No oil

Part of living a plant-strong life is letting go of oil. This includes all oil: olive oil, coconut oil, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil, ANY oil.

(You can keep motor oil for your cars!)

We know that there are a lot of myths around oil, and there has been a lot of misinformation about consuming oil. In short oil is a highly processed food that comes from a whole food, kind of like sugar comes from a sugar cane plant. (just a note, did you know you need about 3 feet of sugar cane to make a tbs of sugar? It takes 1375 olives to make a litre of oil!)

Back to oil, it is pure fat, and many of the great nutrients and properties of the whole food are extracted in the process of making a whole food an oil.

Let’s have some experts weigh in on the oil debate:

Dr. Esselstyn: “NO OIL! Not even olive oil, which goes against a lot of other advice out there about so-called good fats. The reality is that oils are extremely low in terms of nutritive value. They contain no fiber, no minerals and are 100% fat calories. And above all they contain saturated fat which immediately injures the endothelial lining of the arteries when eaten. It doesn’t matter whether it’s olive oil, corn oil, or any other kind of oil. This is so important I have detailed oil in Chapter 10 (of Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease).”

Want to know how Bill Clinton got healthy? It wasn’t only cutting out animals, it was cutting out oil.

You can also watch Dr. Esselstyn’s hour long lecture, which will give you a good start in understanding heart disease and what foods should be avoided, if you also want to avoid heart disease.

Is oil a health food or a junk food? Watch this short video by Jeff Novick. And what about coconut oil? Read all about the brilliant marketing that lead many to believe that coconut oil was a health food.

What about Dr. McDougall? Here is what he has to say:

“In our bodies these plant-derived, essential fats are used for many purposes including the formation of all cellular membranes, and the synthesis of powerful hormones, known as eicosanoids (prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and thromboxanes).

Our requirement is very tiny, and even the most basic diets provide sufficient linoleic acid to meet our requirement, which is estimated to be 1–2% of dietary energy.1 Therefore, in practical terms, a condition of “essential fatty acid deficiency” is essentially unknown in free-living populations.

*Essential fatty acid deficiency is seen when sick patients are fed intravenously by fat-free parenteral nutrition.  In these cases, correction of the deficiency can be accomplished by applying small amounts of soybean or safflower oil to their skin—giving you some idea of the small amount of oil we require.2 Plan on your diet of basic plant-foods supplying an abundance of essential fats delivered in perfectly designed packages, functioning efficiently and safely.

*Some people talk about a “relative deficiency” of essential fats created by a large intake of saturated animal fats, synthetictrans fats (as found in margarine and shortenings), and/or omega-6 fats compared to their intake of omega-3 fats, and they believe many of our common chronic diseases are the result of this imbalance.1 This is quite different from true essential fatty acid deficiency which would result in: loss of hair, scaly dermatitis, capillary fragility, poor wound healing, increased susceptibility to infection, fatty liver, and growth retardation in infants and children.1″Read the rest of the article here.And what about Fish oil?
Here is what Dr. Esselstyn has to say: “Fish oil is not essential. Fish get their omega 3 from plants. It is difficult to be deficient in Omega 3 if eating 1-2 tablespoons of flax seed meal and green leafy vegetables at several meals. There is also research that suggests that those on plant based nutrition become highly efficient in their own manufacture of omega 3. Patients on fish oil are also at increased risk for bleeding.”Dr. Campbell (in regards to DHA): “Most importantly, however, we need to understand that these chemicals (nutrients) work in a highly integrated, virtually symphonic manner to produce their health effect. Thus it is a matter of thinking about the collection of such chemicals in large groups of foods. I hold that we need to discard the traditional view of nutrition, based on the effects of single nutrients, and take seriously the symphonic nature of food chemicals working together. In effect, the ‘whole’ nutritional effect is greater than the sum of its parts.”

read the rest of what he has to say.

Wondering if you need fat to absorb nutrients? Dr.McDougall clears up that myth as well.

What about fish oil?

Dr. McDougall:

“Much attention has recently been paid to the possible benefits of increasing the intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) by consuming fish oil. However, this can have adverse effects such as raising LDL “bad” cholesterol levels in patients with already high cholesterol and causing a deterioration in glucose tolerance, in other words, making diabetes worse. (Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 44:127, 1991). In one recent study of feeding w-6 alpha linolenic acid to obese subjects insulin sensitivity and HDL “good” cholesterol diminished, and the amount of oxidized LDL “bad” cholesterol increased (Aterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 17:1163, 1997). In most other studies, however, oils high in alpha linolenic acid have little effect on cholesterol and triglycerides (Am J Clin Nutr 65:1645, 1997).” Read the rest of that article here.

Dr. Esselstyn on fish oil:

“Fish oil is not essential. Fish get their omega 3 from plants. It is difficult to be deficient in Omega 3 if eating 1-2 tablespoons of flax seed meal and green leafy vegetables at several meals. There is also research that suggests that those on plant based nutrition become highly efficient in their own manufacture of omega 3. Patients on fish oil are also at increased risk for bleeding.”

Dr. Campbell (author of “The China Study”) on fish oil:

“Most importantly, however, we need to understand that these chemicals (nutrients) work in a highly integrated, virtually symphonic manner to produce their health effect. Thus it is a matter of thinking about the collection of such chemicals in large groups of foods. I hold that we need to discard the traditional view of nutrition, based on the effects of single nutrients, and take seriously the symphonic nature of food chemicals working together. In effect, the ‘whole’ nutritional effect is greater than the sum of its parts.” read the rest of what he has to say: Dr. Campbell’s article about fish oil.

Your questions:

1. Where do we get fat? Nearly everything we eat has fat in it. It would be very difficult to not get enough fat, and many people get far too much. If you are eating a plant-strong diet, and eating enough getting enough fat is not an issue. Much like you get all the protein you need from eating plant-strong, you will get plenty of fat.

2. What about nuts/seeds/high fat plant-foods ? You don’t need to add much, like we said it is not really an issue, so long as you are not starving. If you have heart disease, type 2 diabetes or are overweight you will want to greatly reduce or eliminate high fat plant foods all together.

3. What about kids? Kids do not need to add pure fat to their diet. They can however have some of the higher fat plant foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, tempeh. But there is no reason to go overboard on this. Give fat to kids in the way of whole foods like vegetables, nuts, grains and beans.

4. What about athletes? If you are a professional level athlete (working out more than 35 hours a week) you will need to consume a lot more calories, but this in no way means you have to add oil. You might have to increase your higher caloric plant-based foods (nuts, avocado, seeds) but we would tell you to even be careful of that, too much high fat plant foods can cause issues, even to athletes.

5. How do I cook?! For stove top cooking, simply use water or low sodium vegetable broth. For baking you can use applesauce or any of these options.

6. Don’t I need to eat fat to lose weight? First, remember this is NOT a fat-free diet. You will be eating enough fat if you stick to whole starches/grains, vegetables, beans and fruit. We are not saying to cut out all fat, we are saying to cut out pure, processed fat in the form of oil. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat foods lower in caloric density, for more on that, check out Jeff Novick’s article about calorie density.

7. What about organic/natural/EVOO/other fancy ways to make oil sound healthy? And what about vegan products like vegan butter/coconut spread? They also sell organic, natural, local cigarettes, it doesn’t mean they are healthy for you. The bottom line is that oil is a processed food that causes damage to the endothelium, causes insulin resistance, and should not be considered a health food, no matter how many great marketing words they use. As for some of the non animal based junk food out there, it is still junk food. Vegan butter is still unhealthy.

8. But I know someone who eats oil every day, and I myself added oil in my diet and felt really great! Let’s go back to the cigarette analogy, ask most people who quit smoking and start again, and they will tell you they felt a lot better when they started smoking again. Their mood was better, maybe even their energy level, they ‘felt’ a lot better. Oil is a highly calorically dense food and all fat, we would be surprised if someone didn’t feel a little hit of pleasure when they consumed it. However, that should not be confused with health. As for people who eat oil and are healthy? Chances are they are healthy despite their use of oil, not because of it. Much like the Mediterranean Diet (you can read a great article about it here)

9. All things in moderation! I only use oil moderately. What is wrong with that?! Read the truth about moderation here and here. We also like Dr. Esselstyn’s take on it – if you eat unhealthy foods in moderation, you will have a moderate heart attack.

10. Food won’t taste good anymore! Why are you ruining my life? Well, our goal is to help you make your life a lot better, by giving you some more years, and better yet, LIFE in your years. Why suffer for decades with heart disease or type 2 diabetes when you don’t have to? But we understand, giving up junk food like oil is hard, it is hard because our brains seek out the highest caloric density foods, that cause us the most pleasure response. So we agree, it is not always easy. If you want to learn more about this and “The Pleasure Trap” pick up Doug Lisle’s book on why we crave and want food that does not do us any good.

11. Where can I find oil free plant-strong recipes? We have a Pinterest page with over 100’s of  oil free, plant-strong recipes (no need to have Pinterest, just click on the photo until you get to the recipe). You can check out Fat Free Vegan here (where she has over 1000 recipes) and here. Lindsay Nixon at Happy Herbivore has a bunch of awesome recipes.  Cathy Fisher from Straight Up Food has beautiful and delicious recipes. Jeff Novick has some of his fast, 10 minute meals in this wonderful album (click on photos for recipes). Healthy Girls Kitchen has a bunch of great ones. And then you can get some great DVD’s/books: Fast Food by Jeff Novick, Burgers and Fries by Jeff Novick, Every Day Happy Herbivore, Happy Herbivore,

There are more recipes than we know what to do with, 1000′s of plant-strong, no oil recipes (we know we missed a few resources, but that should get you started.)

12. How do I eat out? What if I need a fast meal? This is going to take a little effort on your part, in that you are going to be a little more vocal when you eat out. But rest assured, we haven’t had a problem yet! And we travel a lot. You can read Rip’s tips on traveling here. Need quick, packaged food, we have put all of our favorite fast, packaged oil free, plant-based foods here (no need to buy them from Amazon, look for them locally, a lot of stores carry everything on the page).

13. What about the recent studies that say that olive oil is healthy? 

Read the responses by Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Campbell. You can also read the response by Dr. McDougall, Dr. Ornish and a response by PCRM. Do not be fooled by poorly conducted studies.

Bottom line, oil is not a health food. Please consider reading all of the resources above, but better yet – TRY IT! It might take a couple of weeks to get past the pleasure trap side of things, but it will get easier as you go. See how great you will feel when you pass on the oil.

FAD diets

Any diet other than veganism—including vegetarianism—is unhealthy. Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, The Zone, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and the Blood-Type diets cannot produce optimum health because there is no such thing as healthy meat, cheese, milk and eggs, just as there is no such thing as healthy cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes cause NO disease (with the exception of a wheat gluten allergy that causes Celiac Disease in some individuals who are gluten-intolerant). Diseases arise from the consumption of animal protein, casein, cholesterol, sugar, the excessive amount of fat found in all animal products and oils, artificial additives, the 2-9 percent of naturally-occurring trans-fatty acids found in meat and dairy, human-made trans fatty acids found in junk food, and the excessive amount of refined carbohydrates found in white rice, white bread, and pasta. Non-dietary factors affect health, too. Stress, a lack of sleep, smoking tobacco, chemical pollution, genetics, and a lack of exercise can wreak havoc on the body. Therefore, it is essential to eat plant-based foods exclusively, and control the non-dietary factors to the best of your ability. Check out this 2014 University of Southern California study which clearly indicts animal protein as a deadly toxin.

The advertising hustlers and shyster doctors of the fad diet industry claim that it's not the meat and cheese of a sandwich making people overweight and sick; it's only the bun! They tell people that it's not the bacon, milk and eggs of the standard American breakfast making people overweight and sick; it's the side of strawberries and cantaloupe.

Even moderate amounts of animal products are detrimental to the human body because moderate amounts of cholesterol, fat, trans-fatty acids, casein and animal protein are just as harmful as moderate amounts of sugar, tobacco, and heroin. If you want to avoid lung cancer and emphysema, moderately smoking five cigarettes per day would not be too bright. If you want to avoid heart diseases, most cancers, diabetes,osteoporosis and other diseases, not even a moderate amount of meat, dairy and eggs can be on the menu. From an ethical standpoint, cruelty in moderation is never acceptable.

Dr. James Anderson, professor of medicine and nutrition at the University of Kentucky said, "If you wanted to find one diet to ruin your health, you couldn't find one worse than Atkins." Egregious fad diets like Atkins are exact recipes for heart diseases and cancers.

Fad diets, however, are capable of bringing about weight loss. If losing weight—and not being healthy—is the only goal, people should try some other fabulous weight-loss methods like smoking crack, bulimia, anorexia or getting AIDS. I'm not recommending those insane techniques, but I bet if a few advertising hustlers, shyster doctors and pharmaceutical companies got together and decided to package crack and called it "The Low-Carb Crack Snack," everyone would be snacking on crack!

Skinniness doesn't equal healthiness. Skinny meat, dairy and egg-eaters have heart attacks and get cancer all the time. After you or someone else you know gets skinny on a fad diet—and then dies from a heart attack or cancer—I'm sure the pallbearers will be thrilled they won't have to strain too much as they carry the casket from the hearse to the grave.

Stop eating fish

Americans and Australians kill and eat 18 billion marine animals every year. Some are genetically engineered on fish farms, while the rest are hooked by the mouth or netted by huge trawlers that catch and kill everything in their path. Contrary to the biased statements made by meat, dairy and egg-eating addicts, there isn't one shred of doubt that fish experience a wide-range of emotions from fear and pain to excitement and happiness, and everything else in between.

Here's an analogy to help you empathize with fish: imagine you are walking down a country road lined with apple trees. Hungry from the walk, you reach up to grab a piece of fruit. Suddenly, your hand becomes impaled with a large, metal hook that pulls you out of the air and into an atmosphere in which you cannot breathe. We drown fish and other aquatic animals in our atmosphere the same way we drown in theirs.

Contrary to the slick advertisements of the fish industry, or the misinformed American doctors who only receive around THREE HOURS of nutrition information during their eight-year medical programs, fish is not a health food. With mercury, dioxin and PCBs, fish meat is the most contaminated food product available. Additionally, a regular serving of fish meat has, on average, around 70 mg. of cholesterol, which is nearly three times the amount found in a hot dog (24 mg.). Contrary to anyone who espouses otherwise, cholesterol produced by YOUR body is the only good cholesterol. If you bring it in from an outside source, it's bad cholesterol.

Claims about omega fatty acids being found solely in fish are absolute lies. Some fish have omegas because they've eaten algae/seaweed or consumed other fish who have already eaten algae/seaweed. Every vitamin, mineral and nutrient comes from the earth in the form of fruits, vegetables (sea or land), nuts, seeds, grains and legumes. Animal products only contain trace amounts of vitamins, minerals and nutrients because animals eat plants (sea or land). Meat is, at best, a secondary source of essential elements.

Açaí (fruit), beans, black currant seed oil, blue-green algae, borage seed oil, cabbage, canola oil, flax (oil/seeds), chlorella, corn, green vegetables (leafy), hemp (oil/seed/powder/milk), pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soy, sprouts (all), squash, vegetable oils, walnuts and wheat all contain omega fatty acids WITHOUT cholesterol, WITHOUT enormous amounts of saturated fat, WITHOUT trans-fatty acids, WITHOUT animal protein and, most importantly, WITHOUT cruelty!

If someone told you to smoke cigarettes because they contain trace amounts of omegas or calcium (they do not), would you do it? Of course not. Yet those who consume animal-based foods engage in exactly this kind of behaviour by eating meat, cheese, milk and eggs, putting these deadly products into their bodies on the pretence of obtaining trace amounts of nutrients! As the great philosopher Pythagoras said, "Men dig their graves with their own teeth, and die more by those instruments than by all weapons of their enemies."

The big fat protein swindle

Not a week goes by, so it seems, without a new version of a high-protein diet popping up in the media. 'Getting enough protein' has become a national obsession. Self-styled diet gurus and personal trainers ascribe almost mythical properties to protein, describing it as a 'body-shaping nutrient' and 'the key to successful weight loss'.
 
Inevitably, those banging the drum for high-protein diets mean a high animal protein diet; they usually describe plant proteins as being 'incomplete' or 'low quality' - and of course plant proteins always come 'pre-packaged' by nature with carbohydrate, which the protein-pushers vilify as the cause of the current obesity epidemic.
Yet the undeniable fact is that obesity is rare in societies that eat a diet based on carbohydrate-rich plant foods; while in Western countries (and among the wealthy in developing countries, who have adopted a Western-style high-animal protein dietary pattern) rates of obesity are skyrocketing.

How can you get to the truth about protein? Let's examine some of the most prevalent protein myths.

Myth #1: You can't get enough protein without eating meat and other animal products

Actually, this one is pretty funny, when you think about it. The largest, strongest land animals on the planet - elephants, rhinoceroses, oxen, buffalo - eat nothing but plants. If a silverback gorilla, which weighs 200-300 kg but is up to 10 times as strong as an adult male, can maintain its bulk and strength on a diet of leaves, shoots and roots, what on earth are we worried about?
I find it alternately amusing and maddeningly irritating (depending on what mood I'm in) that personal trainers tell their clients - who are ordinary men and women who just want to lose weight and get fitter - that they need to eat animal protein 2 or 3 times a day to achieve their goals, when there are so many examples of top athletes, including:

• Bodybuilders Jim Morris, Billy Simmonds and Patrik Babouminan;
• Ultra Men Rich Roll and Scott Jurek;
• Triathlete Ruth Heidrich;
• Runners Carl Lewis, Fiona Oakes and Ellen Jaffe Jones;
• Fighters Mac Danzig and Emily Jans; and
• Cricketer Peter Siddle and American football fullback Tony Fiammetta,

who have maintained peak physical fitness, strength and endurance on vegan (all-plant) diets.

Myth #2: Plant proteins are incomplete

It is completely astonishing to me that this myth is still stated as fact by so many people who ought to know better, including many dietitians.
For those who aren't familiar with the technicalities of protein, there are 22 amino acids that, arranged in different sequences, form all the proteins in our bodies. 8 of them (some authorities say 9) have to be obtained through the diet and are called essential amino acids, while the remainder can be made from the essential amino acids and other precursors, and are called non-essential amino acids.

Note that non-essential amino acids are every bit as important to protein formation as the essential ones; the tag 'essential' just means that it's essential to obtain them from the foods we eat because we can't make them ourselves.

Many diet books, websites and nutrition professionals still describe plant proteins as 'incomplete', meaning they are lacking in one or more essential amino acids, and state that we MUST eat different sources of plant proteins (e.g. grains and beans, or grains and nuts) at the same meal so we can obtain enough of all the essential amino acids. This is, quite frankly, complete rubbish.

All plants synthesise all the amino acids we use to build our body proteins. Animals are reliant on eating plants, or eating animals that have eaten plants, to get their amino acids.
All plant proteins contain all 8 essential amino acids as well as all of the non-essential ones. The proportion of the essential amino acids varies in plant foods (as it does in animal-derived foods) - for example, grains tend to have lower concentrations of lysine, and legumes have lower methionine, in relation to the other essential amino acids.
However, these so-called limiting amino acids are completely irrelevant, because if you eat enough legumes or grains to meet your energy (calorie/kilojoule) needs, you simply cannot fail to secure enough of each individual amino acid.

Your brilliant, highly-evolved body also has important strategies to maintain a consistent ratio of the amino acids needed for protein synthesis in your bloodstream: It recycles your own body proteins.

The cells lining your intestinal tract are sloughed off regularly, and go into the mixture of food working its way through your intestines, to be digested, absorbed and recycled into other body proteins. Used-up digestive secretions meet the same fate.
This recycling of endogenous ('from the inside') protein ensures that no matter what you eat at any given meal, the ratio of amino acids in your bloodstream after that meal will remain virtually identical.

In fact, we utilise much more recycled protein that 'fresh' dietary protein: we produce around 200 grams of endogenous protein per day, while most people eat less than 100 grams of dietary protein per day (1).

Myth #3: You need to eat more protein to lose weight/carbohydrates make you fat

If you are overweight, you have eaten too many calories for your needs. It's that simple. Protein and carbohydrate yield 4 calories per gram, while fat contains 9 calories per gram. If you eat too much of any of these macronutrients, you will gain weight or find it impossible to lose it.

Doing complicated calculations to achieve a precise ratio of proteins:fats:carbohydrates won't change the fact that you're taking in more energy than you're burning off. Instead, keep your focus on micronutrient-per-calorie-density, or maximising the amount of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals you obtain per calorie - what I call 'maximum nutrient bang for your calorie buck'.

Although I'm not an advocate of starch-based diets (because they supply insufficient micronutrients for optimal health) it's quite hilarious to blame starches for making people fat. Asian people have traditionally eaten large quantities of rice and remained slim. It's only when they migrate to urban areas of their own countries, or to other countries, and start eating more animal-based foods, that they become overweight.

A study of over 10 000 American adults (2), conducted by researchers employed by the US Department of Agriculture (a body which has advocated the consumption of copious amounts of animal-derived foods since it was founded), found that those who consumed the greatest percentage of their daily calories as carbohydrate, ate fewer calories overall and had the lowest body mass index (BMI) - that is, they were the slimmest. So much for carbs making you fat!

Myth #4: Your blood type determines your protein requirement

The popularity of Peter D'Adamo's blood type diet is staggering. What's even more staggering is the complete lack of scientific evidence for the dietary recommendations D'Adamo makes.

I could go on and on about the glaring scientific errors in his books, including:

• The claim that type Os are predisposed to hypothyroidism because they don't make enough iodine (duh!!!! Iodine is a mineral - no one makes it, we have to consume it in our diet);
• The fact that there is no biochemical research that supports his claim that lectins in food react differently with the A, B and O antigens; and
• His assertion that agglutination reactions he has observed with blood taken from people and mixed with lectins that have not undergone the processes of digestion, would also happen in vivo i.e. inside the living body - for which there is no evidence whatsoever.

Neither D'Adamo nor any of his followers have ever published any scientific trials of the blood type diet.

But for me, the most damning piece of evidence against the blood type diet is the falsity of the claims D'Adamo makes about the sequence of development of the type O, A, B and AB blood groups, and the context of that development. His entire theory rests on the claim that all of our ancestors were meat-eaters with type O blood; that the A type developed after humans learned to cultivate crops; and the B and AB types appeared much later in our evolution (less than 10 000 years ago).

This is absolute bunkum. Chimpanzees and gorillas also have the ABO blood groups, indicating that these blood groups have been in existence in our evolutionary tree for at least 5 million years (and by the way, in case you hadn't noticed, chimps and gorillas have never cultivated crops or domesticated animals to consume their milk).
Paleoanthropologists are in complete agreement that our earliest hominid ancestor, was herbivorous (vegetarian), and there is widespread agreement that the A type developed first (3).

Protein facts

Protein is undeniably an important nutrient, and it is also undeniable that you can get perfectly adequate quantity and quality of protein on a diet that includes no animal products whatsoever, if you so choose.

Relax about protein, and put your focus on obtaining maximum nutrients per calorie by basing your diet on green and other non-starchy vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Dairy and Cancer

Without a doubt, sugar, the oil and fat in fried foods, artificial additives, human-made trans fatty acids found in junk food, and the excessive amount of refined carbohydrates found in white rice, white bread, and pasta cause health problems, while non-dietary factors harm us, too. Stress, a lack of sleep, smoking tobacco, chemical pollution, and a lack of exercise can wreak havoc on the body. However, since animal flesh and the things that come out of animals are always toxic, the main factors for disease development will always be animal protein, casein, cholesterol, the excessive amount of fat found in all animal products, and the 2-9 percent of naturally-occurring trans-fatty acids found in meat and dairy.

Concerning cancer: Even though we're all born with cancer cells, the cells won't "activate" and turn deadly unless they are "expressed". So, preemptively amputating one's breasts (mastectomy), or taking some other drastic action, will NOT prevent cancer development if the cell "activators" are still present. Since cancer thrives in the acidic environment that animal protein creates, it is essential to eat plant-based foods exclusively, and control the non-dietary factors to the best of your ability. Check out this 2014 University of Southern California study which clearly indicts animal protein as a deadly toxin.

A 2013 Loma Linda University study confirms that vegans have the lowest cancer rates, while the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) proves that dairy increases the risk of prostate cancer. (A UCSF study of 27,000 men also showed an 81-percent increased risk of prostate cancer from consuming 2.5 eggs per week.) Another AJCN study shows that children who consume high levels of dairy products have close to three times the risk of developing colorectal cancer in adulthood, while a study of 60,000 women reveals that those who had four servings of dairy daily had twice the risk of ovarian cancer. The Lancet also reports that dairy, especially yogurt, will increase the risk of ovarian cancer. In the documentary Forks Over Knives, Dr. John McDougall mocks the medical community for NOT recommending veganism as the best way to prevent, treat or cure cancer.

Dairy also contributes to many other health problems, from acne, asthma and allergies to Crohn's disease, ear infections and diabetes, just to name a few.

Why Do Vegetarians Live Longer?

Nearly a decade of extra life -- that's what you get when you move away from eating animal foods and toward a plant-based diet. This is really exciting science for anyone seeking healthy longevity (and who isn't?)!

According to a recent report on the largest study of vegetarians and vegans to date, those eating plant-based diets appear to have a significantly longer life expectancy. Vegetarians live on average almost eight years longer than the general population, which is similar to the gap between smokers and nonsmokers. This is not surprising, given the reasons most of us are dying. In an online video, "Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death," Michael Greger, M.D. explores the role a healthy diet can play in preventing, treating, and even reversing the top 15 killers in the United States. Let's take a closer look at what the good doctor has pulled together...

Heart disease is our leading cause of death. The 35-year follow-up of the Harvard Nurses Health Study was recently published, now the most definitive long-term study on older women's health. Dietary cholesterol intake -- only found in animal foods -- was associated with living a significantly shorter life and fiber intake -- only found in plant foods -- was associated with living a significantly longer life. Consuming the amount of cholesterol found in just a single egg a day may cut a woman's life short as much as smoking five cigarettes daily for 15 years, whereas eating a daily cup of oatmeal's worth of fiber appears to extend a woman's life as much as four hours of jogging a week. (But there's no reason we can't do both!)

What if your cholesterol's normal, though? I hear that a lot. But here's the thing: having a "normal" cholesterol in a society where it's "normal" to drop dead of a heart attack is not necessarily a good thing. According to the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology, "For the build-up of plaque in our arteries to cease, it appears that the serum total cholesterol needs to be lowered to the 150 area. In other words the serum total cholesterol must be lowered to that of the average pure vegetarian."

More than 20 years ago, Dr. Dean Ornish showed that heart disease could not just be stopped but actually reversed with a vegan diet, arteries opened up without drugs or surgery. Since this lifestyle cure was discovered, hundreds of thousands have died unnecessary deaths. What more does one have to know about a diet that reverses our deadliest disease?

Cancer is killer number two. Ah, the dreaded "C" word -- but look at this hopeful science. According to the largest forward-looking study on diet and cancer so far performed, "the incidence of all cancers combined is lower among vegetarians." The link between meat and cancer is such that even a paper published in the journal Meat Science recently asked, "Should we become vegetarians, or can we make meat safer?" There are a bunch of additives under investigation to suppress the toxic effects the blood-based "heme" iron, for example, which could provide what they called an "acceptable" way to prevent cancer. Why not just reduce meat consumption? The meat science researchers noted that if such public health guidance were adhered to, "Cancer incidence may be reduced, but farmers and [the] meat industry would suffer important economical problems..." Hmmm, so Big Ag chooses profit over health; what a surprise.

After Dr. Ornish's team showed that the bloodstreams of men eating vegan for a year had nearly eight times the cancer-stopping power, a series of elegant experiments showed that women could boost their defenses against breast cancer after just two weeks on a plant-based diet. See the before and after here. If you or anyone you know has ever had a cancer scare, this research will make your heart soar. Because there is real, true hope -- something you can do to stave off "the big C."

So, the top three leading causes of death used to be heart disease, cancer, then stroke, but the latest CDC stats place Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease third -- lung diseases such as emphysema. Surprisingly, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be prevented with the help of a plant-based diet, and can even be treated with plants. Of course, the tobacco industry viewed these landmark findings a little differently. Instead of adding plants to one's diet to prevent emphysema, wouldn't it be simpler to just add them to the cigarettes? Hence the study "Addition of Açaí [Berries] to Cigarettes Has a Protective Effect Against Emphysema in [Smoking] Mice." Seriously.

The meat industry tried the same tack. Putting fruit extracts in burgers was not without its glitches, though. The blackberries "literally dyed burger patties with a distinct purplish color," and though it was possible to improve the nutritional profile of frankfurters with powdered grape seeds, there were complaints that the grape seed "particles became visible" in the final product. And if there's one thing we know about hot dog eaters, it's that they're picky about what goes in their food!

Onward to strokes: The key to preventing strokes may be to eat potassium-rich foods. Though Chiquita may have had a good PR firm, bananas don't even make the top 50 sources. The leading whole food sources include dark green leafy vegetables, beans, and dates. We eat so few plants that 98 percent of Americans don't even reach the recommended minimum daily intake of potassium. And if you look at killer number five -- accidents -- bananas (and their peels) could be downright dangerous!

Alzheimer's disease is now our sixth leading killer. We've known for nearly 20 years now that those who eat meat -- including chicken and fish -- appear three times more likely to become demented compared to long-term vegetarians. Exciting new research suggests one can treat Alzheimer's using natural plant products such as the spice saffron, which beat out placebo and worked as well as a leading Alzheimer's drug.

Diabetes is next on the kick-the-bucket list. Plant-based diets help prevent, treat, and even reverse Type 2 diabetes. Since vegans are, on average, about 30 pounds skinnier than meat-eaters, this comes as no surprise; but researchers found that vegans appear to have just a fraction of the diabetes risk, even after controlling for their slimmer figures.

Kidney failure, our eighth leading cause of death, may also be prevented and treated with a plant-based diet. The three dietary risk factors Harvard researchers found for declining kidney function were animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol, all of which are only found in animal products.

Leading killer number nine is respiratory infections. With flu shot season upon us, it's good to know that fruit and vegetable consumption can significantly boost one's protective immune response to vaccination. Check out the short video "Kale and the Immune System," and you'll see there's not much kale can't do.

Suicide is number 10. Oh yes, vegan food even has something good to offer on this one! Cross-sectional studies have shown that the moods of those on plant-based diets tend to be superior, but taken in just a snapshot in time one can't tease out cause-and-effect. Maybe happier people end up eating healthier and not the other way around. But this year an interventional trial was published in which all meat, poultry, fish, and eggs were removed from people's diets and a significant improvement in mood scores was found after just two weeks. It can take drugs like Prozac a month or more to take effect. So you may be able to get happier faster by cutting out animal foods than by using drugs.
Drugs can help with the other conditions as well, but instead of taking one drug for cholesterol every day for the rest of your life, maybe a few for high blood pressure or diabetes, the same diet appears to work across the board without the risk of drug side-effects. One study found that prescription medications kill an estimated 106,000 Americans every year. That's not from errors or overdose, but from adverse drug reactions, arguably making doctors the sixth leading cause of death.

Based on a study of 15,000 American vegetarians, those that eat meat have about twice the odds of being on antacids, aspirin, blood pressure medications, insulin, laxatives, painkillers, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers. So plant-based diets are great for those that don't like taking drugs, paying for drugs, or risking adverse side effects.

Imagine if, like President Clinton, our nation embraced a plant-based diet. Imagine if we just significantly cut back on animal products. There is one country that tried. After World War II, Finland joined us in packing on the meat, eggs, and dairy. By the 1970s, the mortality rate from heart disease of Finnish men was the highest in the world, and so they initiated a country-wide program to decrease their saturated fat intake. Farmers were encouraged to switch from dairies to berries. Towns were pitted against each other in friendly cholesterol-lowering competitions. Their efforts resulted in an 80 percent drop in cardiac mortality across the entire country.

Can Any Oil Be Good for Your Health?

All hip and health conscious consumers know that a healthy body requires good healthy fats. And we know that the healthiest fats come in plant form, like nuts, seeds, avocados and olives. But what about oils? Certain oils can be a great way to get those good fats into your system, right? We should cook with them, dip bread in them, stir them into our morning coffee or smoothie, right? Never mind that it seems like the best ‘healthy’ oil is constantly changing: swap canola oil with sunflower with olive with flax with coconut to get the best health results…just ignore that fact the previous champion has become the newest bad guy. So what gives? Are oils good for us or what?

What Is Oil?

Most ‘healthy’ oils come from undeniably healthy sources. Olives, sunflowers, flax seeds, sesame seeds, avocados, and unsweetened coconut are all richly nutritious and healthy foods. However, in order to extract the oils from these foods, the majority of the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber must be removed by macerating, heating or with solvents. What remains is basically straight up calorie content, without the fiber and nutrients to slow down and time release the absorption of these calories into the digestive system. Essentially, that once nutrient-rich olive has become a processed version of itself. Some olive oils also aren’t cold-pressed as they may be advertised and many are often rancid by the time you end up using them after sitting on the shelf so long at the store.

What About Essential, Healthy Fat?

Yeah, yeah, so consuming oils is like injecting your body with nutritionally devoid calories. But what about those healthy fats? What about the anti-inflammatory benefits we hear so much about? Don’t we need those for proper brain and body function? Let’s talk about the healthy fats we need so badly first. There are two essential healthy fats that the human body is unable to produce on it’s own and therefore must get from other sources: Omega-3 and Omega-6 amino acids. Both of these amino acids are biologically active and it is necessary for humans to eat them in perfect balance. Research has shown that human evolution is due in part, to eating these amino acids in balance, and considering that processed oils weren’t around when our cavemen ancestors were, it’s pretty safe to assume they got these essential fatty acids from eating whole foods. However, when we consume these acids in the very concentrated form of processed oil which tends to be high in Omega-6, but low in anti-inflammatory Omega-3, without the fiber to filter and regulate the absorption, we throw that balance off, which can lead to a host of cardiovascular, inflammatory, cancers and other diseases.

What About Cooking?

Here’s where oils can be particularly dangerous. Not only are oils high in caloric content, and off balance with essential fatty acids, but exposing them to heat changes the chemical composition of the oil! And many oil extraction processes actually use heat. Raw fats are absorbed in the body with the help of the lipase enzyme, which makes for easy assimilation. However, when fats are cooked, the lipase enzyme disappears, making the fats in oils unassimilable, clogging up arteries, and accumulating in our body’s cells. Additionally, while some oils have different burn points, all of them, regardless of their burn point, create carcinogens and free radicals when exposed to oxygen and heat. Yikes!

What About All The Studies?

Here’s the sad truth. Most of the studies done on the health benefits of various oils are marketing hype. Even the Mediterranean diet, so named for it’s focus on the heart healthy diets of people from that region, is a myth, because the health benefits are from the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed, according to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study focused on meals, each of which emphasized one component of the Mediterranean Diet. ”After the meal rich in olive oil, dilation in the arteries was impaired. The meal caused severe constrictions, which can injure the endothelium, the inner lining of arteries, contributing to heart disease. No such problems occurred with the other meals.” According to Dr. Vogel of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet appear to be antioxidant rich foods, which “appear to provide some protection against the direct impairment in endothelial function produced by high-fat foods, including olive oil.” Healthy oils are essentially snake oil hype.

So What To Do Instead?

When it comes to  fats, carbs, or protein, remember that whole foods are always best. Though some oils out there may be better than others, their whole food counterpart will provide you with the exact same benefits, but more, and less of a dense source of fat that you could obtain from the food itself. For example, olives have phytochemicals and fiber you won’t find in their oil, no matter how healthy a version it may be. Coconuts are rich in antioxidants, protein, and fiber that the oil simply can’t contain, no matter how many other benefits it is said to have.The same goes for any oil, no matter what food it’s derived from. It’s the equivalent of choosing a wheat flour over whole wheat kernels. You get the picture.
Take advantage of a whole-food based Mediterranean-style (oil-free) diet, if you’re up to it. It’s been shown to decrease disease and improve body weight, cholesterol, and even diabetes. Here are many of our favorite recipes if you need ideas. Incorporate a variety of healthy, fresh, nutrient rich foods into your diet, with as minimal processing, as close to their garden state as possible. Instead of tossing that glub of flaxseed oil into your smoothie, why not toss a few whole seeds in the blender or sprinkle them on top? Your digestive system and heart will thank you due to their healthy fibers!
Try mashing a little avocado with lemon juice, mustard and a little water to create a delicious, creamy, oil-free salad dressing, or try some of these tasty oil free salad dressing ideas as well. Instead of sautéing onions and garlic in oil, use water, lemon juice or vegetable broth, or some of these creative oil-free ideas for a rich flavor that often tastes better than the oil version. And always be sure to have a diet rich in variety, antioxidants and fresh, whole plant based foods for optimal health!

Make 2015 the year of eating genuinely healthy

MANILA, Philippines–This will be the year of the sheep, and with it are the resolutions to stay sound in body by eating this or that. But many of the so-called “healthy” diets are really “wolves in sheep’s clothing” fads that can either do nothing to alleviate or prevent the alarming increase of killer lifestyle diseases, or even hasten their onset.

For many health experts, scientists and nutritionists, there is only one diet guaranteed to keep you as far from suffering lifestyle diseases as possible all year round.

Creating plant-based dishes paves the way for all the beneficial nutrients of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and beans to work their wonders in our immune systems. Being creative in the kitchen using only plant-based ingredients also makes us not miss meat products—pork, beef, chicken, eggs, dairy, cheese, milk and fish—that, as shown in various studies, have been linked to dreaded lifestyle diseases such as stroke, heart attack and cancer.

The British Journal of Urology in 1970 (Robertson WG, Peackock M, et al.) showed that high animal protein consumption increased calcium in the urine and the risk of calcium stone formation; the Lancet in 1976 (Cunningham AS) showed that countries with more animal protein consumption among their populations showed more cases of lymphoma. The International Journal of Cancer in 1975 (Armstrong B., Doll R.) showed that increased animal protein consumption increased the risk of cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, kidney and womb (endometrium).

Preventive health expert Neil Nedley, MD, said in his book “Proof Positive” that animal protein does increase cancer risk.

Experts like the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, T. Colin Campbell, a Jacob Gould Schurman professor emeritus of Cornell University’s nutrition biochemistry, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD, author of “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Program,” Dean Ornish, MD, author of Program for Reversing Heart Disease, and John McDougall, MD, have recommended a plant-based diet and have urged the public to get rid of animal protein.

Benefits

Campbell said that the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are enormous: “I want you to know that you can: live longer, look and feel younger, have more energy, lose weight, lower your blood cholesterol, prevent and even reverse heart disease, lower your risk of prostate, breast and other cancers, preserve your eyesight in your later years, prevent and treat diabetes, avoid surgery in many instances, vastly decrease the need for pharmaceutical drugs, keep your bones strong, avoid impotence, stroke, kidney stones, and Alzheimer’s, keep your baby from getting type 1 diabetes, alleviate constipation, lower your blood pressure, beat arthritis, and more …”

Campbell extensively discussed in “The China Study” book that there are virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants, and even showed the nutrient composition of plant- and animal-based foods (per 500 calories of energy).

Ornish, meanwhile, dedicated half of the book for “heart recipes” featuring mouth-watering dishes.

“One look at the recipes in this book (Program for Reversing Heart Diseases) and you will let go of any preconceived ideas you may have had about the incompatibility of healthy, meatless, low-fat eating and gastronomic pleasure. This is not a diet of deprivation; it is, on the contrary, a diet vibrant with colour and rich with the flavours and textures of many different foods—fresh vegetables, tangy herbs and pungent spices, chewy, wholesome grains, savoury beans, elegant pastas, and sweet enticing fruit dishes,” wrote Shirley Elizabeth Brown, MD, and Martha Rose Shulman who added that “vegetables, grains and dried beans are the backbone of the diet.”

Aside from googling such nutritious, yummy recipes, one can also check out vegan dishes and vegan communities in Facebook pages in your country or province. For Filipino readers, there are the Pinoyvegs and Manila Vegans Facebook pages. Online directory happycow.net can lead you to vegetarian-friendly stores and restaurants.

10 things you need to know

What is The China Study? It’s the largest comprehensive study of human nutrition ever conducted. It was launched via a partnership between Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine. The groundbreaking results from the study recommend a whole food plant-based diet as the best for long-term health.

1. American health statistics are scary. You may feel fit as a fiddle, but the country is unwell. Almost a third of adults over 20 are obese; one out of thirteen people have diabetes; and heart disease kills one out of every three Americans. We also pay more for our health care than any other country, and we don’t have better health to show for it.

2. Animal protein promotes the growth of cancer. The book author T. Colin Campbell, PhD., grew up on a dairy farm, so he regularly enjoyed a wholesome glass of milk. Not anymore. In multiple, peer-reviewed animal studies, researchers discovered that they could actually turn the growth of cancer cells on and off by raising and lowering doses of casein, the main protein found in cow’s milk.

3. Pesticides are gross, but none switch on cancer like poor nutrition. The food you eat affects the way your cells interact with carcinogens, making them more or less dangerous. “The results of these, and many other studies, showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen.”

4. The study findings are bulletproof. After years of controversial lab results on animals, the researchers had to see how they played out in humans. The study they created included 367 variables, 65 counties in China, and 6,500 adults (who completed questionnaires, blood tests, etc.). “When we were done, we had more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet, and disease variables.” In other words, there’s no arguing with the findings, Meat Council of America. Sorry.

5. The results are simple: Eat plants for health. “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest.”

6. Heart disease can be reversed through nutrition. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., a physician and researcher at the best cardiac center in the country, The Cleveland Clinic, treated 18 patients with established coronary disease with a whole foods, plant-based diet. Not only did the intervention stop the progression of the disease, but 70 percent of the patients saw an opening of their clogged arteries. Dr. Dean Ornish, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, completed a similar study with consistent results.

7. Carbs are not the enemy. Highly-processed, refined carbohydrates are bad for you. But plant foods are full of healthy carbs. Research shows that diets like the Atkins or South Beach (or Paleo) can actually cause dangerous side effects. While they may result in short-term weight loss, you’ll be sacrificing long-term health.

8. Plants are powerful. It’s not just cancer and heart disease that respond to a whole foods, plant-based diet. It may also help protect you from diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye, and brain diseases.

9. You don’t have to tailor your diet for specific health benefits. Eating healthy can seem segmented—broccoli will prevent breast cancer, carrots are good for eyes, did you get enough vitamin C today? “Nutrition that is truly beneficial for one chronic disease will support health across the board.”

10. Plants do it better. “There are virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants.” Protein (YES, PROTEIN!), fibre, vitamins, minerals—you name it, they’ve got it, and the health benefits.

How long do you want to live?

I always find people's responses to this question fascinating. Broadly speaking, they fall into one of two categories:

#1 "I'm here for a good time, not a long time," and

#2 "I have so much that I want to experience and accomplish, I want to make it to 100 - or beyond!"

When I dig a little deeper, I usually find that those in category #1 associate aging with an inexorable decline into physical and mental decrepitude. Often, they've endured the almost unbearable pain of having to watch helplessly as a parent or grandparent succumbed to an incurable, progressively debilitating condition such as dementia or emphysema. This shapes their concept of aging to such a great extent, that they simply can't imagine wanting to be alive past the age of say, 70.

People with this negative concept of aging aim to pack as much pleasure into their lives as possible in the here and now, assuming that all too soon, they'll be so sick, worn out or demented that they are no longer capable of experiencing any pleasure and just want to end it all.

The sad thing is, the pleasures that they usually seek - rich food, illicit and licit drugs including alcohol and cigarettes, sedentary entertainment - almost inevitably lead to them developing the conditions that they fear!

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy: Heart disease, stroke, dementia and common types of cancer such as bowel, breast and prostate are 'age-related' only in the sense that if you consistently apply the causes of these diseases (the Western diet, too much booze, smoking and not enough exercise), your risk of developing them rises as you get older, in the same way that water running over a rock will eventually carve a channel in the rock. It's not time that creates the channel, or the illness; it's the application of cause over time.

Conversely, the consistent application of the 'causes' of health including a high-nutrient diet, regular exercise, nurturing relationships with others and a sense of purposeful engagement with life, results in physical vitality, mental sharpness and enthusiasm for life in one's latter years.

So if you're currently in category #1 - afraid that living longer just means enduring illness and incapacitation for longer - I highly encourage you to study and become inspired by individuals who are physically and mentally healthy in later life... like 100 year old Dr. Ellsworth Wareham, pictured above, who only retired at the age of 95 and still maintains his garden and home all by himself.

And if you're already in category #2 - keen to live a long and fulfilling life while maintaining your physical health and mental sharpness - then you'll want to pay close attention to the latest research on eating for longevity.

Researchers tracked over 70 000 Swedish men and women who were aged between 45 and 83 at the time of enrolment, for 13 years. They found that compared to those who ate 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, those who never consumed fruit and vegetables had a 53% higher mortality rate, which translated to lopping a full 3 years off their lifespan. Vegetable consumption accounted for the lion's share of extra lifespan.

Imagine how much extra healthy life-span you could enjoy, if you ate more than 5 servings per day! Personally, I eat 5 or more servings of vegetables just at lunchtime, and even more for dinner!

Previous research found that regular consumption of legumes (dried peas, beans and lentils) also provides a longevity leg-up. The "Food Habits in Later Life" (FHILL) study examined dietary patterns in 5 cohorts of elderly people (aged 70 +) in Japan, Sweden, Greece and Australia, and found that for every 20g increase in daily intake of legumes, the risk of dying dropped by 7-8%. Now that's worth more than a hill of beans!

Some statistics

1. In 1985, the Adventist Mortality Study analyzed the risk of diabetes in 25,000 vegetarians and meat eaters and found that women who ate red meat increased their risk of developing diabetes by 40%, and men who ate red meat increased their risk by 80%.
2. In 2008, the Adventist Health Study-2 evaluated 8,401 people and found that long-term (17-year) weekly meat eaters were 74% more likely to develop diabetes as those who ate totally plant-based.
3. In an analysis of meat consumption and diabetes, scientists found that for every 3.5 ounces of red meat consumed per day, diabetes risk increased 10%. And for every 1.75 ounces of processed red meat consumed per day (about the equivalent of one packaged hot dog), the risk increased 51%.
4. In the Nurses’ Health Study II, eating processed red meat more than five times a week increased the risk of diabetes by 91%; eating unprocessed red meat increased the risk by 59%.
5. The recent EPIC-Interact study found that every 10 grams of animal protein consumed daily increased the risk of diabetes by 6%. (Keep in mind that 100 grams is 3.5 ounces, so this is a very small amount.)
6. In a recent study of over 100,000 participants, diabetes risk doubled in daily fish eaters compared with those who never ate fish.
7. Meat-based diets are associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers like hs-CRP, which are commonly found in patients developing diabetes.
8. Meat-based diets can have excess amounts of the pro-oxidant iron and preservatives like nitrates, which damage tissues and result in insulin resistance.
9. Substituting legumes for meat improves blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Q. Why is the RSPCA in business with the largest battery egg producer in Australia?

The RSPCA says it’s against the cruel battery cage yet maintains a business arrangement and accepts sponsorship from Pace Farms, Australia’s largest battery egg producer.

The RSPCA say their Liberty Barnlaid Egg Endorsement Scheme with Pace will ensure some hens get out of their cages, yet the number of battery hens in cages has not decreased while the RSPCA gets paid (to date) over $182,560 in royalty payments. 

Meanwhile, Pace Farms has just built the largest battery hen factory in the southern hemisphere (West Wyalong).

We eat too much meat

Australians consume an average of 116 kilograms of meat a year, second only to Americans. Since the 1970s, there's been a dramatic shift away from beef and lamb to pork and, most notably, chicken - its consumption has quadrupled in 40 years, to make it our top choice at 43 kilograms.

Meeting this demand has consequences for production. ''Conventionally'' farmed broiler chickens, harvested in five-to-eight weeks, half the time it takes to raise organic birds, are routinely fed prophylactic antibiotics. Yes, they're hormone free, as advertised, but hormones in chickens have been banned for decades.

And ''chemical free'' doesn't refer to the farm, but to processing, where chlorine is otherwise routinely used to wash the carcasses.

Then there's stocking densities. In July, in response to action by the ACCC, the Federal Court of Australia found that Baiada, owners of the Steggles brand, and the Australian Chicken Meat Federation misled consumers by using ''free to roam'', because the chickens were stocked at up to 19 birds a square metre, up to 33 days of their 42-day lifecycle. Turi Foods, suppliers of La Ionica chickens, were fined $100,000 over the issue in 2012.

Australia doesn't even have national standards for something as basic as the definition of ''free range'' eggs, which now make up 40 per cent of sales and rising.

In June, the Queensland Government changed the definition from a stocking density of 1500 hens a hectare to 10,000. Coles now uses the same definition, while the Australian Egg Corporation was pushing for 20,000 a hectare.

Former High Court judge Michael Kirby summed up the issues around our love of meat in an opinion piece for the ABC in June: ''In truth, meat is not cheap. The sticker price is far from the real price. There are enormous costs to be paid, by the environment, by our health, and by the 500 million animals suffering on Australian factory farms.''