Myth #2: Real Men Eat Meat!

You’ve seen them before... those ultra skinny people with sullen cheeks and dull complexion. You begin to wonder if they might be sick; until you realize they are Vegan. What does that word mean anyway? As the funny guy in the documentary “Vegucated” joked, are they aliens from the planet “Vega”? These are the peace lovin' hippie people, right? Hmmm... how many stereotypes can I throw into one paragraph?

As I contemplated giving up my meat... and eggs... and dairy... I wondered what my husband would think. Actually, I knew what he’d think! If I wanted him to go along with my brilliant plan I knew this couldn’t be my idea. This couldn’t be an idea passed to me from my parents. And it surely couldn’t be something I read off one of “those” websites. I knew the best person to convince him of the tried and true benefits of a Plant Strong Diet would have to come from a man - a strong ATHLETIC man. Thankfully I had just the person in mind!

Meet Rip Esselstyn! My hero in the dietary health realm. For many years he was one of the world’s top professional triathletes. Some brief facts on him taken from his website: He took first place in many major events, including the 2001 Police and Fire World Games, the world’s largest athletic competition. Not only was he a triathlete but he also served as a firefighter (oh yes! mans man). As a firefighter in Texas he transformed the way Austin’s Engine 2 firehouse ate in order to save a firefighting brothers health. Rip’s father, Dr. Esselstyn, was a sought after surgeon and completed one of the most extensive studies on the relationship between the heart and diet - proving that a plant-based diet can reduce and even eliminate heart disease. Rip is now the author of “The Engine 2 Diet” and has teamed up with Whole Foods Market as a Healthy Eating Partner.

I knew Rip would be the perfect person to introduce my husband to (even if he was only “digitally” introduced). Sure enough Rip was the perfect man for the job! His website combined with the Forks Over Knives movie, which Dr. Esselstyn is in, helped to open his eyes to the truth behind health and (here comes that magic word) PROTEIN.

Yes protein was the biggest concern of my husbands. It’s the biggest concern of any caring friend who hears of my plant-based decision. So let’s talk about that!

Much to my husbands surprise, plants provide you with all the protein your bodies will ever need! In fact I'm sure you'll be suprised to know that a stalk of broccoli has more protein than a slab of steak! 

Though we’re trained to think that real men eat meat; the facts seem to contradict that fact. While meat proteins cannibalize our bones, promote cancer or increase inflammation; plant proteins don't. As Rip explains, “you can also get all the iron, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals that animal addicts claim you can get only from eating meat.” 

A new major study of 120,000 people has shown that reducing the amount of beef, pork and lamb in our diet to 1.5oz a day could prevent 1 in 10 early deaths in men, and one in 13 premature deaths in women. The Harvard University findings adds even more evidence to the health risk of eating high amounts of red meat. Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers have been linked to a carnivorous diet. Just one daily serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13% increased risk of death, and one serving of processed red meat (one hot dog or two slices of bacon) was associated with 20% increased risk.

Is that risk a risk worth taking?

The study goes on to say that by replacing one serving of total red meat with one serving of a healthy protein source was associated with a lower mortality risk:

7% for fish

14% for poultry

19% for nuts

10% for legumes

10% for low-fat dairy products

14% for whole grains

Animal protein and vegetable protein... are all proteins equal? The Harvard School of Public Health mentions that a great source of protein, about 40 grams worth, can be found in a 6oz broiled porterhouse steak. But it also delivers about 38 grams of fat, 14 of which are saturated. That’s more than 60% of the recommended daily intake for saturated fat! The same amount of salmon gives you 34 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat, 4 of them saturated. A cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein, but under 1 gram of fat!

So we’ve proven that protein can be found in much healthier sources without the risk of disease and cancers; but how about meeting some real life men who can testify that plant protein is sufficient enough for the "athletic" man?!

Let me introduce you to a few of those plant-loving men:

*Mac Danzig - Mixed Martial Arts Fighter

*Prince Fielder - Detroit Tigers Home Run Slugger

*Rob Bigwood - Arm Wrestler

*Mike Tyson - Former Undisputed Heavyweight Boxing Champion

*Rich Roll & Scott Jurek - Ultra-Distance Athletes

*Lance Armstrong - Professional Road Racing Cyclist who won the Tour de France

*Arian Foster - Two-Time Pro Bowler, NFL Star

On that note I’m going to deem this myth as...