This is a MUST READ for people who want the truth.
My wife (dairy farmer family background) read and confirmed a small portion from the book, and I became an instant vegetarian. I cheat a little, yet rarely and carefully.
Most meat producers should be forced into bankruptcy and thrown into prison. What the meat industry is doing is criminal.
We've given out many copies of this book.
Mad Cowboy, Mad American!
While this book was published a few years ago the message is still crucial and timely. To wit: the very recent riots in Korea by large crowds who didn't want American beef. Who can blame them? When our government has all but stopped testing for mad cow disease and made freedom of speech unsafe, Korea made their voices heard in just the last month. The Korean consumer got a little more respect than the American consumer. Mad cow disease IS PROVEN to be in this country and in Canada now but when there's no testing there's no knowing. How convenient! Our neighbor died of so called Alzheimer's that fit every case of the human form of mad cow in Britain. It was relatively quick and it was ugly. Why so much Cruzefeld Jacob disease? We have chronic wasting disease in deer in our area and this book will tell you why. Mr. Lyman has not missed a beat and everything he says has held up over time. Even Monsanto gave up on it's hormone in milk just this week. Now perhaps I can eat milk and cheese again! Just this week a court ruled that Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations were cruelty, unless you like your beef in kidney failure and acidosis, of course. I'm not really vegetarian so much by choice as by what I perceive to be necessity caused by big agribusiness hand in glove with government and the horrible conditions endured by animals destined for our table. (Well, not our table.) If we can catch a fish that doesn't have too much mercury in it or win a jackpot in Nevada and buy some certified organic, humanely slaughtered meat we'll eat it. But I'm here to say that until beef is grass finished once again and humanely slaughtered it will not show up on our table! In the meantime I've given numerous copies of this book to friends and family and I notice some big differences at the cookouts this summer! Actually they've been darned good!
I think that everyone that cares about their health, animals or the environment should read this book. As a lacto-ovo vegetarian that eats seafood occasionally, this was an easy read for me however I would think that hard core meat eaters would be a more difficult sell.
For the last 7 years that I have been a vegetarian, I have had people constantly say that I'm not eating healthy, I can't be getting enough protein, iron, etc. I find myself constantly trying to eat more protein in the form of dairy and seafood to make this up. It never made sense to me because when I eat the way I want to (lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc), I feel great. In addition, I have never been anemic and I give blood every six weeks with no side effects plus I'm fairly active competing in triathlons, half marathons and other endurance sports. Oh & I'm rarely sick...probably 4 times less likely to be ill than my coworkers. Lyman does a good job of detailing how everyone can each a vegetarian diet and get plenty of the vitamins and minerals you need without all the fat and cholesterol you don't need.
I was surprised to read the parts in the book about how heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer, etc are not highly hereditary, as we have been told, which totally makes sense. High cholesterol and heart disease are very common in my family and my sisters in their 30's both have it however my cholesterol is extremely low.
Anyway, I could go on forever but overall I think this book is great. I'm encouraging my family and friends to read it because I think it could help them live a longer, healthier life. Since reading the book, I have become more confident in my vegetarianism and I have switched to eating organic and hormone free food.
Check the book out for yourself. You will not regret it.
Earlier this year I borrowed this book from my chiropractor, thinking that I should try to incorporate some non-fiction into my reading. I got way more than I was expecting out of this book. It changed my life; in fact, just yesterday I celebrated my 6 month anniversary of being a vegetarian. However, when I first started reading, I thought I would have to force myself through millions of dull facts, but I actually finished the book in a few days. I couldn't put it down, because every second that I wasn't reading, was another second that I was potentially poisoning my body with some animal product that I hadn't previously known could cause so many health problems. Basically what I'm trying to say is that this book was a little bit scary and intense, but it was more helpful than anything. It gave me that extra push I needed to make the lifestyle change I'd been considering for a while, but never actually had the motivation to pursue.
I believe the author does an exquisite job of telling his story at the same time as he brings awareness to a subject that much of America's population is oblivious to. Mr. Lyman's writing style does come off a little dramatic, which could be a turn off, especially concerning such a controversial subject. However the facts are included to back up every statement show that Mr. Lyman is just very passionate and well-versed in this subject. Also, Mr. Lyman's background as a rancher makes this book all the more powerful and easier to relate to. In short this book is an extremely useful tool, and is a must read for anyone with a vested interest in their wellness and the future of our earth and our society's health.
When former cattle rancher Howard Lyman appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996 to share his insider view of the danger of Mad Cow Disease, his revelations about the beef industry prompted a group of Texas cattlemen to file a lawsuit charging Lyman and the show with "food disparagement". However, this did not deter Lyman's efforts, and in this stirring account of his journey from meat-loving cowboy to vegetarian environmental activist, he tells the whole truth about the catastrophic consequences of an animal-based diet. Well acquainted with what goes into our livestock-high doses of pesticides and remains of other animals, Lyman began to question meat eating after he narrowly escaped paralysis from a spinal tumor. Persuasive, factual and inspirational, "Mad Cowboy" is a highly moving story of personal transformation and a convincing call to action for a plan-based diet-for the good of the planet and the health of us all.
based on 112 reviews
