Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [166]
Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration has long advised women and children to limit their consumption of certain types of fish because of the health risks associated with high levels of mercury. By avoiding fish altogether, vegans avoid the dangerous side effects associated with mercury toxicity, including damage to the neurological development of fetuses and infants as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
A vegan diet, especially one that includes mainly organic foods, contains no man-made antibiotics or hormones and very few chemical pesticides. Because our modern world is already so polluted, it can be a huge relief to the human body to eat only nontoxic foods.
It Can Save You Money!
Most vegan foods are cheap, even when purchased in the organic aisle. Eating a diet of mainly inexpensive commodities, such as beans, whole grains, and veggies, can lead to great savings in the checkout line. These savings are mostly due to the fact that plant proteins are much more inexpensive than meat, poultry, eggs, and fish. Even ground beef averages $3.50 per pound in most U.S. cities, and chicken breasts can cost $3 to $4 per pound.
The same $4 buys more than 2 pounds of organic brown rice and 2 pounds of organic lentils. For a few extra pennies, you can buy some organic sunflower seeds and broccoli. No matter how you look at it, the same amount of money provides more food, more protein, more minerals, more fiber, more nutrition, and less disease-promoting material for your body to digest.
A vegan diet also leads to financial savings by helping you avoid illnesses and long-term diseases, such as heart disease, certain cancers, and dementia. Avoiding unhealthy foods now will save you years of lifespan and countless dollars on unnecessary healthcare costs in the future. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study (Benbella Books), believes Americans’ overly meaty diets result in $60 to $120 billion in healthcare costs every year — try that on for a national healthcare plan!
Vegans Are Cool! (Famous Vegan List)
In our celebrity crazed culture, the following lengthy list of accomplished, talented leaf eaters can help you convince yourself and others that living a vegan life is a great idea. This list is only partial; more musicians, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers turn to a vegan lifestyle all the time:
Athletes: Ridgely Abele (karate champion), Ken Bradshaw (pro surfer), Surya Bonaly (Olympic figure skater), Peter Burwash (pro tennis player), Andreas Cahling (bodybuilder and Olympic ski jumper), Chris Campbell (Olympic wrestler), Nicky Cole (first woman to walk to the North Pole), Mac Danzig (pro mixed martial arts fighter), Tony Gonzalez (NFL player), Ruth Heidrich (six-time Ironwoman), Seba Johnson (Olympic skier turned actress), Scott Jurek (ultramarathon runner), Carl Lewis (Olympic track-and-field star), Cheryl Marek and Estelle Gray (world record holders, cross-country tandem cycling), Paavo Nurmi (Olympic long-distance runner), Bill Pearl (four-time Mr. Universe), Dave Scott (six-time Ironman champion), Art Still (NFL player and Hall of Famer), Salim Stoudamire (pro NBA player), Ed Templeton (pro skateboarder), Ricky Williams (pro NFL player)
Musicians, actors, and artists: “Andre 3000” Benjamin (singer/actor), Bryan Adams (singer), Casey Affleck (actor), Pam Anderson (actress/model), Gillian Anderson (actress), Fiona Apple (singer), Erykah Badu (singer), Anthony Kiedis (singer), Ed Begley, Jr. (actor), Linda Blair (actress), Peter Bogdanovich (film director), James Cromwell (actor), Ellen Degeneres (talk-show hostess/actress), Emily Deschanel (actress), Ginnifer Goodwin (actress), Daryl Hannah (actress), Woody Harrelson (actor), Chrissie Hynde (singer), Tobey Maguire (actor), Peter Max (artist), Moby (DJ/singer), Alanis Morissette (singer), Carrie