Shushana Castle - The Meaty Truth - Why Our Food Is Destroying Our Health and Environment— and Who Is Responsible

The Meaty Truth

Why Our Food Is Destroying Our
Health and Environment
and Who Is Responsible

Shushana Castle and Amy-Lee Goodman
Foreword by Dr. Neal Barnard

Skyhorse Publishing

Copyright 2014 by Shushana Castle and Amy-Lee Goodman

Foreword 2014 by Neal Barnard
Illustrations by Julia OFlynn OBrien
Illustrations 2014 Shushana Castle

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Owen Corrigan
Cover photo credit Thinkstock

Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-427-6
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-044-0

Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, this book would not have been possible without the passionate and fearless leaders in the health, environmental, and animal movements that opened our eyes and left us forever changed. We would not be who we are today without the pioneers who came before usJohn Robbins, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Gene Bauer, Francis Moore Lappe, and so many others we wish to mention. We are forever indebted to your hard work and dedication to improving the lives of all the animals and the health of our planet.

To those who shared their stories with us, especially Karen Hudson, Helen Reddout, Howard Lyman, and Robyn OBrienthank you for letting us publicize the ever-evolving stories in your communities. Your hard work demanding justice and healthier food is an inspiration to us all.

We are grateful to the experts who were instrumental in The Meaty Truths publication. Our wonderful agent, Steve Harris, provided advice and guidance throughout the publishing process. Our illustrator, Julia OFlynn OBrien, made our cartoons come to life. Our editor, Emily Houlihan, publisher Bill Wolfsthal, and the entire Skyhorse team worked closely with us to share this untold story and expose the truth.

To our families and dear friends, your endless support, encouragement, and patience allowed us to pursue this dream and see it become a reality after many years of hard work. And finally to all the animals, domestic and wild, you fill our lives with so much joy and remind us each day why we wrote The Meaty Truth. Thank you.

Dedication

To Mom, Dad, Greg, and Jay, whose love and encouragement taught me to always dream big.

And to Mom and Jack, your love and support is bigger than the universe. Thank you.

Contents

W hen I was growing up in Fargo, North Dakota, our family ate roast beef, baked potatoes, and corn. Day after day, that was about it. Sometimes a pork chop or slice of liver might replace the beef. But we never strayed very far from this rather unimaginative, meat-centered menu. After all, we thought we needed meat for iron and proteinwhich translated into health and strengthand we were prepared to overlook the unsavory aspects of slaughter and meat packing. Never mind that heart attacks were commonand still are. We attributed them to old age, or perhaps genetics, rather than to our meaty diet.

Later on, when I entered medical school, I learned something quite different. It turned out that people who avoided meat were healthier than those who ate it. Carefully conducted research studies showed that they were slimmer; had much less risk of heart problems, cancer, and diabetes; and lived years longer.

In 1990, medical science turned another page. That was the year when Dr. Dean Ornish showed that a plant-based diet, along with other healthful lifestyle changes, could actually reverse heart disease, causing narrowed coronary arteries to reopen without surgery. Meat-based dietseven lean meatshad none of that power.

At the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, our research team put a plant-based diet to the test for diabetes, weight problems, and other health conditions. We found that when people threw out the animal productsmeat, dairy products, and eggsand powered their bodies with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans, their health rebounded. Cholesterol levels fell, unwanted pounds melted away, blood pressure came back down, and diabetes came under much better control, sometimes disappearing altogether.

And the benefits go beyond human health. Environmental scientists have weighed in, showing that a plant-based diet does a huge favor for the Earth. Needless to say, the animals benefit, too. At the moment, Americans eat one million animals every hour. The more we chip away at that figure, the better off everyone will be.

So all in all, breaking the meat habit is just about the healthiest, smartest, and kindest thing you can do. If you are uncertain where to begin, this book will help you change your menu for the better. It will motivate you to begin the transition and will guide you along the way. I would encourage you to read it carefully, then share it with your friends. It will change their lives.

Neal D. Barnard, MD, President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Washington, D.C.

F ood is part of the emotional fabric of American life. We celebrate at restaurants and socialize with friends over lunch. However, what we are eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner represents todays global health and environmental crises. The Meaty Truth is here to serve us a side of the truth.

Our health has turned to sh!t as America is rapidly becoming the home of the sick and obese! About half of the illnesses claiming American lives are all related to what we eat. The USDA knowingly allows toxins such as arsenic, bleach, pus, and feces into our meat and dairy products. The crap fed to children in schools is a national tragedy. We are reaching the end of the antibiotic era and the rise of pandemic diseases is around the corner. Filthy, disease-breeding factory farms that churn out twenty-seven billion animals per year rely on consumer ignorance to keep pumping out meat and dairy products that are poisoning us and our environment.

Our heavily meat and dairy diets are decimating our entire ecosystem. Half the Amazon is expected to be gone forever by 2030. Dead zones are expanding so rapidly that they are predicted to entirely wipe out fisheries by 2048. Imagine oceans without fish. This is where we are heading. Our vital resources are running so low that experts predict the next world wars will be over access to water and food resources.

Fortunately, a healthy food movement is sweeping across America. The food system of our future is predominately whole grain, plant-powered food. While we were raised to believe that milk and meat are essential and vital components to a healthy diet, studies from around the world, including prestigious universities Harvard and Cornell, show that meat and dairy in no way constitute any part of a healthy diet. The truth is meat and dairy products are the primary cause for our alarming rise in chronic health problems and disease.

We understand that for some of you this seems crazy. Think about this: until 1863, slavery and the separation of people of different colors was an accepted practice in society. The ability to buy a human being based on race was not questioned and even supported by our government. In the early 1900s, women were to be seen and not heard. Doctors considered women too fragile to handle everyday pressures, and women were secondary members of society without a voice. In the 1940s and 50s, smoking cigarettes was recommended by doctors as an acceptable way to relax, open our lungs, and improve overall health. Smoking was sophisticated, even portrayed as sexy, and above all was just something everyone did, unquestionably. Over time, however, we challenged our assumptions and realized that these socially entrenched practices we believed to be okay were unhealthy and, in some cases, deplorable. We think drinking pus, eating animal sh!t, and fighting over clean water is simply unacceptable. This is happening in America every day. The time for change is now.