Free The Meaty Truth by Shushana Castle, Amy-Lee Goodman Page A

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    Fortunately, a healthy food movement is sweeping across America. The food system of our future is predominately whole grain, plant-powered food. While we were raised to believe that milk and meat are essential and vital components to a healthy diet, studies from around the world, including prestigious universities Harvard and Cornell, show that meat and dairy in no way constitute any part of a healthy diet. The truth is meat and dairy products are the primary cause for our alarming rise in chronic health problems and disease.
    We understand that for some of you this seems crazy. Think about this: until 1863, slavery and the separation of people of different colors was an accepted practice in society. The ability to buy a human being based on race was not questioned and even supported by our government. In the early 1900s, women were to be seen and not heard. Doctors considered women too fragile to handle everyday pressures, and women were secondary members of society without a voice. In the 1940s and 50s, smoking cigarettes was recommended by doctors as an acceptable way to relax, open our lungs, and improve overall health. Smoking was sophisticated, even portrayed as sexy, and above all was just something everyone did, unquestionably. Over time, however, we challenged our assumptions and realized that these socially entrenched practices we believed to be okay were unhealthy and, in some cases, deplorable. We think drinking pus, eating animal sh!t, and fighting over clean water is simply unacceptable. This is happening in America every day. The time for change is now.
    Right now we are heading down a path of destruction and disease. But, dear reader, you are taking the first step toward a happier, healthier, and more vibrant life by reading this book. We will set the record straightand let the truth be told. By the end of this book you will understand that what is at the end of your fork is more powerful than anything in a pill bottle and more effective at preserving the environment than an energy-saving lightbulb or Prius .

CHAPTER 10
    Cut the Crap; Change the World
    “We as a society are on the edge of a great precipice—we can either fall to sickness, poverty and degradation, or we can embrace health, longevity and bounty. All it takes is the courage to change.”
    ~ Dr. T. Colin Campbell, The China Study
    I t’s time we take a good, hard look at our society. What have we become? We are inflicting unwarranted cruelty on voiceless, beautiful creatures, abusing our technological advances in medicine, unheeding warning labels, protecting the use of toxins and carcinogens in our food, deceiving ourselves on food safety and health, abusing our finite resources, and ravaging our environment. All of this in the name of profit from meat and dairy. Ask yourself: is it really worth it? We don’t think so. Our society is far from the ideals and virtues of a progressive, democratic, and capitalistic country that we so pride ourselves onbeing. This is the real America we are living in, and the home next generations are inheriting.
    This information is not new. Many great minds before us have written about the horrors of factory farming and the problems with our food system. Yet it takes more than just science and facts to create a change. It takes action and leadership. These issues are not at the forefront of America’s young minds and are often corrupted by industry propaganda. For burgeoning young leaders, we need to change our food system for the better. We cannot afford to tip the scales further in favor of evolutionary disaster. The courage to change and demand better food and transparency begins with each one of us. We do not have to accept what is handed to us by companies. Each one of our actions, whether big or small, can have a tremendous ripple effect to create much-needed, positive change. It’s time to show the food corporations that we mean business by using the power of not buying their