By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
Think twice before purchasing animal products at H-E-B. You will not only benefit your physical health but also help save animals and the planet, according to the new four-part series on Netflix, “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.”
This eight-week study from Stanford Medicine followed 22 sets of twins, in which one twin was given a plant-based diet while the other was given an omnivorous diet.
What sets this study apart from others is that using identical twins as the independent variable eliminates the possibility of genetic differences skewing data one way or another since identical twins share the same DNA.
Even as a newfound vegetarian who recently eliminated meat from my diet for ethical and environmental reasons, I did not realize the context behind how the United States became so dependent on a heavily meat-based diet.
The findings were eye-opening.
What is now tokened by many nutritionists as “SAD,” or the standard American diet, first began taking shape in World War II. During enlistment, many Americans found themselves significantly underweight in light of the Great Depression and were, as a result, not qualifying for the military.
In response, the United States, blinded by aims for the war effort, shifted its food priority to infuse a higher amount of calories in larger quantities of food, all sold for a cheaper price. This meant processed food — which is higher in fat and refined sugar — began taking over the shelves of grocery stores across the country.
Thus, the problem of grocery stores being void of healthy produce, such as fruit and vegetables, continues to this day, raising the alarm concerning the epidemic of food deserts across the United States — as evident in Netflix’s example of Loma Linda, Calif., and San Bernadino, Calif.
What many fail to realize is that these two towns are located within only one mile of each other, yet they could not be more disparate when it comes to health-related issues.
Loma Linda is considered a hot spot for longevity, in which residents live 10 years longer than the average American. Meanwhile, their next-door neighbor, San Bernadino — famously known as the birthplace of McDonald’s — faces the detrimental health effects of food apartheid.
Its predominantly African American and Hispanic population lacks access to healthy and affordable food in their local corner stores and gas stations, leaving many residents to prefer one of the numerous fast food chain restaurants in the area. As a consequence, ethnic minorities in San Bernadino are left to battle high levels of cholesterol, as well as increased chances of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Thus, the standard American diet is not only negatively impacting the health of racial minorities but is also detrimental to the planet, as revealed when examining the dark reality of the industrialized meat industry.
The study revealed that livestock produces more greenhouse gases than global transportation and that Amazon is responsible for further deforestation, since it is one of the leading producers and exporters of meatpacking companies.
Not to mention that innocent animals are being slaughtered and treated unethically so we can selfishly continue eating hamburgers, bacon and chicken by the pound.
As for skeptics who do not believe the science of climate change, consider the account of Craig Watts — a former poultry farmer for Perdue Chicken who no longer consumes chicken products and instead grows mushrooms in what was once a hen house.
In the series, Watts said grocery store labels claiming chickens are free-range are often misleading customers. In reality, he said, “free-range” means the chicken had at least one square foot of space — an amount that is far too small for animals that have been infused with a dangerous amount of steroids in an effort to make them develop larger breasts, leaving many of them unable to stand on their own two feet.
“The bird was bred to suffer,” Watts said. “They now look like grapes with two toothpicks sticking out from them.”
That said, for those who still wish to continue buying their Chick-fil-A regardless of the cons, consider the pros of going vegan.
The first is the undeniable health benefit found by the study, in which there was an increase in Bifidobacterium in twins on the vegan diet, which essentially means an increase in healthy gut bacteria that had a better chance of pulling nutrients.
Another advantage is that those on the vegan diet were shown to be biologically younger at the end of the experiment, suggesting that plant-based foods have the capability of reversing cellular aging.
As living proof, I can attest to the fact that there are alternatives to meat products and that being vegetarian or vegan does not lower your quality of life — but rather, as shown in the study, enhances it.
Do yourself a favor and switch to a plant-based diet. You won’t regret it.
