10 “First, Do No Harm.” The Many Reasons for Going Vegan: For Me, It’s Personal
There is a variety of plant foods to choose from - all readily available.
“First, Do No Harm.” Is attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher and physician, Hippocrates. This phrase is currently an ethical stance in medicine that suggests that doctors only try to help and avoid advising anything to their patients that can harm them. As you might imagine this can create a double-edged sword in which medications such as chemotherapy absolutely do an incredible amount of harm, in the hopes that eventually they will be successful at putting the cancer patient into remission. It is a rough and rocky road, but oftentimes this is the current and available treatment with only hope and a prayer that it will work. So, how does veganism come in?
Trying to live a life where you don’t harm others is almost impossible, but that’s no reason we cannot try. Some believe buying avocados or coconuts from the wrong countries could contribute to harming children as child labor is common in other countries. And then there is the meat, egg, dairy and fish industries. They are in a cruelty category all to themselves. Not only are the species that we farm treated as if they had no potential for a decent life, but due to no oversight or care for their happiness, the industry has deemed them and their lot in life irrelevant. There is no level of decency, so often it seems the philosophy is - let’s not only neglect them, let’s torture them, because nobody will be held to account.
Sadness is commonplace in factory farms.
I am often asked why I am vegan. Yes, I love animals and I don’t want to hurt them - even those I don’t know or see. Learning about our human ability to destroy anything and everything without conscience is a driving force for me. Most people don’t think about the destructiveness their diet has created. I used to be this kind of person. Our society is set up to make us believe what we do is fine and has no negative effects. It is our choice and ours alone to decide what to put on our plates and in our mouths. Most of us tend to eat what we like and what we think is good for us. But we are never shown a snapshot of the heartbreaking scenes behind the curtain. We have enacted laws to prevent the visual of slaughtering innocent beings or the squalor that we make them live in. We have made using our voice illegal when we criticize the farmed animal industry of agriculture and meat producing. The dairy and meat industries have tried their hardest to keep the curtain up and prevent facts from coming out about how destructive this industry can be. Scare tactics of nutrient deficiencies and poisons in plant-based foods called anti-nutrients have been used far-and-wide. Lots of people believe what they hear when it is voiced by a doctor or a social media influencer.
We all must start caring. Our world cannot get to the point of no return.
I wish we could all view the earth and other species in a way that makes us aware that we are all connected. Yes, we are connected to the animals that are housed in filthy conditions, killed young and who eventually become food for humans. We are connected to wild animals – the ones that are still left - who are running out of places to live due to habitat destruction. Humans in the past 100 years have created an earth that looks nothing like it did before. Our future is bleak if we do not course correct. The scariest part, most of us haven’t even noticed our contribution to the destruction, nor have we offered to help our fellow earthlings’ populations heal and bounce back in any meaningful way. We love our meat and dairy so much that we are okay destroying millions of acres of forests every year. Carbon absorbing trees that heal, are destroyed in order to plant foods solely for the consumption of our farmed animal friends. I am only one person, but I refuse to be part of the destruction. And so here I am, one person, trying to help others realize that we are all in this together. And I am asking anyone who reads my words to “First, Do No Harm.” And then see how you can help.
Now let’s review the health implications of a meat heavy diet. As a nutritionist I have seen societies like the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Dietary Guidelines created by the USDA, lecture us about limiting our animal fat. Why must we limit our animal fat? Because study after study has shown us that in high amounts it can be lethal. The current recommendation for most healthy human adults is the consumption of less than 10% of total calories. What does this equate to? For A 2,000/day calorie diet, 2 pats of butter contribute 10%. That is without counting any additional meat, or dairy. That is a very low amount considering all the meat and dairy people consume in western countries.
Legumes provide lots protein and fiber.
I am not here to scare people, nor lecture, only share what I have learned. I started my nutritional education decades ago – shortly after a dear family member of mine lost her life from a heart attack in her 40’s. You can say it was genetic, and I am sure there was a genetic component. But studies have shown that if you remove the animal fats from your diet, your LDL cholesterol comes down, even if you are genetically predisposed. We know we have a cholesterol problem when the #1 killer is heart disease and the #1 prescribed drug in the USA is a cholesterol lowering statin, Lipitor (Atorvastatin.) Many of us don’t realize that these cholesterol producing foods are also a risk factor for cancer, especially cancers of the digestive tract. Our bodies were not meant to be overloaded with these rich protein and high fat foods. We get sick if we eat too much.
But what about the weight loss benefits of a keto diet? So many people I know have cut out carbohydrates and increased their dietary protein and fat to lose weight. Some swear by the benefits. If you take a closer look, you may find that this diet is not a good choice in the long run. The risks of heart disease, stroke and cancer do not disappear when you have lost a few pounds. You may be able to fit into a favorite pair of jeans from years ago, but your risk of disease has most likely increased substantially. Small amounts are tolerable, but large amounts for some people can be lethal.
GLP-1’s are another popular drug to take for better health based on weight loss. Most of us don’t realize that the human body makes its own GLP-1 hormones. Which foods influence the creation of natural GLP-1’s? High fiber foods like seeds, nuts, whole grains, lentils, beans and peas increase the ability of the human body to create GLP-1’s naturally. This is partly why a high fiber diet is essential for good health and for maintaining a healthy weight. High fiber diets also prevent constipation. Chronic constipation can contribute to an unhealthy microbiome but also can contribute to diverticulosis. When diverticulosis is severe, diverticulitis infections can become more common. High fiber diets are also beneficial in reducing cholesterol levels by absorbing this recycled fat and removing it from the human body.
Obesity is the result of high calorie, high fat diets and sedentary lifestyles.
Although the perfect diet is controversial and so many experts are out there touting what they believe to be the best plan to stave off disease and prevent weight gain, I am one to believe it shouldn’t be so hard to be healthy. Plants should make up the foundation of what we eat. If you have the will and the interest to learn how to prepare vegan meals that are nutritionally balanced, then this would be your best option. We shouldn’t be afraid of foods that are healthy and we should look to the real experts when deciding who to turn to for help.
Ultimately, humans are responsible for the creatures they decide to farm and decide to control in our back yards and in the food products we purchase in the grocery store. We, the people, determine what is sold to us and what is produced. When we collectively choose not to consume a product, then that product is no longer available for purchase, because it has lost its value for the seller. Let’s collectively purchase foods that First, Do No Harm. This would be a great way to turn things around. The way we are headed now, we may have more endangered species added to the list for protection. I am asking anyone who cares about the future of our beautiful planet to try and learn about ways we can all help. “First, Do No Harm.” Should be a motto we should all live by.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/17/are-we-eating-ourselves-to-extinction
https://planetbaseddiets.panda.org