Ryan Weaver


We are what we eat. The role diet plays on overall health has been known for sometime now. While I have never suffered from the many diseases most Americans acquire by consuming the Standard American Diet (SAD), I joined them in sickness and a lack of vibrancy and energy. Like everyone else, I only knew to look to pharmaceutical drugs for an answer to my ailments. Tired? we’ve got a pill for that! Can’t sleep? we’ve got a pill for that! Depressed? we’ve got a pill for that! Sick? we’ve got a pill for that! This mode of thought was the only solution. Doctors who are there to help us “get better”, were the ones supplying drugs, it must be the answer, right? Not quite. Nature provides cures to disease and relief from ailments, all the while promoting health. Despite the information available, the American public continues to consume toxic food, live unhealthy life styles, and as a result, contract avoidable diseases. As a whole, we are getting fatter, more diseased, and dying younger as a result of our lifestyles. Tremendous amounts of time, energy, and money have been spent developing modern medicine, hoping for a cure for our ailments; only to result in failure.
The importance of this topic is made clear by observing the declining state of health for the majority of Americans. The mental, physical, and emotional healths of people are being deteriorated every day by decisions, made with an earnest belief, that what they eat is good for health. It should be safe to say that most everyone wants to be healthy, happy, and live a long life. If most people have these common goals, one would assume we would produce foodstuffs that would benefit those goals. This is obviously not the case give then abundance of high fat, high cholesterol, refined sugar, chemical preservatives, toxic chemicals, artificial ingredients, and processed starches found in prepared foods. These convenience foods save us time and money, but they are costing us our lives. In an era when it is cheaper and easier to get a hamburger and french fries, than an organic head of lettuce, it seems we have our priorities misaligned. The public, as consumers, promote such conditions, and manufacturers continue to make it easier, and less expensive. All the while, our bodies are left to pay the heavy toll of processing these toxic substances.
Our current medical system focuses on addressing disease after it develops, treating the symptoms not the cause. We are sick, tired, and broken, at deaths door, and the healthcare system has kept us that way. This reductionism approach does not lead to success. We must look at our body as an entire system, study the agents of the system, and then look at how the parts interact to produce a result. A new system of health is emerging from the ground up, literally! As pharmaceutical medicine avoids addressing the causes of disease, more and more people are turning to nature for solutions. An integral part to our life system is food. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, said “Let your food be your medicine, and let your medicine be your food”. The power of health is not out of reach for the individual, it is our natural birth right for our bodies to maintain a healthy system. The only thing required from us is to not interfere. We must identify the affect our diets have on our body. Consuming a plant-based diet provides only benefits to health. Plant-based diets are multi functional; they provide calories and nutrients necessary for survival, and they promote optimum conditions for health and vitality. In contrast the negative effects of consuming animal products far outweigh the benefits. Most of the benefits of consuming animal products are fully available from a plant-based diet.
In addition to the direct role diet plays on health and disease, there is an indirect affect of what an individual chooses to eat and the health of the public. The production of meat contributes a significant amount of additional greenhouse gasses that deplete the ozone layer more rapidly and require more burning of fossil fuels, which negatively impact the health of everyone. Eating animal products supports the meat production industry.
Despite the popularity of meat-based diets in the United States, the negative effects associated with consuming animal products cannot be denied. Our society is becoming increasingly unhealthy and because of our state of health the onset of avoidable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes is quickly reaching epidemic levels. The main contributing factor to these diseases is the foods we eat. If optimum health is the goal, a plant-based diet is required.
Nutritional researchers Dr. Ej Lea, D. Crawford, and A Worsley describe a plant-based diet as “an eating pattern dominated by fresh or minimally processed plant foods and decreased consumption of meat, eggs and dairy products”(829). This paper will use this characterization of a plant-based diet to highlight the benefits derived from consuming mostly plants.
The most prominent reason the public resists adopting a plant-based diet is they feel they are not educated enough to make the commitment (830). The public’s perception of not having enough information on the benefits of eating mostly vegetables, and limiting meat consumption can be changed by different levels of education. It is when we are young that our eating habits are formed, so early education through schools is critical for beginning a healthy food lifestyle. Also information should be made available to pregnant women to better inform them of the importance of nutrition on child development.
Dr. T. Colin Campbell has dedicated his career to promoting the benefits of a plant-based diet, and he claims there are “virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants” (Campbell and Campbell 230). The National Research Council, (NRC) which advises the United States government on health and nutrition agrees, citing “there are no known benefits and possibly some risks in consuming diets with high animal protein content” (NRC 15). Those who are hesitant to switch their diets to one dominated by fresh produce, cite they are concerned it will not provide all the necessary nutrients found in meat (Lea, Crawford, Worsley 832). Regarding nutrients gained from calories consumed, plant-based foods are much more efficient than animal-based foods in terms of recommended daily allowances (Campbell and Campbell 230). Based on a five hundred calorie meal of tomatoes, spinach, lima beans, peas, and potatoes provide equal amounts of protein, and nine times less fat, while contributing significant amounts more of fiber, vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, and calcium, than an animal-based meal of beef, pork, chicken, and whole milk (Campbell and Campbell 230). There is one essential nutrient which must come from our food that plants cannot provide, and that is vitamin B12. The source of vitamin B12 is a microorganism that is found in healthy soil, and the intestines of animals. Due to the deterioration of much of the earth’s soil, many important nutrients including vitamin B12 are not present. It is recommended to occasionally take a vitamin supplement of vitamin B12 to maintain an adequate amount (232). Although certain researchers claim “few plant sources can provide meaningful levels of nutrients such as calcium”(Murphy and Allen 3934), several other sources, including a multi-disciplinary team of research councils under the National Research Council claim dark green vegetables are a rich source of calcium (17). Other sources of calcium include kale, wild spinach, arugula, spinach, garlic, collard greens, and soy beans provide significant amounts of calcium in addition to many other essential vitamins and minerals, and complete proteins, without contributing unhealthy fat or cholesterol (NutritionData.com). Furthermore, the NRC claims those who survive on mostly plants have lower mean blood pressure levels than those consuming a mixed diet (201).
Dr. Hillary Wright, nutrition educator for a cancer institute in Boston Massachusetts, established a link between a plant-based diet and less risk of overweight (4). A staggering two out of three Americans are reported to be overweight, with a cost of $100 billion dollars a year going towards related medical care, it seems we are losing the battle (Campbell and Campbell 137). The medical related costs are directed towards medications, and surgeries, which in the big picture has not produced positive results. The solution is a lifestyle change of developing a healthy eating life, and a healthy active life. Unhealthy eating can result in overweight whether the food is from animal or plant source. “To prevent overweight, experts advocate a mostly plant-based diet, avoiding sugary drinks, limiting intake of high calorie foods, and processed ‘fast foods’”(4). The best way to avoid overweight is to eat mostly whole foods, plant-based diet, to accompany a more active daily life (Campbell and Campbell 138). Processed foods such as breads, pastries, concentrated fruit juices, sugary drinks, and fried vegetables, are all unhealthy, even though they are plant-based foods. The optimal way to enjoy a plant-based diet is to consume vegetables and fruits just as they are found in nature, in their raw state. The fruits of nature are perfectly balanced the way they are, cooking and processing them further only degrades their nutritious quality, and should be avoided
Those whom are overweight and obese are at a much higher risk for diabetes (NRC 117), cancer (Wright 4), and heart disease (NRC 8). Also, being overweight leads to an increased risk for disease due to excess hormone levels of estrogen, androgen, and progesterone (Wright 4). Excess amount of these hormones are major contributors to cancers and other diseases. Dr Wright points out “about one third of the world’s cancers could be avoided if everyone ate better, exercised more, and weighed less”. Every individual has the capacity to maintain a healthy weight if they choose to live a healthier lifestyle. The choice to live a healthy lifestyle is the second most important thing we can do to prevent cancer, besides not smoking (Wright 4).
Animal-based foods are associated with dietary fat and cholesterol (NRC, 600). A typical American diet is centered on meat, which has very high saturated fat and cholesterol. Cholesterol is only found in animal-based foods, not found in plant-based foods. Humans produce enough cholesterol internally, and it is not necessary to consume cholesterol from our foods. Excess cholesterol can clog arteries, and incite other cardiovascular diseases. The NRC concluded a positive association between the risk of certain cancers and dietary fat (595). In fact, fat has been studied and linked to more cancers than any other dietary factor (209). A direct approach we can take to better our health would be to minimize the amounts of animal-based foods to lessen the risk of cancer. Consumption of animal-based foods introduces more hormones to the body which causes females to enter puberty earlier, and menopause later, which allows for more hormone production (Campbell and Campbell 160). The typical diet Americans consume are high in fat and animal protein, and low in dietary fiber, resulting in increased levels of estrogen. These hormones are essential to many bodily function and processes, but when there are too many, it can disrupt the balance of our system, and the result is havoc. “There is overwhelming evidence that estrogen levels are a critical determinant of breast cancer risk” (161). Not only is there a higher risk of breast cancer among those women whom have higher estrogen levels due to meat consumption, those women are more likely to die from their cancer. “Correlation studies provide evidence of a direct association between breast cancer mortality and the intake of calories, fats, and specific sources of dietary fats such as milk, and beef”(NRC 598). The avatar for breast cancer has been the pink ribbon, raising awareness and bringing attention to the issue, but there is no game plan for what we can do about it. It is awful to see breast cancer awareness events and fund raisers that entice people to participate by having meals consisting of the very foods that may be causing the cancer in the first place. Prevention of cancer has been on the back burner for many years with much emphasis placed on the cure for cancer. The theme was always search for the cure for cancer, never was it how can we avoid cancer. With the research of Dr. Campbell and others it seems we have a clear idea of what is needed to be done to significantly lower the risk of breast cancer.

The NRC and Dr. Campbell also found an increased risk of prostate cancer associated with a diet with high levels of fat and animal protein. (600)(172). High fat and high protein foods include milk, cream, cheese, butter, beef, pork, lamb, veal, and other red meats. Eating high fat foods leads to a dramatically increased incidence of prostate cancers according to wide spread studies on the subject (NRC 600). Animal protein has been associated with dietary fat, and therefore prostate cancer (601). An even more specific cause of prostate cancer is consumption of dairy products like milk and cheese, and any food that contains them (Campbell and Campbell 178). Dr Campbell explains a very eye opening study which shows with statistical significance, that consuming dairy products leads to prostate cancer.

Twelve of…fourteen case-control studies and seven of…nine cohort studies [have] observed a positive association for some measure of dairy products and prostate cancer; this is one of the most consistent dietary predictors for prostate cancer in the published literature. In these studies, men with the highest dairy intakes had approximately double the risk of total prostate cancer and up to a fourfold increase risk in metastatic or fatal prostate cancer relative to low consumers (Campbell and Campbell 178)

These findings clearly establish the magnitude which nutrition and the foods we eat have on the occurrence of cancer. The solution is clear; avoid high fat foods like milk, and meat, and the risk of prostate cancer will dramatically decrease.
A peer reviewed study that spanned thirty two countries established the strongest link to colon cancer was meat consumption (170). The increased incidence of colon cancer is also due to a diet low in fruits and vegetables which contain dietary fiber. A diet dominated by meat and simple carbohydrates like those found in processed breads, sodas, and pastries, which is the typical foods most Americans eat, promotes an environment in the colon that welcomes cancer (174). Complex carbohydrates, which come from whole plant-based food like fruits and vegetables, are health-promoting due to the wide range of phytonutrients and dietary fiber that are beneficial to colon health (174). The NRC agrees with Dr. Campbell’s findings adding “high fat foods are associated with prostate cancer” (600).
The causes of cancer are complex and involve many factors, some of which depend on the presence of a carcinogen. Some known carcinogens sources are tobacco smoking and radiation. Another known carcinogen is aflatoxin, produced from a mold that develops on peanuts and corn, is “one of the most carcinogenic chemicals ever discovered” (Campbell and Campbell 21) (NRC 600). Dr. Campbell reports of a study conducted observing the incidence of cancer from aflatoxin, in the presence of different amounts of dietary protein consumed. The protein used was casein, which is the main protein found in cows milk.

Indian researchers had studied two groups of rats. In one group, they administered the cancer-causing aflatoxin, then fed a diet that composed of 20% protein, a level near what many of us consume in the West. In the other group, they administered the same amount of aflatoxin, but then fed a diet that was only composed of 5% protein. Incredibly, every single animal that consumed the 20% diet had evidence of liver cancer, and very single animal that consumed a 5% protein diet avoided liver cancer…nutrition trumped chemical carcinogens…in controlling cancer( 5).
This does not mean casein caused cancer, but more importantly it shows that in the presence of this animal protein the known cancer causing agent aflatoxin was turned on. Food can turn on or turn off cancer!
Dr. Gidon Eshel, and Pamela Martin cite Dr. Campbell’s findings in a report of theirs concerning the safety of a plant-based diet, expanding that “human epidemiological evidence indeed corroborates the link between animal-based diet and cancer” (14). Eshel and Martin also note that several published studies link dairy consumption, animal protein intake and meat consumption, to ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer, respectively in certain populations (14).
Diabetes, an increasingly common condition, is strongly associated with obesity, says Dr. Campbell and the National Research Council (149) (117). Type 2 diabetes is the most common, and the most avoidable. Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin, which regulates sugar (glucose) from the foods we eat, is not effective at controlling how the sugar is used. When blood sugar levels are too high, complications arise (147) Diet can not only prevent this disease, it can also cure it, a task the medical community has been unable to achieve thus far (Campbell and Campbell, 148). Independent studies cited by both the NRC and Dr. Campbell have both shown a positive correlation between higher percentages of dietary fat and type II diabetes (628) (148). To be specific, Dr. Campbell states “high fiber, whole, plant-based foods protect against diabetes, and high fat, high protein, animal-based foods promote diabetes.”(152). Over 16 million Americans are estimated to be diabetic, 150,000 of them are young people (145). Having diabetes increases the risk of several other complications such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease, amputation, dental disease, and most importantly death (145). Dr James Anderson, a leading diabetes and diet researcher published results of a predominantly plant-based, low fat diet’s affect on a group of 50 diabetics. After one month on the diet, 34 of the 40 patients remaining in the study were able to discontinue their insulin medication completely (152).
Dr. Andrew Saul, a clinical nutritionist and Dr. Campbell cite a National Vital Statistics report from 2000 that credit medical care, as the third leading cause of death, behind cancer and diseases of the heart (16) (Saul, Food Matters). This amounts to over a quarter million deaths in one year. As noted earlier, the medical community has yet to provide a cure for diabetes (48), heart disease (127), or cancer. There is not, and never will be as simple of a solution as the public would like, as the ease of taking pill everyday while continuing to consume poisonous foods several times a day. The idea of living an unhealthy lifestyle and not getting the nutrients required for healthy existence, but relying on a medication to provide relief, with the expectation of not occurring a deadly disease is irrational. The only solution seems to be a lifestyle change of eating foods that promote health, and limiting the amount of foods that promote disease. It has been established through scientific studies that a plant-based diet can cure or prevent diabetes (148), cancer (16), and heart disease (126). These studies highlight the fact that a nutritional approach must be implemented first, and medicinal and surgical approaches would supplement or intervene if possible. Dr. Wright adds “eating mostly plant foods protects against cancers of the digestive tract, lung and prostate…due to increased fiber, and other bioactive components in vegetables”( 4). The association of colon cancer and meat is only a correlation. As meat intake goes up, so does colon cancer, but fiber-containing-vegetable consumption decreases. This does not show a direct causal relationship, meaning it is not scientifically possible to say, eating meat causes colon cancer, nor is it true to say eating vegetables prevents cancer. It is unclear whether meat, with its fat, cholesterol, and protein, is causing the cancer or if the fiber containing vegetables are preventing the cancer. The key to success in health, as with most everything, is balance, nature provides balanced foods for us in plant form.
Beyond the direct negative impacts animal-source foods has on human health, the production of animal-source foods has an indirect negative affect by contributing excessive amounts of green house gasses (GHG) to the atmosphere ( Eshel and Martin 8). The average amount of GHG emissions from a meaty diet is a staggering 1400 pounds per person in addition to what is already contributed from a vegan diet (9). The additional amounts of GHG come from burning coal necessary to provide power for factories which process the living animal into a more convenient chopped and cut form such as a steak. Also an enormous amount of methane, a greenhouse gas, is contributed to the atmosphere by the passing of gas by cows. Even more carbon emissions come from the transportation of meats from across the county, and even across the globe. Green house gasses create “holes” in the earth’s atmosphere, which allows for more solar radiation to reach the earth’s surface, resulting in a warming pattern that disrupts the entire planets functions. The production of meat is greatly less efficient as a source of caloric energy than fruits and vegetables (6).The inefficiency of meat production is characterized by much more resources being used that what is gained from the output in the form of food. An analogy would be like putting one dollar into a change machine and only getting twenty cents back. The efficiency is measured by comparing the energy output to the amount of energy required to produce it. Animal products are at best twenty percent efficient (6). Chicken is only 18.1% efficient, while beef is a mere 6.4% efficient. Due to the low output of energy of meat, more fossil fuel is required to provide energy to produce an equal amount of plant energy; this is where the additional green house gasses come from (7).
As more Americans become focused on their health, a revolution in health is happening. No longer can we rely on medicine to provide good health. The results have shown that chemical medicine does not cure any diseases. As we look for a preventative approach to disease, healthy food and proper nutrition provide answers. Results of many studies across the world have all pointed out that a diet consisting of animal-based foods, which are associated with higher amount of fat, and cholesterol, do not promote health. Diseases are preventable and reversible by adopting a healthful, low-fat, low protein, plant-based diet. Such a diet not only promotes a healthy body, it promotes a healthy environment. A plant-based diet is required for optimum health.

Works Cited
Campbell, T. Colin, and Thomas M. Campbell II. The China Study. 1st ed. Dallas:

BenBella Books, Inc., 2006.

Eshel, Gidon. Pamela A. Martin. “Diet, Energy, and Global Warming.” Earth

Interactions. 10(2006): 1-18. Academic Search Complete. EBSCOhost. Cabell

Library, VCU. Richmond, Va. 29 Sept. 2008 [www.library.vcu.edu]

Food Matters. Dir. James Colquhoun and Laurentine Ten Bosch. Perf. Andrew Saul,

Charlotte Gerson, Dr Dan Rogers, David Wolfe, Prof. Ian Brighthope, Jerome

Burne, Phillip Day, Dr Victor Zeines. DVD Permacology Productions, 2008.

Lea, EJ. D Crawford, and A Worsley. “Public views of the benefits and barriers to the

consumption of a plant-based diet.” European Journal of ClinicalNutrition.

60(2006): 828-837 PubMed. Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth

University. Richmond, Va, 29 Sept. 2008.< [www.pubmed.gov>];

Murphy, Suzanne. Lindsay Allen. “Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods.”

Journal of Nutrition. 113(2003): 3932-3935. Google Scholar. Apartment 11,

Richmond, Va. 7 Oct. 2008 < [www.jn.nutrition.org] >

National Research Council et al. Diet and Health. National Academy Press. Washington

D.C.: 1989. National Academy Press.

Wright, Hillary. “Diet Second Only to Smoking as Cancer Cause; 9 Things you can do.”

Environmental Nutrition. 31(2008): 1-4. Alt HealthWatch. Cabell Library,

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va. 22 Sept 2008.

[web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.vcu.edu]

Looks good, Ryan. The arguments, which of course many people here will be familiar with, are good. Is this for a college course, or are you planning to summarise it and spread the message amongst the wider public?

Great job, Ryan--good use of citations and sticking to a strict thesis. Consider sending this for publication. Look forward to reading future posts!

Thanks for the feedback. This is a research paper for a college course. I chose to cater my words towards the general meat eating public, so much of the information is not new to this crowd. My intent was to inform them of the detriments of meat eating, and that by reducing the amount of meat they eat to a bare minimum(zero would be optimal), their risk for many diseases reduces dramatically. I really want to incite change in behavior or atleast opinion, of the reader. My professor was inspired by reading my paper, and as a result, is taking steps towards consuming a healthier diet, and that is very satisfying for me. i want to share this with people i know, my friends and family, to provide information about the consequences of choosing to eat certain foods.

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It's awesome that your professor was convinced by your arguments to alter his or her way of eating! You're like a veg Rasputin! Come to think of it, I heard somewhere that Rasputin was a veg Rasputin . . . .