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Vegetarianism Inside-Out
from: Dr. Joseph MercolaBy Paul Chek, HHP, NMT
Founder, C.H.E.K Institute
People become vegetarians for many reasons. Some people do so
for what they believe are sound health reasons. We are, for
example, experiencing the greatest occurrence of cancer cases
and other chronic diseases in history.
Some people convert because of a growing concern over the health
of our ecosystem.
I decided to share my opinions on vegetarianism because in my
career I have worked with many unhealthy vegetarians. Often my
vegetarian patients were in need of animal nutrition yet, for
the above reasons were initially resistant to my suggested
inclusion of animal foods for regaining their health.
While I can't address all of the reasons why one might become a
vegetarian here, I want to examine a few of the more common
arguments that claim vegetarianism is better for your health. In
the end, I hope this may clear up some of the dogmatic
resistance to a diet that includes meat.
Is Red Meat Really Bad For You?
The most common argument that I hear is that eating red meat is
bad for you. In fact, many vegetarians claim their lifestyle is
better for your heart and your health in general. We often read
and hear the same claim in the news -- eating red meat is
unhealthy.
Consider Weston A. Price, whotraveled the globe studying the
diets of native societies in the 1930s while there were still
natives untouched by white man and his processed foods
(Nutrition & Physical Degeneration by W.A. Price).
His primary result was to show that wherever natives were
exposed to processed foods, such as white flour and sugar,
degeneration and disease soon followed. But he also discovered
that there were no healthy vegetarian societies or tribes. While
he did find some vegetarians, there were always healthier tribes
nearby eating meat or animal products.
If you study cultural anthropology, you'll find the amount of
meat eaten by any society was determined not by religious
beliefs or health fads, but rather by availability alone. A
clear example of this can be seen by looking at the diets of
traditional Aboriginals in Australia. The inland Aboriginals eat
a diet of approximately 75-90 percent vegetable and 10-25
percent animal foods.
The coastal Aboriginals, who have access to fish and larger
animals like kangaroo eat about 75 percent animal and 25 percent
vegetable foods. (1)
The conclusion that vegetarianism is safer for your heart is an
unfounded scare tactic fostered by the processed food industry.
The first reported case of a heart attack came only recently in
1921. (2) Hydrogenation of vegetable oils began about 1908 and
since that time, consumption of vegetable oils has risen some
400 percent, while saturated animal fat consumption has reduced
on the whole.
In short, we've had a reduction of animal fat consumption, an
increase in hydrogenated vegetable oils and an increase in heart
disease since 1908. It's hard to see how consuming less animal
fats has made for healthy hearts. Moreover, statistical analysis
of chronic disease shows that we are far worse off with today's
dietary recommendations when looked at from a disease
perspective.
If viewed from a purely historical perspective, the current
dogma over eating meat and heart health is suspect as well.
Humans have been eating animal foods as a primary food staple in
every part of the world with a winter.
This includes the fish eaten in every region near lakes and
oceans. If eating meat were as unhealthy as suggested, we'd
never have lasted as long as we have.
Too Much Acid?
A similar argument against eating meat: It makes people too
acidic, disrupts the pH of their blood and thereby encourages
disease. This argument is just as problematic as the last. In
fact, the whole issue of pH balance and diet is very misleading
and misrepresented by many who favor vegetarian diets.
First of all, our environment has dramatically influenced our
biochemistry, particularly over thousands of years due to the
rate of genetic modification.
For example, Eskimos maintain optimal pH balance on a diet of 90
percent animal foods, while some Hindus and inland Aboriginals
maintain optimal pH balance of the converse of 90 percent plant
foods!
Many "experts" falsely blame high acidity levels on meat eating.
This really is just a lot of bunk. pH is specific to body
compartment and body fluid. Therefore, when making any reference
to pH without making a clear statement as to where the
measurement is taking place (urine, venous blood, arterial
blood, saliva, and even specific organs) is meaningless.
The stomach, small intestine, and large intestine for example,
all have different optimal pH levels. It has also been argued by
Rowkowski and others (including very possibly William Wolcott)
that sprinting around the block once will produce a far greater
shift in pH toward acidity than eating nothing but meat all day
long.
I have personally tested my own urine and saliva every hour for
days on end and let me assure you, if you were to do the same,
you would quickly find that what you do with exercise and how
close you are to your needs for water consumption will influence
your pH far more than what you eat.
I've knocked my urine pH down from 7 to 5 in 10 minutes of
squatting with sets of 10 on a one-minute rest in just a few
sets!
The long and short of pH is that different pH levels are
appropriate for different people given their genetic heritage
and is much more heavily dependent upon variables other than
meat.
The Real Reason ...
So what really produces the illusion that vegetarianism is
better for you? In many cases, converted vegetarians are eating
real food for the first time. They're often cooking fresh food
for the first time and eating much more raw food for the first
time! Finally, they have stopped eating so much packaged crap.
All this acts to increase one's vitality and mental clarity just
like using fresh water will clean your windows much better than
dirty water. Vegetarian diets are also very effective
detoxification diets across the board, greatly reducing body
burden from lifestyles that included prolonged periods of
consuming junk food.
Finally, people going on vegan diets are often directed to do so
by holistic health professionals who also encourage the use of
organic foods.
Since fat stores toxins and commercial farmers make their income
by the pound, most farmers stand to benefit from feeding their
livestock harmful foods. These harmful foods, in turn, produce
livestock with much more fat.
The benefit from going vegan was to avoid those toxic commercial
meats and therefore nothing inherent to being a vegan per se.
Those eating organic meats will not suffer from the harmful
effects of eating commercial meats.
This brief analysis certainly doesn't address all of the reasons
why one might go vegetarian, but I hope that it's enough to help
you understand the issue isn't so straightforward as some would
have you believe. Genuine, organic meat, as Price showed, has
been an important component of all healthy societies, so we
ought to think twice before giving up on meat.
To readan unabridged version of this article, visit Paul's new
Web site at www.paulchek.com.
Paul Chek, Holistic Health Practitioner and certified
Neuromuscular Therapist, is the founder of the C.H.E.K Institute
in Vista, Calif. He is also a sought-after consultant to sports
organizations, andhis services have benefited numerous
professional sports teams, athletes and individuals seeking
optimal health worldwide. Paul has produced more than 60 videos,
17 correspondence courses and is the author of several books,
audio programs and articles.
For more information on Paul's popular "You Are What You Eat"
audio/workbook program, or for any of his other health/exercise
courses, videos and books, call 800/552-8789, 800/552-8789 (New
Zealand or Australia), 44 (0)1273-856-860 (Great Britain) or
visit the CHEK Institute Web site. To learn more about Paul and
his upcoming Personal Professional Spiritual (PPS) Mastery
Program, visit his new Web site at www.paulchek.com.
About the author:
This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world's #1 most
visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a
limited time only, you can take the FREE "Metabolic Type Test"
to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type
so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to
http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt-test.htm right now to take this
quick test!
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