In my opinion, there should be a mandated law that states that just as alcohol, cigarettes, and prescription pills must label and identify every potential health risk and possible side effect from their product, so should the paper cartons of the our milk containers and the plastic packaging that covers our frozen animal products.

There is nothing more important than knowing how harmful and disease inflicting the foods we feed our bodies with can be. So many of us are entirely uniformed and unaware. It is within my goal to open some of your eyes, ears and minds, and to take the time from your busy schedules to be a little bit more aware and informed. It is time you know. It is time that we all know.

At the end of the day, what is most important to me is that my audience realizes that the less meat and dairy products they consume, the better. Seriously, every serving you don't eat, every dish you don't order and every purchase you don't buy contributes to creating a larger outcome.  There are hundreds of conflicting ideas behind all "diets," -veganism and vegetarianism included. I realize that. I have spent hours reading up on other's theories and personal beliefs. Before I begin this post, I want to say that I am fully aware that there are circumstances where meat or dairy may be more necessary in someone's diet than it is others. I know that there are thousands of people who do not live in very populated and advanced cities and towns. I am aware that in some areas around the globe men and women get a large majority of their calories from freshly caught salmon, hand collected eggs and home-made milks and cheeses - which allows them to live and provide their bodies with the an adequate amount of calories to survive.

More importantly, I also realize that 99.9% of my readers do not fall under that particular category. 99.9% of my readers who do eat meat and dairy do not do so because it is the ONLY option they have during certain seasons and times of the year. If you eat meat and dairy in today's world, it is not because you have absolutely no other options or choices. Chances also are that you are not raising your own steer, cattle and chickens. You are not slaughtering these animals yourself, or milking their breast-milk from their utters with your own bare hands. In fact, chances are that for most of you who do still consume meat and dairy today, you are simply purchasing it frozen or packaged from your near by grocery store or supermarket. Stores that supply their meats from large scale factory farms which are contributing to habitat destruction and global warming. These foods are filled with hormones, chemicals, toxins, preservatives and prescription antibiotics that are intended for the Cow/Pig/Chicken and Fish, not for the human. They are detrimental to your health and can cause side effects and symptoms that do not appear to the human eye before it is too late. Before you are told to remove the tumor, clear the artery, loose the weight or take "X" prescription drug, you should cure your body of the illness and kill off the infection through nutrient dense, plant based foods.

We are surrounded by ample amounts of plant based foods. Some of us don't even realize that. I have never once stepped foot in a grocery store (and I have done a fair share of traveling and food shopping internationally) that didn't sell some type of fruit, vegetable, grain, bean, nut or seeds. Wether those foods be fresh, frozen, cooked, canned, pre washed or pre prepared. We have so many more options that many of us make it seem. I understand that unfortunately, "food deserts" still exist in urban areas here in America (and many other parts of the world,) but I also realize that many of us are not aware that very simple, affordable and accessible foods (such as rice, canned vegetables, canned beans, potatoes and corn pasta) are in fact healthier options than highly processed and modified meat and dairy products.

Where I stand

I want to inform and share the knowledge that I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to. I have spent too many hours reading too many books to not share this with so many of you who are unable to do the research I have done. I want to encourage health, happiness and living a life without constant doctor's appointments, surgeries, x rays and toxic medications.

Here is some information you may not know about the meat and dairy you eat...

Because I live in America, and because I have done most of my research/reading on the increasingly poor health of Americans due to the standard american diet, (S.A.D) I have decided to direct most of this information to the people that make up my home country.

Meat me at the doctor

Americans eat more meat per person than any other people on our planet.

At 200 pounds of meat per person per year, the high meat consumption of Americans is hurting our national health in monumental ways. I personally have read dozens of books, hundreds of articles and reviewed numerous scientific studies with regards to the correlation between our high consumption of meat and increased rates of fatal diseases.  Hundreds of clinical studies in the past few decades showed us that the consumption of meat and dairy products consumed in this country can cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and a plethora of various other illnesses.

As a population, we are overweight, unhealthy, unhappy and suicidal (though we may not realize it jut yet.) Americans have twice the obesity rate and nearly three times the cancer rate than any other people in the the world. As if that's not crappy enough, we also have twice the diabetes rate among all other countries. In the words of Joe Cross, we are "fat, sick and nearly dead."

Why plant based eaters are doing it better

Time and time again research has proven to us that both vegans and vegetarians live longer than their meat-eating, dairy-consumer counterparts (approx. 9 years longer to be exact!)

Here are some reasons why we're out here living it up (literally!):

1. Lower blood pressure: Researchers found that not only do vegans and vegetarians have significantly lower blood pressure on average, but that veg diets could be used to substantially lower blood pressure among people who need an intervention.
2. Lower risk of death: According to Heather Moore, from PETA Prime,  2013 study of more than 70,000 people found that vegetarians had a 12% lower risk of death compared with non-vegetarians. Vegan and vegetarian diets contain none of the saturated fat and cholesterol that diets with meat and dairy do. These processed fats quickly clog arteries, which is also why vegans and vegetarians are at a lower risk for chronic diseases overall. Whoop whoop!
3. Lower risk of cancer: Researchers at Loma Linda University in California compared different versions of the vegetarian diet and compared them with the cancer risk among people partaking in their study. , It should be no surprise that the vegans had the lowest risk for cancers, specifically cancers most common among women, like breast cancer! This is because when you remove processed and man-made foods with natural whole foods, our bodies immune system strengthens tremendously and is more able to fight off and reduce those cancer causing cells.
4. Less chance of chronic heart disease: During a study done in 2013 with over 44,000 people, scientists reported that vegetarians were 32% less likely to develop ischemic heart disease. Gotta ♥  that!
5. We're happier: During a 2012 study, doctors randomly split participants into a three separate diets: all-meat allowed, fish-only allowed, and vegetarian no-meat allowed. The researchers found that after two weeks, the men and women on the vegetarian diet reported more mood improvements than those on the other two diets!
6. Lower risk of diabetes: Studies have shown that vegans and vegetarians are at a lower risk for developing diabetes. Diets without meat and dairy can lower your risk by helping you maintain a healthy weight and improve your blood sugar levels.
7. Less likely to be overweight: Numerous of studies have reported that vegans and vegetarians tend to be leaner than their meat-eating counterparts, aaaand that they also tend to have lower cholesterol and body mass index (BMI). Vegans and vegetarians are also more likely to maintain their healthy weight and BMI easier than those stinkin' meat eaters.

The hustler of the century: the meat + diary industry

Every single day we are manipulated and bribed into spending our hard earned money on supplements, vitamins and diet drugs. Now were not only in bad health and overweight, we're broke too. Spending over 20 BILLION dollars a year on the weight loss industry and their diet books, drugs and weight loss surgeries. According to ABC News, at this current moment 108 MILLION people in the United states are dieting. Right now. That really, really sucks. It has also been shown that dieters typically make four to five attempts to successfully detox/loose weight each year. Constantly dieting for months on end of every year? In my opinion that sounds like one seriously miserable way to live your seriously marvelous life.

Heres an idea, how about we take a moment to think about what it is we are hoping to remove and "detox" from our systems? Could it possibly be the disease-inflicting, parasite-hosting and weight inducing high-fat flesh of the animals that we consume so often? Could it be the the packaged, the artificial, the toxic, the chemical ridden and the fast food that we consume on a regular basis?

Are we detoxing our bodies and organs from the dead bodies and organs that we eat 365 days of the year?

I'll let you be the judge of that.

It is sad. It is scary. It is unfair. How is it that the food we have been told is healthy and "balanced" since childhood is actually what is killing us each and every day? Why is it that our parents, and grandparents, and great-grandparents grew up eating this food and we now must be the one's smart enough to make these long term changes? Why are these companies able to falsely advertise and unjustly promote these products on television screens, in newspapers, magazines and on the subway?

Lypo won't cut it

There is nothing extreme or obsessive about thriving abundantly off of a whole foods plant based  diet. There is however, (in my eyes) something exceptionally extreme about 220,000 people with morbid obesity in the United States who had bariatric surgery in 2009 alone.

A  is not "too expensive" or un realistic when it comes to setting goals for the future and the rest of your life. What is un-affordable and unrealistic? How about the $11,500 to $26,000 that the average bariatric surgery, which reduces the size of the stomach, costs in the US.

Just because someone promotes their successful weight loss, re-gain of health, clearer skin, fitter body or healthier life does not mean that their ideals and beliefs and always correct. Or truthful for that matter. It is easier than you think to falsely promote a certain diet or supplement when you have the financial drive behind the bribe. The average amount of money celebrity endorsers earn per pound lost in the US? $33,000. Read for yourself, learn for yourself and think for yourself when it comes to choosing how and what you eat and do. This is your life. Not Jenny Craig's and not Kim Kardashian's.

Supplementation

The average American diet is lacking many of the nutrients that support optimal human health and recovery. With the fast pace lives we all are inundated with; little sleep and high stress can and will take its toll on the mind and body - quickly and sometimes permanently. Vitamins and decaffeinated detox teas will not make up for the inadequate diet and lifestyle that you may have been providing your body with for the past few moths/years/decades.

Whole, healthful, vibrant, natural, fresh and organic foods will however, do the trick. The more of these foods you eat, the less supplements you will need to take. I mean that. How incredible is it to realize that we were gifted with all of the health foods/ natural remedies we need by mother nature all along?

• According to The Dietary Guidelines for America, many adults lack essential nutrients such as:
• Calcium (Found in dark leafy greens, Kale and Turnips)
• Fiber (Found in all water rich fruits including raspberries and avocado, vegetables, like broccoli and beans such as lima or chick pea)
• Magnesium (Found in Cacao (As if you even needed a reason to incorporate this into your diet,) Spinach, Avocado, Bananas and Coconut)
• Vitamin E (Found in Raw Coconut Oil, Maca Powder and Olives)
• Vitamin C (Commonly found in citrus fruits and Camu Camu Powder)
• Vitamin A (Found in Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Kale + Spinach)
• Potassium (Asparagus and Bananas provide loads of Potassium)

The good news? All of these nutrients can be consumed in a healthy vegan diet. ALL of them. The bad news? This is where the average American diet falls short.

We are killing ourselves, our families, friends, co-workers children and pets. We are eating foods that create an environment for disease to flourish and conquer within our own bodies. There is too much evidence. Too many scientists, and too many doctors who have spoken out. Too many informative movies and documentaries filmed. We have all of the information and resources to make conscious choices that are beneficial and proactive. Our resources may not be as dominant or wide spread as those created and shared by the diet industry, but they are there none the less. We have the facts. Now all we must do is the math that equates to a more fulfilling and enjoyable life.  

What to read now:

THE CHINA STUDY, BY T. COLLIN CAMPBELL

EAT TO LIVE, BY DR. JOEL FURHRMAN

WOLD PEACE DIET: EATING FOR SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL HARMONY, BY WILL TUTTLE

THE END OF DIETING: HOW TO LIVE FOR LIFE, BY DR. JOEL FURHRMAN

CLEAN GUT: THE BREAKTHROUGH PLAN FOR ELIMINATING THE ROOT CAUSE OF DISEASE AND REVOLUTIONIZING YOUR HEALTH, BY ALEXANDER JUNGER

WHOLE: RETHINKING THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION, BY T. COLLIN CAMPBELL

What to watch now:

FOOD, INC.

FAT, SICK AND NEARLY DEAD + FAT, SICK AND NEARLY DEAD 2

FORKS OVER KNIVES

FED UP

Want more?

DOCUMENTARIES

BOOKS + BLOGS

Cheers to a life that is filled with health and happiness, for the long haul.

Mahalo

P.S.

Vegan Pizza. It exists. It has cheese on it. It tastes incredible.

No excuses.