Cure Cancer by Eating Meat? (Beware of Clickbait)

Have you ever been tempted to click on the link to an article whose title contained an outrageous proposal? Beware the lure of Clickbait. The titles of these articles suck us in with annoying half-truths. Each time we click, the site earns ad revenues. Judging from the rise in the number of misleading clickbait articles I see, these sites are quite successful at animating our clicker finger, thereby putting more money into their own pockets.

The Deceitful Promise of Truth
The half-truths they market can be very enticing. Take, for example, a clickbait article I saw that 'exposes' the 'truth' about how almond milk is not as healthy as it claims to be. The article claims that almond milk has so much less protein than cow’s milk that we would have to drink far more almond milk than cow's milk just to equal the amount of protein that cow’s milk provides. Yet the article skews the truth, leading the reader to believe that the more protein in the milk, the BETTER the milk. That's simply not true, especially in regards to animal protein which is a proven cause of cancer and memory loss. Is it any wonder that the dairy industry wants to shore up the waning sales of milk by casting discredit on the competition posed by plant-based milk?

Promoting the Protein Myth
Remember that dairy milk has WAY too much protein, making the lower protein of almond milk DESIRABLE, not a drawback. Not only do we need far less protein than most Americans ingest, we need to completely avoid animal protein because of the dangers animal protein poses in increasing our bad cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) and our risk for cancer, inflammatory arthritis, and skin problems. Clickbait articles capitalize on 'protein-promoting' myths that are commonly believed, such as the myth that we need more protein in order to lose body fat or build muscle.

Less is More
The click-bait article I saw also pooh-poohs almond milk for having so little almonds in it, yet here again the article makes a big issue out of a non issue. Almond milk does not NEED many almonds to make a fully functioning plant-based milk. The fewer almonds in the milk, the happier I am because the less fat there will be in the almond milk. We do not need the fat or the protein found in almond milks, because there are far healthier sources of the protein, phytochemicals, and vitamins found in almonds. 'Name one,' you say? Kale. Not only does kale have protein, but kale is a cruciferous vegetable (a group of veggies known for their anticancer properties). It is also far more effective at fighting strokes, heart attacks, and premature aging than are almonds. Even though kale is a leafy green with a surprising amount of fat (13% of calories in kale come from fat), kale does not have the excessive amount of fat contained in almonds (71%). 

The Healthiest Beverage
Do I myself drink commercial almond milk? Well, my favorite beverage is water. Extremely rarely do I drink commercial almond milk due to the amount of almond fat as well as added oil that it contains. You didn't know manufacturers add oil to almond milk? Maybe that's because it's cleverly disguised with the words safflower lecithin, sunflower lecithin, or the like. Oil is so unhealthy for us that I try to avoid it whenever possible. But almond milk is still much healthier than cow's milk because almond milk does not contain casein (the main protein in cow's milk), which — according to T. Colin Campbell, PhD — "is the most relevant chemical carcinogen ever identified." The healthiest liquid of all is water, but if your recipe calls for 'milk,' it is far healthier to use almond milk if you cannot use water or soaked almonds made into 'milk' in your own blender.

Here's my suggestion: Let’s not waste our time clicking on outrageous clickbait articles. The marketers who write them are counting on our curiosity to get the better of us. From now on, let them count us out.

For additional reading:

(1) Which Has More Protein? Steak or Kale?

(2) Reduce Cancer Risk by Avoiding Dairy

(3) Mediterranean Diet - Healthy IN SPITE of Olive Oil

(4) Animal Protein Damages Kidney Function