Vegetarianism vs... not

Have you read or heard a debate on vegetarianism vs. meat eating? People are so emotional about whatever side they support (because food is personal) they often wind up hitting below the belt. (Such as vegetarians calling meat-eaters barbarians or Neanderthals and meat-eaters saying vegetarians are stupid.) A person actually trying to get balanced information will be sorely disappointed.

While most people use the Bible or evolution to make their point that’s not usually a very effective approach because many, if not most, people reject one or the other. (Although I have heard some desperate people selectively quote the Bible, misunderstanding the verse and then back it up with a “factoid” from the evolution camp. Wha?) So, I say we should look at nature now. As we all know, our closest “relatives,” or most similar species if you prefer, are the apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. They love fruit but also eat leaves, bark, flowers, roots, etc. Occasionally all three species will eat insects. Chimps and orangutans may eat other animals as well but all three are about 95% vegetarian. Many vegetarians would say that’s not a vegetarian. Fine. So I’ll say omnivore while you go split hairs with a gorilla.

Every person is different. Some people need more protein than others. Some people do extremely well on vegetarian diets and some people do well eating animal flesh. But it’s pretty clear that it’s a rare human that should live mostly or exclusively on animal protein. I strongly suggest each person find out what their metabolic type is. There are several free tests out there or you can go with the blood type diet as set forth by Dr. Peter D'Adamo or a combination. (Don’t pre-judge the blood type diet before reading it. Although I didn’t want to admit it at first the diet nailed me on point after point down the line.)No matter what test I take I always come up with the same conclusion for myself: a mixed type leaning toward a protein type. But, alas … I hate meat.

I was raised in the rural south where people pretty much ate whatever they caught. My large extended family raised our own cows, pigs, chickens. They hunted and fished. We raised our own vegetables and had a family dairy. I would bottle feed baby calves and find them a year later in the deep freezer. I found that deeply disturbing. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else in my family. So I quit eating beef first as a teenager dropping other critters from my menu along the way. Crab (my greatest flesh weakness) was the last to go in my early 20s.

I was a lacto-ovo-vegetarian until I got pregnant. In my second trimester I got these unbelievable cravings for fish. I decided my body knew something I didn’t so I ate as much fish as I wanted … which was quite a bit – often twice per day. I would drive 50 miles out of my way to get it if I was craving it. By my third trimester the cravings left completely. I read later that fish contain something necessary for brain development in the second trimester. A Harvard Medical Study “observed that the more fish the pregnant women ate during the second trimester, the better her six month old performed on a standard mental test.” (My kids are brilliant.) So, good thing I listened to my cravings. Very, very rarely I will still get another craving for a particular kind of fish but I can go months or years without it.

If I even drive by a steak restaurant I want to gag. The smell is absolutely repugnant. So, despite a general consensus that red meat is good for me I can’t even stomach the idea of it. I try to listen to my body and I accept this as a major clue.

If someone told me I would live to be 120 in great health if I ate red meat daily I still wouldn’t do it. If I were faced with the choice of starvation or killing a cow, rabbit, deer, chicken or any other mammal or bird I would just have to starve. I couldn’t do it. However, if I had to choose between starvation and eating fish I’d kill a fish (by decapitation not “drowning” in air). I couldn’t do it unless there was no other avenue to survival. Yea, maybe I’m a speciesist when it comes to fish or insects. I just have more empathy for mammals and birds. Maybe it’s because I grew up so close to them.

The meat industry in general is indeed cruel and barbaric. There’s no getting around it. Read “Fast Food Nation” for a peek. So, if you insist on eating meat find a source where the animals are well-treated and killed with great mercy. (Good luck with that.)

If you are a Christian you might want to read “What Would Jesus Eat.” Its author, Dr. Don Colbert, states that while Jesus probably ate fish daily, other meats (and only “clean” meats as per Leviticus Ch. 11) were rarely eaten – being reserved for special occasions. Kosher is proper.

Whether you look at if from a natural point of view or a Biblical point of view human consumption of flesh (unless you are an Inuit) should be limited.

I’ve heard people argue the “herbivore” and “carnivore” extremes comparing us to lions or gazelles. That’s really nonsense. The most elementary of feline study reveals that cats are true carnivores. Their bodies actually make vitamin C. They have no choice in the matter and they naturally like to chase something down and kill it. Have you ever watched your chubby housecat kill a mouse then paw at it in confusion as though its toy has broken? It’s instinctive.

We are obviously not true herbivores either because we have no desire to graze in pastures. Have you ever seen a beautiful meadow of green grass and, with a salivating mouth thought, wow I’ve gotta get me some of that! We would die of malnutrition trying to live on grass regardless of good intentions. Grains are almost as bad. Most people are much healthier when they drastically reduce or eliminate grains altogether. How do they fatten up cows for slaughter? Grains.

We’re omnivores like the (other) apes that thrive on a predominantly vegetarian diet. We’re naturally attracted to sugar but we should go with the natural sources not the granulated or artificial sort. We’d probably be much healthier if half of our diet consisted of ripe, raw, organic fruit. Throw in some veggies, nuts, seeds, herbs and good fats and you should have the majority of our ideal diet. That condiment-size portion left over may be an individualized (depending on your metabolic type) serving of meat, fish, dairy or eggs.

The decision to eat meat or not to eat meat is not the single pivotal point in individual health. I’ve met healthy and intelligent people on both sides. They are usually the ones who make a point of getting lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and water in addition to having other healthy habits. More to come on that later.