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us—they are known as probiotics because they support our health. However, as proven by the Cleveland Clinic studies, some of these bugs turn out to be very bad for us.
    The research was led by Dr. Stanley Hazen, chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Dr. Hazen and his team looked at blood samples from thousands of people who had come through the clinic’s Cardiology Department. They discovered that when omnivores eat a substance known as carnitine, which is found inred meat, the bugs in their intestines gobble it up and then belch out a gas known as TMA (trimethylamine), which smells like rotting fish.
    Fortunately for meat-eaters, this highly odiferous gas is immediately transported to the liver, which converts it to a chemical called TMAO. Do a Google search for TMAO and one of the first things that pops up is “texting my ass off.” That’s not what this TMAO is. In the body, TMAO stands for the organic compound trimethylamine
n
-oxide.
    Unfortunately for meat eaters, the clinic’s three-year study, in which more than four thousand people participated, revealed that high levels of TMAO proved to be a stronger predictor of heart disease than high blood pressure, smoking, or even cholesterol. It turns out that TMAO changes how cholesterol is managed and makes it easier for cholesterol to attach to blood vessels and more difficult for the liver and intestines to rid themselves of it.
    In the study, participants with the highest levels of TMAO were found to have two and a half times the risk for a coronary incident (heart attack, stroke, or death) than those with the lowest levels of the chemical.
    One of the most interesting findings of this study was that when vegetarians and vegans are given a steak (and forced to eat it!), the bacteria in their guts do not produce TMAO. Plant eaters have different bugs in their guts than omnivores, and the plant eaters’ bugs don’t make TMAO.
    However, if a vegetarian or vegan switches to eating animal products, the gut may cultivate new bacteria that are readily capable of producing TMAO.
    In addition to red meat, carnitine is also found in fish, chicken, and dairy products, although meat is the primary source in most diets. (Many energy drinks and pills also contain the substance—so be sure to read your labels carefully!) A further study at the Cleveland Clinic showed that another substance also raised levels of TMAO: lecithin. Lecithin is found in eggs as well as in milk, liver, red meat, poultry, and fish. This finding means that eggs may be as dangerous as red meat when it comes to the production of TMAO—and your risk for heart disease.
    Text your ass off if you want, but keep TMAO out of your body by eating a plant-strong diet.

10
Craving Meat Isn’t Natural
    H ere is another objection to a plant-based diet that comes up often: “If people shouldn’t eat meat, why do we crave it?”
    The fact is, there are times when craving something does mean you need it. When you’re tired, you crave sleep, and you need it. When you’re thirsty, you crave water, and you need it. Cravings are often signals to which we should listen. But is this true of
all
cravings?
    Common sense tells us right off that not all cravings should be honored. An alcoholic craves alcohol. This is a self-destructive craving. A gambler craves gambling. A cocaine addict craves cocaine. Also self-destructive. These drives have been created by artificial, rather than natural, stimulation. Cocaine, for example, artificially causes the dopamine system (the reward center in the brain) to become hyperactive. Cocaine causes an artificial high that is more intense than humans were designed to experience, which is very dangerous, because once you experience it, you crave it again. This craving is the root of addiction.
    All cravings were not created equal. Some, like cravings for water, food, sleep, and sex, are natural and normal and generally don’t cause trouble. But cravings for