This World Health Day, Eat Your Way to Better Health!
World Health Day is a reminder that good health is our greatest wealth. While we often focus on exercise and lifestyle choices, diet plays the biggest role in long-term well-being. Adopting a vegan diet is a smart health decision backed by science and is the best way to safeguard ourselves against diseases, save animal lives and protect the planet.
Turns out, dairy isn’t all that great for your bones
Contrary to popular belief, dairy does not protect bone health. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine by Harvard researchers found that consuming dairy does not prevent fractures and may actually increase the risk. Dairy’s high animal protein content can disturb blood pH levels, leading to calcium loss from bones, weakening them over time, resulting in calcium deficiency.
A review published in Pediatrics showed that milk consumption does not improve bone integrity in children. Osteoporosis is a potentially disabling disease of later life in which the bones deteriorate and easily fracture. According to sources it was estimated that 61 million people in India suffer from osteoporosis while another study found that nearly one out of two adults had osteopenia (low bone density). In another study of more than 96,000 people found that the more milk men consumed as teenagers, the more bone fractures they experienced as adults.
With India facing an osteoporosis crisis, ditching dairy for calcium-rich plant-based sources like moringa, okra, amaranth leaves, kidney beans, soya, peanuts, and more is the best choice for bone strength.
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Dairy Consumption and Cancer Risk: Insights from Recent Studies
A study supported by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Cancer Research Fund, found that women who consumed 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cow’s milk per day had a 30% increased chance for breast cancer. One cup per day increased the risk by 50%. A study published in the British Journal of Cancer found that eliminating dairy from one’s meals appears to lower one’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
Male consumers of just a little over two servings of dairy per day according to a large Harvard Physicians Health Study had 34 per cent more risk of developing prostate cancer than men who consumed little or no dairy products.
Consuming Dairy Isn’t Natural
There is also nothing natural about humans’ consumption of dairy. Cows produce milk for the same reason humans do – to nourish their young. Dairy industry workers forcibly impregnate cows, take their babies within the first few days after birth, and then steal the cow’s milk until the next year, when she is artificially inseminated again.
Meat and Eggs Are Silent Killers
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consuming red and white meat, including poultry, negatively affects cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels cause fatty deposits that can break suddenly and form a clot that could cause a heart attack or stroke.
A study of over 70,000 people by Loma Linda University found vegetarians had a 22% lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to non-vegetarians.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that processed meat is a major contributor to colorectal cancer, classifying it as “carcinogenic to humans”. Eating just 30 grams of processed meat a day increases one’s chance of developing cancer by 18%.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology study, men who regularly consume just two and a half eggs per week increase their risk for a deadly form of prostate cancer by 81%.
While another study found ‘vegan diets showed statistically significant protection for overall cancer incidence … in both genders combined and for female-specific cancers. It also found vegetarians seem to have decreased risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal system.
How Eating a Low-Fat Diet Promotes Good Health
Meanwhile, eating a low-fat diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans – while avoiding animal-derived foods – promotes good health. A major report from World Cancer Research Fund International and the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends eating vegan foods to prevent the risk of cancer.
The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy found that eating minimally processed plant-based foods plus frequent exercise, stress reduction may reduce the symptoms of mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease.
A study published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases of over 40,000 men and women concluded vegetarian diets ‘were associated with a substantial and independent reduction in diabetes incidence.
Studies have linked animal products to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease whereas as research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that vegetarians have a 32% lower risk of heart disease and have lower cholesterol levels, blood pressure and weight.
Going vegan means protecting your heart, reducing inflammation, and lowering the risk of life-threatening conditions.
Factory Farming Breeds Pandemics
Industrial animal agriculture isn’t just cruel—it’s a public health hazard. According to a report by Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR), “Over 70% of the world’s farm animals are now factory farmed.” In India, chickens, fish, cows, and buffaloes are among those species increasingly reared in these crowded systems to meet the domestic and export demands for meat, eggs, and dairy. In today’s meat, egg, and dairy industries, huge numbers of animals are raised in vast warehouses in severe confinement. Facilities that confine animals in filthy, confined spaces like for eggs and meat, and slaughterhouses are fertile hotbeds of zoonotic pathogens. Health experts have warned that H5N1 bird flu – which has a mortality rate of approximately 60% in humans – has a potential for a pandemic 100 times worse than COVID-19. By shifting to a vegan diet, we reduce the demand for factory farming, decreasing the risk of future pandemics.
Every person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals each year while lowering their risk of chronic disease. It’s also an environmentally sustainable choice, helping combat climate change. This World Health Day, take charge of your health, protect animals, and safeguard the planet—one vegan meal at a time.
Make the change today. Your body, the animals, and the Earth will thank you.
