Vegan Heart Disease

More than ever before, our planet is one filled with meat eaters. In fact, the average American consumes 270.7 pounds of meat per year. And, as one might have guessed, the question of where this food set before them on the table came from is often unregarded or ignored altogether. As more media forms commercialize extremely unhealthy versions of double cheeseburgers and meat lover’s supremes, the consumer’s demand for meat spikes up and companies in the food industry are faced with the ethical dilemma of benefiting themselves, their companies, increasing profits...and doing right by the animals- who without, they would not even be where they are today. Needless to say that animal rights and the humane treatment of their precious lives have been disregarded. Why do we, as a

In Michael Moss’ article, “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Food,” he discussed multiple methods food industries used to attract consumers to buy more of their products. He mentioned how multiple CEO’s of food companies discussed the health epidemic. He revealed, “Today, one in three adults is considered clinically obese, along with one in five kids, and 24 million Americans are afflicted by type 2 diabetes, often caused by poor diet”(476-477). Basically, Moss is stating that millions of Americans are at risk of or have type 2 diabetes because of the unhealthy choices in their diet. Similarly, in David Zinczenko’s article, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” Zinczenko blames food industries for the health epidemic. He stated, “But where, exactly, are

Eliminating all animal products from the diet increases the risk of certain nutritional deficiencies. Micronutrients of special concern for the vegan include vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, fatty acids such as omega 3 which can be obtained from oily fish. Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these nutrients, appropriate dietary/vitamin supplements need to be consumed. Iron deficiency which can cause anaemia will also be a concern as they do not consume any red meat to be able to get the iron their body requires.

Industry is about efficiency; ideally, turning the most profit from the least expense. Therefore, how can we trust an industry to make an ethical choice that will potentially hurt their business model? As exhumed by the articles “Escape The Western Diet” by Michael Pollan and “Don’t Blame The Eater” by David Zinczenko, the health care and food industries are not interested in suggesting we shift our diets towards a what they define as a “healthier”, more natural one, but rather they are set upon developing and distributing a variety of processed, nutritionally-overloaded supplements and cheap foods that conveniently further their return of profit.

In the article, “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan, he argues that, “people that eat the Western diet are prone to a complex of chronic diseases.” Since meat is available everywhere in the United States, everyone is able to get their hands on meat and processed meat on a daily basis. We can eat more than double our weight of meat in the entire year, that just shows us that we tend to eat a heavy meat diet on a daily basis but we are too stubborn to change that. Pollan also states that, “the flood of refined carbohydrates has pushed important micronutrients out of the modern diets.” We live in a world that wants stuff to be done as fast as possible and well that includes food. Since we mass producing meats with the use of drugs and other forms of processing it causes some of the important nutrients that we need to leave the food. In Pollan’s article, it states that, “since healthcare is an industry, it stands to make profit on new drugs and procedures to treat chronic diseases than people changing their eating habits.” Not only are we harming ourselves in not making the proper eating choices but the healthcare industry will stay idly by in order for them to release a new drug to make money. In order for us to improve our health we have to take the first move into that direction

These are significant problems because Heart Disease and Cancer are the number one and two killers in America. “Almost one of every two Americans will die from Heart Disease . . .40 million diagnosed with heart disease, and 1.5 million a year having heart attacks”(Marcus 8). There is no denying that disease is developing at a rapid pace. Everyone knows someone who had or has cancer or heart disease. They are awful diseases, and “a high-fat, animal based diet is the single most significant cause of death from heart disease”(Marcus 3). If people cut back or eliminated animal products from their diets, not only would they be eating less of the foods that cause their bodies harm, they would be eating more nutrient rich foods (fruits and vegetables) that help fight off and prevent disease. “Doctors like Dean Ornish and John MacDougall have discovered that plant-based diets have the power to reverse heart disease,

Michael Pollan explains in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, that the Industrial food chain has taken over America. With most of our products made of corn and processed beyond imagination, the industrial food chain is a cheap and convenient way to make food. Because it is so cheap to make, it is also very cheap to buy. Fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and Burger King use highly processed food, too. But, the Industrial food chain is the most unhealthy food chain and has been a large benefactor to the growing amount of heart attacks in the United States. The CDC states,“In 2013, a total of 2,596,993 resident deaths(from heart attacks) were registered in the United States—53,714 more deaths than in 2012. The crude death rate for 2013

I’ve experienced confusion and anxiety over messages about food since I decided to become a vegetarian almost eight years ago. Contradicting information from scientific studies, social pressures, and irresolvable questions of ethics have played tug-of-war with my opinions, and those of most other Americans, throughout our lives. Pollan argues that this distress of being required to make choices among so much conflicting and biased information has turned America into a food-obsessed society, one that is eternally focused on but paradoxically distracted by the seemingly simple issue of what to eat.

Fresh produce is often costly to grow, causing the price to be higher than that of the fat-filled fast food products. Unlike fresh fruits and vegetables, fast food items like fries, burgers, and chicken nuggets are almost always mass produced in unsanitary factories with cheap labor. The cattle that are slaughtered at these places are usually stuffed with hormones that artificially increase growth, leanness of the meat, and feeding efficiency. These chemicals are unhealthy when humans eat them, but they lower the price of the meat. Lower class Americans are persuaded to eat unhealthy food. As a result, their health plummets and they die

These components all work together to cause major issues like obesity, heart disease, and cancer leading to billions of dollars being put to the treatment of millions of patients each year. Researchers like John McDougall, John Robbins, and David Robinson Simon have put in years and years of research and experimentation to prove to society and the Western culture that we are not fueling our bodies appropriately and in fact, we are causing serious damage that may or may not be reversible. With simple dietary changes, the three big killers-cancer, heart disease, and obesity-can all be eradicated. As proven by hundreds of years of healthy, disease free cultures, we can thrive on a plant-based, starch heavy diet without added animal products high in acid, fat, and cholesterol. The meat and dairy industries survive by telling society that we must consume excessive amounts of protein and calcium to stay healthy when Asian and ancient societies have proven this to be false. Maybe it is time for us to stop treating health problems, most likely caused by poor and harmful diets, with a plant-based diet. These simple and easy changes could be the difference in not only quality of life, but the extension of it. Maybe Albert Einstein was right, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chance for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian

There are a myriad of books, articles, television shows, movies, and websites doing their utmost to inform us of how we should eat better and to stop eating foods that are known to be bad for our bodies. An article by Michael Jacobson, published on the website for U.S. News & World Report, was just such an article. In his piece “Politics: It’s What For Dinner”, Jacobson points out that we should eat healthier items, such as, fruit, vegetables, and cut back on eating fast food, processed foods, and drinks heavy with sugar. Most parents would probably want to be able to feed their families with healthier choices, if it did not cost an arm and a leg to buy healthier foods. Of course, this is easy to do for those that can afford to eat whole foods, non-processed grains, and organic vegetables. I shop frequently and usually search for fresh, healthy foods, but the costs take a huge chunk from my budget. Healthy foods are much easier to access these days, as compared to just a decade ago. I know the benefits of eating healthier foods outweigh what ill affects the chemicals and needless additives can and will do to my body. Most American’s probably know that foregoing fast foods and opting for healthier foods is a much better plan for our bodies and will increase our longevity, but it is much cheaper to buy the junk food and it is usually tastier. Also, for families that are on the go, running to and fro with appointments and school outings, fast foods are convenient and

“The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000. You willingly feed yourself, your children, your husband/wife every day, food that’s high in cholesterol and saturated fat, it causes heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Food that contains carnitine which converts itself to a heart-damaging compound, hardening the artery and clogging your blood that could deliver a slow and painful death. Not to mention the brutality and abuse on animals, just so their suffered meat can get to your plate. We are not only killing ourselves, we’re also killing the planet.” K, Gunners (2012)

Animal cruelty continues to plague the meat and dairy industry and a policy to reverse this is enacting stricter regulations on meat and dairy labels that explicitly state the additives and preservatives used on the product. Moreover, my policy will persuade people to purchase meat and dairy that is ethically raised and is not made with preservatives or additives, this is my value of health. Moreover, my policy is for those who eat meat and dairy and are unaware of the health side affects of consuming it and the animal cruelty that goes into producing a piece of meat or glass of milk, which encompasses my value of compassion. We are a compassionate species who turns the channel during an ASPCA commercial. We root for Nemo, Babe and Bambi yet we watch the movie whilst eating fish, pork or venison. The hypocrisy is unbelievable yet not talked about. Most Americans do not recognize this link between our compassion and the animals we eat and the hypocrisy that surrounds it. In this essay I address the compassion humans posses and how it is being wiped out through eating meat and dairy. I also address how we have the potential to rid the meat and dairy industry of the abuse. I will also discuss how meat and dairy is detrimental to our health.

1) Food ethics seemed a simple enough topic until I read this week’s article by Rubio. Although the arguments themselves are not new to me, I never considered them collectively or from a Christian perspective. Her first subtopic of the individual body is always debated in the medical field. Although I viewed it as simple logic, i.e. eat a variety of colors, never too much of one thing or from one food group, eat whole foods instead of processed, my patients’ frustration in following dietary guidelines was not lost on me either. The most common complaint was how often the guidelines changed. For instance, eggs were demonized by cardiologists as being among the worst for cholesterol only to be hailed later as a “good” cholesterol source when taken in moderation.

The first thing that usually comes to one’s mind when they hear the word Veganism is healthy. However, many points would debate against and for this very statement. There are many researches that prove the vegan diet is a healthy one and that this diet is better than a normal animal product eating one, however none proving that it is better than all the other diets, like some people claim the plant-eating one to be. Being a vegan means that you miss essential nutrients on a day to day basis such as vitamins, iron, zinc and calcium just to name a few. As well as this, when you get rid of all these animal products you are at a much higher risk of developing a nutritional deficiency and becoming under-weight. Looking