How Meat Can Destroy Your Health and Cause Heart Disease, Cancer, and Infection
A Vegan Health Article from All-Creatures.org

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From Keith Nemec, M.D.

Animal fat should be avoided at all costs because of its concentration of pesticides and toxic chemicals, and because of its known contribution to our No. 1 killer, heart disease.

It is well-known that meat intake leads to increased cholesterol due to the high saturated fat content. This in turn leads to narrowing of the coronary and cerebral arteries, which can ultimately lead to heart attack or stroke.

Let me list the reasons you shouldn’t eat meat, chicken or fish:

1) drugs/hormones

2) fat and cholesterol

3) pesticides/chemicals from fertilizers/PCBs

4) parasites

5) bacteria

1. Cows are injected with growth hormones like bovine growth hormone or BGH. BGH not only stimulates growth in these animals, but is also highly suspect in cancer production — especially breast and colon cancer — according to the International Journal of Health Services.20 BGH is not only found in meat, but also in dairy products, because dairy cows are injected with BGH for greater milk production. This hormone enters into our milk, and then our bodies and our children’s.

2. Fat and cholesterol buildup from meat consumption causes not only atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), but also heart attacks and strokes — the No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death in the United States.

3. Additionally, cholesterol buildup results in a concentration of toxic chemicals, as we move up the food chain in our eating habits. This concentration of toxins reaches its highest level in man when we eat meat, chicken or fish. Dr. Joseph Weissman, M.D., writes in his book, Choose to Live, that “animal products are the single largest source of pesticides in the human diet. We obtain from meat 16 times the amount of pesticides we would from the equivalent plant food.” Chemicals and toxins are stored in animal fat. And all animals, including fish and chicken, have plenty of fat. So, the more meat you eat, the more toxic you become. Although fish do not have growth hormone injected into them, they make up for it by greatly concentrating in their tissues the toxic chemicals they live in. They have a great affinity for absorbing and storing these chemicals, also making them a poor food choice.

4. Parasites are also a major concern in our total health. In her book, The Cure for all Cancers, Dr. Clark says all cancers are caused by parasites, especially the human intestinal fluke. As Dr. Clark states, “You are always picking up parasites. You get them from other people. From your pets and undercooked meat. I believe the main source of the intestinal fluke is undercooked meat.” Once infected, this parasite can be spread through blood, saliva, breast milk and semen, and therefore transmitted by kissing, breast-feeding, and sex. This parasite causes cancer by entering the blood stream and establishing itself in the liver, our detoxifying organ. So, whether or not you agree with Dr. Clark’s conclusion on the cause of cancer, at least use it as food for thought when making dietary selections, avoiding meat, chicken and fish. And if you do eat meat, make sure it is thoroughly cooked. However, this causes an increased cancer risk from the heat altering the protein and fat molecular structure. Overcooked meat can yield a potential cancer-causing product called arachidonic acid. So, beware when you eat meat.

5. Bacteria is a major problem in the meat industry today. More and more salmonella and E. coli outbreaks are causing severe sickness, and even death, due to ingestion of these pathogenic bacteria. Estimates of the number of such cases range from 400,000 to 4 million annually, with up to 50 percent of the reported cases needing hospitalization, and 1-2 percent of reported cases fatal. Strongly consider these statistics before you eat meat, chicken or fish. Bacteria is not only a problem with our food, it’s also a problem with the animals before they are slaughtered. There’s a high rate of bacterial infections among commercially-produced livestock. These animals are regularly fed antibiotic-laced feed, which accounts for more than half of the 31 million pounds of antibiotics produced in the United States.

Finally, there has been a concern about a connection between cows infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“Mad Cow Disease”) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a 100 percent fatal human brain disease.

Millions of Europeans have become vegetarian because of the risk of contracting Mad Cow Disease from eating meat.

Excerpt taken from the book Total Health = Wholeness: A Body, Mind and Spirit Manual by Dr. Keith and Laurie Nemec. For more information go to Total Health Institute  http://www.totalhealthinstitute.com.

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All-Creatures.org Health Position and Disclaimer

We began this archive as a means of assisting our visitors in answering many of their health and diet questions, and in encouraging them to take a pro-active part in their own health. We believe the articles and information contained herein are true, but are not presenting them as advice. We, personally, have found that a whole food vegan diet has helped our own health, and simply wish to share with others the things we have found. Each of us must make our own decisions, for it's our own body. If you have a health problem, see your own physician.