46. CUT THE CHOLESTEROL

Mary Jane is very concerned about her husband, Van, who has high cholesterol. His Dr. told him he could lower his cholesterol by cutting his meat intake, so Van told Mary Jane he would try her vegetarian diet. She made his first meal a sandwich of vegetarian turkey slices. After eating the sandwich, Van said, “This sandwich meat tastes like good, thick cardboard! I’m going to the drive-in to get me a real meat hamburger. Meat can’t be that deadly to my cholesterol, plus I need a little protein.” Mary Jane feels like she has ruined her chances of lowering his cholesterol with plant-food.

Mary Jane must not give up after only one failure. There is much information available to give her ammunition to fight this battle.

First, Van needs to realize that in our perfect Eden world, recorded in Genesis 1:29, human beings ate only plant food. Our bodies were not designed for meat consumption. Human beings and other herbivore animals have incisors and molars for biting and chewing plants opposed to the fangs for tearing meat placed in meat-eating animals. Carnivores (meat eaters) have short digestive tracts; herbivores (plant eaters) have long digestive tracts.

In a special issue on vegetarianism in Vibrant Life, scientific evidence was reported that people who eat plant food enjoy as much and sometimes more strength and endurance than meat eaters. In an experiment conducted to determine the best diet for athletes, nine male subjects were given a diet high in the fat and protein of meat, eggs and milk. Then they exercised on stationery bicycles. They pedaled an average of only 57 minutes before becoming exhausted.

Next, the nine participants followed a carbohydrate-rich diet of cereals, fruits and vegetables for three days. Now the men could pedal an average of 167 minutes—almost three times as long as their performance on the meat and dairy products.

There are an amazing number of athletes who have proved the accuracy of this test with their athletic achievement on a vegan diet. To name a few: Scott Jurek, the runner, Carl Lewis, track star, Mac Danzig, fighter, Mike Tyson, fighter, and Robert Cheeke, bodybuilder.

Then there is the ecological arguments for vegetarianism, which were reported in Vibrant Life. An acre that’s converted from grazing beef cattle to raising soybeans will feed nine people where before it would feed only one third of a person. Many parts of the world are facing a water shortage. Growing one pound of grain takes around 200 gallons of water, but growing one pound of beef takes 2400 gallons.

Mary Jane must remind Van that immediate results of a vegan diet are lower cholesterol, a slimmer waist, higher energy and a lower food bill. He has no worries about protein—it is almost impossible not to get enough protein if he eats enough food to live.

Since Van may feel hungry on a plant-food diet, he must remember to eat a larger volume of plant foods to get the same number of calories found in meat. There are plenty of calories in white potatoes, sweet potatoes, all kinds of legumes, whole grains and a moderate amount of nuts.

In place of the vegetarian slices, which are not the healthiest plant-food, Mary Jane should try the garbanzo or millet spread for Van’s sandwiches. It takes creativity to convert a meat lover to a vegetarian, but she must persevere. Soon Van will join countless other men who say, “VEGETARIANISM IS FOR REAL MEN!” 

TOASTED GARBANZO SANDWICHES
Blend 1 can drained garbanzos with enough broth to mix well.
Add:
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t Italian seasoning
1 t onion powder
1/2 t parsley
1/8 t oregano
Spread on whole wheat bread. Cut in half diagonally and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 five to ten minutes until warmed and toasted.   

MILLET SANDWICH SPREAD
Blend:
4 1/4 c tomato juice
1 onion
1/2 c raw sunflower seeds
Pour the blended mixture into a pan.  Add the following  ingredients and simmer on low heat for one hour:
1 c uncooked millet
1/3 t sage
1/2 t celery powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t salt
Stir in 1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts and
1/2 c chopped olives.  Cool and spread on whole
wheat bread.  Top with your favorite sandwich fixings