I made a promise to myself on January 1st, 2018 to stop eating animal products and I kept it! Here’s why this is so important to me.
The World Health Organization has classified processed meats including ham, salami and bacon as a Group 1 carcinogen which means that there is strong evidence that processed meats cause cancer. Red meat, such as beef, lamb and pork has been classified as a ‘probable’ cause of cancer.
🐄 HEART HEALTH
People who eat healthier plant-based foods have a 25% lower chance of heart disease.
Vegetarians are up to 2 times less likely to have type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians.
Eating high amounts of red meat daily might be a risk factor for gut inflammation and the development of diverticulitis.
If you are looking to maintain a lower BMI for your health, it is worth knowing that meat-eaters are 3x more likely to be obese than vegetarians, and 9x more likely than vegans. On average, vegans are 10 to 20lbs lighter than adult meat eaters.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 70% of food poisoning is caused by contaminated animal flesh. This is stated many places, even on PETA’s website (no surprise there). Food borne diseases, such as E. Coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter, cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the US each year.
While low levels of naturally-occurring hormones are found in various foods, many scientists are concerned that the artificial hormones injected into cows especially cause health problems in people who eat them.
🐄 RESISTANT BACTERIA
Factory farms are breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Roughly 70% of the antibiotics used in the US each year are given to animals that are used for our food.
Meat eaters just don’t live as long as vegetarians and vegans!!
🐄 So what’s the bottom line?
One of the best things you can do for your health is to either eat less meat, or cut it out completely.
What do you say???