It’s been quite astonishing to witness how big food manufacturers are somehow managing to convince millions of Americans that “plant-based” diets filled with processed, mass-produced veggie burgers and imitation cheeses are healthier than wholesome, unprocessed meats, fish, and full-fat dairy…despite what decades of science (and thousands of years of human history) show us.
They are trying to pull off this dangerous hoax by making three false claims, which I’ll tell you about in a moment.
But first, let’s back up…
To make more profits, big food jumps on anti-meat bandwagon
This whole “movement” started a few years ago.
People started trying to eat less mass-produced, ultra-processed, low-quality foods (mostly plant-based refined sugars and carbs) devoid of nutrients—thanks to some solid science giving them the bad rap they deserve.
They even stopped eating as frequently at fast-food restaurants. And, for the first time ever, major U.S. companies like Burger King® and McDonald’s® started to experience some sluggish growth in the U.S.
But then came Beyond Meat® and Impossible Foods®, two start-up companies that produce cheap, highly processed, plant-based fake “meat.”
The idea caught on with many—and fast.
Beyond Meat’s products now appear in more than 35,000 grocery stores nationwide. And Impossible Foods’ products are sold at more than 7,000 restaurants, including Burger King. Even big food manufacturers—such as Tyson©, Hormel©, and Smithfield©—have gotten in on the action, offering their own varieties of fake, plant-based “meats.”
All because of three claims big food used to dupe many Americans…
Big food dupes many Americans yet again with these three claims
1.) They try to claim fake meat is better for you
The plant-based movement latched onto a flawed report created by a politically driven, Stockholm-based nonprofit organization. The basic premise is that a plant-based diet is healthier for humans than a balanced diet that includes seafood, meat, and dairy.
But that’s just nonsense.
Humans evolved to be omnivorous, meaning we must consume a wide variety of foods, including seafood, meat, and dairy, in order to meet optimal nutritional needs.
In fact, eating a balanced diet with unprocessed, natural meat, poultry, wild-caught seafood, and full-fat dairy gives you healthy proteins, fats, and bioavailable vitamins and minerals—which are much more difficult to obtain from plant sources alone. Indeed, research links a vegetarian diet with a higher risk of developing deficiencies in B vitamins, vitamin D, minerals, and essential fats.
Plant-based diet promoters also push the misguided idea that eating plant-based foods reduces your consumption of what they claim are harmful ingredients—like cholesterol and saturated fats.
But we’ve known for decades that cholesterol and saturated fats aren’t the enemy they were made out to be. In fact, they’re required for optimal nutrition. And every tissue in your body needs them! (I’ll give you all the latest findings in the upcoming May 2020 issue of my Insiders’ Cures newsletter!)
Not to mention that cholesterol in the foods you eat doesn’t affect cholesterol levels in the blood. In fact, they’re entirely unrelated. But your body makes its own cholesterol because it is essential for every cell and tissue in your body!
Plant-based diet promoters make a similar argument against fats. But here again—the science shows that the body needs the healthy fats found in real meats, seafood, full-fat dairy, nuts, and healthy oils, like olive oil.
Plus, grass-fed and -finished meat give you a healthy dose of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
Now, there are those who argue that you can get some omega-3s from plant sources. But research shows that human brains absorb omega-3s found in seafood and meat with ten-times greater efficiency than from plant sources.
I’ve also heard arguments that real meat is somehow “too acidic.” But the human stomach is fully equipped to handle the acid in meat. In fact, the acid in the stomach is thousands of times more acidic than anything you put inside it.
If anything, what contributes to an overly acidic diet are soft drinks and the added sugars, refined carbs, and excess phosphorus found in processed, plant-based foods.
Which brings me to my next point…
Don’t be fooled into thinking these plant-based foods are wholesome and “natural.” They’re just as processed as other mass-produced, chemical-laden foods made in factories—with way too many harmful fillers.
2.) They try to claim fake meat is better for the environment
Plant-based diet promoters claim that their fake, processed “meat” is better for the planet.
But there’s no evidence that raising free-range chickens and cattle, using sustainable grazing practices, is bad for the planet. In fact, there’s plenty of evidence to show these animals are good for the grasslands.
What’s really bad for the planet are the mass-produced, mono-cropped plants grown with chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides—like the GM soybeans, soy leghemoglobin “heme,” and pea protein isolate used to make plant-based products try to look and taste similar to meat!
3.) Eating real meat can be cruel to animals
I’ve always been quite concerned about the ethics of how we treat all animals and life on planet Earth. In fact, when I was working in the Washington, D.C.-area, I volunteered with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which works to end animal abuse, including cruel medical experiments. It also works to meet regulatory requirements for testing of consumer products on animals.
I also initiated an effort to bring out the facts about neurosurgeon Dr. Thomas Langfitt (1927–2005) when he was being “honored” by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. All the while, he was on the national “Top-10 Most Wanted” list for decades by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) due to his cruel, unnecessary, and abusive animal experiments that had made all the wrong kind of headlines for the University of Pennsylvania back in the 1980s.
In my view, we should stop the cruel and unnecessary medical experiments and treat all animals and wildlife with consideration, respect, and reverence.
So, while we cannot avoid raising some animals to obtain meat, we can choose to only consume grass-fed, pasture-raised, organic meat and dairy, which requires that animals are treated humanely. This includes at least 120 days of pasture grazing per year.
Science and reality claim otherwise
It appears the industry-promoted, plant-based movement isn’t going away any time soon. But my advice to you remains the same…
Continue to follow a balanced, healthy, Mediterranean-type diet filled with fresh, whole, minimally processed foods. This traditional diet will give your body what it really wants and needs—real meat and full-fat dairy from organically raised, free-range, grass-fed cattle and poultry.
For more help cutting through all the clutter, take a look at the September 2019 issue of my monthly newsletter, Insiders’ Cures (“Cage-free, grass-fed, organic…oh my!”) to help bring home the healthiest, whole foods. Subscribers have access to all of my content in the archives. So if you haven’t already, click here to sign up today!
P.S. Don’t forget to join me on Wednesday, March 4th at 9PM Eastern time for my one-time-only live Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Summit! I’ll be discussing natural heart disease treatments, like the “CDC Secret” for slashing heart disease risk up to 80 percent! But I must warn you…spots are limited for this FREE event. Click here now to reserve your spot!
Sources:
“What The FDA’s Decision About Soy Leghemoglobin Means For Impossible Burger.” Forbes, 12/20/19 (forbes.com/sites/lanabandoim/2019/12/20/what-the-fdas-decision-about-soy-leghemoglobin-means-for-impossible-burger/#4955349257f6)
“The Promise and Problem of Fake Meat.” The New Republic, 6/7/19. (newrepublic.com/article/153998/promise-problem-fake-meat-beyond-burger-impossible-foods)