Someone once said you are what you eat.
By the way many plant eating animals have canine teeth. I understand both the morphology and function of mastication. I have a degree in Applied Arts and Science in Dental Technology. I managed Dental Laboratories for about 10 years in my younger days. Canine teeth are not just a sign of a meat eater.
We agree the most damage done to health in the U.S. is the result of processed foods and processed meats. I would agree that eating foods that are more natural are more healthful. Our food supply, both plant and animal, is being degraded by mass production techniques and the resulting lack of minerals and inclusion of chemicals and drugs into the food supply chain.
Vegan and vegetarian lifestyle choices are far and away older than 100 years. If you look at the indigenous diets of many cultures meat was not consumed at a high rate. The average lifespan in 1900 was about 47 years old. The largest cause of disease 100-200 years ago was poor sanitary practices and the lack of understanding of germs in the disease process.
The China Study arrives at different conclusions. The point that is missed is that most people did not consume large amounts of meat during long periods due to two world wars and the depression. It was after the advent of processed foods and higher intake of meat that cancer, heart disease and other disease rates increased. Studies in Finland support this conclusion. During WW2 the German army took all the meat for their troops and the local population was left with primarily fruits and vegetables. The Finnish incidents of heart disease and cancer during that time plummeted and only caught up to the rest of the world after they returned to a meat diet years after the war.
"Forks over Knives" discusses much of this which is a documentary that features two respected physicians and researchers. Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr.
Dr. Esselstyn has proven clinically that a strict vegan diet alone can reverse heart disease.
Loma Linda is a Blue Zone where people have a longer, healthier lifestyle due to diet, exercise and other factors.
Loma Linda University has a long term study, one that has gone on since the 1950's. California has one of the best databases on mortality rates and causes of death of any state and that is the data that is the basis of LLU's research.
I am not a Healthcare worker. Spoiler alert. My father founded Loma Linda University's mortality study using California's comprehensive mortality database. I studied his research for my statistics class for my second undergraduate degree. I am not the expert but I was raised in his home and my whole family has benefitted from his expertise. He had many board certifications and fellowships as a physician as well a Masters in Public Health. The research is there if you want to see it. The results are in. The fact is that vegetarians live longer with better lifestyle outcomes and lower incidents of disease. Mortality studies prove it.
I think the real take away is to live life in moderation. Even the food pyramid that I grew up with has changed due to current thought and research. It has shifted to more of a plant based diet. I expect more to change as research advances our understanding.
I only pass this stuff along cause I am fond of everyone on the Smorgasbord and I wish you all good health and a long productive life!
