Ten Reasons to Get Meat Off Your Plate
- It is a major source of saturated fat and cholesterol, increasing risks for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, dementia and kidney disease.
- It increases your risk for the most common cancers, especially processed meat and red meat.
- It increases the level of a growth hormone, IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor) that can signal growth when it’s not needed, including cancer cell growth.
- It exposes you to Neu5gc a sialic acid compound found mostly in red meat, that can drive inflammation (joint and intestinal inflammation for example).
- It results in the formation of TMA, trimethlyamine which is converted to TMAO, trimethylamine oxide, in the liver. Risks for heart attack and strokes may be increased.
- Based on the cooking of meat, heterocyclic amines can be generated. These compounds have been found to be mutagenic (can change your DNA) and therefore may increase cancer risks.
- Nitrosamines are other potentially carcinogenic compounds especially associated with cured meats, bacon, some beer and dried milk products.
- Consumption of beef and dairy products increases exposure to certain hormones, such as estrogen.
- As climate change continues to impact this country and world, feedlots where about 80% of our purchased meat comes from, significantly contributes to this escalating problem.
- Last (but first to vegans), animal breeding and slaughtering for food is cruel and we need to face it. Just because we don’t see it, doesn’t make it right to ignore. They are sentient beings who want to live and not have their offspring carted away at birth, and further abused or killed.
