The Big M courtesy of Keoni Cabral : Flickr
A fellow coworker of mine left our company this week, so my buddies threw a going away BBQ for him on our last night of work.
There was smoked New York Strip, Plank Smoked Salmon, potato chips, and garlic bread. It was a huge feast, and the smell of the meat smoking on the grill even brought the supervisors over to partake in the festivities.
Fortunately I always bring my own lunch, so I sat in the corner and had my vegetable stew. Later, the guy who put the whole thing together apologized to me for not having any Vegan options.
I said not to worry – I choose to eat the way I do. It’s my choice.
And it IS a choice.
- Not just a choice to eat meat, or not, but also a choice to be sick, or not.
- To put things into my body that I know will hurt me, or not.
- To one day worry about diabetes, or heart disease, or cancer – or not.
- To take part in the torture of millions of animals every day, or not.
- To watch factory farms pollute our already stressed out planet even more – or not.
With every bite of food that goes into my mouth – I make a choice!
The sad part is ……
Not many people choose like I do.
They’d rather choose the quick and easy. You know, the hamburgers, the hot dogs, the steak, the chicken, the bacon, the microwavable, the drive thru… as long as it fast, easy, and tasty. That’s the American Diet of today.
And look where it’s got us.
“The Complete Chart”
A friend posted an article on her Facebook page that sums up many of the choices people make today. The writer is an anonymous personal injury attorney. I’ll share it here because it really sums up what’s happening all over America today.
“Many of you know that I am a personal injury attorney. As such, over the years I have represented doctors, lawyers, and Indian chiefs. From the rich to the poor my clients have been a cross section of America.
When you hire me in a personal injury case one of the first things I do is get your complete chart from your health care providers. From your GP to your gynecologist, and even your psychiatrist – I get all your records and I read them. I particularly want your gynecology records if you are a woman because you tell him everything.
I have to know your health picture because your injury makes your health the subject of discussion. If it is a big enough case, I want all your records since childhood.
So in getting these records, what have I generally discovered?
Americans are sick – especially as they age.
You are told that this is normal. You are told that as you age your weight goes up. You are told that your blood pressure increases. You are told that your cholesterol level goes up. You are told that your inability to “raise the flag-pole” if you are a man is just part of aging.
This is all nonsense.
Americans are all eating SAD. That stands for the Standard American Diet.
Your food is poisoning you.
Big Food is making you sick, Big Pharma is medicating you, and Big Medicine is ready to prescribe your medication or do a heart bypass.
Fast Food Alley Again courtesy of Beaumontpete : Flickr
I see you with so many medications because of the food you eat, that you have a list when you walk into the doctor’s office. It’s mind-boggling!
It all starts with your food!
Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.
This is NOT a part of the Hippocratic oath that doctors take. I know more about nutrition than almost all doctors. Why? It is not a moneymaker and too many American’s are lazy. Why change your diet when a pill will give you license to continue eating the crap that made you sick to begin with?
Doctors are in business to manage the diseases you have contracted from Big Food.
I am on a Whole Foods Plant Based diet. I have no disease to manage so I do not go to the doctor. I do not get a physical checkup on a yearly basis. The only time I see a doctor is if I am sick. Doctors are great if you have an injury or contract some disease, otherwise they are pill pushers.
My only doctor is really my Physical Therapist who has a doctorate. I see her monthly because as an athlete I am pushing this old body constantly to swim faster, bike farther, or run quicker. But I have a little confession. The main reason I see her is to get an ego boost. All men want to be told by a pretty woman that they are awesome. Just like my medical doctor she usually spends her time telling me how physically incredible I am.
I do not have the body of a 67 year old. I have a 30 inch waist. I have full range of motion of my spine and all extremities. I am almost 6 foot 1, weight 142 pounds, have a resting heart rate of 55, have a blood pressure of 109/62, can get my heart rate into the 160’s running and often do, have a cholesterol of 160, do not get headaches, do not get stomach distress, do not have skin difficulty and take nothing by mouth except vitamin B-12.
No pills ever. Nothing.
No pain except the pain I get from pushing the envelope. And I have increased my muscularity. Again you are told that as you age you lose muscles. That is not true if you work to keep them and eat the right food.
So some of you are going to say it’s my genes. It is not. My mother died at age 44 and my father at age 56. It is not my genetics. It is my food. It makes me well and allows me to play practically all day long.
Big Food, Big Pharma and Big Medicine are needed by Americans because of their lifestyle choices. Big Media is also around to tell you there is another medical miracle right around the corner and it loves to tell you good news about your bad habits.
It is always your choice. Do you want to be fat and sick or your God ordained weight and well?”
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Make the Right Choice – The Vegan Choice
What an amazing testament to the power of healthy food.
I hope one day that more people will make the same choice that the gentlemen in the article and I did.
It’s not a hard choice.
It’s the right choice. The Vegan Choice.
I hope you’ll join us.
