‘Some people think that eating a plant-based, whole foods
diet is extreme. Half a million people a year will have their chests
opened up and a vein taken from their leg and sewn onto their coronary
artery. Some people would call that extreme.” - Dr Caldwell Esselstyn
'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food' - Hippocrates
Our planet is in times of great transformation. Things are
changing fast in all possible ways. We are facing serious environmental
challenges such as food and water shortages, global warming, deforestation, and
species extinction that make it pretty clear that we are using the Earth’s
resources at an unsustainable rate.
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But underneath it all something is bubbling. Perhaps
inspired by the same challenges, human consciousness is growing rapidly, and we
seem to become always more attuned to a natural, more authentic way of living.
We are transiting into an age in which the call to become who we truly are, to
live our full potential and align ourselves with a higher vibration is becoming
too loud to ignore for many of us.
Some may call this a crisis, a catastrophe even. Others may
view the changes with a sense of excitement and relief, knowing that we all
have a part to play in making this world into what we want it to be. It is now
more important than ever that we carefully consider the consequences our
actions have on the world we are about to co-create.
In this sense, I have chosen to focus on one of the most significant
issues that affect the ill health of our planet today: the food we eat and the
wide-reaching effects our choices have on us and the world at large. In
particular, I would like to highlight the impact meat production has on many of
the problems we are facing, such as poverty, environmental damage and degenerative
diseases.
Enough for everyone?
Let’s begin with one of the world’s biggest problems: poverty.
Recent statistics show that 790 million people in the world are chronically
undernourished and about 27.000 children under five die of starvation every
day. I was amazed to find that in contrast to these disturbing statistics, we
actually grow enough edible grain to provide 50% more than is required to feed every
person in the world. So where does it all go?
Most of this edible grain is used to feed animals for meat,
dairy and egg production. The world’s cattle alone consume enough food to feed
8.7 billion people, more than the entire human population. Likewise, the amount
of water required to produce one kilogram of beef is about forty times as high
as that for the production of rice, leading to serious water shortages in
several countries such as Australia.
Add to this the facts that over 50% of global human-caused
greenhouse gases can be attributed to livestock and their by-products and that
a massive 92% of all land degradation is caused by animal industries. For
example, cattle-ranching is the biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon
rainforest.
So what is the answer? Experts say that adopting a
plant-based diet would make the difference, not only for the future of the
planet, but also for our health. Looking around us, it is easy to tell why.
A simple cure for deadly diseases?
Despite having the most advanced medical technology in the
world, we are sicker than ever. Two out of every three of us are overweight.
Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst the young. Heart disease,
cancer and stroke are leading causes of death, and millions suffer from a host
of other degenerative diseases.
According to major research studies, most, if not all, of
the degenerative diseases that afflict us could be prevented, reversed and even
eliminated by altering our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. Researchers
such as Dr T Colin Caldwell, author of the widely acclaimed ‘China Study’ (http://www.thechinastudy.com/) found
that people who ate the most animal-based foods suffered the most chronic illnesses
such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and that people who ate the most
plant-based foods tended to avoid them. Large studies in England and Germany
show that vegetarians are about forty percent less likely to develop cancer
compared to meat eaters.
Our current response to degenerative diseases is to treat
them with chemical drugs, which often produce damaging side effects. The real
solution, however, could be as simple as changing our diet and lifestyle, which
may not lead to our developing the diseases in the first place. Many of us have
been taught that human beings need animal proteins for optimum health, whereas
scientific research shows exactly the opposite: that plant proteins such as
legumes are healthier and more nourishing.
Food also affects our consciousness in a powerful way. Prana-rich,
living foods such as plants nourish our consciousness and spirituality, whereas
dead, processed foods dull our senses. Some people believe that the violence
that has been inflicted on an animal before it is eaten transfers onto the consumer,
and makes us more interested in inflicting violence on others. Many spiritual
seekers and traditions therefore adopt a vegetarian diet to elevate their
consciousness and follow the principle of non-violence.
Last but not least, let’s consider the animals that are
turned into food. I don’t think any of us need much evidence that what goes on
in slaughterhouses isn’t pretty. Yes, it is easy to walk into a
supermarket or butcher and buy a shiny piece of meat without giving a thought
as to where it has come from. But have you considered what the animal has
endured before it reaches your plate? Here are some statistics that might make
you think.
Every year, 58 billion animals are raised and killed for human
consumption. Often, these farmed animals, such as chickens, cows and pigs, have
been treated horrendously. Laying hens, for example, are often packed tightly indoors
where they become red and raw from constant mating. Half of the born chicks are
male and won’t lay eggs so they are gassed or ground up alive at day one. Because
laying hens are not ‘profitable’ after eighteen months of age, they are killed
and their depleted bodies are used for pet food, stock cubes or fertilizer.
Dairy cows have miserable lives, too. By nature, they only
produce milk when they have a calf, yet are artificially impregnated to produce
milk for humans while their own babies are killed. Cows are forced into a
relentless cycle of pregnancy, birthing and milk production during which they
suffer chronic mastitis, liver damage and painful digestive disorders. The
journey to the slaughterhouse is long and traumatic without food and water. In
the killing line, cows are fully aware of what lies ahead. They are terrified,
kicking and screaming. Cows too sick or injured to stand are often dragged with
chains to the killing floor, or left to slowly die.
Okay, you might think, so I’ll buy organic. Surely that’s fine.
Not quite, I was interested to find. According to animal rights charity PETA,
people who buy organic or free-range animal products because they think that
the animals are treated well are sadly mistaken.
Many organic and free-range farms
cram thousands of animals together in sheds or mud-filled lots to increase
profits, just as factory farms do, and the animals often suffer through the
same mutilations—such as debeaking, dehorning, and castration without
painkillers—that occur on factory farms. Many ‘organically raised’ cows are sent to factory-farm feedlots to
be fattened prior to slaughter, where they are caked with faeces and mud. These
cows can still be labelled organic as long as they're given organic feed.
Stepping into our power
Pretty bleak, isn’t it? It seems
like the planet is eaten up alive by unsustainable food practices that we have
little influence on. The good news is that we can change it, one step at the
time. We may not own the companies that make these policies, but as consumers,
we have choices. We can decide whether we want to contribute to these
conditions or whether we want to live in a way that is more conscious of and
respectful to the life around us.
As Newton already wisely stated, every action has a
reaction. Every single one of our actions has an effect on something else. Investing
our money in acts that have detrimental consequences on the wellbeing of others
cannot be wholesome and contribute to making the world a more compassionate,
loving or peaceful place. When we recognize that we all have an important part
to play in the future of this planet, we’re stepping into our power. And we are
all infinitely more powerful than we think.
I realize that change isn’t easy.
If we are used to a certain type of diet, then we may not want to alter it
radically. So maybe we can start by reducing some of our animal protein intake
and replacing it with wholesome plant foods. Every small step can make a big
difference. Maybe, like me, you will find inspiration in the words of
Holocaust victim Anne Frank, ‘How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a
single moment before starting to improve the world.’
To find out more:
- Watch ‘Earthlings’ – a powerful and informative documentary about society’s treatment of animals, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. Free to download at www.earthlings.com
- Watch ‘Forks over Knives’, a brilliant, well-researched documentary about the health impacts of our food choices: http://www.forksoverknives.com/
- Read ‘Conscious Eating’ by Gabriel Cousens, MD, a wonderfully enlightening book on how food influences the way we think, feel and relate to the world around us: http://www.treeoflife.nu/
- Read ‘From Crisis to Peace’ by S.M. Ching Hai, founder of the ‘Loving Hut’ vegan restaurants. Download this book on environmental and spiritual solutions for free at http://www.crisis2peace.org/
- Read ‘Eating Animals’ by Jonathan Safran, a father’s journey about making the right dietary choices for his son: http://www.eatinganimals.com/
