The Queen of Health

HEAL YOUR BODY; HEAL THE EARTH
How eating for your own health affects Mother Earth.
By Tami Hulcher, Health Educator

With mountains of scientific evidence that now proves the food we eat affects our health and our risk for degenerative diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, it’s no wonder why many people are choosing a more plant-based diet. And if every American would decrease their meat consumption by 10%, enough land would be available to feed every starving person on Earth!

So how does what we eat affect Mother Earth? And how does one define “Mother Earth”? In my opinion, we should all stand united in our concerns over the health of our water, air, land and care of our animals, as we shall see in a moment.

First, let take a look at our own health. Research studies from around the world show that populations consuming a more plant-based diet have lower risks of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other degenerative diseases.

According to the new 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it is recommended that we consume at least 10 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Several factors contributed to the guidelines’ increased emphasis on fruits and vegetables, including recognition of the role that fruits and vegetables can play in reducing weight and maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of major chronic diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and cancer. So it’s not surprising that every major health organization is recommended at least 7-13 servings daily.

In addition, according to Dr. David Heber, PhD, Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition; “Not only do fruits and vegetables provide fewer calories per bite than other foods in our overweight and obese society but they provide some 25,000 different chemicals called phytochemicals which can help prevent our most common diseases of aging including heart disease, diabetes and common forms of cancer.” In Dr. Heber’s book, “What Color is Your Diet”, he recommends at least 7 servings. Dr. Heber also says, “Increasing fruit and vegetable intake will help to correct an imbalance of our genes and environment…”

This brings me to our next issue, which is healing our planet while healing our bodies.

When we eat, most of us take our food for granted. For instance, where it came from; is it safe; what’s in the food we eat; how did it get here; how much waste and pollution did it take to make or deliver my meal? So let’s examine why it’s important to know these facts, and see if it will change your way of thinking about what you eat, and how it affects the health of Mother Earth. (The following are excerpts from www.nrdc.org):

• Factory farms, which mass-produce animals in assembly-line fashion, have harmed aquatic life, human health and ecosystems across the nation.
• The scale of unprecedented outpouring of animal waste is staggering: 130 times the waste generated by humans in this country each year.
• Bursting and overflowing manure lagoons have spawned environmental disasters around the country, sending animal waste gushing into rivers, groundwater and coastal wetlands. The pollution from animal waste can harm waterways, human health and aquatic life. The primary pollutants of concern are nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), pathogens like bacteria and viruses, and heavy metals.
• Another pollution concern is the long-term contamination of soil from heavy metals added to livestock feed.
• Over 40 percent of the antibiotics sold in the United States are used in agriculture, more than 80 percent by weight for growth promotion and the rest for treatment of animal disease.
• There is growing evidence that animal use of antimicrobials is tied to the evolution of multiple drug resistance in food-borne disease agents and the loss of efficacy of drugs important in human medicine
• The air quality problems associated with large-scale confinement operations include emissions of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas implicated in global climate change. Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas associated with the decomposition of swine manure.
• Runoff from farms threatens the life-sustaining properties of our waters, endanger human health and wildlife.
• Further runoff of nutrients from farm and yard fertilizers is causing harmful blooms of algae, resulting in the loss of sea grass and kelp beds, as well as coral reefs -- all of which provide critical shelter and important spawning grounds for fish and ocean wildlife.

And I will leave you with another unappetizing thought shared with me by a friend and colleague, Dr. Pam Popper, PhD., the average meat eater will consume 21 cows, 14 sheep, 12 hogs, 900 chickens, and 1000 pound of fish and birds in his or her lifetime! That’s one person, and that’s a lot of unhealthy stress to our bodies and our earth.

So be kind to your bodies; eat a more plant-based diet, and be sure to support an Earth Day event in your area.

(Ms. Hulcher is a health educator and works with many health care professionals. She provides health lectures for schools, PTAs, medical facilities, church and women’s groups. She is a co-host on KHTS AM-1220 Radio. Ms. Hulcher is a also guest of television and radio, is a soon-to-be author. She can be reached at 661 251-6970 or www.1olaloa.com. )