Dealing with Naysayers about Protein, Getting Sick and “You’re crazy!”

Unless one is 100% committed, it doesn’t take much to derail from a plant-based eating protocol based on what they perceive as judgment from others. Until you are well-established in this way of eating and living, be aware of what is likely to happen.

For example, when someone new to this lifestyle gets asked the oh-so-common question, “But where do you get your protein?” some will use this as an excuse to say, “I knew this was a mistake.”

Or, “Aren’t you afraid of getting sick by not eating meat?”

And then there’s the flat out, “You’re crazy. Only wackos and tree huggers would eat this way.”

Wait! Think this through and arm yourself with the right (and factual) information.

Protein

From the time most of us were old enough to talk, we were taught that we had to have milk, meat, chicken and fish to survive. We were led to believe these were great sources of protein. What we weren’t taught is what all of these did to our overall health.
Healthy, plant based meal

The information was NOT based on fact, but rather it was food manufactures, including the dairy, poultry, fish and beef industries, that poured untold amounts of money into marketing campaigns to convince us that without beef, cheese, milk, fish and chicken, we would wither away and die.

The reality is much different than the lies we’ve been fed. Eating a lot of these foods on the Carnivore Diet can lead to excessive sodium intake, which has been linked to an increased risk of some cancers, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and other negative health outcomes.

Additionally, eating meat and dairy is not only cruel to your overall system, it’s cruel to the animals who are subjected to inhumane treatment due to factory farming.

But you will never hear this from the very industries that rely on keeping you in the dark about what their products do to your health.

One of the greatest downsides of eating a carnivore diet is the risk of weight gain and more specifically, obesity. An increase in obesity means an increase in far too many diseases that can be prevented.

As obesity rates rise, it’s alarming that more people don’t do the research to learn exactly why this is so. Which leads to the next point.

Getting Sick

We are a very sick society. This fact cannot be denied yet, many people live in state of denial preferring to pretend they have no idea why they feel, look and act the way they do.

Look around the next time you go grocery shopping. Take a look at the types of garbage (disguised as tasty treats) people have in their carts. Chips, sodas, candy, cakes, donuts, and on and on. All contributors to a very unhealthy life, lack of energy, depression, mood swings, disease and inability to live fully.

What used to be uncommon regarding obesity is now commonplace.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) the prevalence of obesity was 39.8% and affected about 93.3 million of US adults in 2015~2016. As well, obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death.

Furthermore, the estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion in 2008 US dollars; the medical cost for people who have obesity was $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Leading the Obesity Charge

Fast forward to 2019 and the numbers are even more alarming. According to the American Medical Association, there’s been a big change in obesity rates.

Seven states now have the dubious distinction of having 35 percent or more of the population battling obesity:

• Alabamarn- Arkansasrn- Iowarn- Louisianarn- Mississippirn- Oklahomarn- West Virginia

That’s a stark difference from just a little more than a decade ago, when Mississippi and West Virginia were the only states above the 30 percent mark. And today’s numbers are even more startling when you consider no state had an adult obesity rate higher than 15 percent in 1985 and no state was above 20 percent in 2000.

With the latest data from the NHANES showing that 39.6 percent of adults and 18.5 percent of children ages 2 to 19 in America have obesity, the State of Obesity report noted that “these are the highest rates ever documented by NHANES.”

https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/adult-obesity-rates-rise-6-states-exceed-35-7

This is no longer something we can say, “Someday we will get our eating under control.” This is something that must be addressed immediately if you are to get a handle on your health and the health of children that depend on you for guidance.

Whether it be your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, students, or neighborhood kids, your actions set an example of how to live, what is healthy and what they can do to have a high quality of life.

WHPB is the Solution

Compare these statistics to individuals who eat a 100% WFPB (whole food, plant-based) diet.

A plant-based diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, is a great way to lose weight, increase health benefits and normalize health risks.

Eating a variety of foods on a plant-based diet provides more than enough of needed nutrients including protein and calcium.

And, eating a plant-based diet is one of the most effective ways to achieve permanent weight loss in a healthy way.
Kathleen Gage Before Plant Based and One Year After

It is important to include a reliable source of vitamin B12 in your diet. You can easily meet your vitamin B12 needs with a daily supplement or fortified foods, such as vitamin B12-fortified breakfast cereals, plant milks, and nutritional yeast.

Yet, many people will benefit from adding in a high quality B12 supplement.

It’s a fact, those who eat a plant-based diet lower their risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other health conditions.

More on the benefits and weight loss outcomes at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6221888/

You’re Crazy

It’s amazing how many people will jump to the “You’re crazy!” argument with someone who is plant based. “Isn’t that a drastic way of eating?”

Yet, as drastic as this may seem to some, it’s one of the sanest ways to eat.

When you consider all the health problems increasing by the day that could be minimize, even reversed, with a plant-based diet, it is crazier to continue the path most people are on.

At the current rate of increase with common diseases (that just a few years ago were considered rare), choosing to subject ourselves to the mercy of big pharma, corporations more interested in profit than our well-being and surgeries that might be preventable, which is really the craziest choice.

Again, it’s up to each one of us to make decisions daily as to what is truly in our best interest for our health, well-being, happiness, energy and overall sane state of mind.