Moo! We invite you to chew on the idea of meat for your plate—good or bad?

For me to say, “I’ve been chewing on meat this week,” should come as a shock to my friends and family. Most know that I stopped eating red meat in 1985, three years before I had the heart attack that got our attention. And then, off and on since, we have alternated between regularly having fish and chicken, some fish, and no meat at all. For the past year or two, we’ve been realistically meatless. So, when I say “I’ve been chewing on meat,” my tongue is in my cheek, not a hunk of beef.

Here’s what I mean. In recent weeks, we’ve been challenged to answer the questions by friends and our newsletter readers. Why not eat meat? So, we moved back into research mode to see where the different arguments take us.

Chewing on: To Meat or Not

Scour the Internet and you’ll find many opinions, just like we present on this blog. They are just opinions. Some titles include “Top 10 Reasons to Eat Meat,” “Top Ten Reasons to NOT Eat Meat,” and more on both sides. See what I mean? Are you asking the question, like we do from time to time?

How Much Meat? This Book Helps You Decide—Order Your Copy Today

Keep digging and you will find credible sources that substantiate opinions with studies and first hand research. One of my favorite blogs to cut through the fat (pun intended) chronicles Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s continuing crusade to save people’s lives and save us all from much disease. The blog is http://www.diseaseproof.com/. Some people say, “Oh, he’s just trying to sell books!” We agree. He’s trying to sell books you should be reading, like Super Immunity, which we make available to you here.

So, we’ve spent time this week reviewing the opinions and much research. The spectrum of opinion runs from the justifiers—“Meat is a Manly Thing” to the naturalists—“Animals are Our Friends,” if you know what I mean. However, what we need to do is bring this home to your dinner plate and lunch box. You have to decide.

Your Food Determines Your Health

First, make the connection between food and health. Research shows that what we eat affects our health, both short-term and long-term. We have developed the mindset that aging is inevitable and disease comes with it. For most, this is a myth. Slowly, but surely, many people learn the truth; you can be healthy and beat most diseases at any age. Eat well and you will be well.

Ironically, at a time when scientists should be pushing the world into perfect health, research projections now show that the today’s youth will be the first generation of young people who will have more serious disease than their parents. Understand that our manufactured and processed foods have brought us this plague and our medical/pharmaceutical industry giants think they can fix it with a pill. Before I digress further, let’s get back to the question.

The Meat of the Matter

Reverend Dr. George Malkmus

As a Certified Health Minister we follow the thoughts of Rev. George Malkmus who founded the Hallelujah Diet, a ministry now carried on by his son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Ann Malkmus. In the series “Hallelujah Health Tips,” Dr. Malkmus released an article just this week, “New Research: Diets High in Animal Protein Shorten Life.”

You will gain information and hopefully lose a prejudice or two as you read this article. If that doesn’t persuade you to consider your food habits, we have another suggestion or two for you to chew on. Get your own copy of The China Study by renowned nutritionist Dr. T. Colin Campbell. And, if that doesn’t get to you, watch the video “Forks Over Knives.”

The saddest messages we hear come from diehards. “We all have to die of something; I’ll just eat my way out.” “If God didn’t mean for us to eat beef, he wouldn’t have made cows.” “If you don’t eat meat, where do you get your protein?” “I’m not going to give up my meat, I like it too much.” What makes these statements even more tragic is that some of our friends who have made similar statements also contribute heavily to the salary of at least one physician and pharmacist each month.

Okay, so I’m being opinionated. I hope it shakes you up, so we can talk about it. Believe me, it’s meant to be helpful. We have experienced the differences between being a carnivore and a herbivore. Good health feels good. As you follow the ideas here on Eat, Drink, and Go Veggie, you will have insights into our journey and hope for yours. Our motives show our self-interest in pursuing health, but we also want to be helpful.

It’s your dinner plate and your kid’s lunch box. You should be worried about what winds up there for the sake of your health and quality longevity. So, we offer you the challenge to be chewing on meat this week too, or not.

Be well!

If you have a specific question, shoot us an e-mail. Otherwise, we’d like to hear your feedback in the comments below. Thanks!