that in early 1900's, cardiovascular disease wasn't even in the top ten causes of death?! Then by the time we reached 2007 more then 3,000 people were dying from heart disease EVERY SINGLE DAY!
And then there is cancer. I am pretty positive that every single one of us has been effected by cancer in one way or another. I know quite a few people that have lost the fight with cancer and several others that are currently fighting it. It's a scary, ugly disease. Now, I am no doctor, but in all this reading I've been doing I have found SEVERAL doctors studies about animal protein creating an ideal environment for cancer to thrive. Meat protein creates an acidic environment that is also a breeding ground for cancer cells and growth hormones. Not to mention the fact that meat and dairy products have very little fiber, which stalls the fecal matter in the colon for long periods of time which in turn can contribute to colon cancer.
Plant proteins practically repel cancer because, unlike meat which creates an acidic environment, plant proteins are alkaline making it almost impossible for cancer cells to take root and prosper. I know about alkaline. I grew up on the shore of Utah Lake. We couldn't get ANYTHING to grow due to all the alkaline in the soil.
There is so much more I could talk to you about right now...I'll save that for another post. But despite all the evidence that exists out there, America (I pick on America because that's where all the studies I read come from, but any western society is likely at the same risk) has yet to hear and fully digest the plant based message. Because we have grown up in a society that is all about fast, cheap, and easy, people are afraid to embrace something that is new and different.
For a lot of people (I was one of these) plants are this unknown world that they don't know much about. It can be scary to consider that you won't have any of your "normal" foods to eat, but once you dive in and give it a try, you will be amazed at the world you will discover.
And there is part of my soap box. I've got so much more to come!
