I had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Michael Greger, founder of NutritionFacts.org
To me Dr. G. should get a medal of freedom. Because of his work people can be free of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and they can greatly reduce their chances of getting cancer. They can live a healthy and long life.
I wrote this to a friend:
A lot of parallels to what’s going on now with meat and dairy and climate change to the disinformation and coverup campaign waged by big tobacco starting in the 50’s.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/big-food-using-the-tobacco-industry-playbook/
Between 1939 when the fist report came out drawing cigarette smoking to cancer and the mid 70’s when the Surgeon General put out their first statement that maybe, maybe, but probably not, cigarette smoking had a negative effect on health, there were 7000 studies published linking cigarette smoking to cancer.
7000 freaking studies linking cigs to cancer. But it took more than 50 years for the first change to cigarette labels. In between then, millions died.
Yet it wasn’t until the past few years that smoking became really uncool. But even so, people still smoke. Vaping, which uses tobacco, is now the in thing. In fact it’s growing.
There’s no doubt about it, plant based is like supercharging your body for health and to ward off disease. It’s a fact that plant based is a cure for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. That it greatly reduces the risk of cancer and 14 other leading causes of death. Not just by a little, by a lot. There’s also overwhelming evidence that the standard American diet is the entire cause for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and 12 other leading causes of death.
People say, “we all gotta die”. To that Dr. G. says, “I know I’m going to die. I just don’t want it to be my fault”.
The standard American diet is poison. It causes cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and 12 other leading causes of death — and that’s just what we know as of now. But everywhere you look there’s fast food. Meat is everywhere. Processed food is everywhere. Milk and cheese is everywhere.
Now, big food is starting to fight back — to keep customers on the dole — just like big tobacco did, to keep customers smoking. Big food has hired some of the same ad agencies that designed ads and campaigns to keep people smoking. They’ve changed the labels to look healthy, come up with words like “natural”, “low fat”, etc. They’ve changed the labels to hide ingredients. They’re using enviro words like “sustainable” and “grass fed”. They’re even using “organic”.
The government is even in on the scam. Monsanto has a seat at the USDA table. So do other big food giants. Now we have Trump and his cronies. Trump loves Big Mac’s.
So given that our society is built around the standard American diet, that big food is using big tobacco’s playbook, has infiltrated the highest branches of government and has unlimited finances, how is it that any meaningful progress will be made to slow down the consumption of meat and dairy — for any reason — the climate or health? It seems like it’ll take years, lots of years, for meaningful progress.
Dr. G. gave a talk that had people on the edge of their seats. The place was packed. Afterwards in the lobby, I eavesdropped. His presentation seemed brand new. Going by the crowd’s reactions during his presentation, they seemed surprised to hear the deleterious effects of meat and dairy. But this was Carbondale, CO — where the 1% live. Wealthier people tend to be much healthier and better informed. If this was new to them, what about the 99%?
And no one I talked to had heard of Cowspiracy.
I dunno, man.
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