Thursday, July 06, 2006

Did these vegetarians hurt their economy?

There are many of them, but let's just consider these 4 guys:
  1. Robert Parish - this guy played Boston Celtics basketball center until he was over 41 years old. It is said he did it on veg-power. I guess that must have hurt the team for keeping him on the payroll for so long.
  2. Carl Lewis - Four-time Olympian. What could hurt more than not running out of steam for so long. I wonder what competive sports would be like if all athletes were that prolific.
  3. Albert Einstein - Now this guy really hurt the world economy. He is even quoted as saying, "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Although not a total vegetarian, Einstein knew the benefits of a plant-based diet. Today, many economies benefit from the technological applications derived from his nearly vegan head.
  4. Benjamin Franklin - A vegetarian from the age of 16, although later on in life he ate fish, this guy is right on the money! (Do you have a hundred?) Talk about being bad for the economy!
Really, whether or not these guys' diets had anything to do with their contributions to society and the economy is beside the point. Just examine the scientific evidence now available: a vegetarian diet is more beneficial to your life than an animal flesh diet.

You don't even have to care about saving animals, just be concerned with having the best diet that makes a healthier you. Here are some articles to chew on for now. A simple diet costs less too. Help your economy.

Vegetarians Are Bad For The Economy

Vegetarians are bad for our modern economy. Let me prove it to you. Even the carnivore who never saw the color green in his or her lifetime must have, by now, seen the abundance of research findings that associate a plant-based diet with health and longevity.

Allow me to cite only one example: the cover story in the November 2005 National Geographic Magazine. How would you feel when a 101 year-old lady drives you around town?

She stops to get her hair done, delivers magazines, treats you to lunch (tofu and greens), and confesses to you that she has not eaten meat in over half a century! She doesn't have arthritis, yet you groan to get up out of your chair.

If you are an economist with an "Allan Greenspan mindset" this would be of great concern to you. You may be thinking that a nursing home is losing revenue.

Imagine how long the government will have to pay out retirement benefits, and that word (retirement) is not even in this centenarian's vocabulary.

I say that vegetarians are a threat to the billion dollar meat industry. In fact, they threaten modern agriculture - especially those vegans; most of whom are animal rights activists. Such people crash your Thanksgiving Day dinner, come November. Every turkey would be back to being national birds if it were left to vegetarians.

They don't get sick as often as people on an animal protein diet. In general, they have better health. Can you imagine what that does to the pharmaceutical drug industry?

The lower incidences of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems among strict vegetarians is a blow to the manufacturers of lipitor and other drugs. Less revenue to the hospitals.

And weight control... some 65% of American adults 20 years old and over are overweight. People on a strict vegetarian diet are a tiny fraction of those statistics. Do you see how the weight loss industry could be losing thousands of pounds and dollars if more people switched to a plant-based diet?

My friend, we haven't even began to count all the ways vegetarians, especially vegans, are bad for the economy. Anyway, thanks for sharing my concern. I hope you see my point. But before you go, I must confess that I have shared this with you from a vegan heart. I am a vegan. I hope I can continue to be a productive one for many more years to come.

Remember to eat healthy today.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Oh say can you see...?

A symbol of freedom? An emblem of liberty? A sign of what makes Americans proud to be Americans. Well, let's use that freedom to protect our health.

Statistics show that on July 4 there are more traffic-related deaths resulting from the celebration of these freedoms with alcohol than on any other day. Can you resist the alcohol and save a life? Now, that would be freedom.

The number of deaths resulting directly from driving under the influence of alcohol are just the tip of the iceberg. What the drinking habit continues to do to our health (physical, social, and mental) is not as clear as the red white and blue.

Make the healthy choice. Cut the alcohol consumption. Celebrate soberly. Can you see this helping a few more people living a bit longer in the land of the free and the home of the brave? I think I can see that.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Physical Exercise Pays, Literally

Everyone knows that physical exercise pays healthy dividends. It improves cardiovascular functions, tones and strengthens muscles, elevates your sense of self, and increases longevity, among other things. But who would expect actual cash to be included in those "other things?"

You will lose weight when you exercise if your total energy intake (from the food you eat) is less than the total energy you expend. That's just the way it is... it's a law of science.

You will also lose water, so keep your body hydrated. As you lose body fat, your clothes will appear to be getting too big. That is natural. And those pockets that used to hold your change and your keys tightly between your pants and your skin won't hold on to their contents as well as before. So you could lose cash, keys, or anything else you carry in your pockets.

It happens folks! We found two one-dollar bills this morning on our exercise trail. Someobody is getting weight loss results, and I am being reminded that it pays to exercise. Now, what if the folks on my exercise trail were to play the game with Benjamin Franklin's instead of George Washington's? Then, for those of us who keep watching our steps, exercise would really pay.

Exercise pays. Whether or not you keep losing your cash and your weight on the same path is up to you. The health benefits you gain are priceless, anyway.

Personal Advice: Save your cash and take a walking vacation. Don't lose it on the exercise trail.