A culture can be defined by it's food chain

There is virtually no other choice that you can make in your day-to-day life which will make as significant an impact on your total well being, and the world in which you live, as that which you choose to eat.

By simply choosing to eat a locally grown, organic, live vegan diet, you have the opportunity to make a real contribution, to raise your consciousness, to improve your bodily and moral health, to live your values. Cast your vote against cruelty to both humans and animals, environmental destruction, corporate feudalism, and global poverty.

The change from a Standard American Diet (s a d) is not nearly as difficult as you might think and the benefits are felt almost immediately.

Some things to consider...

More than one-third of all fossil fuels consumed in the United States are used ultimately to raise animals for food! The livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent than transport. Corporate Agribusiness consumes fully 85% of all U.S. freshwater resource and over 250 million pounds of pesticide are spread around in California each year alone.

And then there are our fellow living beings. Every year 25 billion animals are slaughtered for food in the US. These creatures lead a horrible, unnaturally short, cruel life and death. Many people try to avoid any thought of the torturous existence of the animal whose flesh ended up in their hamburger, or on their dinner table, but they are making the energy of suffering and cruelty a part of themselves with every bite. Consumption of flesh foods has been scientifically linked with violent and aggressive behavior!

Flesh foods are loaded with dangerous poisons and contaminants such as hormones, herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics. Meat-eating has been linked with cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, kidney stones, and many other devastating diseases.

We're meant for a different way. Homo Sapiens do NOT share the morphological characteristics of the carnivores. Our flat teeth are perfect for grinding nuts, seeds, roots and vegetables, not for tearing apart animal flesh. Our hands are designed for gathering, not for flesh-ripping. Our saliva contains the enzyme alpha-amylase, the sole purpose of which is to digest the complex carbohydrates in plant foods. (This enzyme is not found in the saliva of carnivores.) Basically we have all the right apparatus to consume plant products, and none of the right apparatus for flesh foods.

And cooking your food further reduces the quality of energy available to your system, while making another significant = harmful = impact on the environment. For example more air pollution is created every day in Los Angeles by fast food restaurants than vehicle exhaust! A leading cause of deforestation in the 3rd world is the collection of fuel for cooking, which is creating yet more greenhouse gases.

A live vegan diet improves your stamina, concentration, and sense of well-being. In one study, athletes who switched to a vegetarian diet improved their endurance to almost 3 times as much as those who remained carnivorous.

Studies suggest that a live vegan diet helps keep body weight under control and reduces risk of Heart diseases. Vegans tend to have lower body mass index, lower levels of cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less incidence of heart disease, hypertension, most forms of cancer, type 2 diabetes, renal disease, osteoporosis, dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease, and many other disorders that may be diet-related.

Protein deficiency in a vegetarian diet is a myth. Plant foods are abundant in protein. For example, lettuce gets 34% of its calories from protein, and broccoli gets 45% of its calories from protein. Spinach is 49%. Cauliflower is 40%. Beans range from 23% to 54% depending on the variety. Grains are 8% to 31%. Nuts and seeds are 8% to 21%.

Research has demonstrated that we are designed for a diet of 5% protein. The average American eats a diet of 25% protein. Many contemporary diseases are the result of the over acidic condition caused by too much protein (called protein poisoning).

There is an incredible amount of practical and useful information on the web to help you make an intelligent and healthy change to a live organic vegan diet. Go to my resources page for recommended books and web sites. This really could be the most important thing you do for your health and your community.

"I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on chemicals and cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives."
-Dean Ornish, MD