Short answer: Give it a try. You might feel really good (both tummy-wise and conscience-wise). Also, no one says you have to go 100% vegan. As a traveling consultant and lover of cheeseburgers, I end up being between 50 and 75% vegan each week and I still sleep at night.
Long answer: Give it a try. It isn’t true that humans aren’t meant to eat meat; eating meat was actually a factor in our evolution. However, it is true that eating meat today (especially red and processed meat) has been linked to a small increased risk of developing certain cancers. In addition, red and processed meats have been officially categorized as carcinogenic because of sufficient evidence evaluated by global health organizations. This is their way of saying to the general public “Hey, this might be bad for you and we don’t want to get yelled at later for not telling you. You know, in case it turns out to be really bad.” I have watched nearly every single documentary on food and dietary habits and the ones who deliver alarming messages really bug me. I get that, as inhabitants of this planet, we need to change something to save it. I get that the food industry is doing great harm to us, animals, and the planet. I get that the general public needs to be educated and documentaries are a good way of doing it. I get all that. And that’s why the documentaries are so intense; but, I think we need to stick to what we really know as truth, rather than scaring ourselves into making a change. That’s why I’m here. The truth is that there are plenty of theories about diet, everyone is different and has different dietary goals, and your body can tell you if it likes what you’re feeding it or not. (How good do you really feel after eating a burger, or drinking a milkshake?) You just have to pay attention to your body. That’s why you might be pleasantly surprised and feel really great if you go vegan. Not only that, but you’d also be part of delivering the message that inhumane treatment of animals is not cool (#respectlife) and you’d be helping out the planet (our home). According to an Oxford research guy who a Forbes writer guy interviewed, “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use…it is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car [as these only cut greenhouse gas emissions].” So, give it a try because you might feel great and—for the animals and for our planet—please have a vegan meal every now and then.
Sources:
- Article – Forbes “The Most Effective Way To Save The Planet” by Michael Pellman Rowland (2018)
- Podcast – The Tim Ferriss Show #237: Exploring Smart Drugs, Fasting, and Fat Loss — Dr. Rhonda Patrick (2017)
- Article – Time “Sorry Vegans: Here’s How Meat-Eating Made Us Human” (2016)
- Article – World Health Organization (WHO) “Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat” (2015)
- Article – Scientific American “Hunting Was a Driving Force in Human Evolution” by Kate Wong (2014)
- Article – Harvard Health Publishing “What’s the beef with red meat?” by Dr. Celeste Robb-Nicholson
