Meat, It’s Not For Dinner Anymore!

Another ‘Food Myth’ falls by the wayside.  As red meat continued to get bad reviews for our health white meat became popular.  White meat typically is referred to as chicken or pork and both were recommended as healthy alternatives to a steak or burger.  And there was solid evidence that consuming  ‘red meat’ was very unhealthy and toxic resulting in  high levels of inflammation and cholesterol leading to heart disease, strokes, and even cancer.  At this point, even the beef industry must understand that Red Meat is a leading cause of heart disease (the number one killer in the U.S.), strokes, cancer and various other inflammatory illnesses.  It was like the Red in red meat was a stop sign and we sought out alternatives; thus white meat came along.  There was no green, yellow, blue, or purple alternatives; White meat (chicken, pork and even fish) became the accepted alternative to maintain a healthy diet.  Perhaps?  Perhaps not.  Actually…Not!!!

The plant based nutrition community has been reporting on the levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and other toxic substances of pork and chicken to our systems for years beginning with the Forks Over Knives documentary in 2009.   The reports have remained consistent and have scientifically proven that  consuming ‘white meat’ such as pork and/or chicken is unhealthy.  A recent study compared white meat to red meat                 has revealed that eating white meat is just as bad for your health as red meat.  The study called the Animal and Pant Protein and Cardiovascular Health trial (the APPROACH Trial for short) compared the diets of people eating beef, or poultry, or plants.   This study compares three different diets..beef, poultry and plants and has revealed that a meat based diet is highly detrimental to our health.  The consistent theory is that we are not designed to eat animal products; we are better off eating plants.  Plants give us all the vital nutrients and fiber that we need to survive while remaining healthy.  Oh, we have learned to eat the bad stuff; we must understand that eating bad stuff will cause bad problems.

The APPROACH Trial was small but well done; only 113 people.  The plant based diet consisted of legumes, nuts, grains, and soy products.  The LDL levels in both the beef and poultry groups showed increased levels…LDL is the bad cholesterol and is linked to atherosclerosis and heart disease.  The plant based diet was the healthy approach; a dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Dana Hunnes, told Live Science the takeaway of the study should be; “eat more plants, eat more plant-based proteins, limit your intake of saturated fats from all sources, and limit your intake of animal proteins, from all sources.”  The studies continue to report that we are far healthier if we eat plants.  The wonderful news is that a plant based diet is also quiet healthy for our planet.  Now that’s a win-win.   Eat healthy and stay happy.  Vegan Doc