After Report Blasts West Virginia for Lax Smoking Prevention Efforts, PETA Points Out That Meat Consumption Also Increases Cancer Risk
For Immediate Release:
January 22, 2013
Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382
Charleston, W.Va. -- The American Lung Association just released its State of Tobacco Control 2013 report card on states' efforts to prevent tobacco use—and West Virginia flunked every category. But smoking isn't the only bad habit with deadly effects on human health—and in an effort to encourage West Virginians to reduce their risk of disease, PETA is planning to run a billboard in Charleston that shows a toddler smoking a cigar next to the words "You Wouldn't Let Your Child Smoke." The ad goes on to explain, "Like smoking, eating meat increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. Go vegan!"
"We all know how important it is to set a good example for our kids, and that means choosing habits—such as eating vegan meals—that will steer them toward a healthier life," says PETA Executive Vice President (and mother) Tracy Reiman. "PETA's billboard will remind West Virginians that, just as we should put down the cigarettes, we should put down the drumsticks and pick up fiber-rich, heart-healthy plant-based foods instead."
Meat, eggs, and dairy products contain no fiber and are loaded with artery-clogging saturated animal fat and cholesterol. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vegans are less prone to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer than meat-eaters are. A healthy, plant-based diet can even reverse the effects of heart disease in former meat-eaters—a fact that inspired former President Bill Clinton to go vegan, shed pounds, and improve his health.
Vegans don't just save their own lives—they save more than 100 animals a year from immeasurable suffering on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and on the decks of fishing boats.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.