Out here in Australia we are bombarded with advertising propaganda that is telling us that meat is the “main meal”, that we owe our development to red meat. That dairy is essential for development, that it is needed for strong bodies etc. The funny thing with these ads is that that is just what they are, advertising. They are usually paid for by the Meat & Livestock Association or the Australian Dairy Association. These organisations have a vested interest in promoting these products. Any research that, is promoted by these organisations should be viewed with “a grain of salt”. It is only natural that groups like the MLA or ADA would only publish favourable ‘scientific’ research, just the same as the findings that are published on this site.
Being a ‘pro-vegan’ site, of course there will only be articles about how bad meat is, and I make no apologies for that. I believe people should be informed about both sides of the argument and make up their own mind based on all the facts rather than advertising with emotional triggers.
Consider these facts when making your next decision on what to eat.
*According to QLD Health’s Eat Well QLD 2002-2012, etc, Page 23 quoting Marks 2001, Low vitamin intake costs $58.8m, Low fruit intake $29.4m, Excess meat $8.6m. There is no mention of excess fruit & vegetable intake, nor any mention of low meat intake costs.
*Eat Well Australia endorsed by Australian Health Ministers Council, has agreed to increasing vegetable and fruit consumption in the general population a priority concern. Once again no mention of meat or dairy in other 2 points. P25
*P31 estimates that 30-40% of all cancers are diet preventable. Further to that in 1996, 11% of disease was due to cancer was caused by inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption.
*The percentage of cancers attributable to diet range from 20-75%; Lung cancer has 20-33% attributable to diet whereas stomach & colorectal cancer has 66-75%. There is even evidence that red meat intake is associated with Colon cancer. P32.
*Inadequate intake of vitamins is associated specifically with colorectol cancer. P32
*QLD has 6 Action Areas that it deems to be a high priority. Number 3, is to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Once again no mention of meat consumption.
*No one has ever died from inadequate meat/dairy consumption.
*Vegetables can be eaten raw. Meat can’t.
*Fruit can be eaten right off the tree, and veggies straight from the ground. To get a steak, the bull has to be slaughtered, butchered, then cooked. Who knows what they do to sausages.
*If dairy is so good for you, why does it need to be pasteurised first. For those of you that don’t know, pasteurisation is treating the milk to a high temperature so as to kill all the bad bacteria that is in the milk.
There are many more facts as to why fruits and vegetables are better for you than meat and dairy. Other arguments in favour of a vegan lifestyle can be found throughout this site.
Are you making the decision about what you are going to eat, and the potential health problems, based on an educated decision, or because someone on TV is getting paid to tell you to eat it.
This article was written by the founder of VeganPolice.com.au, Cameron Blewett.
Cameron is a long term vegan (30+yrs), and is passionate about veganism, and helping people to understand more about it and giving other animals equal consideration.
You can find Cameron’s other rants on his website, CameronBlewett.blog