Vegan Diet for Families

Plant-based diets have been shown to promote health in study after study. People who eat more fruits and vegetables have less diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Plant based dietary interventions lead to significantly reduced feelings of depression, anxiety and fatigue.

We often get our dietary information from sources that have a vested interest. The commercials on TV are paid to sway us to their product. We know this, yet we frequently use what they say as the truth. We let them educate us as to what we should eat. 

Avoiding red and processed meat lowers the risk for heart disease and stroke, according to studies published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Red meat and particularly processed meat is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes and earlier death in both men and women. Chicken (and other farmed animals) are often pumped full of antibiotics in order to keep them alive living in deplorable conditions. Ingesting them exposes humans to  antibiotic resistant superbugs.

Milk and other dairy products are the top source of saturated fat in the American diet, contributing to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. Studies have also linked dairy to an increased risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. In addition, cow’s milk is affected by anything that affects the cow.

When a cow eats high levels of pesticides in the grain and food it is given, the  pesticides are tenfold in its milk. When the cow is given antibiotics there will be antibiotics and metabolites amplified in the breast milk. The same is true of injected growth hormone.

Farm animals also make excessive stress hormones in response to their environment. Some animals are chronically stressed due cramped conditions and lack of outdoor time. Cows are meant to graze out in fields and breath fresh air and feel the sun. Many however are kept inside inhaling methane fumes. In addition most mother cows  have their infants taken from them within hours of birth further causing distress. Children who eat meat and dairy are then ingesting these stress hormones. These stress hormones affect children’s mental health, behavior and cognitive development.

Children thrive on a plant based diet. What we put into them in the first few years shapes their tastes and health for life. Children raised on a varied plant based diet get plenty of protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals in the form of whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. 

For long-term health the studies are clear. Plant based foods are the basis of the most nutritious and healthy diets. We need certain nutrients. We want to find these nutrients in healthy packages-in foods that are less processed, have less harmful chemicals such as pesticides and have more fiber.

High fiber diet is important as it provides the prebiotics that help promote gut health and a healthy immune system. The probiotics or healthy bacteria in the gut need fiber to create an environment for them to live and thrive. High fiber also regulates bowel movements and cholesterol levels. Animal milks and cheeses and meat are not plant based foods. Plant based foods have fiber. Animal based foods do not have fiber. 

In addition to the health benefits of a plant based diet, the impact of animal agriculture to our children's environment is of growing importance. Raising animals to eat is a very inefficient use of resources and energy. The food we grow to raise animals for food could feed everyone in the world many times over. We are cutting down rainforests to raise cattle. We are dumping animal waste in our water. And then of course there is the animal welfare aspect. Why eat an animal when it is cruel and harmful to us and them?

The basics of a healthy plant based diet is eating whole foods as close to nature as possible. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, nuts and seeds are all plant foods. The more unprocessed plant based foods, the healthier the diet. Enjoy the bounty of colorful foods grown from mother earth for better physical and emotional wellness for you and your family.