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Nathan Bastress

Prof. Lisa Tyler

English 1201

December 6th 2020

Veganism the Natural Medicine

It is no surprise that America struggles with health issues. Obesity, Heart Disease, and

Cancer are at the top of list of fatal health issues as they cause a combined upwards of two

million deaths annually. (www.cdc.gov). Sadly, many times these chronic diseases can be

prevented by changes in an individual’s diet. We all hear that it is important to eat our fruits and

vegetables, but it is equally as important to limit or even cease your intake of animal protein and

dairy. The highest level of saturated fats can be found in dairy products. The compound casein

found only in animal protein is a known and proven cancer promoter. Switching to a Vegan-

plant based diet has helped people eliminate their medicine for diabetes and reverse the effects of

the disease on their body. Eliminating the fat and casein found in animal products reverses the

effects of damage to an individual’s arteries. Implementing these changes can help prevent early

death in people’s lives. The longer we can eat a plant-based diet the better our health will be in

the long term. Throughout this paper, it will continue to explore why Veganism is the natural

medicine.

People every day are worried about their eating habits and their health choices. It can be

very hard to determine what is right and what is wrong when it comes to what should a healthy

diet should look like. It seems as if everyone is a nutritionist and has the answer. People want to
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tell you what is good and what is bad for the body, but what actually is the answer? Is there

really even a right answer to solve your dietary needs?

The Western diet has dramatically changed the way the Western culture views food. Food

shouldn’t be viewed as pleasure or for fun but should be thought of as fuel for your body to get

through the day. People have even gone far enough to say that food runs the western society. In a

way this is true, but society needs to start shifting the focus onto what food really is. Food is

supposed to be consumed in order to maintain a healthy life and normal growth. In order to

maintain a healthy life and normal growth, western culture must really observe what foods they

take in and how it affects them physically.

Food is divided into 5 categories by the United States Department of Agriculture

(USDA): fruits, grains, vegetables, proteins, and dairy. One could argue that dairy is not an

essential food group. Mark Hyman M.D. did some research on this particular food group and

Hyman goes as far as to state, “… [his] patients [should] avoid dairy products completely”. The

paper will further examine his study later. Below is the updated version of the food pyramid.

This update is now called MyPlate and it adds dairy as an essential food group (see fig. 1)

“Choose MyPlate.” Choose MyPlate, www.choosemyplate.gov/

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Plant based diets, also known as veganism, is an old but starting to become a rapidly

growing topic again in today’s culture. In a vegan diet, the foods that are consumed are: fruits,

vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans (Harvard Medical School). This

diet is more predominate in the Eastern cultures, and in turn tends to lead them to be a healthier

society. Multiple studies have been done on the varying diets in these two hemispheres and the

results are insanely different when it comes to the health of the society concerning chronic

illnesses and obesity.

The topic of veganism is very important to fully understand because not only can it

positively affect your mental health, but its biggest advocate is that it positively affects the

amount of time you can live. Many people don’t put in the time to really understand this issue

because they don’t realize how meat and animal products negatively affect their bodies, and with

a healthier lifestyle ultimately leads to a better and more productive society. The younger

generations have to really take hold of this lifestyle and understand these concepts so we can be

healthier overall and educate the future generations to come.

It seems like every television commercial or news topic is promoting new ideas for

weight loss. Now we can all agree that obesity negatively impacts the human body through

increased risks of chronic illness, but are these “fad” diets really positively affecting the

individual’s health long term? Many people think that eating less is the answer. What if someone

told you that you can lose weight and increase your overall health and lower your chances of

chronic illness while still eating in abundance on a vegan diet.

Reducing your consumption of animal protein and dairy reduces your risk of obesity,

heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. Over the course of ten years, there was a study done in

China focusing on the malnutrition problem among its citizens. While looking into this issue, Dr.
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Colin T Campbell PhD. Found out a study done on lab rats in India where scientist had studied

the relationship between an aflatoxin and casein with liver cancer. Two groups of rats were fed

the same amounts of aflatoxin but differing protein amounts of twenty (20) and five (5) percent

animal protein (casein). Every rat being fed the twenty percent animal protein diet had developed

either liver cancer or had precancerous lesions. No rats in the five percent group showed any

signs of cancer or precancerous lesions. Dr. Campbell also found that if one-fifth of the diet was

plant based protein their were no signs of cancers in the body.

After being exposed to this information Dr. Campbell replicated the study and found that

a low animal protein diet reduces the production of tumors as well. Dr. Campbell went as far to

say, lower animal protein intake dramatically decreased tumor initiation.” Overall, this reduces

the cells activity; and less aflatoxin DNA is formed. (www.cancertutor.com)

Not only does a high animal protein diet cause cancer and tumors. Animal protein and

dairy is also linked to heart disease. Saturated fats and cholesterol, which can be found in dairy

products and meats, increase the risk of heart disease, which remains as the number one killer in

America (www.pcrm.org). As referred to earlier, Dr. Mark Hyman goes as far to say that dairy

is a perfect food, but for calves. Also, Hyman goes onto talk about how the human body wasn’t

really made to digest milk on an everyday basis. Most scientists concur that it is better for us to

get calcium, potassium, protein, and fats from other food sources such as: vegetables, fruits,

beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and seaweed (DrHyman.com).

Growing up most people have been told that drinking milk builds strong, healthy bones.

What if that instead of strengthening our bones the consumption of cow’s milk can increase risk

of fractures by 50 percent! Not only do higher intakes of dairy products effect you bones, it also

increases men's risk of prostate cancer up to 50 percent (drhyman.com). Lastly, countries that
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consume the least amount of dairy, such as Africa and Asia, have the lowest rates of bone

fractures and prostate cancers.

Michael Grager M.D. FACLM, published an article discussing cow’s milk consumption

and its relation to childhood obesity. The part of the milk that causes these weight gains are the

saturated fat found in it. Multiple studies have concluded the elevated levels of saturated fats in

dairy products contribute to the growing rate of obesity in the United States. All in all, there are

many studies and facts that prove the consumption of dairy and animal protein can cause cancer,

tumors, and other chronic illnesses. The table below shows the progression of obesity in

American adults in children from 1999-2016. (See fig. 2)

https://www.statista.com/chart/11497/america-is-fatter-than-ever/

Ultimately, what needs to be understood is when and how to apply a vegan diet. Many

Americans can benefit from a plant-based diet, especially if someone struggles with obesity,

heart disease, high blood pressure, and even cancer. All of these symptoms can benefit from a

vegan diet. Also, the lower amount of casein and saturated fats in a plant-based diet is proven to

lower your chances of obesity and the other illnesses we have discussed. Introducing more fruits,
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vegetables and plant-based protein sources at a younger age is of course ideal. With the rate of

childhood obesity on the rise in America, the sooner parents can implement these changes in the

youth the better off the next generations will be.

The development in vegan foods and recipes continue to grow. It has become very easy

to find alternatives to animal protein and dairy. Simple swaps to plant-based milk, or meatless

“chicken” nuggets are easy and often you cannot tell a difference between the alternatives and

the “real” option. Knowing that these choices are bettering your health and lowering the risk for

extreme illnesses later in life can be motivation enough to make some changes. In grocery stores

now they have dedicated sections to which someone can change their protein and dairy lifestyle

and change to a healthier plant based eating.

In the documentary “Forks over Knives” doctors helped diabetics and cancer patients to

cure their diseases. What they did was completely take out the meat and dairy in their diets and

replace it all with plant-based foods. The results were astonishing. The patients were able to take

out all of their medicine and ultimately live a better and longer life. The individuals studied lost

weight adopting this lifestyle as well.

Before the beginning of fast food and fried foods, the main source of your eating was a

lot more whole foods such as meat, fruits, and vegetables. These foods contain a lot of the

micronutrients that your body needs such as:  vitamins A, B12, D, iodine, calcium, iron, and

various fatty acids and research shows that when people go “vegan” they go into it uneducated

and tend to become deficient in these important micronutrients listed above. Raising children in

this environment can change a lot of how they grow up and their development mentally. Vitamin

B-12 is the one nutrient that your body needs at a young age to help with your mind and your

ability to obtain knowledge. One should always consult a medical professional when making
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major changes to your lifestyle. It is important that they know you are changing your diet or plan

to go off of your medicine. In many cases adopting a plant-based diet can eliminate the need for

a lot of medicine for diabetes and high blood pressure. Again, this should be overseen by a

medical professional and should never be something an individual decides to undertake on their

own.

When transitioning to a vegan diet, it is important to be aware of the changes that are able

to be made in a diet. For example, just because there is no more eating of animal protein, the diet

will still need protein, but from plant sources. It is recommended that vegans eat 3-4 servings of

foods like: beans, legumes, quinoa, lentils, soy-foods (edamame, tofu, tempeh, and soy meats) a

day in order to ensure that they are consuming adequate amounts of protein. Another concern an

individual might have when transitioning to a vegan lifestyle is their calcium intake. Calcium is

important to strengthen our bones; however, there are much healthier options than dairy

products. Substitute cow’s milk and dairy for dark leafy greens like kale, turnip and mustard

greens, but not only are there plants, there are also now an abundance of non-dairy milks. These

include soy, almond, cashew, and coconut to name a few. These are also great sources of

calcium.

Although the western way of life is packed with convenient food choices that mostly

include animal protein and dairy we must go against the grain if society truly wants to choose a

healthier lifestyle. In urban areas, the big push is for everyone to be “healthy” and eat a more

vegan diet, so they are building and opening up restaurants. This new generation is on a health

kick and they are wanting everything to be “healthy” and sustainable. If they were to do more

research they might be able to formulate a more educated opinion and lean away from the full

vegan diet and start to eat a more rounded diet.

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Explored throughout this writing, there are major health benefits for adopting a plant

based lifestyle. Eliminating the intake of animal protein can reverse the effects of cancer and

precancerous lesions. With the guidance of medical professionals, this diet can reverse the

effects of diabetes on the body and even cure the disease and no longer need medication. The

proven healthier lifestyle also promotes weight loss and can aide in the obesity epidemic in

America. Reducing the consumption of animal protein and dairy reduces the risk of obesity,

heart disease, and other chronic illnesses.

Work Cited
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“Choose MyPlate.” Choose MyPlate, www.choosemyplate.gov/.

Craig, Winston. "Plant-Based Diets Provide Many Health Benefits." Vegetarianism, edited by

Debra A. Miller, Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010705206/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=a7723023. Accessed 18 Oct. 2020. Originally published

as "Health Benefits of Vegetarian Diets," Vegetarianism and Vegetarian Nutrition, 2008.

“Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at All Costs.” Dr. Mark Hyman, 3 Jan. 2017,

drhyman.com/blog/2010/06/24/dairy-6-reasons-you-should-avoid-it-at-all-costs-2/.

Darvish, Nooshin K. "Healthy Lifestyle Trends for a New Decade: 2020." Townsend Letter, no.

441, Apr. 2020, p. 80+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622151732/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=063bd18a. Accessed 18 Oct. 2020.

“Heart Disease Facts & Statistics.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 2017, www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm.

“The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition.” Cancer Tutor, 27 Feb. 2017,

www.cancertutor.com/china-study/.

Greger, Michael. “How Milk May Contribute to Childhood Obesity.” NutritionFacts.org,

nutritionfacts.org/2017/03/16/how-milk-may-contribute-to-childhood-obesity/.

McCarthy, Niall. “U.S. Obesity Rates Have Hit An All-Time High [Infographic].” Forbes,

Forbes Magazine, 16 Oct. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/10/16/u-s-

obesity-rates-have-hit-an-all-time-high-infographic/#35e3c37c4bad.

McManus, Katherine D. “What Is a Plant-Based Diet and Why Should You Try It?” Harvard

Health Blog, Harvard Health Publishing, 27 Sept. 2018,

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www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-a-plant-based-diet-and-why-should-you-try-it-

2018092614760.

“The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition.” Cancer Tutor, 27 Feb. 2017,

www.cancertutor.com/china-study/.