Health

Disease Concerns

Diabetes…. Obesity…. Heart disease…. Cancer….all health issues that are very common, especially in America. Like health professionals say, these are all food-related issues (some cancers are, some aren’t). Many scientists have discovered that many of these common diseases are largely created from animal products — not sugar, as we used to think.

According to Dr. Kim Williams, “When you eat animal products, you start to form plaques in coronary arteries, which can block the blood flow leading to heart disease.” Enough with the fancy doctor words, all that Dr. Williams is saying is this: when you are consuming your Big Mac or even just yogurt or eggs, you are starting to form plaque in your arteries which can lead to heart attacks or other heart disease. By just not eating any animal products (a plant-based diet), you reduce the risk of heart disease by 55%.

On a personal note, my dad, a healthy, happy, amazing guy, who took his health very seriously and exercised every day, died of a heart attack with sudden cardiac arrest when I was 11. I never thought something like that could happen to him, until of course it did. I looked into what caused heart attacks. Most causes, I found, were food related issues. I didn’t understand how my dad, a healthy eater could have this terrible thing happen to him. My theory? My dad, thinking it was healthy, thanks to all the advertising in the industry, (read my article on Advertising to find out more) ate 2 hard boiled eggs every day for breakfast. A study performed and documented in the movie What the Health shows that eating just one egg a day can be as bad to your health as smoking 5 cigarettes!!!

Knowing this broke my heart a little. Ok, a lot. I was so angry at the fact that most everyone for as long as we can remember has been told that eggs and other animal products are good for you. In a study of having a plant-based diet for just two weeks, the cholesterol of the participants dropped an average of 21 points, some with a drop of more than 100, and the average weight loss was 6.12 pounds. 14 days — how simple is that? Imagine how much a lifetime of eating plant based could affect you.

People who get their protein from animal products have a 75% increased risk of death from all causes and a 40-50% increase in death from cancer and type 2 diabetes. This is hard to wrap your head around, but true nonetheless (watch The Game Changers and What the Health). In fact, processed meat is in the Group 1 carcinogen, which is the same ranking as a cigarette! Processed meat includes ham, sausage, hot dogs, pepperoni, beef jerky, most deli meats, and more. Just one serving of meat per day increases your risk of diabetes by 51%. Getting diabetes can take up to 19 years off your lifespan.

False Assumptions

To start off, most people think vegans do not get enough protein, and are scrawny and weak. Well to prove you wrong, vegans and most vegetarians, get up to 70% more protein than they need. Also, plant eaters get more fiber than they need, whereas meat eaters often times do not get enough. When you eat extra protein in place of carbs, you actually end up having a glycogen depletion, which can lead to chronic fatigue, loss of stamina, etc. One cup of lentils, or one peanut butter sandwich has the same amount of protein as three eggs or 3 ounces of beef.

With that, plants have 64 times the antioxidant level of meat (antioxidants are substances that protect cells) which is super important for the body. Every single plant has all the essential amino acids that are needed to be healthy without the saturated fat, cholesterol , etc, plus all the vitamins that we need.

For My Athletes Out There

In just 3 weeks on a plant based diet, you will reduce inflammation by an average of 29%. Trust me, this is very, very true because after I started being vegan, I started working out harder, without getting sore. When I do get sore though, it is not bad at all!! This is because the endothelium (tissue that helps regulate blood flow) is impaired after eating animal protein due to the neuSGc endotoxins, and does not allow blood flow to maximize, making it hard to perform your best. When the endothelium is impaired , it cannot open up and allow extra blood to flow to the muscle needing it.

Also, the soy in plants do NOT increase estrogen levels! Guys, do not be afraid that being vegan will prevent you from having big muscles — it is a complete lie (look up famous vegan athletes). In fact, a single glass of cow’s milk can raise a man’s estrogen levels by 26% and drop their testosterone levels by 18%. So, what you thought was good for strong bones, could be your problem with the whole estrogen thing.

For me, as a devoted athlete, this switch was truly a game changer for me!! I am like a machine when it comes to my workouts, and I am not ever even sore the next day. I truly think it is because I am not eating like I used to. I also feel more energetic, less tired, and more willing to work. If you are striving to become a better athlete, or just healthier overall, I would definitely recommend a plant-based diet.

One more thing….for the guys….

Coming from a 14-year-old girl this is probably pretty awkward, but is very important anyway, so here we go….. Dr. Aaron Spits conducted research that proves, the more a man eats meat, the quicker he loses his fertility. So…guys… maybe eating a salad or bean burrito is not so bad after all. Also, eating a plant based diet has scientifically been proven to increase erections, which are normal and healthy for men.

There you go. (You’re welcome).

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have learned something about what animal products can do to your health. All of the facts written are from either the documentaries: The Game Changers and What the Health.* You can watch these absolutely amazing documentaries on Netflix to lean more about this topic, as well as explore the websites from the links above for tools/menus/information to begin your journey to better health.

Also, please read my article on vegan athletes for more inspiration!

Thank you so much for reading — it means a lot!

–Ava 🙂

*watch those documentaries because they are AMAZING!!!