Need Motivation to Eat Less Meat and More Plants? Part 4 of 12
Do certain diets prevent cancer? Today, good stats on health implications of eating meat:
Risk of colon cancer for women who eat red meat daily, versus those who eat it less than once a month: 250 percent greater
Risk of colon cancer for people who eat red meat once a week compared to those who abstain: 38 percent greater
Risk of colon cancer for people who eat poultry once a week compared to those who abstain: 55 percent greater
Risk of colon cancer for people who eat poultry four times a week compared to those who abstain: 200-300 percent greater
Risk of colon cancer for people who eat beans, peas, or lentils at least twice a week compared to people who avoid these foods: 50 percent lower
Impact on risk of lung cancer for people who frequently eat green, orange, and yellow vegetables: 20-60 percent reduction
Impact on risk of lung cancer among people who consume a lot of apples, bananas, and grapes: 40 percent reduction
Rate of lung cancer in British vegetarian men compared to the general British population: 27 percent
Rate of lung cancer in German vegetarian men compared to the general German population: 8 percent
Dr. Diane Courtney is head of EPA’s Toxic Effect Branch and told Congress, “Dioxin is by far the most toxic chemical known to mankind.” The EPA says that up to 95 percent of human dioxin exposure comes from red meat, fish, and dairy products.
The American Institute for Cancer Research, and the World Cancer Research Fund, analyzed more than 4,500 studies and said that 60 to 70 percent of all cancers can be prevented by staying physically active, not smoking, and adhering to the following diet: “Choose predominantly plant based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes, and minimally processed starchy staple foods.”
Tell me: you gonna have a slab of steak for dinner tonight? Or, will you choose a diet that will help you prevent disease?
Posted in: Detox, Lifestyle, Whole Food
I cannot express the gratitude I have for you for opening my eyes to these realities. I finally read the China Study and am blown away. We have eliminated meat now and are working on keeping our dairy intake below 5%, though at some point I’d like to be rid of that, too. I feel so much better as I’ve struggled with digestion issues my whole life. Also my menstral cycle has returned to normal, there was a time I went a couple years without it. It has returned to a more regular cycle after drinking green smoothies for 5 months now. Now that we’re eliminating animal-based products, I look forward to the health returns to come.
I’ve ruffled many feathers recently with our new lifestyle(its amazing how defensive people are, I never say anything about the way their eating and I rarely talk about our new choices, but instantly they preface the discussion with, “I’m gonna still eat meat, but. . .” ok whatever, that’s fine.) My husband who still opts for meat when we’re out is totally supportive and goes to bat for me in these situations. He even read a section of The China Study which has given my words substance and him information. I just have to make sure he isn’t going hungry, which we’re getting better at now that we have a dehydrator.
Thank you again.
Good for you greenwithagrin! I am new to veganism myself and have come across those same defensive people. It seems funny to me because why should they care what I eat. I think deep down they know what they are doing isn’t healthy and out comes the defensiveness.
I wish I had decided upon this way of eating long ago but am here now and each day I know I’m reducing my risk of disease.
I, too, read the China Study and that convinced me quite early on in the book. I’ve since bought the book for myself and plan to read it again.
We should all give the book out as Christmas gifts this year. Could we do anything more loving for our families/friends than this?!!!
Thanks again Robyn for your series. I know it will change some minds and get people thinking. I know little bursts of information can often times work better at getting people’s attention.
Carol over at knittedkitty.com
I totally believe dairy wasn’t meant for us (except yogurt maybe?), but not sure about banning meat/poultry altogether as long as it’s organic. Would these stats change if you eat organic meat/poultry?
Toxic herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals would be less an issue with organic meat/poultry, so possibly less cancer risk from those sources. But in the animal studies in Campbell’s China Study, the mice and rats were all fed casein–protein derived from milk. It’s the protein itself that is at least a big part of the problem.
Robyn