Tracking the recent WHO report that meat causes cancer, and the rabid, desperate responses from the meat industry has made for a fun week.

 Unless you have been under a rock, you have heard all of the meat causes cancer buzz this week. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond thrilled that the WHO reported that lunch meats and red meat cause cancer. It raises awareness and gets people thinking! I had so many calls and texts last week congratulating me like I just won some big argument. To a lot of people, it totally legitimized my plant based for life decision. Honestly, to me it was a duh moment. The thing is, there is SO MUCH research on animal protein consumption and how it negatively effects our health.  These studies are legit, well done, peer reviewed and published in major medical journal research that shows that animal protein consumption is linked to a whole lot more than just cancer.  Lots of them have been around for so many years!!! I'm so glad that awareness is being raised. I spent all week watching the meat companies writhe and squirm and attempt come up with statements that were so lame and pathetic.  I loved reading these attempts to delegitimize the over 800 research studies that the WHO reviewed to make their conclusion. Lots of the counter-arguments went like this , "Well, maybe meat does contribute to cancer, but we need what is in meat."  Way to spin it, baby! Ohhhhhh, you mean protein.....??  The thing that I, and millions of other people get from plant sources and actually thrive on? Next argument please... 

 I also went on to lots of comment sections on the end of online articles and read the comments and people were so very upset that their precious meat was being attacked. People saying things like "but I'm 62 years old and I eat bacon every day and I haven't had any health problems yet." You're only 62. Good luck getting to 65. My father in law ate bacon everyday too until he had his massive heart attack. Too many people aren't even lucky enough to get to even 62 without incident. I'm amazed at how shortsighted people are. Spend some time on a cancer ward or cardiac ward and let me know if it is OK with you to be there at any age. Michael Symon, who wrote an entire book of meat recipes, came out with a statement which attacked the World Health Organization. He called the WHO report a witch hunt. He tried to go for the sustainable, grass fed blah blah blah angle, but sustainable and meat can not be used in the same sentence. Studies are showing that grass fed meat is no better than grain fed.  Would have been nice if it was, but it isn't. Clearly he feels threatened, but come on dude, they reviewed over 800 studies. They did not pull this stuff out of their keisters. The reason we haven't heard anything from the USDA is because they are so in deep with the meat and dairy councils. In fact half of those that serve on the USDA have historically had ties, deep ties, to the meat and dairy industries. I'm so happy that the WHO outed meat, but it really is just the tip of the iceberg. Studies abound that also correlate animal protein consumption with heart disease, strokes, diabetes and dementia to name a few diseases and conditions. Studies also link chicken,  turkey, eggs, cheese (to name a few other animal protein sources) to all of the diseases already mentioned. The meat, dairy and egg industries are tremendous bullies and have billions of dollars to throw their weight around. They are already trying to sue over the report. 

I feel like a lot of people are buying the lunchmeat claims, but are still a bit sketchy on the probability of meat causing cancer.  I think everyone who is still unconvinced should read this article  because it does a great job of summing up many excellent studies that link meat to cancer. 

Hopefully, this recent WHO report stirred the pot enough to get people to take notice and dive into the salad bowl. The average American eats 3 burgers a week. Hoping that changes soon. We are seeing too much cancer in this world. 12.7 million people  are diagnosed with it each year.  At least 30 percent of it is attributable to diet. A plant based diet could mean at least 4 million people a year would avoid a cancer diagnosis. We are still working on it here in the Roth house. I am a lifer and it truly is easy for me now. JD does great, but it is hardly easy for him. He is still struggling with beans and tofu! Sun Warrior protein powder has been a saving grace to boost JD up a bit. He sometimes falls short of 8-10% protein a day because he doesn't always get enough veggies in.  The boys are very educated on the matter, eating a ton of fruits, whole grains, and veggies.  Before all they ate was meat, and tons of organic lunchmeat. Now, they like so many more foods and they eats lots of different types whole grains, fruit, and veggies. Until they eat a well rounded plant based diet they still have some chicken, eggs,  fish and turkey. Neither of them love meat anymore, but they are still growing (neither will be tall so we need all we can get... genetics rule) and if I can't get them to eat legumes, nuts, beans, or seeds they still have some animal protein. They will someday decide for themselves what they would like to do.  I am hoping that their tastes for beans, legumes, nuts and seeds and tofu will develop and they will go veggie like us! I do actually  think that they will. 

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