“Diet for a New America” more lovely alternative concepts contrasting mainstream beliefs about diet and nutrition
Oh, how I love this one! It is so full and rich with information, insight and meaning. It sort of breaks down the issues surrounding the standard American diet into three catagories: personal health, the environmental factors and the altruistic issue of the ethics involved.
Many authors refer to the standard American diet as SAD. This is generally accepted as a diet that is heavy in meats, dairy, processed grains, saturated fats, processed foods, refined sugars and chemical additives like monosodium glutamate (MSG). Okay, that is just sad. These foods do not nourish the body. This sort of diet robs people of their health and their optimal potential as human beings. I personally like feeling good.
As more and more nations industrialize and more and more people are conforming to the standard American diet scientists are able to chart the correlation between a nations increase in consumption of animal products and refined, processed food and an increase in heart disease and certain types of cancer.
You can probably eat some lean meats and some dairy products in moderation and not develop a single health problem. But a diet consisting of pizza, doughnuts, cheeseburgers and milkshakes causes your arteries to become absolutely clogged with waxy, fatty gross gunk and leads to heart attacks and death. “Diet for a New America” gets pretty graphic as it illustrates this reality. But as hard as it is to watch those scenes, I do think it is a powerful thing to be truly informed.
Another important health matter addressed in this film is the myth that we need meat and dairy for protein and calcium. They go into it in more detail, but I must add here the organic spinach is an excellent source of protein, calcium, omega fatty acids and b vitamins not to mention many other vitamins, nutrients and minerals and fiber. And that is just spinach. I could go on for days about so many great plant foods. Eating a diverse array of plant foods is very nourishing. I dare say it is optimal, but I may be biased on this matter. I just want to eat organic spinach and broccoli and cucumbers and fruit and seaweed and aloe and rice and lentils like it is going out of style. I am sure one could include meat in some sort of healthy fashion, but why would I want to? I surely do not need to.
Those dietary guidelines like the four food groups that you remember from elementary school were actually set forth by the meat and dairy industries themselves. You know what? Fuck them and their profiteering and their lobbying to manipulate our FDA and our government. Fuck ‘em!
The film also documents how the meat and dairy industry is impacting our ecosystem. Basically the current methods of meat production (raising tons of crops just to feed them to live stock so we can get back a small return of meat… 80% of all the corn and 90% of all the oats and soybeans produced in America is fed to livestock) are not practical or sustainable. They are not only wasteful, but they are detrimental to the environment. We cut down forests so cattle can have a place to graze until we slaughter them and consume their flesh??? It just sounds stupid and gross to me. The nitrates from the cow manure seep down into the drinking water and create health problems for any nearby populations… also stupid and gross. The film will cover these points better than I have.
Lastly… the ethical concerns… Okay, this is just me speaking my mind… but why is it okay to take a baby calf from its mother right after it is born, and chain it up in a box where it is not allowed to move and have it atrophy, and them kill it and consume it…. But we think that dogs and cats do not deserve this? Cows have feelings and emotions. They feel sadness and the feel fear and depression. They can also experience joy. I just think it is heartless to not give a fuck.
Okay, enough of my ranting. This film is not as dramatic as I am. In its 58 minutes it manages to convey these points and much more with far more eloquence and conviction. It is definitely something everyone who gives a care about their health and/or the wellbeing of the planet should see. Here is a link,. but if it ever stops working for some reason, I’m sure you can find this lovely film elsewhere.
Wishing you everything that is wonderful in this infinitely beautiful universe
Take care.
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