The American Diet Our society displays thin, curvy, and muscular as healthy and attractive. In reality, healthy starts on the inside. Our overall health and mortality is the direct result of what we put in our bodies. According to peta2.org, “The American government spends $38 billion each year to subsidize the meat and dairy industries, but only 0.04 percent of that (i.e., $17 million) each year to subsidize fruits and vegetables.” John Robbins, in Diet for a New America wrote that, “Under court order, the egg industry finally had to stop running ads that represented cholesterol as an essential dietary nutrient. And ... to stop denying the link between cholesterol and heart disease.”[9 p. 205] In Emily Barwick’s video and essay, Got Calcium? Dairy-Free Vegan Calcium Sources | Dr Michael Greger of Nutritionfacts.org, Dr Michael Greger says, “those who drank more milk actually had a higher hip fracture rate… [it] actually increases fracture risk as well as shortening the lifespan and increase risk for cardiovascular disease. …Healthy calcium sources are dark green leafy vegetables and you get some in everything from sesame seeds, and nuts ... tahini is a good source, [and also] dried fruits... I even encourage people to get 600 milligrams of calcium a day... The average vegan gets over 600." Nutrition Action Healthletter, June, 1993 states that, "Countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis, such as the United States, England, and Sweden, consume the most milk. China and Japan, where people eat much less protein and dairy food, have low rates of osteoporosis." Cancer.org, 10/27/2015 posted a list of Type 1 carcinogens including processed meats. This classification means they have been officially proven to cause cancer. In 1997, the American Cancer Institute stated that about 1/3 of all cancers are related to what we eat. Heart disease is currently the primary killer in the United States of Amercia. Type two diabetes and cancer are also among the top killers in this country. Dr. Michael Greger's book, How Not To Die, encompasses how the plant-based, vegan diet has been proven to prevent, stop, and reverse diseases such as heart disease, type two diabetes, and cancer. Why would we subsidize the foods that are linked to cancer and heart disease? Let's stand together to switch the government's food subsidies over to healthy, plant-based foods. Resources: YouTube Channels: FullyRawKristina Bite Size Vegan Books: How Not To Die by Michael Greger Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat like You Give a F*ck by Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis Websites: BiteSizeVegan.com NutritionFacts.org PETA.org Documentaries: Forks Over Knives written and directed by Lee Fulkerson Works Cited Barwick, Emily. "Got Calcium? Dairy-Free Vegan Calcium Sources | Dr Michael Greger of Nutritionfacts.org." Bite Size Vegan. Emily Barwick, 16 Mar. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. Cancer.org. October 27, 2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System and unpublished data. 1997. F. Mattson, “Effect of Dietary Cholesterol on Serum on Serum Cholesterol in Man,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1972 Gallagher, James. "Processed Meats Do Cause Cancer - WHO - BBC News." BBC News. BBC News, 26 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. Greger, Michael, and Gene Stone. How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print Nutrition Action Healthletter. June, 1993. Robbins, John. Diet for a New America. Walpole, NH: Stillpoint, 1987. Print. Simon, David Robinson. "10 Things We Wish Everyone Knew About the Meat and Dairy Industries." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 July 2016.