WHY MEAT EATING IS THE NEW SMOKING

The topic of smoking is close to me as my grandfather died of lung cancer. He was an avid smoker, yet didn’t care about the effects of smoking. The majority of people actually thought smoking was healthy back around in his time in 1950. The average American smoked about 10 cigarettes a day in that era. Smoking was normal.

Smoking was even considered a vacation for your throat. It’s crazy talking about this in 2018. Today there are terrible pictures printed on cigarette packs. Smoking cigarettes is forbidden in enclosed, public areas.

Back in 1950 Santa advised you to smoke Lucky Strike.

But it took more than 25 years and 7.000 studies until the first General Report came out. (Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/192216) This was the first official guidance from health professionals, that declared that smoking was unhealthy.
Think about how many lives could have been saved in that time.

This huge delay in the display of evidence was mainly due to the immense amount of money the Cigarette Industry spent on marketing and the obstacles it put the in the way of the medical community. But it was a success. Today cigarettes are viewed in a different light:

This might sound completely distorted from reality, but realize that we humans learn from history that we do not learn from history. Because today the meat, dairy and eggs industry are doing the same. Here’s why:

The Irony
I was angry when a good friend of mine started smoking about 5 years ago. I told him bluntly that smoking is completely unhealthy and that he shouldn’t expect a long life. At the same time I was eating a ton of chicken everyday.
Little did I know, that I was actually at the same if not even a higher risk of death than he was.

According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, which is the biggest study on diseases and death in general. The number one leading risk factor of disability and death in the United States are: dietary risks, killing hundreds of thousands more than smoking. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23842577)

Which means you will find death in your fridge as much as you will find it in your cigarette pack. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319117)

The Effects Of Meat Eating
When I was working in an old age home 2 years ago, there was this really lovely, old woman. I’ve had the pleasure to spend time and entertain her while I was working there.
One sad day her daughter came up to her and told her that her brother, or the lovely lady’s son died because of cancer.

The old lady burst out in tears and needed multiple tissues. The problem was just that it wasn’t the first time her daughter told her this story. Her son died about 6months ago, but she just kept forgetting it. This is called dementia and if there’s anything close to living hell – this might just be it.

And according to science it may be caused by animal products. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1312295/) Animal products contain cholesterol, which placque up in your arteries and restrict blood flow in certain areas of your body. This can lead to dementia, erectile dysfunction and strokes or heart attacks.

If you’re over the age of ten the question isn’t if you want to prevent heart or brain disease, the question is whether or not you want to reverse it. Placques start building up when you’re only 10 years old and can show effects 60 years after. There may be effects that are more immediate though.

I remember my mother telling me, after I went from a heavy meat diet to a vegetarian diet, that I’ve become more calm.

I indeed remember being more angry as a meat eater than I was eating plants. It didn’t make any sense in the beginning, until I read that animal products are generally pro-inflammatory. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20849668)

Animal products create inflammation in your body. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22210577) This means stress for your body and the worsening of your mood. Relieving stress through your diet brings you more energy and a better well-being.

Managing The Risks
I would love to own a motorbike one day. I think driving one is pure freedom and happiness. Although motorbike drivers are 34 times more likely to die in a crash, it seems like the risk is worth for me.

And more importantly – I’m aware of the risk I put myself into.
Are you aware of the risk that you take every day? Within 15 years of stopping smoking your lung cancer risk approaches that of a life-long no smoker. Within two weeks on a plantbased diet your immune system can be improved dramatically. Your body has amazing healing capabilities.

The problem is just that we injure him day after day, be it with smoking or with our food choices. But most people don’t even know that they’re putting themselves at risk.
The only thing I can give you today is information that your eating habits may not only worsen your life, but may also destroy the planet and sentient beings around you.

In the end you have to make the decision, so are the benefits worth the risk for you?