These days, we live in a world of instant gratification. If you're hungry, you need not wait more than 5 minutes for a meal. Is it possible that these quick fixes could also be leading to an even quicker demise for the human being? Many studies are pointing to yes. The biggest question I have to all of this is, can we fix it? Can we significantly reduce the heart attack and stroke related deaths in this country? Can we prevent childhood obesity? Can we stop cancer? That last one is a scary question. Cancer has become so prevalent and is so strong that it's hard to wrap your mind around the possibility of a cure. And what if the cure to these things wasn't in our modern medicines but in our daily diet?.
In the 1950's, it was believed that to maintain a proper diet one needs to consume plenty of protein. This consisted of meat products, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and cheese. To stay healthy, a person needed to try to include these in every meal. We've all seen plenty of commercials pushing us to eat these products. "Beef, it's what's for dinner." How about the famous quote "Got Milk?" For as long as I've been alive, it has been common knowledge that to maintain strong bones, people need to make sure and ingest plenty of milk and dairy products. This is a westernized diet. And not everything is better because it's the American way.
40% of Americans are obese. 50% of Americans are taking prescription drugs. 1 in 5 four year old's are obese, and we've spent 5 times the amount of money on healthcare that we have spent on our country's defense. These statistics were shocking to me when I learned of them watching the documentary "Forks Over Knives." The amount of processed and fast foods that we ingest on a daily basis are starting to take a toll on us and it's becoming more and more obvious with each generation. In the early 20th century, humans consumed an estimated 120 lbs. of meat annually.