The Truth About Dairy

Mounting scientific evidence points to milk as a source of disease, not health.  Despite no evidence that milk protects against bone fractures and osteoporosis, it continues to be marketed as necessary for bone health. The simple equation of milk = calcium= strong bones is nothing more than smart marketing.  Often thought of as the only source of calcium, milk, is a very recent addition to most food cultures. Great sources of plant-based calcium abound and include greens, broccoli, tofu, corn tortillas, nuts and seeds.

Medical studies have found dairy consumption to be linked to a higher risk for various cancers, especially prostate, breast and ovarian cancer, as well as increased sex hormones in children, and early puberty in young girls.  Also, the liquid calories and hormones in milk contribute to obesity and diabetes. 

When people who are lactose intolerant drink milk, they can experience digestive problems like gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, and flatulence and impeded nutrient absorption. Lactose intolerance is the norm in most ethnic groups.

Every day in the United States 45 million meals are offered through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. Federal and state school meal policies mandate that milk be offered at every meal. This is an incredible boon to the dairy industry, and places corporate profits over the health of the nation’s low-income children.  The harm done to children by school milk—and the benefit to the dairy industry—extend far past childhood. As children are taught that milk consumption is normal and necessary, healthier sources of calcium sources are overlooked and forgotten, and a whole new generation of future consumers is created.

Cows are Mothers.  They have been forcefully and brutally raped, and their babies stolen from them.  They grieve inconsolably for their babies.  The boys are brutally slaughtered.  The girls are fed a type of formula until they are just barely old enough to become Mothers themselves.  Then they are raped, tortured, tormented, and forced to produce milk until their bodies wear out.  ‘Spent’ cows are brutally slaughtered after their short lives filled with endless sorrow and pain.  There is a deep injustice in dairy.  For your sake and theirs, don’t consume dairy!

Most of Blog courtesy of Nassim Nobari, Seed the Commons, San Francisco

Why Athletes Are Racing to a Vegan Diet?

There are sound, scientific reasons that more and more athletes are becoming vegan to improve their performance.  This will work for you too!  You can improve your golf game, increase your stamina for tennis and swimming, and improve your overall enjoyment of life.  Here is why according to Neal Barnard, M.D. Founder of Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

Reduced Blood Viscosity and Improved Tissue Oxygenation

In the course of athletic activity, blood viscosity (“thickness”) often increases, which causes a progressive loss of tissue oxygenation, potentially degrading athletic performance.  Reduced viscosity, which can be achieved through plant-based diet, improves tissue oxygenation, reduces heart rate during exercise, and reduces dehydration.  In a study of 48 individuals following vegan eating patterns, blood viscosity was significantly lower.

Improved Blood Flow

Atherosclerosis reduces blood flow not only to the coronary arteries, but also to other parts of the body. By the age of 20, approximately 10 percent of the population in developed countries has advanced atherosclerotic lesions in the abdominal aorta, reducing blood flow and contributing to disc degeneration and lower back pain.  Similarly, atherosclerosis can reduce blood flow to the legs, the brain, and other parts of the body.  Plant based diets have been shown to reverse atherosclerosis, increasing blood flow to all parts of the body. 

Reduced Inflammation 

Inflammation occurs not only in the artery walls contributing to atherosclerosis, but also in the joints and the soft tissues of the body.  A 2017 review published in Public Health Nutrition found that vegan diets reduce inflammation.  Researchers reviewed 18 prior studies, finding that individuals who followed a vegan diet for at least two years lowered their serum levels of C-reactive protein, a biomarker of inflammation, compared with those who did not follow a vegan diet.

To learn more about why eating fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes are the ultimate power foods for athletes, visit PCRM.org/Athletes.

Solution To Rising Health Care Costs

The United States expenditures on healthcare – drugs, surgery, and chronic disease treatments are rising.  There is a connection between this and the Standard American Diet (SAD) which is based on meat and dairy.  The United States spends more per capita on health care than any other industrialized nation.  At this rate, the US will spend 20.1% of Gross National Product (GNP) on health care by 2025.  And that is rising!   

The meat and dairy based diet have been linked to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as other illnesses.  This is because it is high in fat and cholesterol, has no fiber, vitamins or minerals.  This fat clogs arteries, making blood pressure rise, and ultimately causing heart disease.

Animal Fat in the diet clogs cells and does not allow glucose, the end product of digestion, to enter and nourish the cells. Instead this glucose remains in the blood stream eventually causing diabetes. 

The hormones, antibiotics and other additives given to animals raised for food, so they can withstand the horrific conditions they are imprisoned in, and become as profitable as possible, as fast as possible, translate into abnormal cell activity in humans: cancer. 

The best way to avoid these health issues with their corresponding costs both physically and financially is to avoid the meat and dairy based diet which is causing the problem.  Go Vegan for all the health and financial benefits!

Go Vegan!

What Athletes Are Saying About The Vegan Lifestyle

More and more professional and amateur athletes are going vegan. Here is what they are saying:

“Eating a vegan diet has changed my everyday living.  I sleep better.  I wake up in a better mood.  I recover faster.  I’m not so inflamed, not so achy. I feel better overall in everything that I do.  I can take in more information easier. My mind is just open.” Wilson Chandler, Professional Player, Denver Nuggets, National Basketball Association

  

“After a point, nutrition plays a huge part in how quickly you can recover, how hard you can push yourself the next day, back-to-back days and stuff like that.  I feel like it’s helped me tremendously and given me a big edge in that regard.”  Griff Whalen, National Football League Player who has played for the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, New England patriots, and Baltimore Ravens

“I changed my diet about four years ago because I wanted to cut out red meat for health reasons.  From there, I stopped eating other meat products and then dairy.  Finally, I went vegan.”  Mike Zigomanis, Champion Hockey Player

“There was always something off-putting to me about eating animals.  I remember petting a chicken on my Grandparents’ farm and realizing that she was another living creature with feelings and emotions.  Like most people, I grew up with dogs and cats I loved and cherished.  While holding this chicken I thought, “How is she any different from them?”  Once I made that connection, there wasn’t any difference to me.  I couldn’t bury my head in the sand any longer.”  Austin Aries, Professional Wrestler

“Does it matter if our protein comes from plants rather than animals?  Proteins consist of twenty amino acids, eleven of which can be synthesized naturally by our bodies.  The remaining nine – what we call essential amino acids – must be ingested from the foods we eat.  A well-rounded whole food plant-based diet that includes a colorful rotation of foods like grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and legumes will provide all of these amino acids for even the hardest training athlete.  I can absolutely guarantee that eating plant-based you will never suffer a protein deficiency!” Rich Roll, Ultra-Endurance Athlete

“Other bodybuilders eat steak, chicken, eggs, whey protein.  I just eat vegan versions of that; tempeh, tofu, seitan, rice and pea protein, some nuts and seeds, spinach and broccoli.”  Ed Bauer, Champion Bodybuilder

Even if you are not a professional, you can improve your stamina and endurance for golf, tennis, swimming, hiking, etc. You can believe these and other athletes. Try it.  Go vegan!