The meaty truth: why our food is destroying our health and environment--and who is responsible PDF
Preview The meaty truth: why our food is destroying our health and environment--and who is responsible
The Meaty Truth Why Our Food Is Destroying Our Health and Environment —and Who Is Responsible Shushana Castle and Amy-Lee Goodman Foreword by Dr. Neal Barnard Skyhorse Publishing 2 Copyright © 2014 by Shushana Castle and Amy-Lee Goodman Foreword © 2014 by Neal Barnard Illustrations by Julia O’Flynn O’Brien Illustrations © 2014 Shushana Castle All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [email protected]. Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. 3 Cover design by Owen Corrigan Cover photo credit Thinkstock Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-427-6 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-044-0 Printed in the United States of America 4 Acknowledgments First and foremost, this book would not have been possible without the passionate and fearless leaders in the health, environmental, and animal movements that opened our eyes and left us forever changed. We would not be who we are today without the pioneers who came before us—John Robbins, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Gene Bauer, Francis Moore Lappe, and so many others we wish to mention. We are forever indebted to your hard work and dedication to improving the lives of all the animals and the health of our planet. To those who shared their stories with us, especially Karen Hudson, Helen Reddout, Howard Lyman, and Robyn O’Brien—thank you for letting us publicize the ever-evolving stories in your communities. Your hard work demanding justice and healthier food is an inspiration to us all. We are grateful to the experts who were instrumental in The Meaty Truth’s publication. Our wonderful agent, Steve Harris, provided advice and guidance throughout the publishing process. Our illustrator, Julia O’Flynn O’Brien, made our cartoons come to life. Our editor, Emily Houlihan, publisher Bill Wolfsthal, and the entire Skyhorse team worked closely with us to share this untold story and expose the truth. To our families and dear friends, your endless support, encouragement, and patience allowed us to pursue this dream and see it become a reality after many years of hard work. And finally to all the animals, domestic and wild, you fill our 5 lives with so much joy and remind us each day why we wrote The Meaty Truth. Thank you. 6 Dedication To Mom, Dad, Greg, and Jay, whose love and encouragement taught me to always dream big. And to Mom and Jack, your love and support is bigger than the universe. Thank you. 7 Contents Foreword Introduction: Serving a Side of Truth Chapter 1: The Disaster on Our Plates Chapter 2: America the Beautiful: From Cesspool to Shining Cesspool Chapter 3: Seriously? You’re Still Sick? Chapter 4: Scary Sh!t Chapter 5: A Hamburger Seasoned with Feces, Please! Chapter 6: The All-American Meal: Eating Sh!t and Drinking Pus Chapter 7: The United Corporation of America Chapter 8: The Real Cost of “Cheap” Food Chapter 9: This Sh!t Ain’t Working Chapter 10: Cut the Crap; Change the World The Meaty Truth Recipes Recommended Resources for a Healthy, Happy Life References 8 Index 9 Foreword When I was growing up in Fargo, North Dakota, our family ate roast beef, baked potatoes, and corn. Day after day, that was about it. Sometimes a pork chop or slice of liver might replace the beef. But we never strayed very far from this rather unimaginative, meat-centered menu. After all, we thought we needed meat for iron and protein—which translated into health and strength—and we were prepared to overlook the unsavory aspects of slaughter and meat packing. Never mind that heart attacks were common—and still are. We attributed them to old age, or perhaps genetics, rather than to our meaty diet. Later on, when I entered medical school, I learned something quite different. It turned out that people who avoided meat were healthier than those who ate it. Carefully conducted research studies showed that they were slimmer; had much less risk of heart problems, cancer, and diabetes; and lived years longer. In 1990, medical science turned another page. That was the year when Dr. Dean Ornish showed that a plant-based diet, along with other healthful lifestyle changes, could actually reverse heart disease, causing narrowed coronary arteries to reopen without surgery. Meat-based diets—even “lean” meats—had none of that power. At the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, our research team put a plant-based diet to the test for diabetes, weight problems, and other health conditions. We found that when people threw out the animal products—meat, dairy 10
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