I recently read an article about a proposal to use gastric banding on teens suffering from obesity. This is yet another Band-Aid the medical community is offering that will treat a symptom and not the root of a problem, while lining the pockets of doctors and medical supply companies. ABC news reports that the “U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering broadening its standards on gastric banding to include teens aged 14 to 17.” It is time American citizens come to the conclusion that the FDA is working for the benefit of the medical and pharmaceutical industries and not for the American public. There is ample evidence that a plant-based diet cures and prevents obesity, cancer, heart-disease and a myriad of other medical issues. The FDA will not report or endorse this evidence because they are owned and run by industries that would not profit from Americans being healthy.

As Americans we have the right to pursue happiness. But isn’t good health a big part in experiencing happiness? Take a moment to imagine a world where everyone is completely healthy. There is: no more obesity, no more cancer, no more heart disease, no more AIDS, etc., etc., etc. In this world, the healthcare issue is non-existent because the citizens of the world have taken their health into their own hands. The citizens have decided individually and collectively that they will not live in a manner that causes a multitude of health issues. They will not continue to “shoot themselves in the foot” repeatedly, only to get a drug or treatment that treats the symptom of the hurt foot without treating the problem of their behavior, which has them shooting themselves in the foot repeatedly. They will not continue to allow the pharmaceutical industry to poison them with drugs that treat symptoms while causing other serious illnesses; side effects that insure the drug industry’s continued profits. Instead the citizens have made a conscious decision to make the effort to change their paradigm by changing their way of life.

It is widely accepted that addicts usually have to “hit bottom” before they are willing to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I wonder; what is America’s bottom? How many people have to live miserably and die miserably before America will give up its addiction to animal products? The animal industry sold the addiction to us and the pharmaceutical industry continues to cheer them on as they both get ridiculously wealthy on the misinformation American’s have received for decades. Because these industries “own” the FDA, it has endorsed their profit-making scam and the American public continues to get sicker and sicker. Every day, I pray that America has hit its bottom. I pray that the wool that has been pulled over her eyes is removed. I pray that America chooses health over addiction and action over complacency. Changing to a plant-based diet is the easiest, healthiest and best way to overcome personal health issues, the national healthcare issue and while it may not address the greed issue in corporate America, it will make corporate America think about profiting on their abuse of the American public. I pray that Americans will stop allowing themselves to play the role of puppets for the corporate America puppeteer.

Did you know:

That it takes 16 pounds of grain and 2500 gallons of water to produce ONE pound of beef?

That 1.2 billion people are urgently hungry and the world’s cattle consume food that could feed 8.7 billion people?

That Methane from cattle leads to nearly ½ of greenhouse gasses?

That fecal pollution from chicken farms is especially disastrous for the environment? In addressing chicken farms, Oregon State University agriculture professor Peter Cheeke says that factory farming amounts to “a frontal assault on the environment,” which leads to widespread fecal ground and water pollution.

The consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products has been strongly linked to osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, asthma, male impotence, obesity, heart disease and a compromised immune system.

Just as with any other addiction, the answer is so simple…stop using. And just as with any other addiction, addicts continue to come up with reason after reason to continue killing themselves with their lifestyle. The meat and diary addiction is a deadly enemy to which America has grown accustomed, so much so, that we cannot imagine life without its fix. But just like any other addict, America must make a choice to trust that there is a better life beyond addiction; or to continue to get sicker and sicker while we wait to hit bottom before we change; or to simply die more and more painful and morbid deaths. It should be an easy decision, but just as with any other addiction…