How A More Plant Based Diet Could Save Your Health And The Environment

Beef and dairy are no longer a delicacy to our society; they have become a staple of the American diet. In Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, not only did he show us how the fast food industry changed America's history, he also detailed the ways it changed America’s behavior, which then directly influenced its citizens’ health, and not for the better. Beef and dairy are less an example of how we should eat than how we shouldn’t.

In the past forty years, the average American’s weight has skyrocketed. This can be traced to the introduction of fast food into our everyday lives. Fatty cheeseburgers and grease laden French fries have replaced fresh fish and crisp vegetables. Americans have come to value convenience more highly than personal health and consequently we are paying for what we consume.

An interesting statistic was that the “per capita of meat went from 48 pounds in 1960, to 136 pounds in 1975” (Petrini 178). That is a good reason why more of our kids have bigger waistlines, because before technology modifications, people mostly ate fruit and vegetables, and meat sparingly, but with technological advances, meat has become more accessible. The article also talks about how the media has also influenced us into wanting fast food, instead of a good home cooked meal. Petrini states how “in a world organized around hamburgers, popcorn, and French fries and reeking with the smell of deep frying oil and deodorant, taste represents a new moral imperative”( Petrini 182). That quote alone proves that people eat what we seen advertised on Television, which means most people eat very unhealthy, because most of the food advertised on Television is not good for you.

The obesity levels in America increase year after year. Even adults are becoming more and more overweight. People do not understand that eating whatever they want, whenever they want it is very unhealthy. Louisiana has the highest adult obesity rate at 36.2 percent and Colorado has the lowest at 20.2 percent. Mississippi has the highest rate of diabetes at 14.7 percent. Ten of the twelve states with the highest type 2 diabetes rates are in the South. The CDC projects that one-in-three adults could have diabetes by 2050 (Ogden). Is unhealthy food really worth diabetes? Even the farmers are starting to noticing the increase in food intake. One of the main problems in America is over eating. People just eat all they want and do not think of the consequences. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that the average American ate almost twenty percent more calories in the year 2000 than they did in 1983, thanks, in part, to a boom in meat consumption. Today, each American puts away an average of 195 pounds of meat every year, compared to just 138 pounds in the 1950’s. Consumption of added fats also shot up by around two thirds over the same period, and grain consumption rose forty five percent since 1970 ("Why Are Americans Obese?”). People use food as comfort, and they eat more and more each year. Sometimes, it can be the types of foods people consume rather than how much. From this study it is obvious that not only are Americans eating too much,

The film illustrates a huge increase in calories from meat, dairy, and refined sugars in the American diet from the early 1900’s--over double in each category. A survey among people on the streets states that people include meat in their diet because of protein. The film then focuses on cholesterol, its impacts on the arteries, and how much money is spent

Many people have misconceptions about vegans, specifically that they are weak and unhealthy while it is quite the opposite. Registered dietician, Ashley Koff, points out that “eating meat and animal products...has been associated with inflammation” (Hartke par 17). And inflammation is just one of many health problems linked to diets consisting of meat. Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and cancer have also been shown in higher rates among omnivores. Gary Fraser, PhD, MPH, who was a part of the Adventist Health Study observed that there was “12 percent reduction in risk of all-cause mortality in all vegetarians combined versus non-vegetarians” (Palmer par 21). Why would you want to pollute your body with the carcasses of animals and other by-products that we have stolen from them? The myth that cow’s milk makes your bones strong is just one of many falsehoods that agribusinesses and large industries have been telling us. Of course, they want us to buy their milk, cheese, and yogurt. But if you look into the effects dairy has on the body, you will learn the real consequences of consuming dairy and animal protein. In a study observing the bones in omnivore and vegan women, health researchers found that there was a “lower amount of bone formation in the omnivore women” which could lead to a lower bone density and ultimately end in osteoporosis (Wood par 16). Many of the strongest animals on the planet are herbivores. Many of the animals people consume are herbivores. We say that we eat meat to get the protein and to get the nutrients, but look at where these animals get theirs. Plants. If we want to be healthy and get our nutrients in their most pure form, we need to stop filtering them through animals. We’re not just killing the animals and our planet; we’re killing

Meat and dairy industries have been paying lots of money for schools, doctors, and the media to lie to kids, and tell them that it is neccesery to drink milk and eat meat in order to have a healthy diet, but that is simply untrue. Many medical officials benifit from supporting the meat and dairy industries, becuase of the profits being built off of the negative ipacts animal products have on humans. Many studies

“Studies have shown that over the past four decades (40 years), the consumption of fast food eaten away from home has risen alarmingly.” says www.news-medical.net . This statement is explaining that the food eaten away from home, or fast food, has been increasing at an alarming rate, since 1975. The large portions that are sold in these establishments now are 3 times the size that they were in the 1970s, and that is just for a child size, increasing the intake of harmful chemicals, fat, cholesterol, sugar, and calories; again, resulting in obesity.

The American citizens do not have a clear understanding of healthy nutrition is and it may be very reason for the health issues that plague the United States today. It is no wonder so many people are so confused about diet and nutrition. Since the 1940’s there have been 7 major changes in the nutrition guidelines provided by the USDA in the United States; Obesity statistics are at an alarming pace; food scientists and food processors have genetically altered our food supply for more than 50 years; and the family farm has largely been replaced with large scale animal and cash crop operations designed to produce more and cheaper food at a faster rate. The combination of these significant changes over the past 70 years is the likely culprit

Many people argue that the reason the meat consumption is still so prevalent is due to the culture that we were raised on. One way to counter this is to bring up how there has been cultural shifts in today’s society. This is especially relevant the younger generations because many younger people are deviating from the traditional norm. It is somewhat counteractive to claim to not follow traditions and yet still uses tradition and culture as justification for the consumption of animal products. In terms of the fact that it is in human nature, this may be true but civilization has progressed enough that we don't need to do a lot of things which we typically had to do out of survival. There are still societies which do need meat to survive but these would mostly be developing countries. In developed countries where there is a surplus of food and is actually a whole culture centered around using food as a medium of art, cuisine, we no longer need meat to survive. In fact, there are many populations where they do not eat meat and they are just as health if not healthier than those who do. There is the idea that vegans as a whole are too aggressive

In the totality of the United States, there are around 7.3 million people that identify as a vegetarian. Although that may seem like a lot, that’s only approximately 3.2 percent of the nationwide population (“Vegetarianism in America”). Alternatively, that means that nearly 319 million people in America eat meat, and a lot of meat at that. Studies show that the average American eats almost 275 lbs of meat every year (ProCon). However, it’s been proven again and again by numerous studies that meat isn’t necessary for a balanced, nutritious diet but rather can be quite detrimental to humans and modern day society (Walker). Vegetarianism should be the globally accepted diet because of the numerous health benefits, a lessened impact on the environment,

Some argue that a vegetarian diet isn’t actually healthy for you because you don’t get the necessary nutrients that you would get from eating meat. When in reality when a vegetarian diet is well balanced it is actually healthier than a meat-oriented diet. “Vegetarians suffer less from heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a variety of other diet-related diseases which now cost the United States alone over $1.2 trillion each year” (Fergusson). Vegetarians are less likely to develop life altering diseases. That is because vegetarian diets are typically low in fat and high in

    Throughout the years food industries have become the primary source of food production, consequently causing diseases. Food industries promote themselves as “improved” or “less fattening” to provoke the audience to buy their products. In reality the effect that the overconsumption of the junk food does is cause obesity, hormonal change, respiratory issues, and plenty other health issues. Worldwide, there are people that are not educated on food industries and the chemicals or drugs used to be able to make excessive amounts of produce. Most food industries are lobbying and use that advantage to keep others quiet about their disease causing product.

Meat and dairy products are one of the best ways to give your body the nutrients it needs. People all around the world are vegans and are perfectly healthy because of the balancing act. However, research have shown that dairy products and meat link to cancers. So, are meat and dairy products good for one’s health or not? They are said to be one of the ways to get cancer and other diseases. In one’s opinion, meat and dairy products are healthy for you because firstly, it has the nutrients that our body needs daily. Secondly, lacking certain nutrients will harm our bodies and lead to diseases. And thirdly, meat and dairy products are important to maintain a balanced diet. Writers, Michael Pollan, Julia Belluz, Honor Whiteman, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Alina Zavatsky all seem to debate whether meat along with dairy products are the way to cancer and other diseases or not. Yet, there are still questions that are unanswered about meat and dairy products because the authors have reached a stasis point because all the authors are quarreling over the same topic with no further claims or evidences to support their debates.

Growing up in the United States, there are many things that I had just accepted as the norm. Eating a diet heavy in meat and dairy are staples in the diet of the average American that those who differ are considered strange. Interestingly, the United States is also referred to as one of the unhealthiest nations in the world. How could we be so unhealthy, when we are such a developed country that has access to the best medical care and information. The documentary “Forks Over Knives” focuses on exactly this point. It claims that there is a fundamental problem with the diet of Americans, particularly our heavy consumption of meat and dairy. This documentary asserts that the cure for all of our health related problems is to switch to a whole