Eating to Live Rather than Living to Eat

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Eating to Live Rather than Living to Eat

 

How to Eat Right

 

" Nothing will benefit human health

and increase the chances for survival

of life on Earth as much as the

evolution to a vegetarian diet. "

(Albert Einstein)

 

* One tablespoon of vegetable oil contains enough fat

for you for an entire day. The average American eats

enough fat DAILY to equal a stick of butter. (Jane

Brody, The New York Times)

 

* Sugar is the #1 cause of tooth decay. The level of

sugar consumption at which most of the population will

not get dental caries is 33 lbs. (15 kg) per person

per year. The average American eats over 120 pounds

annually. (Aubrey Sheiman, " Sugar and Dental Caries "

The Lancet, 8319:282-284, Feb. 5, 1983)

 

* Americans consume at least twice as much protein as

they need. Worldwide, 30 grams of protein daily is

usually adequate. The US RDA of protein is about 60

grams daily for a man and about 50 g daily for a

woman. We generally eat over 100 grams of protein

daily, mostly from meat (Williams, S. Nutrition and

Diet Therapy, 7th ed, Mosby, 1993). Chronic protein

excess overloads and irreversibly damages the kidneys

by middle age.

 

One way out of this is to copy Nature. When in

doubt, eat like a gorilla. Gorillas are very strong,

very smart, and very vegetarian. The strongest and

longest lived animals are all vegetarians. You may

think that the lion is " king of the jungle, " but lions

get out of the way of passing vegetarian rhinos and

elephants. Vegetarian tortoises live up to 150 years.

 

 

Vegetarian animals do not get excess protein, fat or

sugar. Hey, that is obvious. So if we see it, why

don't we do it? Those reasons would fill another

book, but they don't matter. Here it is again: we are

in error and need to change our way of eating. If we

don't, we are going against Nature and sooner or later

it will catch up with us.

 

I am subject to this rule as much as you are, and I

have to work on my diet every day, too. I really

think there is no other way to do it. If you are

worried about being called a " health nut, " ask

yourself what other kind of nut would you want to be.

 

By moving TOWARDS a vegetarian diet, you automatically

reduce your too-high intake of protein, fat and sugar.

It is just that simple. There is no diet plan to

buy. I think dairy products and eggs and fish must

remain occasional options for most of us. One reason

is that the healthiest, so-called " primitive " cultures

tend to eat SOME animal products once in a while.

Also, my kids did so well as lacto-ovo-vegetarians

(eating dairy and egg products) that they never had an

antibiotic. My third reason is that I'm a realist and

know that more people will be willing to live for

decades as near-vegetarians than as strict ones. I

will compromise with anyone if it will get them to be

healthier.

 

Dunderbeck, oh Dunderbeck

Oh how could ye be so mean

To ever have invented

The sausage-meat machine.

 

Now all the rats

And puddy-cats

Will never more be seen;

For they'll all be ground

To sausage meat

In Dunderbeck's machine.

(Author unknown, fortunately)

 

A DOZEN EXCUSES TO STOP EATING MEAT

WHEN YOU CUT OUT MEAT:

 

1. You'll feel better.

 

2. You'll save money - a LOT of money - on your food

bill.

 

3. You'll have easier bowel movements, and will not

need to pay good money for extra store-bought fiber.

Meat has no fiber at all, and vegetarian diet is fiber

rich.

 

4. You'll lower your serum cholesterol levels. Dean

Ornish, M.D. prescribes vegetarian diet instead of

coronary bypass surgery. It works as well or better,

is cheaper, and is immeasurably safer.

 

5. Your risk of cancer, as well as heart disease,

will be cut in half. Cornell University conducted a

ten year study in China in which the diets of over

300,000 people were investigated. The more animal

products eaten, the higher the incidence of cancer and

heart disease. The less animal products eaten, the

lower the risk. The evidence is indisputable.

 

6. You'll have fewer dishes to do, and those that you

do have will be a lot less greasy.

 

7. You will save lives. There is plenty of food on

Earth for each and every person. There is not enough

for every person if we raise all those pigs and

steers, too. If we all go meatless, or nearly so,

famine is over. (Lappe, Ten Myths About World Hunger)

 

 

8. You will save water (which is one of the reasons

you stop famine). In the USA, fully one half of ALL

our drinkable water goes to raise farm animals.

 

9. You will reduce pollution. Runoff from cattle

farms is a major source of polluted water in America.

 

10. Your breath will smell better. I know this is

pushing the point, so try this simple experiment. Let

your dog breathe on you for a few minutes. Now find a

cow and compare. The vegetarian animal has different

digestion and different bacteria, and this results in

different odors. I know: years ago, I milked 120 cows

twice a day.

 

11. You will have less dandruff, and your skin will

look nicer. I speak from personal and observed

experiences. You just try it!

 

12. You will automatically and effortlessly find your

ideal weight. Meat, even lean meat, is 10% to 15%

saturated fat. Cut that out and you start to drop

the pounds. I don't have to tell you about ice cream,

or the sugar in ice milk or frozen yogurt. Your

weight loss will be gradual but progressive. Most

vegetarian foods are by nature lower fat and lower

calorie, unless you become a silly " pudding

vegetarian " and eat a lot of desserts and junk food.

 

Copyright C 1999 and prior years Andrew W. Saul.

From the books QUACK DOCTOR and PAPERBACK CLINIC,

available from Dr. Andrew Saul, Number 8 Van Buren

Street, Holley, New York 14470.