I’m always surprised how little people know about health.
Not that I blame them.
Between the crappy info given during health class, the bunk from the food manufacturers and the agencies they’re in bed with, no wonder no one knows what to put in their mouth. That’s why it’s important to become your own teacher and educate yourself. Three books helped me the most with changing my eating habits. They are must reads for anyone serious about their health. You can also probably find them on audio CDs. And even if none of these books inspire a change in your eating habits, at least you have all the information to make an informed decision.
Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
You’ll never look at the meat and dairy industry the same again.
This book is a vegan manifesto posing as a diet book, but don’t let that keep you from reading it. It’s incredibly well researched and when you find out how the meat and dairy industry are profiting from making you sick, you will want to banish these foods on principle. I didn’t adopt a vegan diet right away after reading this book, but one day the info just clicked and I never bought another Greek Yogurt again.
The China Study by Dr. T Campbell
The research is out-animal products cause disease.
Anytime I meet someone who tells me that humans need meat I have to force myself not to go postal on them. Let me make something clear: Humans need protein. Protein can come from animals (animal based products), seeds, legumes and soybeans. But a whole lot of nasty stuff happens when you get your protein from animals and there is legit research that proves it. Campbell, a well respected doctor, shows the connection between meat eating (beef, chicken, turkey, and fish) and disease in this study is famous. His findings are both frightening and hope giving.
The Rave Diet by Mike Anderson
A quick read plus movie.
You could easily read this book in a day. Anderson gives the shocking history of how the American diet was changed from the Industrial Revolution, resulting in an over consumption of animal products and under consumption of produce. The book also gives studies on how adopting a plant based diet can reverse Type II Diabetes, cancer and heart disease. It’s really fascinating.
Now you know the three books that changed my outlook on eating. Let me know if you’ve read them.
I loved Skinny Bitch and am interested in reading The China Study. I completely agree with your thoughts towards meat vs. protein. A lot of my older relatives don’t get this at all and I find myself constantly bickering with them about it whenever we sit down for a meal together. AH. I’m just not going to bring it up anymore because they seem to have made their minds up. Like your first statement in this post: I’m always a little surprised to see how little people know about health!
I’ve stopped arguing with people about it too, lol. I don’t care if people keep eating animal products but I think they should know what may be in store for them. Sort of like if someone smokes, but has no clue that they may get cancer. Everyone should have the info to make educated decisions. The reason I wrote this post was because last week some random person left this hateful comment on here about how we need meat and how carbs make us sick. I deleted it, but if they come back they can read this and considered themselves served.
AGREED! My mom and dad are starting to agree with me but still consume a bit too much meat. In your opinion, how do I approach my husband about me wanting to give up chicken again? I eat it maybe 1x every 1-2 weeks (with him) but I want to cut it out again. I’m just afraid he won’t understand but I also don’t want to compromise my opinions on the matter for anyone else…
My boyfriend is still a meat eater, so I get your dilemma. One thing you could do is make chicken for him and then some other sort of protein for yourself. Wait for him to notice/say something. When he does, just casually say you’re thinking about going meatless again for health reasons, etc. If he tries to say something like meat is good, just site some study from Skinny Bitch or wherever else you can think of. That usual keeps my boyfriend quiet. Another tactic you could use is to watch a movie about the evils of the meat industry together. Or just watch it by yourself and hope he wanders in and joins you. My boyfriend REALLY LOVES meat, but when he saw Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, he couldn’t really dispute the power of a plant based diet. He even suggested juicing without me prodding. As long as you’re not pressuring him to give up chicken he’ll probably be understanding.
Whoot whoot!!!!
I’m definitely interested in reading some of these. Yes, I eat meat, but mostly chicken and fish. I also have eaten vegan at times.
Thanks for posting them.
Phil
http://www.blog.theregularguynyc.com
They’re all really good.I think everyone can benefit from them-vegans, veggies, and carnivores. You’ll be really pissed when you see how messed up the food system is. I tell my boyfriend-a meat eater- all the time that if I could, I’d prefer him to hunt his own cows than give money to the meat industry. Not only are they cruel, but production is so fast the meat isn’t always clean. At the prices they charge they should be clean, right?
I’m definitely interested in reading some of these. Yes, I eat meat, but mostly chicken and fish. I also have eaten vegan at times.
Thanks for posting them.
Phil
http://www.blog.theregularguynyc.com
Are these books new? Not listed in library catalog.
The China Study came out in 2006; Skinny Bitch was between 2003 and 2005, I think. The Rave Diet has been out at least since 2008. You can order them through Amazon, obviously. But I think the movie Eating or Forks Over Knives is pretty much based around the Rave Diet. Forks is on instant Netflix right now.
I’ve seen similar books at library and actually enjoyed a self-made vegetarian lasagna myself. It seems like it’d be difficult to be with someone who eats meat when you’re vegan. How long since you adopted this lifestyle?
I went vegan in 2009. My boyfriend and I were not together yet. I’ve veered on and off it since then, sometimes having a bite of my boyfriend’s Mac and Cheese. Cheat days in the summer almost always include ice cream. But honestly, it hasn’t been hard to keep up relationship wise. I didn’t adopt the plan to save the planet or animals (let it be known, I wear fur, leather, and love honey). For me, cutting out the animal products was to 1)stop the cycle of yoyo dieting 2)Stop feeling constantly sick/having numerous health problems and 3)Stick it to a food industry that’s made billions of dollars lying to the American people. Just thinking about how many people who are the board of nutrition and usda councils, who use to be lobbyist for meat and dairy companies really pisses me off. Here’s this story from The NY Times, back from 2004. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/02/opinion/the-cow-jumped-over-the-usda.html Tell me that doesn’t piss you off? Anyway, I sometimes nag my boyfriend about his eating habits, because I do worry about his health. But otherwise it’s no big deal. He even juices with me from time to time. I think if you are bold and can give concrete evidence to why you do or don’t do something, most people will give you support. It also helps not to shove it in their face, so I try not mention it at parties or any social gathering where people will harass me about it or try to tell me why they eat meat. Sorry this response was soooo long!
It may have been long but reading it wasn’t. Article doesn’t surprise me
Being from Nigeria, giving up meat (especially going off of red for good) is going to be a difficult task. Right now, due to the expense, I eat it once in a blue moon. The aspect I dislike is how much we waste. For example, the amount hunters/fishermen get for the public, then the distance it travels. We’ve abandoned primitive ways for the sake of convenience. Nowadays, the majority of people prefer convenience over health. This is a very sad attitude. Our education doesn’t even help with the promotion of such knowledge. Middle school was the last I heard of the food pyramid which becomes easily forgotten. Sigh. This will definitely be an ongoing conflict. The best and most achievable resolution are for the individuals who know better to act accordingly. Those who are not will learn from their behavior.
Waste bothers me too. I think part of the attitude is coming because-particularly in this country-we have so much. When we have a lot, subconsciously, I think we think it will always be there. We’re like that with out money, hence why we’re in major debt now. And what we teach in terms of nutrition is such a joke! I went to private school and looked jack about nutrition, the pyramid and everything else. All we got in terms of health education is sex ed.
Hehe. Go figure, about the sex ed.
Someone left a hateful comment about meat? Rude. You know I am a meat-eater ;-/ but hating on people for what they don’t eat is basically the same as calling someone a fatty.
OMG, the girl was soooo rude. That’s why I made it so I have to approve all my comments now. I should have put the girl’s email on my blacklist, but I deleted it before I knew that was even possible through wordpress.
Another GREAT book (even if you are non-religious) is “Dominion” by Matthew Scully. Probably the most extensive book on a person’s relationship with their meat I have ever read. He sources every single statistic he gives, and all of it is based on his own personal investigations and experiences. The author was George Bush Sr.’s speech writer, turned vegetarian for 20+ years. Very very good read if you are interested in how we treat animals (for food and otherwise!)
Thanks for the recommendation! I’m going to have to check it out.