THE PLANT - POWERED DIET: Scientific Reasons to Cut Back on Meat

EXCERPTS from "THE PLANT - POWERED DIET "- by Sharon Palmer, R.D.

Here are my top, scientifically backed reasons why you should cut down on your meat intake for life. 

1.) It can hurt your heart. One of the first things any health expert will tell you if you have high blood cholesterol levels or a history of heart disease is to cut back on animal fats, because high intakes of saturated fats and cholesterol increase your LDL ("bad") cholesterol and total cholesterol levels, thus increasing your risk for heart disease.

Although a number of studies have linked red meat consumption with heart disease, a recent Harvard meta-analysis of studies, including data on more than 1.2 million people, links this connection to processed meats in particular. In the study, processed meats were linked to a 42 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease.

2.) It ups your risk of type 2 diabetes. Scientists recently found another reason to cut back on red meat - particularly when it is processed: it ups your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, one of the most devastating diseases of our time.

In an exhaustive study, researchers evaluated data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which followed more than 79,000 women for 28 years; Nurses' Health Study II which followed more than 87,000 women for 14 years; and other existing studies, adding up to a grand total of 442,101 participants. The researchers discovered that eating a daily 100-gram serving of red meat (the size of a deck of cards) was linked with a 19 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Eating a daily 50-gram serving of processed meat - which equals one hot dog or sausage or two slices of bacon - was associated with a 51 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

3.) It may plump up inflammation. Scientists have noticed that red meat is linked to higher levels of chronic inflammation, which can promote a string of chronic diseases such as heart disease.

4.) It raises your risk of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome has been called the scourge of our modern era. It's not a disease but rather a collection of unhealthy factors that include a large waistline, high triglyceride levels, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. If you have 3 or more of these measurements, you've got metabolic syndrome, which puts you at risk for a number of diseases.

5.) It may escalate your risk of cancer. The evidence on cancer risk and red meat - processed red meat in particular - is becoming quite convincing. Although the consumption of red meat has been implicated in several cancers - prostrate, breast, lung, kidney, esophagus, liver, and pancreatic - the most conclusive evidence relates to colorectal cancer.

In a comprehensive investigation of the National Institute of Health - AARP Diet and Health Study, which included more than 500,000 men and women, a significant increased risk of cancers of the colorectum, esophagus, lung, and liver was associated with red meat. An increased risk of colorectal and lung cancer was associated with higher intake of processed meat, and red and processed meat intake was associated with cancer mortality. Cancer Research now reports that eating more than 18 ounces of red meat per week - and ANY amount of processed meat at all - increases your risk of colorectal cancer.

6.) It can add pounds. Meats are much higher in calories and fat than most plant foods, so it shouldn't be a surprise that, in a study using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, researchers found that people who consumed the highest amounts of meat had a much higher caloric intake, about 700 calories more per day, than those who consumed the least amount of meat.

7.) It may cut your lifespan. Now that surely caught your attention. But yes, that's the news that came out of the first large study to look at whether eating red meat regularly can affect lifespan. Using data on 500,000 adults who took part in the National Institute of Health - AARP Diet and Health Study over 10 years, researchers found that those who consumed about 4 ounces of meat a day (the size of a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die, mostly from heart disease and cancer, compared with those who ate the lowest amounts of meat.

8.) It squanders precious global food supplies. Environmental experts agree on one important principle that could increase the world sustainability of food for the long haul: Growing animal feed on prime croplands, no matter how efficiently, is a drain on the human food supply. Dedicating croplands to direct human food production could boost calories produced per person by nearly 50 percent, according to a recent report from researchers from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Germany.

9.) It magnifies your carbon footprint. If you cut back your animal food intake, you can make a big impact on planet Earth. Each year we eat billions of pounds of meat and drink billions of gallons of dairy products from billions of animals. In doing so, we not only contribute to inhumane animal practices, but we are responsible for the use of large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers to produce animal feed, as well as large volumes of water and fuel to take animals to market.

Byproducts of animal food production include greenhouse gas emissions, toxic manure lagoons, deforestation, and pollution of groundwater, rivers, streams, and oceans. - by Sharon Palmer, R.D.
____________________________________________________________________________

A BEVY of BENEFITS: from The Plant-Powered Diet

* A diet stacked with a variety of veggies is like an all-access pass to a pharmacy of health-protective chemicals. That's why eating a diet rich in vegetables has been linked to protection against the following:

* Cancers                                     
* Cognitive decline                                
* Chronic inflammation
* Cardiovascular disease            
* Age-related eye disease                      
* Metabolic syndrome
* Type 2 diabetes                         
* Bone loss                                              
* Lung diseases
______________________________________________________________________


VEGAN DIETS FIGHT ARTHRITIS & CANCER
http://www.scottsbuddhistiveg.blogspot.com/2015/05/vegan-diet-alleviates-arthritis.html

PETA PRIME: Can a Plant-Based Diet Cure Cancer?
http://prime.peta.org/2009/12/can-a-plant-based-diet-cure-cancer

VEGAN DIETS FIGHT CANCER! - from the Huffington Post with Kathy Freston
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegan-diet-cancer_b_2250052.html

VEGAN DIETS REVERSE DISEASE - from Scott's Buddhism & Vegetarian Blog
http://scottsbuddhisttveg.blogspot.com/2015/03/vegan-diets-reverse-diseases.html

ANTI - CANCER DIET - by Dr. Richard Beliveau
http://www.richardbeliveau.org/en/cancer-prevention.html?showall=1

FOODS & ARTHRITIS - PHYSICIANS COMMITTEE for RESPONSIBLE MEDICINE http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/foods-and-arthritis

HEALTHY at 100 & THE CHINA STUDY
http://www.scottsbuddhistiveg.blogspot.com/2015/06/live-to-100-by-john-robbins.html