Gobs of Good Reasons to Eat Less Meat

Back in the days when meat was scarce and expensive, people were happy for even small amounts of these high-protein (and often high-fat) foods. As the 20th Century progressed, however, Big Agriculture learned how to produce massive quantities of livestock, and we filled our plates and bellies with far too much of the stuff.
I eat meat on occasion, but nothing like I used to in my 20s and 30s. Here are nine good reasons why we should all cut back on meat consumption, all having nothing to do with the greater good of reducing greenhouse gases and other environmental ills caused in part by the overproduction of livestock on our planet Read more about these healthy reasons to reduce meat in your diet at the Nursing Degree Website from which this article was adapted.

1.You’ll live longer: Although eating less meat may not necessarily add years to your life, it can prevent a premature death. Cutting back on red meat and processed meats may reduce your risk of developing heart disease and cancer, the two biggest killers of Americans. Red meat contains a high amount of saturated fat, which raises bad cholesterol levels and can increase your blood pressure making you more prone to having atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack.


2.You’ll reduce the risk for heart disease and diabetes: Eating fewer processed meats can have a significant impact on your health. Cutting back on bacon, sausage, hot dogs and cold cuts can reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease and help prevent diabetes.
3.You’ll reduce the chances of getting a bacterial infection: Eating less or no meat at all may be your best defense against the drug-resistant superbugs that are appearing in supermarket meats these days. Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been popping up in raw beef, chicken, turkey and cow’s milk, therefore, increasing the risk for hard-to-treat bacterial infections in humans.

4.You’ll increase vegetable and fruit consumption: For years, Americans have been falling short of the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables can help lower the risk of obesity and certain chronic diseases, as well as reduce your chances of having heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. If you choose to eat less meat, you’ll have more opportunities to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption and reap the health benefits.

5.You’ll reduce the risk of osteoporosis: Eating less meat may reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis by maintaining a healthy bone density.

6.You’ll lose weight: Eating less meat may be the ticket to losing those extra pounds and maintaining a healthy weight. High-protein diets may be the culprit of weight gain and the reason why people can’t shed the unwanted pounds. Of course, exercise and lifestyle play a major role in the weight loss process, but cutting down on your daily meat consumption may help you lose the weight faster.

7.You’ll get enough protein: Increasing your meat consumption to get enough protein in your diet is not necessary. In fact, most people get enough protein from their diets without needing to add more meat to the mix. Cutting back on your meat consumption will not make a big difference in your protein intake or your health. Try replacing the meat you would have been eating with another high-protein source like eggs, milk, tofu or cottage cheese.

8.You’ll lower your cholesterol: Eating less meat can have a significant effect on your cholesterol. The saturated fats in meat raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack or angina.
9.You’ll reduce the risk of bowel cancer: Bowel cancer, also called colon cancer, is a deadly killer that takes thousands of lives every year. One important way to reduce your chances of developing bowel cancer is to eat less meat. Cutting back on meat, specifically red meat and processed meat, can significantly lower your chances of getting colon cancer because you’ll be lowering your fat intake.

Thanks to the folks at Nursing Degree for passing along this great information!

Jamie Oliver's healthy-eating campaign returns to TV

This guy is so much fun to watch. His "Food Revolution" program on ABC-TV last year was a not-to-be-missed short series where he took on improving the eating habits of what was billed as "America's unhealthiest city." That was Huntington, WV, deemed unhealthiest based on the percentage of obese citizens and statistics about diabetes and other diseases. (We spent a night there once, by the way, on our way to North Carolina and had a heck of a time finding an acceptable place for dinner.) Jamie will back with a new take on his Food Revolution, beginning Tuesday April 12th. The previous season was on Friday nights, so this should be a better time slot for him --at least, it will fit better into my schedule.
Here's some info from his website about the new season:

The Emmy Award-winning series, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” takes on Los Angeles when it returns for its second season on Tuesday, April 12 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In this inspiring series Jamie continues his attack on the problems of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in the US, where children are the first generation not expected to live as long as their parents.

Jamie invites viewers to take a stand and change the way they eat in their homes and schools.

In season two’s premiere, Jamie arrives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jools, and their four young children. Though his work last season in Huntington, West Virginia, has yielded successful seeds of change, Jamie wants to raise the stakes by focusing on a much bigger area, Los Angeles.

However, his overtures towards the local officials at the Los Angeles Unified School District are rebuffed, so he must rethink his approach.

He opens Jamie’s Kitchen, located in Westwood, where he’ll provide educational resources and information to help families and individuals combat the obesity epidemic by learning to cook fresh food quickly and inexpensively.

For Jamie's first outreach, he invites parents to bring their kids and their school lunches. Appalled by what he learns, he graphically demonstrates to his audience some of the ingredients in their food.

By the end of the meeting, the parents have rallied to join Jamie to create local change, but are they powerful enough to reverse the school board decision not to let him into their schools?

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Season 2 on ABC from Tuesday April 12.

Making a difference at the supermarket

This is important news: the world's largest retailer is making a commitment to healthy eating.

Wal-Mart's decision apparently is connected to the First Lady's crusade against childhood obesity.

Hooray for all concerned!

This is an excerpt from a story in the New York Times. Click here to read the whole piece.

Wal-Mart Shifts Strategy to Promote Healthy Foods
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, will announce a five-year plan on Thursday to make thousands of its packaged foods lower in unhealthy salts, fats and sugars, and to drop prices on fruits and vegetables.
The initiative came out of discussions the company has been having with Michelle Obama, the first lady, who will attend the announcement in Washington and has made healthy eating and reducing childhood obesity the centerpiece of her agenda. Aides say it is the first time Mrs. Obama has thrown her support behind the work of a single company.
The plan, similar to efforts by other companies and to public health initiatives by New York City, sets specific targets for lowering sodium, trans fats and added sugars in a broad array of foods — including rice, soups, canned beans, salad dressings and snacks like potato chips — packaged under the company’s house brand, Great Value.
In interviews previewing the announcement, Wal-Mart and White House officials said the company was also pledging to press its major food suppliers, like Kraft, to follow its example. Wal-Mart does not disclose how much of its sales come from its house brand. But Kraft says about 16 percent of its global sales are through Wal-Mart.
In addition, Wal-Mart will work to eliminate any extra cost to customers for healthy foods made with whole grains, said Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs. By lowering prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, Wal-Mart says it will cut into its own profits but hopes to make up for it in sales volume. “This is not about asking the farmers to accept less for their crops,” he said.
The changes will be introduced slowly, over a period of five years, to give the company time to overcome technical hurdles and to give consumers time to adjust to foods’ new taste, Mr. Dach said. “It doesn’t do you any good to have healthy food if people don’t eat it.”
Wal-Mart is hardly the first company to take such steps; ConAgra Foods, for example, has promised to reduce sodium content in its foods by 20 percent by 2015.
But because Wal-Mart sells more groceries than any other company in the country, and because it is such a large purchaser of foods produced by national suppliers, nutrition experts say the changes could have a big impact on the affordability of healthy food and the health of American families and children.
Some say the company has almost as much power as federal regulators to shape the marketplace.

Which matters more, diet or exercise? (Part 2)

The answer to this question (which matters more, diet or exercise) depends on the context of the question.

If you are asking about which is best for your overall health, the scientific evidence thus far comes down on the side of the importance of exercise. Moving our butts on a regular basis -- even if it's doing everyday activities such as taking stairs instead of elevators, walking between offices instead of emailing, doing yardwork and housework, parking farther away from the door of the store than you have to -- protects against heart disease, some kinds of cancer, diabetes, makes us sleep better, and a whole lot of other great benefits.

But if you are asking about weight control, I am convinced that diet trumps exercise for keeping the pounds off. A recent visit to my doctor reinforced that belief.

He said: Your exercise habits are terrific, keep it up. But if you want to lose weight, you have to watch what you eat very carefully. And eating healthy foods is not the whole story; you also have to watch portion size. If you eat too much (too many calories) you will gain weight, or at least you'll be unable to lose pounds.

Words to the wise!

Dietary tips for preventing breast cancer

Dr. Andrew Weil writes interesting books on healthy aging, alternative medicine and related topics. He also issues daily tips via an email list. Here's today's email about a few things that women should include in their diets to help ward off breast cancer.

"Diet and nutrition can play a significant role in the chances of developing breast cancer, especially if you have a family history of the disease. The following foods may help to prevent or lessen the risks:

1. Use healthy fats: monounsaturates such as extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground flaxseed and oily fish such as wild Alaskan salmon and sardines (which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids) may help reduce your risk of developing breast cancer.
2. Include whole soy products in your diet. Soy foods contain many cancer-protective substances, including isoflavones. Try to eat one to two servings of whole soy-based foods a day.
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables! Especially cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy, and cauliflower, which contain many different cancer-protective phytonutrients. "
   

What you (we) can do to change our food system

Instead of only bemoaning our nation's obesity epidemic and food-safety lapses, here are some actions you/we can take to improve things -- however incrementally.

1. Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages
2. Eat (and cook) at home instead of eating out
3. Go meatless one day a week
4. Support family farms by shopping at farmers' markets, in season (from about April through November, in Cincinnati)

5. Know where your food comes from (read labels), and shop at grocers who label the origin of foods.

These are adapted from the list on the website for the movie, "Food, Inc."

Healthy foodies' holiday survival guide -- Part 4: THANKSGIVING DAY

On Thursday, millions of Americans will consume literally thousands of calories, overeating to the point of feeling ill. For those of us so blessed with material abundance, the meal on Thanksgiving is the holiday season's greatest health challenge. How to cope? Here are some healthy-foodie ideas for a Thanksgiving without guilt.

1. Eat a full breakfast and a light lunch. Don't "save up" for the big meal--you'll be famished, a perfect recipe for overindulgence.
2. Take a walk before dinner, weather permitting. Even if the weather isn't all that great, get off your duff for at least a half hour of exercise--more if at all possible.
3. Lay off the booze until dinner is served. Pre-dinner alcohol lowers your inhibitions and leads to useless extra calories, not just in the drinks themselves but also in snacks you'll likely add on.
4. Decide in advance whether and how much wine or other alcoholic beverages you will drink. Then pace yourself so you can stick within your pre-set limits.
5. Eat only your favorite dishes, and pass on the others. Pick only one out of these three: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and bread stuffing/dressing. Easy on the gravy, too!
6. Wait at least a half hour between dinner and dessert. If this requires a request to your hostess before the meal, go ahead and ask. If you have no influence over the timing, step away from the table and come back later. Make up an excuse if you need to. Waiting for dessert is crucial--your brain will have time to get the message from your full stomach, and you won't want as much dessert, or maybe not any.
7. Pick one dessert or very small portions of more than one.
8. Take a walk after dinner.

Remember, the fat-producing, health-sabotaging culprits in this meal are alcoholic drinks, gravy, sauces (such as that superfluous stuff people put on green beans at TG), toppings (I'm thinking of marshmallows on sweet potatoes, horrors) and desserts. Minimize those!

Take larger portions of turkey (especially the white meat), baked potatoes, roasted root vegetables, green veggies with as little sauce as possible, salads without mayonnaise, fruit salads, and just a little bit of cranberry sauce (too much sugar).

We have so much to be grateful for, including the amazing bounty that makes not eating too much such a concern. On Thanksgiving Day, let's appreciate the love in our lives, our family and friends, the pleasure of sharing this wonderful meal--and eat mindfully while we're at it.