As I said in my intro post
(LINK), the most common thing
people say to me when I tell them I am trying to become vegan or trying to live
a vegan lifestyle I should say, is that “balance is what is best.”
As I said in my intro post, I would be completely okay with
that if the American diet was really balanced.
I think balance is something we all struggle with, myself includes.
The problem is that our culture has very little
balance and
we are HOOKED on dangerous foods, loaded with chemicals. We have been
eating things that look like food, but aren’t real food at all.
“…the average American consumes 24 lbs. of artificial
sweeteners, 29 lbs. of French fries, and over 600 pounds of dairy per year.”(Source 1)
If you look around, most people are overweight or headed in
that direction. Even people who are in decent shape struggle with high cholesterol and blood pressure issues. When do we take a serious look at our failing health and obesity problem and realize we are doing something
wrong? {I am not saying
that terrible diet is the only cause for obesity. I know that a lot of people
have medical issues that cause them to be overweight, but that is not the
majority.} The CDC reported that 1/3 of Americans are obese. That is ALARMING. 1
out of every 3 people is overweight. (Source 2)
“An alarming new study published in the Journal of Food
Composition and Analysis reveals that Americans are getting nearly 1/3 of their
calories from junk foods.” (Source 3) The same source goes on to say that, “we are a nation of
people who are simultaneously overfed and malnourished.”
Foods that we commonly eat that have high caloric values
with NO nutritional value whatsoever include: "cakes, cookies, pastries, donuts, sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices, cheese, pizza, ice cream, sausage, hot dogs, ribs, and bacon." (Source 4)
Not only are the foods we typically eat deficient in
vitamins but they can be detrimental to our health.
Let's take a moment to talk about artificial sweeteners.
“One study found that 67% of female rats exposed to
aspartame developed tumors roughly the size of golf balls or larger.” “Saccharin, best known as Sweet ‘N Low has been shown to
have carcinogenic links. During the 1960’s, studies on rats indicated saccharin
was related to bladder cancer, but the FDA has allowed saccharin to remain as a
good additive.”
Artificial sweeteners have been linked to cancer,
depression/mood disorders (including bipolar), weight gain (even though people
think it will help them lose weight), birth defects, cell damage, and the list could go on and on. (Source 5)
Splenda is also one of those not so sweet, artificial sweeteners. The name is so pleasant and appealing, but in all actuality, it is very dangerous as well. Read this
article on the dangers of Splenda for yourself!
Are you kidding me? WHY are we still eating this stuff? I
suffered with migraines for years and I was addicted to diet coke and drank at
least 3 cups of coffee per day with 2-3 packets of Sweet ‘N Low per cup. I
would go to the doctor and no one ever asked me if I drank diet coke or used
artificial sweeteners in my coffee. I spent countless hours and dollars getting
test after test for my migraines and seeing neurologist, who just told me it
was what it was and that I would suffer with migraines my whole life. Why did no one ever think it was linked to my
consumption of artificial sweeteners and poisonous aspartame? Thankfully I was
able to overcome my addiction and let go of these toxic products all together.
I no longer have chronic migraines. And now if I have even a trace of something
with aspartame or artificial sweeteners, I will almost immediately get a
headache.
We have to take a step back and pause and look at the way we
are eating, and ask ourselves, “is this truly what is best for my body?"
Weight loss products are the worst. We want the immediate and quick without the
work. We want to eat boxed food because it is convenient and easy and for the
sake of having a slimmer waste line, but don’t want to take time to prepare
thoughtful meals packed with good proteins and vitamins.
Back to the topic at hand, the American diet is FAR from
balanced:
“The average American eats twice as much protein as
necessary for a healthy diet and much of that is from red meat.” Getting
protein from beans and grains is much healthier…”
The benefits of getting protein from grains include a reduce
risk of heart disease, weight management, reduced cholesterol; prevention of
type 2 diabetes…etc. Grains are packed with vitamins like B, iron, and
magnesium. (Source 6)
“The human body is not designed to digest cow milk and cow
milk dairy products, yet the idea of milk being healthy is being pushed through
advertising. As many as 75% of people in the WORLD may be lactose intolerant and
many people suffer from undiagnosed milk allergies. By eliminating cow’s milk
from your diet, you are improving your overall health.”(Source 7)
The above two things are the most common things that people
are SHOCKED that you give up when you start to live a vegan lifestyle.I hear all the time "I need meat" or "I need protein!"
The Mayo Clinic released a study on the benefits of eating
less meat. They studied 500,000 people for a 10 year period. They found that
those who ate 4 ounces of red meat or more daily were 30 times more likely to
die of any cause than those who did not. Certain types of meat like sausage,
lunch meat, and other processed meats actually increased their risk of death. (Source 8)
I hope that the few statistics I have shared with you today
have helped you! The more strides we take to really consider what we are
putting into our mouths the better our lives will be. The better future we are
providing for those that come after us! Let’s not just do something because it
has been done that way for years before us. Please read the source links I have
provided and research on your on!
If you don’t want to be vegan, that is okay, but we
should
all want to be more knowledgeable about health and at least try to
better our
health for ourselves and our families! The more that we stick to whole,
natural foods, the better for us and our families! I am not 100% vegan
yet all of the time, but i try to eat as much "real" food as possible
and so should you!
Amy
Sources:
