“ᴇꜱꜱᴇʟꜱᴛʏɴ, ᴊʀ. ᴍ.ᴅ. Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛᴇᴅ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇꜱ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪꜱ ᴘʀᴏᴍᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴅɪᴇᴛᴀʀʏ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇʟɪɴᴇꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪꜰ ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ. ʜᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟꜱ ɪᴛ ᴀ ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ᴅɪꜱᴀꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴇᴍʙᴀʀʀᴀꜱꜱᴍᴇɴᴛ. ʜᴇ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜ.ꜱ. ᴅᴇᴘᴀʀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴀɢʀɪᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪꜱꜱᴜɪɴɢ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇʟɪɴᴇꜱ ᴇQᴜɪᴠᴀʟᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀʟ ᴄᴀᴘᴏɴᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀɪɴɢ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴀx ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴꜱ. ʜᴇ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛʟʏ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴠᴀꜱᴄᴜʟᴀʀ ᴅɪꜱᴇᴀꜱᴇ, ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɪʟʟɴᴇꜱꜱᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛ ʀᴇꜱᴜʟᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴅɪᴇᴛᴀʀʏ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇʟɪɴᴇꜱ.” –( ᴇꜱꜱᴇʟꜱᴛʏɴ ᴊʀ. ᴍᴅ, 2008)
You would never imagine that meat can actually be bad for your health, considering it’s a staple food recommended by the United States Dietary Guidelines. You’d probably also be surprised to learn that studies find that meat can be harmful to our planet. Climate change has our planet at risk, but switching to a plantbased diet can help not only our planet, but also your health. “Meat consumption is responsible for releasing gases such as CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide. All of these gases are contributing directly to climate change, global warming, and the destruction of natural ecosystems.”(futurelearn.com, 2022). “Red meat consumption has some health benefits but it has also been related to colon cancers, rectal cancers and is linked to premature death.” (Harvard, 2022)
According to Dr. Ha, who gathered a wealth of evidence during a Harvard study, “there is a clear link between the intake of red and processed meat to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and premature death.”(Harvard, 2022) Another Harvard study found that “the human body doesn’t need meat.” (Harvard, 2022). In fact, scientists state that all the benefits we receive from meat are available to us without needing to eat meat. The “American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine says that plantbased diet contributes to weight loss, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.” (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 2022) “Nearly all plants have some protein in it.”(Heart.org, 2022) According to these studies, you can have better health by reducing red and processed meat consumption and by adding more plants and vegetables into your diet. At the same time you’ll also be contributing to saving the planet 🌎 by eating more plantbased meals!!🌱
Sources
Tuso, Philip J, et al. “Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets.” The Permanente Journal, The Permanente Journal, 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/.
Buttaro, T. M., Trybulski, J. A., Polgar-Bailey, P., & Sandberg-Cook, J. (2017). Primary care: A collaborative practice. Elsevier.
“The Right Plant-Based Diet for You.” Harvard Health, 30 Mar. 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-right-plant-based-diet-for-you.
Kim, Hyunju, et al. “Plant‐Based Diets Are Associated with a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All‐Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle‐Aged Adults.” Journal of the American Heart Association, 7 Aug. 2019, https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.012865.
Feldman, Elaine B. “Book Review Vegetarian Nutrition (CRC Series in Modern Nutrition.) Edited by Joan Sabaté. 551 Pp. Boca Raton, Fla., CRC Press, 2001. $89.95. 0-8493-8508-3.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 345, no. 10, 2001, pp. 775–776., https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm200109063451019.
MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Heather Alexander. “5 Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet.” MD Anderson Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 4 Nov. 2020, https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/5-benefits-of-a-plant-based-diet.h20-1592991.html.
FutureLearn. “Is Eating Meat Bad for the Environment?: 6 Global Impacts.” FutureLearn, 30 and Dec. 2021, https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/eating-meat-bad-for-environment.
“How Does Plant-Forward (Plant-Based) Eating Benefit Your Health?” Www.heart.org, 2 June 2022, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/how-does-plant-forward-eating-benefit-your-health.
“What’s the Beef with Red Meat?” Harvard Health, 1 Feb. 2020, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/whats-the-beef-with-red-meat.
Katherine D. McManus, MS. “What Is a Plant-Based Diet and Why Should You Try It?” Harvard Health, 16 Nov. 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-a-plant-based-diet-and-why-should-you-try-it-2018092614760.
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