Research Reveals How Sugar CAUSES Cancer

Research Reveals How Sugar 

CAUSES Cancer

Posted on: Friday, July 19th 2019 at 12:00 pm

Written By: Sayer Ji, Founder   This article is copyrighted by GreenMedInfo LLC, 2019
The average American consumes their body weight annually in this cancer-causing substance, and yet hospitals freely feed it to their cancer patients, seemingly oblivious to the harm it does.

Hospitals feed cancer patients sugar and high carbohydrate diets for a simple reason: they are abysmally ignorant of the role of nutrition in health and disease -- hence their burgeoning growth, packed rooms, and 'return customers.'

Even though the science itself shows - at least since the mid-20's with Otto Warburg's cancer hypothesis -- that tumors prefer to utilize sugar fermentation to produce energy rather than the much more efficient oxygen-based phosphorylation* - hospitals have actually invited corporations like McDonald's to move into their facilities  to 'enhance' their patient's gustatory experience, presumably to provide comfort and take the edge off of the painful surgery, radiation and chemo treatments erroneously proffered to them as the only reasonable 'standard of care.'

But the times are changing, with new research requiring these medical institutions to reform their dietary strategies, at least if they wish to claim that their interventions are in fact 'evidence-based,' as they so often claim. 

Study Reveals Sugar Doesn't Just Feed But Causes Cancer

A groundbreaking study, uncovered by one of our volunteer researchers at Greenmedinfo, is the first of its kind to identify sugar, not only as fuel source for an already existing cancer, but as a primary driver in oncogenesis - i.e. the initiation of cancerous characteristics (phenotype) within previously healthy cells.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and titled, Increased sugar uptake promotes oncogenesis via EPAC/RAP1 and O-GlcNAc pathways, researchers addressed a common perception (or misperception) in the cancer research community regarding sugar's relationship to cancer: namely, "increased glycolysis [sugar based metabolism] is frequently viewed as a consequence of oncogenic events that drive malignant cell growth and survival."

Contrary to this conventional view, the new study "provide[s] evidence that increased glycolytic activation itself can be an oncogenic event."  That is to say, the activation of sugar-based metabolism in a cell - driven by both the presence of increased quantities of glucose and the increase glucose receptors on the cell membrane surface (i.e. "overexpression of a glucose transporter") - drives cancer initiation.

Moreover, the study found that "Conversely, forced reduction of glucose uptake by breast cancer cells led to phenotypic reversion." In other words, interfering with sugar availability and uptake to the cell causes the cancer cell to REGRESS towards its pre-cancer structure-function (phenotype).

What Are The Implications of This Research to the Diet?

What this new research indicates is that sugar - of which Americans consume an astounding 160 lbs annually (imagine: 31 five-pound bags for each of us!) - is one of the primary causes of metabolic cell changes in the body consistent with the initiation and promotion of cancer. And, the research indicates that removing it from the diet, and depriving the cells of it, could REVERSE cancer. Why is this so surprising? It's because Americans have been lead like lambs to the slaughter to think of "prevention" as "early detection," focusing not on identifying and removing the well known nutritional and environmental causes of cancer, rather, to spend their time, energy, and money on cause-marketing campaigns focused on "finding a cure" -- as if one didn't already exist right in front of our noses, or more aptly, on the end of our forks. 

Hidden Sugar, Crouching Cancer

It has been estimated by the USDA that the average American consumes 200 lbs of grain products annually. Why is this relevant to the question of sugar in the diet? Because refined carbohydrate products - e.g. crackers, bread, pasta, cereal - are actually 'hidden' forms of sugar. In fact, puffed rice causes your blood to become sweeter (and presumably feeds more cancer cells sugar) than white sugar, as it is higher on the glycemic index. Adding the two figures together - annual per capita consumption of sugar and grain-based products - we get a jaw dropping 360 lbs of sugar (both overt (table sugar/high fructose corn syrup) and covert (grain carbs) annually - all of which may contribute to promoting the ideal metabolic situation of cancer cells: aerobic glycolysis.

This is one reason why the ketogenic diet - that is, a fat- and protein-focused diet devoid of carbohydrate, both in simple (sugar) and complex (grain product) form - has been found so useful in the most aggressive of cancers: including brain cancer. Once you 'pull the rug out' from under the sugar/carb-craving cancer cells, they are forced to either undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis) or re-differentiate back into non-cancerous phenotypes.

If It's So Bad For Us, Why Do We Eat So Much?

One of the primary reasons why we eat sugar and carbohydrate rich diets is because they are addictive. Within minutes of consuming sugar/carbs our body goes through a neuroendocrine roller coaster. Your brain can not survive very long without glucose, the fundamental energy unit of the cell, and will 'freak out' if deprived of a steady stream of this 'nutrient' within only 2-3 minutes. The endocrine system, on the other hand, perceives the danger of high sugar - namely, glycation associated damage to protein and lipid structures within the cells of our body; think: blood caramelizing, getting sticky, and gumming up the finely tuned works - and will release hormones such as insulin, adrenaline and cortisol, in order to try to get the elevated sugar in the blood and tissues under control. Insulin forces the sugar into storage within the cell, both as glycogen and as fat, but often does its job too well, causing available glucose levels in the brain to be depleted - setting off a vicious cycle of 'emergency signals' telling the body to release more cortisol and adrenaline to increase the levels of glucose in the blood. This, of course, will result in additional insulin production and release, causing the same cycle to be repeated over and over again.

This seemingly endless vicious cycle is responsible for the insatiable cravings a high carb/sugar diet generates - not to mention the fructose-based hedonic effects generated in the brain that modulate both opioid and dopamine receptors in the nervous system (not unlike alcohol), and the pharmacologically active peptides in many gluten-containing grains, which also drive addictive behaviors and an almost psychotic fixation on getting carbs at each meal.

No wonder we have an epidemic of cancer in a world where the Westernized diet prevails. Certainly, we do not mean to indicate that a sugar/carb-rich diet is the only cause of cancer. There are many other factors that contribute to cancer initiation and promotion, such as:

• Chemical exposure
• Radiation exposure
• Chronic stress that suppresses the immune system
• Vaccines containing hidden retroviruses and cancer causing viruses
• Natural infection with bacteria and viruses that are cancer causing
• Lack of sleep
• Insufficient nutrients (lack of methyl donors such as B12, folate, and B6 will prevent the body from 'turning off' (methylating) cancer-promoting genes

Even though cancer is a complex, multi-factorial phenomena, with variables we can not always control, one thing we can do is control what goes into our mouth. Sugar, for instance, does not belong there if we truly want to prevent and/or treat cancer.  And don't forget, carbohydrates that don't taste sweet on the front end - bread, crackers, cereal - certainly convert to sugar in the body within minutes post-consumption.

In a nutshell, if you are concerned about cancer, have cancer, or would like to prevent recurrence, removing sugar and excess carbohydrates is a must. Not only is it common sense, but it is now validated by experimental research.

Additional Research

Note: another recent study found that Candida albicans (yeast) also contributes to cancer initiation and promotion. C. albicans thrives on sugar, lending additional support to the notion that sugar (consumed excessively) may be a primary driver of the cancer epidemic in those consuming the modern Western diet. For information on sugar alternatives that are not synthetic toxicants like Splenda (sucralose), read my latest article on the topic:  4 Sugar Alternatives That Won't Poison You.

---

 *Note: Cancer cells prefer to ferment sugar as a form of energy even when there is sufficient oxygen available to the cells to do so; hence Warburg's description of cancer metabolism as 'aerobic glycolysis' or the so-called 'Warburg effect'

Originally published: 2017-12-04   Article udpated: 2019-07-19

Sayer Ji is founder of Greenmedinfo.com, a reviewer at the International Journal of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, Co-founder and CEO of Systome Biomed, Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Health Federation, Steering Committee Member of the Global Non-GMO Foundation.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

Nature Has the Solutions  Wondering what options this leaves you when only something sweet will do? Fortunately, nature has got you covered. Here are four solutions for satisfying your sweet tooth that won't rot your teeth, create blood sugar imbalance, or cause weight gain. In fact, these natural wonders pack some amazing health benefits!

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol derived from xylose - a crystalline sugar found in birch bark^[8]. Sweet like sugar but with only 40% of the calories, xylitol is fast becoming the preferred sweetener of health-conscious consumers.  Low-carb dieters will find xylitol appealing, with less than a quarter of the carbohydrates found in cane sugar. It also stands apart from synthetic sweeteners thanks to its natural origins. Besides birch trees, xylitol is found in the cellular structure of fruits like raspberries, and in vegetables like the corn-cob. Even our bodies produce xylitol (between 5-15 grams per day) during normal metabolic processes. With a glycemic rating of 13, xylitol is metabolized around eight times slower than regular sugar, making it a safer choice for diabetics. Unlike sugar, which provokes the release of insulin in response to its consumption, xylitol is metabolized independently of insulin in the gut. It metabolizes slower and steadier than sugar, making it a much safer sweetener for hypoglycemics and the sugar-sensitive.  And there's good news for sufferers of cavities or Candida: Xylitol actually discourages the bacterial growth that feeds these conditions. The bacteria that cause candida, dental caries, and even Streptococcus mutans, thrive in acid-based environments, with sugar as their food of choice. Xylitol is non-fermentable, creating an alkaline reaction in the body that bacteria find inhospitable. Xylitol consumption has been shown to dramatically decrease cavities and ear and throat infections, among other infectious organisms.The dental health community are one of the biggest supporters of Xylitol. Studies have shown that plaque build-up and dental caries can be reduced by 80% with the introduction of moderate amounts of xylitol (up to half an ounce per day). Research also indicates that consuming xylitol may increase bone strength and bone density.

*Important Notes: Xylitol can have a laxative effect, so start slowly. It is best to obtain Xylitol from a manufacturer who uses birch rather than corn. Finally, Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, so please keep it away from Fido! Xylitol is sometimes made from corn, which includes GMO corn. Look for the higher quality, non-GMO certified, and best of all: birch tree derived form. 

Stevia

300 times sweeter than sugar and without caloric content, the Stevia plant has been used by native people to sweeten food and drink for centuries. Stevia's popularity as a modern sugar substitute grew in the 1990's, and new research confirms what tribal cultures knew: this plant provides a safe, affordable and tasty alternative to expensive and potentially dangerous sweeteners.

The study^[9], published in August 2017, calls Stevia "a suitable calorie-free sweetener," with both "pharmacological and therapeutic properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and anticancer." Researchers further heralded Stevia's positive effects on those metabolic conditions aggravated by excess sugar consumption, namely obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.  Stevia reduces blood sugar, reduces blood pressure, combats infections, and reduces risks of diabetes. One study even found that consuming stevia was as effective as a popular oral antidiabetic drug, but with fewer side effects. If you haven't tried Stevia in a while, you will be pleasantly surprised by new formulations. What began as a strong-tasting plant extract only available in health food stores, is now widely available in crystallized-sugar form, as a finely distilled concentrate, and in formulations that approximate the less-sweet taste of cane sugar, but without the negative effects!

Raw Honey

Identified as containing more than 181 health-promoting substances^[10], honey converts the vital, healing energy of plants into a medium that is perfect for human consumption. Rich in phytonutrients (nutrients absorbed from plants), raw honey is renowned worldwide for having powerful anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties^[11].   Raw, unfiltered honey is very different from the pasteurized product you find on most grocery store shelves. Nearly all commercially-produced honey is heated to kill potentially harmful bacteria, reduce crystallization, and improve product flow. Unfortunately, this process also kills the vital, living enzymes and good bacteria which make raw honey one of the world's oldest-known superfoods. The bacteria in raw honey serves as a prebiotic: a substance containing helpful microorganisms that aid in the process of digestion. When consumed raw, honey's natural enzymes aid in the breakdown and assimilation of the many nutrients it contains.  Raw honey is also rich in powerful antioxidants called phenolic compounds, known to play an important role in cancer prevention^[12]. These compounds found in honey have also shown promise in reducing arterial blockages and lowering overall risks associated with cardiovascular disease^[13].  Perhaps most profound of all is that raw honey contains probiotic strains that are so ancient that one form of Lactobacillus present with certain varieties is believed to be of a lineage 80 million years old. Learn more: Could Eating Honey Be A Form of Microbial Time Travel?

Molasses

Blackstrap molasses, known to sugar-refiners as "final molasses," refers to the thick, brown syrup that is the end result of boiling sugar cane during the production of table sugar. What sets molasses apart from cane sugar, besides the obvious appearance, is its high nutritional value. Unlike its nutritionally bankrupt cousin, a 3.5 oz serving of blackstrap molasses contains more than a quarter of your daily supply of vital minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and B vitamins^[14]. Molasses delivers this nutritional punch with much less sugar, thanks to being at the end of the line of the crystalline-sugar extraction process^[15]. Molasses has long been a popular folk remedy, treating everything from menstrual cramps to constipation^[16]. An old wives' tale credits an elixir of molasses and milk with having the power to maintain endless youth and beauty. There may be some truth to this, thanks to molasses' high antioxidant content^[17]. Polyphenols, the plant compounds that imbue antioxidant properties, are abundant in molasses, and have been recognized for having anti-cancer properties^[18] in clinical studies.

A 2011 study showed that adding molasses to a high-fat diet had the effect of reducing body weight and body fat percentages, thanks to decreased calorie absorption. Researchers concluded that "supplementing food with molasses extract might be a way to address the escalating rates of overweight and obesity."^[19]

Rich in copper, iron, and calcium, molasses can play a vital role in maintaining healthy blood and bones. This makes molasses a great alternative to non-nutritive sweeteners for pregnant or nursing women, or women who are trying to become pregnant. It also makes a great dietary supplement for women at risk of developing osteoporosis.

These four, healthful alternatives to sugar prove that craving a taste of sweetness doesn't have to cause cavities, promote weight gain, or lead to blood sugar imbalances. On the contrary, when we look to nature, we find natural foods which actually sweeten our health, as well as our palates.

Dr, Joseph Mercola -Fake food race is worth $3 trillion

The fake food race is worth $3 trillion

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola      

• July 03, 2019
 

  

Uh-oh — What's in your Cheerios?

Why are people drinking urine?

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Industrial agriculture is a key driver of environmental destruction and ill health, yet this destructive cycle is defended in the name of affordable food and the need to feed the masses
• Industrial agriculture uses 75% of available farmland yet produces just 30% of food consumed globally. Small biodiverse farms use 25% of land and provide 70% of our diet. If the industrial agriculture share continues to rise, it will eventually kill the whole planet and eliminate any possibility of growing food
• The rise of fake meat is an attempt at recreating the same global control of the food supply that Monsanto and others achieved through patented GMO seed development
• Once living animals are eliminated and replaced with patented plant-derived alternatives, private companies will effectively control the food supply in its entirety, and those who control the food control the people
• Testing reveals Impossible Burger contains 11.3 ppb of glyphosate; animal studies show 0.1 ppb of glyphosate can alter function of more than 4,000 liver and kidney genes and cause organ damage

For years, I have advocated for an organic diet to optimize your health, avoid common health problems and help regenerate the environment. Choosing organic foods reduces your exposure to pesticides, herbicides, genetically engineered (GE) foods, synthetic food additives and nano ingredients, many of which do not appear on the food label.

In addition to protecting the environment and rebuilding soil, buying organic also supports animal welfare and promotes biodiversity of plants and wildlife. Unfortunately, Americans not only eat a preponderance of processed food, but 57.9% of it is ultraprocessed1 — products at the far end of the “significantly altered” spectrum that have been robustly linked to obesity,2 ill health and early death in a number of studies.3,4,5,6,7

The developed world in general eats significant amounts of processed food, and disease statistics reveal the ramifications of this trend. Any food that isn’t directly from the vine, ground, bush, body of water or a tree is considered processed.

Depending on the amount of change the food undergoes, processing may be minimal or significant. For instance, frozen fruit is usually minimally processed, while pizza, soda, microwave meals and lab-created meat alternatives fall into the ultraprocessed category.8

The rise of processed and ultraprocessed food as dietary staples also has a largely hidden impact, in that it threatens overall food security. While edible gardens have become more popular in recent years, few are growing their own food these days, relying instead on processed fare from the grocery store, much of which is made with patented GE ingredients.

Who profits the most from GE food? The patent holders — large, multinational corporations beholden to their shareholders rather than the local community in which the crops are grown, reap the profits. Vandana Shiva, Ph.D., has been an outspoken critic9 of the industrial food movement and the GE food takeover, specifically, highlighting the many social and environmental problems a patented food system creates.

Industrialization of food threatens mankind’s survival

In a recent Independent Science News article,10 Shiva discusses the progressive attempts at industrializing the global food system with more fake foods and fake meats, and the destruction that inevitably follows:

“Food is not a commodity, it is not ‘stuff’ put together mechanically and artificially in labs and factories. Food is life. Food holds the contributions of all beings that make the food web, and it holds the potential of maintaining and regenerating the web of life.

Food also holds the potential for health and disease, depending on how it was grown and processed … As an ancient Upanishad reminds us ‘Everything is food, everything is something else’s food’ …

Hippocrates said ‘Let food be thy medicine.’ In Ayurveda, India’s ancient science of life, food is called ‘sarvausadha’ the medicine that cures all disease.

Industrial food systems have reduced food to a commodity, to ‘stuff’ that can then be constituted in the lab. In the process both the planet’s health and our health has been nearly destroyed.

75% of the planetary destruction of soil, water, biodiversity, and 50% of greenhouse gas emissions come from industrial agriculture, which also contributes to 75% of food related chronic diseases.”

Importantly, the industrialization of agriculture, in which heavy use of chemicals is the norm, denatures soil, destroys its fertility and does not return organic matter back into it. As a result, it degrades land and turns it into desert — the complete opposite of what a healthy system does.

Industrial agriculture also threatens global water supplies, draining aquifers faster than they can refill and contaminating what’s left with toxic chemicals and excess nutrients that drive toxic algae growth, resulting in vast dead zones. Plant and wildlife diversity — especially pollinating insects — are also decimated by chemical monoculture.

When you look at the whole ecological cycle, you can clearly see how industrial agriculture is a key driver of progressive destruction, yet this destructive cycle is defended in the name of affordable food and the need to feed the masses. While we certainly need to maximize food production in affordable ways, the current system is incredibly short-sighted.

While it may be helpful in the moment, its environmental effects are creating a world in which future generations will be unable to grow food or find potable water. It may sound like a fear-mongering exaggeration, but we’re really precipitously close to a time in which vast populations will be wiped out, lest we radically and rapidly change course.

It’s important to realize that once topsoil is eradicated, you cannot grow food no matter how many chemicals you add to it. In 2014, Maria-Helena Semedo, deputy director general of natural resources for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, warned that at the current rate of topsoil degradation, all the world’s topsoil will be gone in less than 60 years.11

Today, that means we may have only about 55 years left. Water shortages are also becoming a pressing problem around the world.

Path to zero hunger

As noted by Shiva,12 “Biodiversity-intensive and poison-free agriculture … produces more nutrition per acre while rejuvenating the planet. It shows the path to ‘Zero Hunger’ …” She also points out that while industrial agriculture uses 75% of available farmland, it produces just 30% of the food we actually eat.

“Meanwhile, small, biodiverse farms using 25% of the land provide 70% of the food,” she writes.13 “At this rate, if the share of industrial agriculture and industrial food in our diet is increased to 45%, we will have a dead planet. One with no life and no food.

The mad rush for Fake Food and Fake Meat, ignorant of the diversity of our foods and food cultures, and the role of biodiversity in maintaining our health, is a recipe for accelerating the destruction of the planet and our health.”

Shiva responds to Impossible Foods’ defense of GMO soy

By now, you’re probably aware of the latest food fad: The Impossible Burger,14,15,16,17 hailed by many vegans and Silicon Valley investors as the answer to environmental problems blamed on livestock. Impossible Foods’ fake meat is made with GMO soy, specifically chosen by the company for its “sustainability.” Senior manager of impact strategy, Rebekah Moses, recently told FoodNavigator-USA:18

“We have done a tremendous amount of diligence and we’re confident that in using GMO soy, we are not taking a step backward in terms of sustainability.”

In her article in Independent Science News,19 Shiva rebuts the company’s claim, noting that:

“Given the fact that 90% of the monarch butterflies have disappeared due to Roundup Ready Crops, and we are living through what scientists have called an ‘insectageddon,’ using GMO soy is hardly an ‘environmentally responsible option.’”

Shiva also points out the company’s “total ignorance” of the fact that herbicide-resistant superweeds are driving the use of ever greater amounts of more toxic herbicides.

As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,20 2,4-D — linked to cancer and endocrine dysfunction and known for its drift potential — will be doused on millions of additional acres of farmland across the Midwest and South this year. Attempts to restrict the use of dicamba in Arkansas, which has decimated the nondicamba-resistant crops over the past couple of years, also failed, with regulators choosing to relax restrictions instead.21

“At a time when across the world the movement to ban GMOs and Roundup is growing, promoting GMO soya as ‘fake meat’ is misleading the eater both in terms of the ontology of the burger, and on claims of safety,” Shiva writes in Independent Science News.22

Impossible Burger — A significant source of toxic glyphosate

Indeed, recent testing23 instigated by Moms Across America reveal the Impossible Burger contains glyphosate — a given, really, considering it’s made with GMO soy, as the herbicide becomes integrated into the whole plant and cannot be washed off. As reported by Moms Across America on May 16, 2019:24

“The total result (glyphosate and it’s break down AMPA) was 11.3 ppb. Moms Across America also tested the Beyond Meat Burger and the results were 1 ppb …

This new product is being marketed as a solution for ‘healthy’ eating, when in fact 11 ppb of glyphosate herbicide consumption can be highly dangerous. Only 0.1 ppb of glyphosate has been shown25,26,27 to alter the gene function of over 4000 genes in the livers, kidneys and cause severe organ damage in rats.28

The Impossible Burger is made of GMO soy, which has been shown to cause organ damage in animal studies29 and has been shown to be significantly different from non GMO soy.30

The GM ingredients of the Impossible Burger, which includes a genetically modified yeast and GM soy leghemoglobin proteins,31 46 of which are aundisclosed and untested,32 are even more concerning to many consumers than the long-term health effects from glyphosate because of the reported immediate allergic reaction potential,33 which is acknowledged by the manufacturer.”

Moms Across America also points out that while Impossible Foods claims the key ingredient in its fake meat — leghemoglobin soy — “has been consumed for hundreds of thousands of years,” Michael Hansen, Ph.D., a senior scientist at Consumers Union (a Consumers Reports division), has stated, "This is categorically not true." In the same article, Living Maxwell goes on to say:

“An email to Impossible Foods asking ‘How could the heme in the Impossible Burger be ‘identical’ to the heme humans have been consuming for hundreds of thousands of years in meat and other foods if you genetically engineer it?’ has yet to be returned.”34

What’s more,35 Living Maxwell points out that while the company told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that its soy leghemoglobin was “substantially similar” to proteins consumed in meat and other vegetables, Impossible Foods now tells customers (on its website) that this GE heme is “identical” to that found in other foods.

Just how many GE ingredients does Impossible Burger contain?

Moms Across America also warns that GMO soy might not be the only ingredient in the Impossible Burger contributing to the glyphosate load.36 Several of the ingredients in its fake meat are also available in GE form (although it’s unknown whether the company is using GE sources for them), and others may be desiccated37 (dried) with glyphosate right before harvest.

In short, any or all of the following ingredients in the Impossible Burger could potentially be GMO and/or contaminated with glyphosate:

"… Soy Protein Concentrate … Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors … Potato Protein, Methylcellulose (possibly from cotton), Yeast Extract,38 Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin … Soy Protein Isolate, Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E)39 … Thiamine Hydrochloride40 (Vitamin B1), Sodium Ascorbate41 (Vitamin C), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12."42

Hypothetically, the Impossible Burger may be nearly all GMO, as only four ingredients on its list are unlikely to be GMO: water, coconut oil, zinc gluconate and salt. To quote Shiva again:43

“Recent court cases have showcased the links of Roundup to cancer. With the buildup of liabilities44 related to cancer cases, the investments in Roundup Ready GMO soya is blindness to the market. Or the hope that fooling consumers can rescue Bayer/Monsanto.”

Meat-simulated products are about profits and control

Shiva also points out another “ontological confusion” relating specifically to the fake meat industry. According to Impossible Foods, the GE yeast-derived “heme” is what makes the Impossible Burger “deliver the delicious explosion of flavor and aroma that meat-eating consumers crave.”45

“I had thought that the plant-based diet was for vegans and vegetarians, not meat lovers,” Shiva says.46 It’s a fair assumption, no doubt. But what’s really driving the burgeoning fake meat industry is not actually a vegan mindset, rather the ultimate goal is to replace real meat altogether with a patented product.

“Indeed, the promotion of fake foods seems to have more to do with giving new life to the failing GMO agriculture and the Junk Food Industry, and the threat to it from the rising of consciousness and awareness everywhere that organic, local, fresh food is real food which regenerates the planet and our health,” Shiva writes.

"This is about profits and control. He, and those jumping on the Fake Food Goldrush, have no discernible knowledge, or consciousness about, or compassion for living beings, the web of life, nor the role of living food in weaving that web.

Their sudden awakening to ‘plant based diets,’ including GMO soya, is an ontological violation of food as a living system that connects us to the ecosystem and other beings, and indicates ignorance of the diversity of cultures that have used a diversity of plants in their diets."

In short, the rise of fake meat is an attempt at recreating the same global control of the food supply that Monsanto and others achieved through patented GMO seed development.

Now they want to do the same thing with animal products, and once living animals are eliminated and replaced with patented plant-derived alternatives — just like tradable heirloom and conventional seeds were replaced with patented seeds you have to pay for each season — private companies will effectively control the food supply in its entirety.

As Shiva points out, the rise and massive growth of fake foods will not solve any of our problems, but will “accelerate the rush to collapse” of our food system, ecology, human health and farmers’ livelihoods. I would add that it will accelerate the elimination of personal freedoms and liberties, because he who controls the food controls the people.

Impossible Foods attacks regenerative farming

As discussed in my June 26, 2019, article, “Impossible fools at Impossible Burger,” Impossible Foods directly attacks regenerative ranching in its 2019 Impact Report,47 claiming grass fed cattle ranching generates higher amounts of greenhouse gas emissions than cows raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).48,49

This despite recent evidence50 proving grass fed ranching actually has net negative emissions after all relevant factors are taken into account.

According to a third-party lifecycle analysis51 (LCA) — performed by the very same company that conducted Impossible Burger’s LCA — the carbon footprint of beef from White Oak Pastures (a regenerative farm) is 111% lower than conventional CAFO beef, as the “system effectively captures soil carbon, offsetting a majority of the emissions related to beef production.”

All things considered, including enteric emissions, manure emissions, soil carbon capture, vegetation carbon, miscellaneous farm activities, slaughter and transport, the total net carbon emissions from the beef production on White Oak Pastures was found to be a negative 3.5 kilos (kg) of carbon emissions per kilo of fresh meat, making this integrated, holistic system six times more carbon efficient than the average CAFO production model.

Meanwhile, Impossible Foods’ soy-based fake meat is still a carbon emitter. As reported by Civil Eats,52 while grass fed beef has a net carbon sink of 3.5 kg per kg of fresh meat, conventional soybeans produce 2 kg of carbon emissions for each kg of food, and pea protein (which Beyond Burger uses for its meat substitute) produces 4 kg of carbon for every kg of food.

So just how can fake meat be considered a more environmentally sound alternative than regenerative farming? In addition to still being a carbon emitter, GMO soy does nothing to regenerate and build soils, nothing to protect our insect and wildlife population, nothing to increase plant diversity and nothing to improve human health of consumers.

On the contrary, corn and soy, both conventional and GMO, are eliminating grasslands across the U.S. at the “fastest pace since the 1930s,” The Washington Post reported back in 2013.53

This conversion of grasslands and prairies into monocrop farm fields may actually be among the very worst environmental impacts of all. As noted in the Christian Science Monitor,54 prairie restoration (which is part of the regenerative agriculture model) “improves water retention and sequesters carbon in the soil.”

Understanding the scalability of regenerative agriculture

When confronted with the discrepancy and asked for a comment, an Impossible Foods spokesperson told Civil Eats they are “trying to raise awareness that grass fed, extensive production is simply not scalable.” Aside from sidestepping the question, this claim isn’t firmly rooted in reality, either. As White Oaks Pastures owner Will Harris told Civil Eats:55

“White Oak Pastures will never be a multinational corporation. There will never be a truly regenerative, humane, fair farm that will scale to a national level — much less multinational. Instead, every rural county in all 50 states should have a White Oak Pastures or two. That’s the way it used to be.”

In other words, one must not confuse regenerative agriculture with the industrial agriculture model where a small number of companies are producing a majority of the food.

The regenerative model requires an increase in the number of farms, not an increase in the number of cattle raised per farm. This has civil and local community benefits as well that are difficult to put a real price tag on.

In response to Impossible Foods’ baseless attack on regenerative agriculture, Harris has issued an open invitation56 to Impossible Foods’ officials to visit his farm to get a thorough understanding of how regenerative grazing actually works.

Fertilizer industry is a major emitter of methane

In related news, recent research57 has also found the fertilizer industry in the U.S. emits a whopping 29 gigagrams of methane per year — over 100 times more methane than previous industry estimates at 0.2 gigagrams per year.

Emissions from the fertilizer industry alone are also three times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimate for all methane-producing industries combined, which it claims produces 8 gigagrams of methane per year. The reason for such high methane emissions by the fertilizer industry is because it uses natural gas (which is largely methane). Co-author John Albertson told New Atlas:58

"We took one small industry that most people have never heard of and found that its methane emissions were three times higher than the EPA assumed was emitted by all industrial production in the United States. It shows us that there's a huge gap between a priori estimates and real-world measurements.

[N]atural gas is largely methane, which molecule-per-molecule has a stronger global warming potential than carbon dioxide. The presence of substantial emissions or leaks anywhere along the supply chain could make natural gas a more significant contributor to climate change than previously thought."

Diet is a determining factor for health and longevity

Anyone delusional enough to believe they can live a long, healthy life sustained by synthetic chemicals, toxic grains (conventional or GMO grains contaminated with pesticides and herbicides) and fake meat derived from said toxic grains is likely to, sooner or later, get a rude awakening.

While one may argue indefinitely over what type of diet is best, there’s simply no argument that real food is better for the human body than a synthetic and toxic one. Any claim to the contrary can safely be disregarded is a PR ploy. So, if you care about your health and well-being, you simply need to make real food a high priority. To get started, consider the following guidelines:

•Focus on raw, fresh foods and avoid as many processed foods as possible (if it comes in a can, bottle or package and has a list of ingredients, it’s processed).

•Replace sodas and other sweetened beverages with pure, filtered water.

•Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store where most of the whole foods reside, such as meat, fruits, vegetables, eggs and cheese. Not everything around the perimeter is healthy, but you'll avoid many of the ultraprocessed foods this way.

•Vary the whole foods you purchase and the way you eat them. For instance, carrots and peppers are tasty dipped in organic hummus. You get the crunch of the vegetable and smooth texture of the hummus to satisfy your taste, your brain and your physical health.

•Stress creates a physical craving for fats and sugar that may drive your addictive, stress-eating behavior. If you can recognize when you're getting stressed and find another means of relieving the emotion, your eating habits will likely improve.

The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can help reduce your perceived stress, change your eating habits around stress and help you create new, healthier eating habits that support your long-term health. To discover more about EFT, how to do it and how it may help reduce your stress and develop new habits, see my previous article, "EFT Is an Effective Tool for Anxiety.”