Vegetarian Era
Firefighters
Go Vegetarian
♥♥♥♥ By Vincent Nguyen, Virginia Center, USA (Originally in English) |
Texas is well-known for its cowboys with blue jeans, big hats and big leather belts with big buckles. It’s also known for its big meat eaters. So when five firefighters in the state capital of Austin switched to a vegetarian diet, it was a big surprise to the local people as well as the media throughout the United States.
According to their website, www.engine2.org, the city of Austin now has “... women in BMWs pulling up next to the fire trucks, inquiring if they are the vegetarian firefighters.” To the women’s chagrin, they get the reply, “No, that's Engine 2.”
A local restaurant created an entr嶪 in their name: “Engine 2 Veggie Sandwich.” In addition, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gave them the “Animal-Friendly Firehouse of the Year” award.
It all started with a routine cholesterol test. The American Heart Association ranks anyone with a level of 240 mg or more as high risk. Specialist Rae, who was only 37 years old, learned that his cholesterol was 344. All the male members of his family except one had died of heart disease before age 60. Rae's father, the only survivor, had suffered a heart attack and then underwent triple bypass surgery in his mid-50s.
After hearing of the blood test results, another member of the firehouse, Specialist Esselstyn, 43, convinced Rae to switch to a vegetarian diet. Esselstyn had been a professional triathlete for a decade before joining the firehouse in 1997. He became a vegetarian in 1986 and a vegan in 2002. Esselstyn's father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., had been a general surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, named by U.S.News & World Report as one of the nation's top four hospitals.[1] Dr. Esselstyn conducted a 12-year trial using patients who had been diagnosed with what seemed like terminal heart disease.
The study showed that “...Even if all Americans kept their total cholesterol below 200 mg/dL, as recommended by the American Heart Association, millions would develop coronary artery disease.” The study concluded that, in addition to keeping cholesterol down, “a plant-based diet with less than 10% fat would prevent coronary disease from developing, halt the progress of existing disease, and even reverse the disease in many patients.” [2]
To help his fellow firefighter make the switch, Esselstyn created delicious vegetarian food that included “Paul McCartney” enchiladas with spinach and portobello mushrooms. After tasting the food, another firefighter was convinced: Lieutenant Scott Walters also switched to a vegetarian diet.
Next, the new vegetarian Walters made tofu chocolate pudding and gave it to another fellow firefighter who up to that time was a self-professed “vegetarian hater.” This in turn convinced him to become a vegetarian. At present, all five members of the Engine 2 team - James Rae, Rip Esselstyn, Matt Moore, Derick Zwerneman, and Scott Walters - are vegetarians. Their practices have come to the attention of many Austin citizens as well as the media around the United States.
In speaking of his own vegan diet, Esselstyn said, “For compassion reasons and for environmental reasons, it's the best way to go. To think that a pig or a cow or a chicken has no more feelings than your dog or cat is ludicrous.” He also pointed out that factory farming practices are inhumane and destructive to the environment.
Besides feeling better since switching to a vegetarian diet,
Specialist Rae found that his blood cholesterol dropped to 196.
For more information, please visit:
|
