A Path to Perfect Health: One Man’s Journey

By Zach Richardson

Sedona, AZ — Our 50^th high school reunion was the last time we saw Dean and Bill.  Their loss is devastating. To date, we have lost over 20% of our classmates before even reaching the age of 70.

Startling also is the number of us battling terminal diseases ^[i], including myself. I was diagnosed with the deadliest of them all; cardiovascular disease. ^[ii] I was prescribed a statin for the rest of my life as there is no medical cure for this disease.

With the belief that doctors don’t know everything and being skeptical of their prognosis, I set out to find a cure.

I regret not searching for a cure sooner as I believe what I have learned could have helped both Dean and Bill. 

My search first led me to the shocking realization that both the Food and Healthcare Industries thrive on sick people with no monetary motivation to seek preventive measures or actual cures. Then there are scammers with nonsensical cures who thrive on people’s fears.

Sadly, the Food and Healthcare Industries market products that make us sick and then treat only our symptoms as they spend tens of millions lobbying politicians to look the other way.  We seem to all be fooled into believing that we are in protective hands when in fact we are simply a source of revenue and profits.

Are we losing family, friends, and classmates for the sake of profits?

DID YOU KNOW^*

• American Life Expectancy continues to decline, now being 76.4years old, the lowest in two decades. Harvard School of Public Health ^[iii]
• In contrast, European Life Expectancy continues to climb passing 80.0 years old, despite European excessive tobacco usage. Harvard University and National Bureau of Economic Research ^[iv]
• Health Expectancy (the number healthy years -also known as Healthspan) has dropped more than life expectancy.^[v] The amount of time we live in good health dropped from 85.8% of our lifespan in 1990 to 83.6% in 2021.Wall Street Journal January 2024. ^[vi]  See Chart Below.
• A 36-year study of 119,315 women and men found a direct correlation between unhealthy eating patterns and increased risk of early death due to cancer, cardiovascular illness, respiratory, neurodegenerative and other such terminal diseases. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, JAMA Internal Medicine ^[vii]
• American food engineering is designed to maximize profits, often incorporating cheaper harmful ingredients and food processing, resulting in unhealthy eating patterns.
  • Chemicals, hormones^[viii], steroids^[ix] and antibiotics^[x] are pumped into livestock and poultry to quickly generate the most product per animal by accelerating maturity and making them fatter than normal.  These engineering enhancements remain in the food we eat, affecting humans as they do animals. International Food Research Journal ^[xi]
  • Fat, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars, carbs, and sodium are added to our foods which disrupts the body’s cycle of insulin regulation, thus making our foods addictive, similar to nicotine in cigarettes. Addictions.com ^[xii]  Wall Street Journal^[xiii]
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ALL Bacon as a “Group 1 Human Carcinogen”, the same as cigarettes and asbestos, but without any warning labels due to effective Food Industry lobbying. ^[xiv]
  • Hotdogs and Sausages are so carcinogenic that a Global Burden of Disease Study measuring food type morbidity calculated that for each hotdog eaten, one’s life expectancy is reduced by 36 minutes. University of Michigan ^[xv]
  • Decades ago, chicken was the leanest meat, but no more. Food engineering has increased one serving of chicken fat content from 2 grams to 20 grams, but chicken still remains healthier than beef.^[xvi]
  • “Chick-fil-A” removed its company logo and policy of “No Antibiotics Ever”.  This change in policy was made to increase profits as they NO longer offer chemical free food.^[xvii]
• Effective lobbying has allowed the U.S. Government to approve food ingredients and processes that are prohibited in other countries due to health concerns.
  • The Tobacco Industry dominates American’s Food Supply as it has purchased companies such as Kraft, General Foods, Nabisco, etc.  These companies have used more effective government regulation circumvention than when they ruled the tobacco industry.  There are NO health warnings on unhealthy foods as are required on cigarettes despite similar health risks. ^[xviii]
  • Due to health concerns, over 160 countries, as well as the European Union (EU) have banned the import of all American Meat, Dairy, and Poultry products, as well as other food products including Gatorade, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Skittles, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Mountain Dew, Pop-Tarts. Tribune, Huffpost ^[xix] Market Realist^[xx]
• A Nutritious Lifestyle is incredibly difficult in our society as we are constantly pushed toward unhealthy eating by aggressive food marketing and engineering, which is why many who read this are rolling their eyes. The Milbank Quarterly: National Library of Medicine ^[xxi]
  • Food manufacturing companies utilize the Tobacco Industry’s product engineering and marketing techniques previously used to addict people to cigarettes, to now addict people to cheap unhealthy food that makes us sick.^[xxii]
  • Similar to how the Tobacco Industry once paid doctors to recommend cigarettes, (3 out of 4 doctors recommended Camel Cigarettes) nutritionists are paid by the Food Industry to promote their unhealthy sugary, fatty, and micro-processed foods through various marketing technics such as social media sites #HealthAtAnySize and #DerailTheShame convince people that obesity is not a health hazard. Washington Post^[xxiii]

• American’s weight problem is responsible for more than 1,300 deaths per day (nearly 500,000 per year). Weight issues result in a life expectancy loss of over 2.4 years, higher excessive mortality than smoking. Clinical Medicine / The Lancet Discovery Science ^[xxiv]
• America boasts one of the most advanced healthcare systems on the planet, yet America’s life expectancy is only slightly higher than many less developed countries. American Public Health Association ^[xxv]
• Our Healthcare profession is designed to treat disease symptoms and not prevent them through proper nutrition.

• • Less than 25% of medical schools offer nutrition courses, down from 37% twenty years ago. ^[xxvi]
  • Six out of seven graduating doctors DO NOT believe they are adequately trained to council patients on nutrition, so they avoid it. ^[xxvii]
  • The California Medical Association prevented a bill from becoming law that required doctors to have at least 12 hours of nutritional training over a four-year period. ^[xxviii]
  • Over $6.2 billion is expended annually on unnecessary medications: Lowen Institute^[xxix]
• In 2023, the Healthcare Industry spent $553,439,341 to lobby politicians. Open Secrets Sector Profile ^[xxx]

In 1903 Thomas Edison predicted that: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of diseases”^[xxxi]  Hmmm – that prediction failed to foresee the profit from sick people.

Shock and Awe: It is understandable if you find this information hard to believe as hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually to brainwash us to not accept the truth about what we eat. We are inundated with marketing spins for unhealthy food, symptom treatments, and drugs, that ignore the benefits and understanding of healthy nutrition.

• Where are the warning labels on bacon?
• Ever see ads for the health benefits of sweet potatoes?
• Have you wondered why prescription drugs are advertised when in fact it should be the doctors who diagnose ailments and then prescribe the drugs?

There is overwhelming documentation citing the harmful effects of our American diet and the Healthcare Industry’s failure to address disease prevention and cures.  Unhealthy food is heavily marketed as the norm as we indulge in highly engineered and unhealthy food, believing our bodies are indestructible, without considering the consequences. Americans laugh about eating “Junk Food”, yet we would never put “Junk Gasoline” into our cars because we want them to last.  Would we not want the same for our bodies?

We should not be shocked at the increasing healthcare costs, obesity of our population, increase in terminal diseases, and decreasing life expectancy and Healthspan as we continually eat unhealthy food.

After conclusive evidence proved cigarette smoking was a health hazard, it took over 18 years until it was publicly accepted as such. ^[xxxii] Convincing people that what we are eating is killing us will take much longer as the food and healthcare industries learned from the tobacco industry’s marketing mistakes, improved product engineering to create food addiction, and government regulation circumvention to increase profits that is killing tens of millions of Americans yearly.

Conclusion: The Food Industry creates sick people for the Healthcare Industry to treat, leading to an unchecked cycle of American human misery.  If the Healthcare Industry changed its focus from treating symptoms to preventing them, we would all be happier and healthier, but disease prevention is a money losing proposition for these industries. It is up to us to use a little common sense.

*Anyone can prove anything citing the internet.  Statements made above reference internet links though they were also backed up by numerous other reputable documents.

WITHOUT WARNING

My cardiovascular disease was found purely by chance as I had no symptoms:

• My vital signs were exceptional.
• I exercised daily.
• I took no medications.
• My doctor described my diet as “extremely healthy”.

I viewed myself as the perfect physical specimen, never feeling better. I always envisioned my demise resulting from doing something really stupid such as landing a jet on a boat, but never my heart.

Little did I know that I could have become a statistic of the silent killer, seemly in perfect health one day to dead the next.

Dean and I were both told by cardiologists that our conditions could be controlled with medication. When Dean died several months later, I realized we should have been told that; “we hope your conditions can be controlledwith medication”.

HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY

Symptoms of my disease range from numbness of extremities, shortness of breath, lack of energy, stroke, heart attack, death, and even worse; erectile disfunction – Yikes!!

Since “control” is not a cure, and “hope” is not a strategy, I did not plan on sitting idle like most patients simply“hoping” as “control and hope for the best” in itself is a psychologically debilitating disease.

I needed to be proactive to find a cure!

IN SEARCH FOR A CURE

Three of the four cardiologists I saw prescribed “control and hope” with NO hopes of a cure. The fourth cardiologist also suggested a No-Animal Protein (“Plant Based”) Lifestyle, which he thought might reverse my condition – a cure??  He also made the disclaimer that less than 1% of his patients actually follow this recommendation, despite the possible success.

A challenge I cannot ignore!

With no knowledge of a Plant Based Lifestyle, my discovery that it is also called a Vegan Diet was depressing as every spiritual woo-woo Vegan I knew was trying to save the animals or save the planet. ^[xxxiii] I just want to save myself and not be associated with such nonsense.  Consequently, I call myself a PBL (Plant Based Lifestyle -Pronounced “PeeBaLL).  They can be Vegans; I’m a PBL.

PBLs avoid eating all food related to animals; NO meats, poultry (including eggs) dairy (butter, cheese, etc.), fish, as well as processed foods. ^[xxxiv] It is a lifestyle change, though not as severe as life altering stents, bypass surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, brain surgery, insulin pumps and shots, amputations, colonoscopy bags, urostomy pouches. etc.

In comparison, being a PBL seems just fine.

The first test of my new lifestyle was a party at Morton’s Steakhouse.  I was surprised that they had a Vegan menu. It was great and I stayed on the course.

MIRACLE CURE

Sorry – No Miracal cure stories as I had no symptoms.

I became a PBL on September 15^, 2023 and six months later I had some subtle changes.

1. Weight loss: Ever seen a fat Vegan? I lost over half the weight I had been trying to lose for decades.  The best part is that I stopped counting calories, carbs, and all those other silly things people do to lose weight. My weight loss should continue until I reach the ideal body fat for my stature. What could be better?
2. Sleep: Longer and better.
3. Indigestion: Much less indigestion though I still eat too much.
4. Lab Test Highlights: At my 6-month follow-up, my cartologist was impressed that I remained on a Plant Based Lifestyle. He was even more impressed with my lab results.
   1. Total Cholesterol Results.

1. Prior to statin: 150 (considered optimal)
2. While on statin: 135 (lower the better)

iii.      As a PBL: 93 “amazing” Quote from cartologist

1. 1. More important than total cholesterol is HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol) with lower being better. While my HDL remained a constant 47, the LDL dropped significantly.

89. LDL prior to taking statin: 89.
90. LDL while on a statin: 75.

iii.     LDL as a PBL:  an “astonishing 34” as described by my cardiologist.

101. Glucose dropped from a solid pre-diabetes score of 111 to a marginal score of 101. (lowered the better).

1. Depression:  I have become extremely depressed at supermarkets and restaurants observing all the harmful food people are eating. They have no clue that they are slowly killing themselves by injuring their bodies with food that was engineered and manufactured to make a profit and not a healthy body.
2. Dodging the Bullet: If I had a miracle, it was to dodge a deadly bullet.  The positive psychological aspect of being proactive is immense.

My initial goal was to get off the statin in a year, which actually took me only six months. My new goal is to live over 100, dementia free, which will take a few more years.

I discovered that being a PBL not only addresses cardiovascular diseases, but it has a positive impact on most terminal diseases. Below is a summary of my findings.

 

CONTROL THE VARIABLE

The Variable

There are three elements that create Terminal Diseases.

1. Genes – A Fixed Entity.
2. Environments – For those of us who do not smoke or work in coal mines, the environment is less impactful on our health.
3. Lifestyles – this is the variable we can control the most.

 

Play The Deck Wisely.

A common phrase when diagnosed with a terminal disease is; “We cannot change the hand we’re dealt”, referencing our genetic make-up. That could be true, so we need to play our hand wisely, though we get little advice as to how.

Since everyone has a different genetic composition, the importance of lifestyles varies from person to person which explains why some people can smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and live to 100 while another with the same addiction dies at 47.  Since we do not know our genetic composition, we must base our decisions wisely on norms and not ancestorial or false expectations.  Just because your mother lived to 100 does not equate to you having the same genetic composition, lifestyle or environment. See Myths below.

Shuffle The Deck

Inheriting troublesome lifestyles could be more detrimental to our health than inheriting troublesome genes.

Case Study: The gene that is most associated with Alzheimer’s Disease is the APOE gene^[xxxv] and African Americans are prone to having this gene, thus they are very susceptible to Alzheimer’s.  Surprisingly, a study of West Africans, the ancestorial gene pool of most African Americans, showed very little Alzheimer’s in West Africa. ^[xxxvi] Conclusion: The American Lifestyle has triggered this gene in African Americans.

A similar correlation exists between Japanese men and American Japanese men, though Alzheimer’s has increased in Japan as they have adopted a more western lifestyle. ^[xxxvii]

Don’t Expect Different Results

Many people suffer through numerous painful medical treatments and procedures to alleviate symptoms only to erroneously believe that they are cured; but they fail to alter their lifestyle.

Common Sense: There is no reason why a terminal disease would not return if we continued with the same lifestyle that created the disease in the first place.

Many people are congratulated for being cancer free for 5 years, yet they have done nothing to prevent it from returning, so why are they being congratulated?  What have they done differently?

Doing the same thing over and over does create different results.

 

THE ONE-TWO PUNCH

Contrary to what we have become accustomed to regarding eating animal products, there is overwhelming evidence indicating how hazardous these products are to our health, especially American animal products.

Animal proteins are not only a major contributor to cardiovascular disease ^[xxxviii], but they are also significant culprits causing other diseases such as;

• Cancer^[xxxix]
• Parkinson’s^[xl]
• Dementia^[xli]
• Alzheimer’s^[xlii]
• Diabetes^[xliii]
• Migraines^[xliv]
• Skin Ailments^[xlv]
• Hypertension^[xlvi]
• Allergies^[xlvii]

and more….

There are two reason animal proteins are a Health Hazard.

1. Biological Hazards
2. American Manufacturing Hazards

For those who just rolled their eyes, please read on….

 

BIOLOGICAL HAZARD

Scientific factors with conclusive studies seem to indicate that eating animal-proteins could be as hazardous to our health as cigarette smoking.

If you read only one aspect of my paper: 

Please read the Balanced.Org article referencing numerous studies from institutions such as Harvard to The American Society of Microbiology, regarding animal protein health hazards.

The Truth About Animal Protein / Nutrition Mythbusters

 SCIENTIFIC FACTORS ^[xlviii]

IGF-1 Increased Cancer Risks: Animal Proteins create higher circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) which consistently have been associated with increased cancer risk, proliferation, and malignancy. ^[xlix]

TMAO: Animal proteins create higher levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) that injures the lining of our vessels, creates inflammation, and forms blood vessel plaques. TMAO itself is sufficient by itself for one to “vigorously avoid eating animal proteins”, according to American College of Cardiology President, Dr. Kim A. Williams, ^[l]

Phosphorius: Generates fibroblast growth factor 23 hormone (FGF23) in our bodies, a hormone that is harmful to blood vessels creating an abnormal enlargement of our cardiac muscle leading to heart attacks, heart failure and sudden death.  ^[li]

Leaches Calcium – Stimulates Osteoporosis: Animal proteins have high concentrations of sulfur-containing amino acids which creates a subtle state of acidosis which results in leaching calcium from our bones. ^[lii]

Lacks Fiber: Lack of dietary fiber is associated with a higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and various types of cancer. Fiber is only found in plants and virtually every American gets more than enough protein but less than 3% get adequate fiber because eating fiberless animal products replaces consumption of plant-based products. ^[liii]

Animal Protein, Heme Iron, And Free Radicals: Heme iron can convert into highly reactive free radicals which damage different cell structures like proteins, membranes, and DNA, and can cause Oxidative Stress Syndrome and DNA damage   ^[liv].

Apex Eaters: Animals are at the top of the food chain with the largest animals being the most toxic as heavy metals in our food supply are retained in their bodies so the more they eat, the more toxic they become. .^[lv]

Heme Iron:  Iron is a necessary nutrient though Heme Iron found in meats has a catalytic effect on (i) the endogenous formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds and (ii) the formation of cytotoxic and genotoxic aldehydes by lipoperoxidation, both increasing the risk of early mortality.  See AARP Study below.^[lvi]

STUDY RESULTS

The World War Years: The confiscation of farm animals by occupying Germans during WWI and WWII forced civilian populations into plant based diets.  The result was an impressive example of how the ravages of these terminal diseases can be halted by eliminating animal proteins from our diets.

• During the years 1917 to 1918 Danish domesticated animals were confiscated by the Germans for their war effort. Denmark’s death rate from natural disease dropped by 34%, saving 6,300 lives, with death rates never being lower.^[lvii]
• A more extensive study performed in 1952 discovered that deaths from coronary artery disease plummeted during World War II, (1939-1945) when again the Germans confiscated Norwegian farm animals, thus forcing populations to eat plant-based foods. Preceding this time, mortality from cardiovascular disease had steadily climbed and then rebounded after the war.^[lviii]

My Favorite Study: Stanford Identical Twins Study: Twenty-Two Pairs of Twins were studied where one sibling ate an exclusive plant-based diet for 8 weeks and the other sibling ate a healthy lean meat and vegetable diet.  At the end of the study, the siblings on the plant-based diet had lower “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL), lower overall cholesterol, better blood sugar levels and greater weight loss than siblings who ate a diet of meat and vegetables. This study was unusual because it used genetically identical twins most of whom shared similar lifestyle behaviors, including haircuts and clothes.^[lix]

National Library of Medicine: National Institute of Health Risk compiled 32 prospective cohort studies consisting of 715,128 participants with 3.5-to-32-year follow-ups in which there were 113,039 deaths (16,429 from “cardiovascular disease and 22,303 from cancer). Higher intake of plant protein was associated with a lower risk of all causes of mortality thus concluding that the “replacement of animal protein with plant protein sources could be associated with longevity.”^[lx]

National Institute of Health Risk:  Based on a study of over 37,000 men from the Health Professionals Study (beginning in 1986) and over 83,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (beginning in 1980). All the participants were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at the start of the study. Study results showed that eating red meat on a regular basis may shorten your lifespan.

Harvard School of Public Health: “Our study adds more evidence to the health risks of eating high amounts of meat, which has been associated with type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers in other studies,” says lead author Dr. An Pan. ^[lxi]

The American Medical Association: Dr. Dean Ornish conducted a study that showed a plant-based diet can reverse plaque build-up in coronary arteries on participants who had such a disease. After a 1-year period the average decrease of plaque was 4.5% and after 5 years it decreased by 7.9% for participants on a plant-based diet. Participants not on a plant had plaque build-up increased by 5.4% and 27.7% after one and five years respectively. So much for the myth that this disease is not reversable. ^[lxii]

NIH-AARP Study: This study consisted of 536,969 AARP members aged 50-71. of six states with 16 years of follow-up data through 2011. ^[lxiii]Results showed an increased mortality risk due to nine different causes associated with animal protein intake from both processed and unprocessed foods.  Mediation models estimated that the increased mortality associated with processed red meat was influenced by nitrate/nitrite of processed meat intake (37.0-72.0%) ^[lxiv]and to a lesser degree by heme iron (20.9-24.1%).

** There are books and diets promoted by people such as Nina Teicholz^[lxv], Jordan Peterson^[lxvi] and Dr. Paul Saladino (“psychiatrist”)^[lxvii]  recommending animal protein diets to be healthy lifestyles. Such propaganda has been criticized by numerous scientific publications which cite the lack of controlled studies and scientific conclusions as these fads are promoting “unverifiable rhetoric”. Simply google these people yourself to understand the issues.

AMERICAN FOOD MANUFACTURING HAZARDS

You Are What They Eat

The Poop Factor: Modern food manufacturing facilities produce from 30,000 to over 60,000 animals, requiring huge quantities of protein.  Surprisingly, the most abundant and economical source of protein is animal feces.

Also surprising, the yuk factor is not the main concern, it is the chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics that are pumped into the animals that remain in the feces which compounds itself from animal to animal as the feces are eaten. Amplifying this human health issue is the practice of cross feces feeding where feces from various animals are mixed together resulting in livestock ingesting chemicals given to poultry^[lxviii]

The effects of this type of food manufacturing results in human obesity, resistance to antibiotics^[lxix], terminal diseases, and early puberty^[lxx].  For Example: The age of human puberty has dropped from 15-17 to 11-12 which has had devastating effects both physically and psychologically on our youth.

 Amarillo Texas: Anyone driving I-40 through Amarillo Texas cannot help but notice not only the vile stench, but the cattle factories consisting of livestock with shackled heads feeding over troughs where they can only feed and poop and feed and poop.  After my first trip through Amarillo, I developed a red meat aversion.

In 2017, while in Switzerland, I met a couple from Amarillo who told me that aroma is the smell of money. Hmmm.  So how could they eat meat when they know the cattle are so poorly treated?  Apparently, they don’t!  Ranchers have their own private livestock that graze in the fields and not pumped with harmful additives.

MYTHS

“My mother lived to 100, so I do not have to worry about my health.”

You are not your mother, and you are also a product of your father and there is a strong possibility that their genes might not have done so well with today’s highly engineered food supply. In addition, there are cancers and other diseases that skip one or two generations as well as gene variants which might make your future different than your parent’s past. Our lifestyles today are also much different than those of our parents which will definitely affect life expectancy.

“Everything in moderation”

This is my favorite myth because it is so ridiculous and has nothing to do with nutrition.  This term actually comesfrom the Bible in the Book of Ecclesiastes and refers to a way of life without excess ^[lxxi].  One would not appreciate the good things in life if everything was good.  There is no scientific evidence proving that replacing healthy food with unhealthy food is a healthy alternative, nor is there a defined amount that is accepted as being moderate.^[lxxii]

“A diet without meat is not a balanced diet and lacks certain essential vitamins, minerals and especially protein.”

The beef industry must have started this myth as it is absolutely false. Dr. Christopher Gardner, who has the perfect name for a plant studies research professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center states that, “A strictly plant based diet can be higher in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients compared with other dietary patterns.^[lxxiii]

As for Protein:

• The average recommended consumption of protein is 42 grams daily.
• Carnivores eat way more than that, over 80 grams.
• Vegetarians and vegans consume an average of 70 grams of protein.

Prior to homo sapiens learning how to create weapons and hunt, we had a much longer history of surviving on plants.

HUMAN NATURE 

If someone had a terminal disease and their doctor told them that they had a 30% chance of recovery taking medication with possible side-effects of blindness, hair loss, heart palpitations, extremity numbness, depression, suicidal tendencies, and impotency, they would probably take the medication.

If that same person was told that they had a 50% chance of recovery by simply not eating animal proteins with NO side-effects, they would probably ignore it.

I have numerous friends who have been or still are undergoing:

• Extensive invasive medical treatments.
• Taking drugs with severe side effects.
• Claim to be in remission though concerned about reoccurrence.

Some friends even have a dismal prognosis with potential future invasive procedures or worse and have all experienced significant lifestyle changes as a result.

After sharing with them my positive experience with a Plant Based Lifestyle and that of others, and that such a change might help them, they tend to agree, and then order a hamburger or steak. I had the same frustrating results as my cardiologist as he recommends such a lifestyle to his patients.

I have one friend who was given until November 2025.  After reading everything I wrote regarding animal proteins, admitted it was probably mostly true.  Even if avoiding animal proteins gave him just a 10% chance of living a few extra years in better health I was hoping he would try it, yet his was response was that he has lived a great life.  I just do not get it.  What defines a fighter who wants to live.

A Plant Based Diet is not a miracle cure, it simply provides the nutrients our bodies need to fix ourselves without the harmful effects of animal proteins. 

FURTHER READING

There are many books on the harmful effects of Animal Proteins.  My suggestion is to read at least the first few chapters of “How Not To Die” by Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM or watch Blue Zones on Netflix.

 

CONCLUSION

My friend and editor/publisher of Sedona.Biz, Tommy Accosta, underwent three extensive operations for a serious cardiovascular disease.  After reading all my material on the harmful effects of animal proteins, he is transitioning to a Plant Based Lifestyle (PBL), though it is not easy to break the addiction of lifelong eating habits, even if it means life or death.

So here it is!

Irrefutable proof that the main threat to the health of our country is the food we eat.

The writing is on the wall. The cat is out of the bag.

It’s up to each individual to accept the fact that our food is poisoned, and make a lifestyle change that could add years of healthy living to your life.

I did and I have never felt healthier, stronger and more creative. Join me on this journey to perfect health. Take the plunge, buy the book “How Not to Die” and start there. Your future healthy life awaits you.

 

 

[i]   Terminal Diseases are defined as non-communicable diseases that cause death.

[ii]  Medical News Today:  Leading Causes of Death

[iii] Harvard School of Public Health https: What is Behind ‘Shocking’ U.S. Life Expectancy Decline.

[iv] “While Americans are less healthy than Europeans along some dimensions (like obesity), Americans are significantly less likely to smoke than their European counterparts. This difference emerged in the 1970s and it is greatest among the most educated.”. David M. Cutler Department of Economics Harvard University: Trends in Life Expectancy and National Bureau of Economic Research: Europe Life Expectancy Macro Trends

[v] National Library of Medicine: Health Expectancy

[vi] The estimated average proportion of life spent in good health declined to 83.6% in 2021, down from 85.8% in 1990, according to an analysis of the latest data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study, a research effort based at the University of Washington. The decrease of time spent in good health is largely due to the rising prevalence, often among younger people, of conditions such as obesity, and diabetes.

[vii] Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD.  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Department, Chair, analyzed a nutrition study of 119,315 women and men to find a significant association between healthy eating patterns and reduced risk of early death. People who more carefully followed a healthy eating pattern of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, were less likely to die from cancer, cardiovascular illness, and respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases. JAMA Internal Medicine Good Nutrition: Diet Patterns that can Boost Longevity, Cut Chronic Disease.

[viii] To increase profits, livestock are injected with dexamethasone for artificial fattening, and they are fed tablets containing various steroid groups such as diclofenac, oradexason, steron, decason, adam cortan, cortisol, hydrocortisol, etc. along with an excessive use of urea in fodder in improve digestion of their poor quality diet . As a result, the animals become very calm and cannot move properly, thus preventing muscle build-up, increasing fat content and becoming much fleshier for market. These hormones have the same effect on humans, thus the American obesity issue. National Library of Medicine: Risk Assessment of Artificial Livestock Fattening,International Food Research Journal: Adverse effects on consumer’s health caused by hormones administered in cattle.

[ix] See viii above.

Bio

 Zachary Richardson 

Geologist, Naval Aviator, Entrepreneur, School Board Member, Parent 

• • Park Ranger Yellowstone National Park – 1974 – Freshman Summer

  

• • Founded “Handy-Man” repair company- 1975 – Sophomore Summer 
• • USGS/NAU geological project in Sedona Arizona – 1976 – Junior Summer 
  • • Graduate from Franklin and Marshall College – 1977 o Geology Major, Swim Team, Lambda Chi Alpha, Dorm Counselor 
  • • Retired from U. S. Naval Aviation – 1997. 8 years active/13 years reserves 
  • • Civilian career o President of small and large companies, both public and private. 
  • o Worked with movie production companies on numerous projects. 
  • o Developed and sold real estate across the country. 
  • o Consulted and facilitated turnarounds for troubled companies. 
  • o Various roles in the investment community. 
  • o Owner of Gallery of Modern Masters in Sedona. 
  • o Partner in VOC restaurant and other business ventures. 
  • o Developing three residential projects in Arizona. 
  • • Community Involvement o Past Chairman of the Yes For Sedona Schools. 
  • o Past Chairman for Sedona Kids Tax Credit. 
  • o Past West Sedona School PTA Officer and Site Council Member. 
  • o Served on various school committees and bond oversight committee. 
  • o Past President Sedona-Oak Creek School Governing Board. 
  • o Boards: ▪ Sedona Lodging Council Board. 
  • ▪ Sedona Gallery Association Board – President. 
  • ▪ Sedona Main Street Program Board. 
  • ▪ Foothills Homeowners Association Board. 
  • ▪ Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Sedona Tourism Bureau. 
  • • F&M Involvement – was disconnected for 38 years o Parent: Classes of 2019 and 2020 
  • o Past Alumni Association Board Member 
  • o Member: FAN, Schnader Society, Ben Franklin Society, 1787 Society, 
  • o Member: Shadek Williamson Circle, True Blue Network. 
  • o Mentor for ALOT Students and OSPGD Graduates. 
  • o Opened Lancaster business to teach F&M students business skills 

•