Cattle health solution uses ‘alternative’ facts rationale

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own alternative facts. In her July 3 letter, the writer tells us that raising and eating more cattle is the best thing for our health and for the environment. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Dr. Dean Ornish proved about 30 years ago that animal meat and fluids are the leading cause of heart disease. Dr. Michael Greger, in his seminal work “How Not to Die,” shows how animal “foods” are also the leading culprit in all of the top 15 causes of premature death.

The writer postulates that a major cause of diabetes and obesity are grains and legumes. Dr. John McDougall shows us in “The Starch Solution” how all traditional societies survived and thrived eating rice, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables and fruits. Diabetes, obesity and other modern lifestyle diseases are due to the transition to meat-centered and processed food diets.

The New York Times reported 103 years ago that meat was responsible for most cancers.

As far as the environment, we now know a major cause of all global environmental problems are due to animal agriculture. The United Nations told us years ago that animal ag is responsible for more greenhouse gasses then all forms of transportation combined. Animal ag is also the largest user of all fresh water and is responsible for more water pollution than all human activity.

Stephen Beidner

Kula