Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Why vegan?



Throughout my life until a year ago I ate meat and drank milk. Like many people, I was told as a child to drink milk for strong bones and and to eat meat for strong mucles. But this is not true. 

Today, I’m vegan. A vegan eats nothing from the animals, only plants. A vegan diet consists of fruit, vegetables, beans, lentils, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. You then avoid eating beef, pork, poultry, fish, milk, cheese and eggs.

You may ask why I'm vegan. Well, there are two main reasons, for the animals and for my health. Many of you know the ethical reasons on why you should eat a plantbased diet also known as a vegan diet. But what you often don't know is the scientific evidence.

It is scientifically established that animal protein gives cardiovascular diseases and cancer. One of the most shocking  studies, the so-called China Study conducted by Professor Colin Campbell a few years ago.
The china study examines the relationship between the consumption of animal products (including dairy) and chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancers of the breast, prostate and bowel. The authors (Colin Campbell and Jacob Gould Shurman)conclude that people who eat a whole-food, plantbased/vegan diet –avoiding all animal products, reducing their intake of processed foods and refines carbohydrateswill escape, reduce or reverse the development of numerous diseases.

One of the studies was made on 100 rats. The first group (50 rats) were given a diet consisting of 20 % animal protein and the other group received a diet composed of 5 % animal protein. Both groups received the same amount of aflatoxin, which is a cancergrowing toxin.The rats with a diet consisting of 20 % animal protein died after 100 week but the rats with a diet consisting of 5 % animal protein was still alive and healthy.
Campbell gave another group between 20 % and 5 % of protein at 3 weeks intervals and saw the tumors grew parallel to the percent intakes of animal protein. Which means that depending on how much animal protein you consume the higher the risk is that you get cancer. But you can also reverse the tumor growth with a plantbased diet.This study was also made on humans. People with only a few months left to live was put on a plantbased diet. These people’s cancers disappeared completely and they still live today.

Today, we learn that we need to get as much protein as we can to be healthy. Actually it's the other way around, most people are suffering from an overdose of protein every day. The average requirement is 42 grams of protein a day. Non-vegetarians get way more than they need, and so does everyone else. On average, vegetarians and vegans get 70%
more protein than they need every day. Surprising that there's so much fuss about protein in this country when less than 3% of adults don't make the cut, presumably folks on extreme calorie-restricted diets who just aren't eating enough food.There is one nutrient, though, for which 97% of Americans are deficient. Now that's a problem nutrient. That's something we really have to work on.Less than 3% of Americans get even the recommended minimum adequate intake of...FIBER!!! So the question isn't "where do you get your protein?" but "where do you get your fiber?" We only get about 15 grams a day. The minimum daily requirement is 31.5so we get less than half the minimum.And where can you find fiber? In plantfoods!!!

Scientists like Dr Colin Campbell, Dr John Mcdougall, Dr Esselstyn, Neil Barnars, Douglas Graham have all found remarkable evidence that us humans should eat this way and if we did we wouldn't have diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.


For those of you who think it's hard to be a vegan, I can comfort you saying that this is not the case. You do not have to give up your favorite foods when you eat a vegan diet, you just need to replace the animal products to vegan options. If we all do this
We can make a difference. We can all improve our world. Create the change for yourself and everyone around you.

 Love Xx