‘F as in Fat’ Report Prompts New PETA Billboard Ad in Baton Rouge

‘You Are What You Eat’ Message Comes to Town After Louisiana Swipes ‘Most Obese State’ Crown From Mississippi

For Immediate Release:
August 22, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Baton Rouge, La. — The Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation just released their F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2013 report, and for the first time in eight years, Mississippi is not the most obese state. That dubious distinction now belongs to Louisiana, with fully 34.7 percent of adults weighing in with a body mass index greater than 30. But residents can shed their new title—and many unwanted pounds—simply by changing their eating habits, and PETA wants to help. That’s why the group is currently negotiating with Baton Rouge outdoor advertisers to run a billboard that features an image of an obese man’s stomach rendered to look like a pig and reads, “You Are What You Eat: Go Vegan.”

“Going vegan doesn’t mean skimping on taste, and it’s the easiest and healthiest way to lose unwanted pounds and keep them off,” says PETA Manager of Campaigns Katie Arth. “PETA’s billboard will remind residents that they can save their health—and animals—simply by picking up fiber-rich, heart-healthy plant-based meals instead of stuffing themselves with meat, eggs, and dairy products.”

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, vegetarians are less prone to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer than meat-eaters are—and vegans are 18 percent thinner, on average, too. Each person who goes vegan saves more than 100 animals a year from immense suffering on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and on the decks of fishing boats.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.