The american children will be the first to live shorter lives than their parents, according to researchers in the heralded documentary Forks over Knives. Available on Netflix about the film has prompted several people to reduce or stop eating meat. While waiting to watch it, here are 10 facts that will make you may review your diet.
1. Meat consumption is closely linked to cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
Dr. T. Colin Campbell, one of the greatest scientists specialized in epidemiology, led the "most comprehensive study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing a disease," reports the New York Times. His comments made in China for years have confirmed that a carnivorous diet increases the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
2. Superbugs more present than ever in meat
A recent study published by the Food and Drug Administration found that 81% ground turkey market was contaminated with superbugs, are those resistant to antibiotics. These bacteria were found in 69% of pork chops, 55% ground beef and 39% chicken. A germ called Enterococcus faecalis, normally found in the intestines of humans and animals, was also found in a wide variety of meats, meaning it has already been in contact with faeces.
3. Some diseases could be reversed by adopting a vegan diet
A study has shown that a diet based on plants and low in fat can positively influence recovery of people with breast, colon, prostate and skin. Some individuals have indeed managed to cure their disease by eliminating meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products and vegetable oils from their plate.
The American Cancer Society released its recommendations for the diet to follow for people affected by a tumor in February. The report states that the survivors should focus on food herbal, rich in fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains and stay away from meat, processed foods, refined grains and sugar. This shift in thinking about the importance of food is particularly interesting, since the most recent statistics (2015) of American society show little improvement in survival rates for patients who struggle against their disease with traditional medicine over the last 40 years.
4. The antibiotics used in animal husbandry
On average each year, 62 million antibiotics are sold for livestock health, against 16 million for human consumption, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. The veterinarian and director of the Pew Campaign, dedicated to animal health and industrial agriculture considers that the use of antibiotics in animals is out of control. It deplores the fact that among other things we use antibiotics in animals when they are not sick just to make them grow and to compensate for poor hygienic conditions in which they live.
5. The US government is behind several campaigns encouraging the consumption of meat and dairy products.
Our neighbors to the south are bombarded with advertising messages promoting a diet rich in meat, although the Americans already eat more than the amount of animal protein per person recommended by age. These ads would yield billions of dollars more to companies supported by the government.
The US government spends $38 billion annually to subsidize the industry of meat and dairy products, and only 0.04% of this amount ($ 17 million) for trade in fruits and vegetables.
6. Toxic cleaning products and chlorinated water
School boards and parents were misinformed for years on cleaning products used in the washing of meat served in school cafeterias around the world. Those machines that grind meat and slurried, separate fat and treating with ammonia or citric acid to remove the bacteria. The meat is then finely ground, pressed into blocks and frozen for industrial use. Others use of chlorinated water in the washing and processing of the red meat, poultry and fish.
7. The meat industry is responsible for climate change
The livestock sector now exceeds the transportation industry and the power generation as the largest source of emissions of greenhouse gases. The 5th IPCC report recommends a significant reduction in meat consumption, which would be as effective as halving the global fleet.
Livestock also increases deforestation. Greenpeace conducted a survey three years that proved that the cattle was responsible for 80% of the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
8. Livestock eat better than many people worldwide
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in 2014 in 805 million the number of undernourished people in the world. Yet two-thirds of the world's agricultural land is devoted to livestock and feed production for livestock. Ironically, nearly 85% of global soybean production, a highly nutritious foodstuff rich in protein, is intended to feed the animals to be slaughtered.
9. Excessive presence of hormones in meat
In Canada, natural and synthetic hormones are used in the intensive production of beef and pork as growth promoters and regulators of reproduction. US beef is also very heavy in hormones, so heavy that the European Union has said she did not want it. According to the European Commission's health and consumer protection, animal hormones significantly increase the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer. Cancer rates in countries that do not consume would be lower as countries supplying US beef.
10. Most of farmed animals live in horrible conditions and die of frightful way
Several industry leaders portray the animals as happy farm animals. Terror, pain and suffering are the words they should instead use. It is not uncommon for cattle to be beaten, scalded alive or dismembered in slaughterhouses.