Dietary Guidelines: What’s At Steak? Your Health And Your Planet!

“Steak” was not a mistake! Steaks, and all animal products including poultry, dairy, and eggs are taking a huge toll on our environment. Raising animals for food contributes anywhere from 18 – 51% of all greenhouse gasses, uses many more resources, and causes more pollution than raising plants for food. Why argue over numbers when the low number is horrendous all by itself? While we are all being told about how almonds use 10% of all water in California, most of the media is not reporting that meat and dairy are using up 47% of the water! A serious omission.

Today – May 8 – is the last day to make comments, and you can do that here. You have until 11:59 PM, tonight to sign and share!

Follow these instructions:

1. Go to the link above.
2. Click in the boxes Part A: Executive Summary and D.5: Food Sustainability and Safety
3. Enter your comments.Sample comments:The recommendation to eat mostly whole plant foods and reduce animal products will benefit our health and our planet. It would be unsustainable and irresponsible to recommend foods that are damaging our planet. I support the Sustainability Committee’s recommendations and urge the Dietary Guidelines to include their recommendations. Once submitted, there are other areas to comment in as well:
Click on Part A: Executive Summary and Chapter D.2: Dietary Patterns, Food and Nutrients, and Health Outcomes

Sample comments:

Remove Dairy as a food group. It was once thought that dairy built strong bones, and this was the basis for the dairy group. It is now known that this is not true and the dairy industry no longer claims it. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the public is not aware of this. The name of the dairy group should be changed to the “Calcium Group”, and healthy whole plant food sources of calcium should be emphasized. It should be noted that evidence shows dairy does not build strong bones, and that dairy is associated with prostate cancer (probable cause) and other health conditions, including pediatric constipation, teen acne, and possibly ovarian cancer.

Strongly worded caution against processed meat consumption. Research clearly shows probable cancer from very small amounts (2 ounces per week for women increases colorectal cancer for women 30 – 50%)

It’s easy and will take just a few moments of your time, so please, add your voice now to US Dietary Guidelines history and let’s make our voices heard so that we can change how America eats!I’ve testified in person for the 2010 and 2015 Dietary Guidelines. It’s fascinating to see and hear the dozens of lobbyists for the dairy, meat, salt, chewing gum, sugar, and even supplement industries advocate for their products inclusion in the Dietary Guidelines. Please help make the message loud and clear: We want science based guidelines, not food industry fiction!