Food for Thought for Today - No Joke

[Guest guest]

Greetings Members:

 

This article, taken from today's " Not Milk " mentions a few ultimate

reasons why you should not only change your style of eating but stay

the course.

 

Making a case for Vegetarianism

 

By Robert Cohen

 

Ten years ago, I read an article in the British Medical Journal

(Volume 308, 1994) that concluded: " Mortality from coronary artery

disease is lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians. "

 

That same year, the American Cancer Society revealed: " Breast cancer

rates are lower in populations that consume plant-based diets. "

 

I began to pay careful attention to scientific articles published

in peer-reviewed journals. In 1995, the American Journal of

Epidemiology (volume 142) reported: " Vegetarian diets have been

successful in arresting coronary artery disease. "

 

So began my exploration of a vegetarian diet. More and more

Americans have been discovering the health benefits from eating

fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and grains.

 

In November of 1997, the Journal of the American Dietetic

Association reported: " Scientific data suggest positive relationships

between a vegetarian diet and reduced risk for several chronic

degenerative diseases and conditions, including obesity, coronary

artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and some types of

cancer. "

 

During these past few months, thanks to the Mad Cow Disease scare,

many millions of Americans have investigated vegetarian alternatives.

 

Health and disease are most certainly linked to diet. There are good

and bad foods, just as there are good and bad fuels. Burn gas in

your furnace, and few residues are left. Burn marshmallows, and it

will become an internal mess. Burn high octane gas in your car's

engine, and it runs smoothly. Burn kerosene, and you'll soon need

an overhaul.

 

No additive known to humankind will negate the effects of a poor

fuel. No vitamins or supplements will negate the effects of bad food.

 

Prevention is surely the best medicine.

 

In the case of disease, it's not necessarily what you eat that

prevents illness. It's what you should not eat that causes or

prevents disease.

 

By eating meat, one consumes proteins containing a greater amount of

sulphur-based amino acids than are contained in plant proteins. Many

scientists believe that this is the major reason that vegetarians

are healthier than meat eaters. Sulphur-based aminos include

methionine and cysteine. These convert to homocysteine. Many heart

researchers believe that homocysteine production is the key to

America's number-one killer, heart disease. Eat foods containing a

lot of sulphur and your body's furnace burns filthy fuel and dirty

residues result.

 

Saturated animal fats, cholesterol, and sulphur-based amino acids in

animal proteins challenge our digestive and cardiovascular systems.

Concentrated dioxins, pesticides and antibiotics in the bodies of

cows, pigs and chickens make those of us at the top of the food

chain depositories for dangerous chemical residues.

 

Milk and dairy products represent 40 percent of the average American

diet. Residues from milk, cheese and other dairy products include

intact allergenic proteins and powerful bovine growth hormones that

have been identified as key factors in the progression of a vast

array of human diseases.

 

Try this nine-day test. For the first seven days, consume no milk,

cheese or ice cream. You'll feel better, sleep better, have more

energy, be less emotional, have greater clarity. The best part of

this test is still to come. On day eight, eat pizza for dinner and

ice cream for dessert. Then pay careful attention to how your body

feels on day nine.

 

Approach dietary changes one step at a time. Let your body tell you

what is right for you. Eliminate all dairy as your first step. You

will feel the difference. Then poultry. Then seafood. Save the red

meat for last (lowest levels of sulphur-based amino acids). Then,

take two carrots and call me in the morning. Tell me that you've

become a vegetarian. Your body will thank you.

 

Robert Cohen is the author of " Milk, The Deadly Poison, " " Milk A-Z, "

and " God's Nutritionist. " His Web site is: http://www.notmilk.com.

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