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Disadvantages of being vegetarian

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Hawkeye1819

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There are many reasons to become a vegetarian, and as quite an evangelical bunch by and large it's common to hear many of these. Reportedly vegetarianism can result in higher energy levels, better diets overall, a guilt-free conscience and depending on your religion approval from the powers that be.


However what you might not have heard so much about is the reasons not to become a vegetarian – which isn't to say there aren't any. In fact there are many drawbacks to vegetarianism that ensure you need to be certain of your choice and highly dedicated if it's something you're going to stick to. Being well educated before you make your decision can help a great deal, and if you still decide to go vegetarian, or indeed already are vegetarian, then it can also help you to understand the negative aspects so that you can counter them as best as possible. Don't make the mistake of blindly following and of kidding yourself into believing there are no downsides.


Health Issues



First of all let's look at the most pressing matter – health issues. Many people will become vegetarian because they believe it is the healthy option and have heard that it can aid digestion and increase energy. While reports suggest this might be the case (and fat indeed does take the longest to digest), there are also many health drawbacks – and possibly more drawbacks than benefits. Here we will look at them.


Protein



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First and foremost if you become vegetarian you will simply eat less protein. This is a big deal because we need protein in our diets. Protein is literally what makes up the building blocks of our body and essentially all we do when we eat meat is to recycle the flesh and to use it to reconstruct our own.


Now if you mention this to a signed up member of the vegetarian party then they will tell you that you can still get protein in your diet. This is true no doubt – from eggs for one if you aren't vegan, from milk and from plants and vegetables. Yes things like beans and broccoli do contain protein and soya beans in fact contain more lean protein than many sources of meat. So what's the problem?


First of all, you can't survive on soya beans and eggs. If you did you'd have bad wind and a biotin deficiency to name but two issues. More to the point though, even if you did – this wouldn't be a very varied diet of protein. And the protein in vegetables and plants doesn't have the same amino acid profile and simply isn't bio-available enough to be of any use. Yes it's there, but our body is not able to use it as effectively as protein from meat. Protein and amino acids are actually very complicated matters and for the meat to be usable for our bodies it needs to be as close to the way we are going to use it as possible.


For our body to get the maximum benefit of amino acids we need to have all of the amino acids in our diet at some point (only eggs contain them all). At the same time for particular sources of protein to be useful they need to contain the right balance of IAAs and DAAs (indispensable and dispensable amino acids respectively). Too many DAAs compared to the IAAs, and the good protein becomes lost like a needle in a haystack so your body can't make use of them. Likewise protein from animals is in the form of 'BCAAs' – that means 'branched chain amino acids' and this is because the proteins are connected in a way that is useful and that is close to the necessary construction for muscle and other tissue. This makes perfect sense when you think about it – you eat meat and it's already almost in 'human' form (in that humans are made from meat). You eat a plant and that's a very different protein and this means it takes a lot of effort for our body to convert it from plant to human. A lot is lost along the way and this results in a worse quality of tissue. Put simply if you have tuna, pork, mushrooms, eggs, cheese, beef and chicken you are going to get amino acids in every configuration possible and this gives our body a lot to work with. Cut over half of those sources out and suddenly we will start to struggle to find the raw materials.


Lack of protein in our diet to an adequate degree and in the right form then means we are slower to heal wounds, our skin looks more dull and less healthy, we struggle to develop muscle tissue and become weaker and our digestion and cognitive function suffers (enzymes such as digestive enzymes come from amino acids too). Vegetarians will naturally eat more carbs to compensate for the lost protein and this meanwhile will likely lead to weight gain.


Ask yourself this – competitive bodybuilders and athletes who will do anything to build muscle have the choice of whey protein or soy protein which comes from animals (milk) and soy bean respectively. Unless they are vegetarian they will 100% choose whey simply because it is a more useful form of protein.


Oils


But protein isn't all we get from meat. For instance this is also a great source of oils and fats, and while we're largely told to avoid fat in high quantities getting at least some is actually crucial to our diet. Not only is it important for our skin, hair and joints, but it also helps us to break down and utilize protein. Essential fatty acids such as omega 3 fatty acid are useful for our brain function too and for preventing the damage caused by free radicals which cause cancer. As long as you're not vegan though you can get fatty acids from fish.


Vitamin B12



At the same time we also get vitamin B12 from meat and this is the only source of it other than dirt in the ground. This demonstrates the dangers of 'denying' the negative aspects of vegetarianism – if you don't acknowledge the problem or research potential issues then you won't think to supplement your diet with B12.


B12 is actually a crucial substance and deficiency can cause serious problems such as nerve damage, low energy and problems utilizing calcium which can lead to osteoporosis. B12 is also crucial for brain damage and some theories state that we may have even become omnivorous in order to help develop our brain function. While it is possible to get B12 through fortified sources, this simply isn't as beneficial as getting it naturally as again it isn't as bio-available. By supplementing your diet with B12, fatty acids and BCAAs you can almost counter the negative side effects of vegetarianism on your health, but you will be spending a lot of money in order to do so and popping a lot of pills.


Lifestyle


Of course there are other issues surrounding vegetarianism that don't relate to health, and even the most ardent fan of vegetarian diets has to admit that it's simply easier to be omnivorous. If you go around a friend's house as a vegetarian then immediately you limit what they can cook and they are forced to go out and buy special ingredients to be able to host you. At the same time if you eat out a restaurant you drastically limit your options to those vegetarian dishes (sometimes there will only be one, or in rare cases none at all).


In theory being vegetarian means that you will improve your diet as it makes many forms of fast food off limits and as it means you get a lot less saturated fat. However in practice this isn't quite true as if you are hungry you can no longer enjoy a piece of ham or some leftover chicken. Instead you are either going to have to prepare something made from vegetables or you will find yourself snacking on crisps and on buttered bread either of which are unhealthy. Similarly if you find yourself looking for a snack on the train, as a vegetarian the only options are often things like cheese ploughman’s which again is a lot less healthy than something with meat.


Finally you also of course miss out on a lot of food and a lot of experiences. Most vegetarians will admit to missing meat sometimes, and particularly bacon. When all your friends are eating bacon butties and you are forced to have a salad this can be a bit painful. Likewise though you also miss out on many other foods you wouldn't even realize weren't vegetarian. Many sweets for instance use animal fat and meat to give them their consistency. Likewise many meals are prepared using animal fat to cook them in. Without highly strict research and regulation most vegetarians will likely end up eating something that has come into contact with meat every now and then as it is so ubiquitous. And when you find that you can't sample a dish from another culture, or the food your partner has proudly missed then you are indeed missing out on an experience.
 
I love to eat grass and shit. So what is your problem?
 
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Still can't beat being a muslim travelling in Ho Chi Minh City, die die must eat halal food only place is the mosque!
 
Vegetarians lack essential nutrients in their diet. That's why their higher brain functions become compromised over time and they start behaving like retards.


Living a vegetarian lifestyle poses unique vegetarian nutrition needs. Without meat or animal byproducts, essential vitamins and nutrients can dwindle in the body. When daily vegetarian meals lack these essential vitamins and nutrients on a regular basis, serious nutritional deficiencies can occur. Keep reading to discover 5 commom vegetarian deficiencies.


1. Calcium


Non-vegetarians can choose milk and cheese as their primary forms of calcium intake. For the strict vegetarian, nutritional calcium choices are much slimmer. Calcium fortified soy, rice and almond milk can supply the much needed calcium as long as three to four servings are consumed every day.


Vegetables also contain calcium, which can fit perfectly into the vegetarian nutritional guidelines. Turnip greens, collard greens and rhubarb have the highest amounts of calcium per serving. Tofu recipes cooked with tofu made with calcium sulfate provide a great source of calcium. Just one half cup of tofu made with calcium sulfate can contain as much as 430 mg of calcium.


2. Omega 3


Omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids need to be balanced in the body for optimal health. Most vegetarian nutrition guidelines contain foods that are high in omega 6 fatty acids, but lack a proper source of omega 3s. Fish is the most common omega 3 source, but vegetarians rarely include fish in their diet.


In place of fish, flaxseed, flaxseed oil and raw walnuts can included in daily meals. Flaxseed oil is very temperamental and must not be heated above 100 degrees F. Flaxseeds must be ground immediately before use and can be sprinkled on salads or blended into soy, fruit shakes.


3. Iron


Animal products are the primary source of iron in the typical diet. For the vegetarian or vegan, finding a good source of iron is important. The list of iron containing beans and vegetables is lengthy, which means variety in vegetarian nutrition. Tofu, lentils and Swiss chard are three of the best choices.


Eating iron is not enough, as the body needs vitamin C to convert the iron into a useable form. Optimally, foods rich in iron should served with other foods rich in vitamin C. For an additional iron boost, vitamin C rich foods can be cooked in a cast iron skillet where more iron will be pulled into the food.


4. Zinc


Zinc plays an important role in the body’s immune system. Between 15 and 50 mg of zinc should be consumed on a daily basis to keep the immune system strong. Zinc also affects skin and neurological health. For the vegetarian or vegan, toasted wheat germ, Swiss chard and lima beans are the top three sources of zinc.


5. B12



The B vitamins are crucial for energy conversion and the prevention of certain forms of anemia. The typical diet is rich in vitamin B12, as milk, yogurt, choose and eggs are fantastic sources. For the vegetarian, consuming enough vitamin B12 may be the most difficult part of establishing a healthy plan for vegetarian nutrition. Many vegetarians resort to supplements for their vitamin B12 needs. Brewer’s yeast, nori, Chlorella and spirulina are the best natural sources of vitamin B12 that can be added to the body.


While being a vegetarian can promote nutrition deficiencies, there are many healthy substitutes available to provide a well-balanced and nutritious diet.
 
Vegetarians are impotent at an early stage in life because of nutrient deficiency.


What you eat has a direct effect on your physical and mental performance. Many athletes with the best of dietary intentions have found themselves deficient in essential nutrients that end up limiting their performance—zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, among others. Vegetarians are especially susceptible to performance-limiting nutrient deficiencies, and the more restrictive their diet is (for example, strict vegans), the greater the chance they have of not reaching their physiological potential.

This article provides information on the nutrients that non-meat eaters need to watch out for, with tips on how to get them. In some cases, there are suitable plant-based sources for important nutrients, but in other cases there simply are not. I say this because I know that vegetarianism and what people choose to eat can be an emotion-filled topic. If I do not include a plant-based option, that is only because I am not aware of one.

Meat eaters will even benefit from these tips because we are all faced dietary factors like poor quality food and stress-filled lifestyles, making everyone susceptible to low levels of various nutrients that compromise performance. It’s best to have all the information, so you can make the best dietary decision to help you meet your performance goals.

The Basic Vegetarian
Dietary analyses show that vegetarians tend to eat a comparable amount of protein as meat eaters, but the bioavailability of that protein tends to be reduced by about 10 percent in the typical fiber-rich vegetarian diet. Less bioavailability means the body just can’t use vegetable-derived proteins as efficiently.

There is evidence that there is something about “the meat itself” that makes meat a better quality protein for the body to use for muscle building and optimal hormone function. There is not a lot of research on vegetarian eating by strength and power athletes, but there have been studies that show meat eaters tend to have significantly more muscle mass than vegetarians and that lean mass correlates directly with the amount of animal protein in the diet.

One study that compared hypertrophy and strength gains in men doing resistance training who were on either a vegetarian diet or a omnivorous diet found that the meat eating group had much greater hypertrophy than the vegetarian group. The omnivores lost an average of 6 percent fat mass, gained 4 percent lean mass, and increased Type II fiber area by 9 percent relative to the vegetarians. This study was used self-reported food journals from participants, and researchers noted that the vegetarian group’s protein intake dropped off by a few percent as the study progressed, which may have been a factor. It’s unclear whether it was the quantity or quality of the protein that made a difference in muscularity, or if it may have been a nutrient deficiency in the vegetarian group.

Another study in the British Journal of Nutrition compared muscle mass in women who were already eating a vegetarian diet with that of women who ate meat. Food journals showed both groups ate the same amount of protein, but the meat eaters had significantly more muscle mass with an average of 23 kgs of lean mass compared to 18 kgs in the vegetarians—a large amount in women who were not doing any strength training.

Aside from having less muscle mass, the typical vegetarian tends to eat less cholesterol and rely on soy protein for a substantial portion of their protein intake, which leads to a high amount of phyto-estrogens in the diet. Vegetarian males tend to have lower free testosterone and diminished anabolic hormone levels, which may be one reason for less lean mass.

The link between lower testosterone and lack of meat is not entirely understood, although it is thought that lower cholesterol intake may play a role because testosterone is made from cholesterol. Nutrient deficiencies likely are involved, and the trend that vegetarians eat more soy may be another factor since soy can mimic estrogen in the body by binding to estrogen receptors and altering endocrine levels.

Common nutrient deficiencies for vegetarians and vegans are iron, zinc, omega-3 fats, and B12. Just as important, vegetarian athletes and anyone interested in being active and lean needs to focus on getting adequate taurine, carnitine, creatine, glutamine, carnosine, and glycine into their diet for peak performance and energy. Many of these nutrients can be gotten by eating eggs and whole milk dairy, but even so, research shows deficiencies are still a problem, and some nutrients such as omega-3 fats can’t be gotten in large enough quantities from these sources.

Vegetarianism And Protein Malnutrition
Vegetarians tend to eat an adequate ratio of total protein (studies show that vegetarian athletes can easily eat a diet that is at least 15 percent protein), but plant-based proteins lack certain amino acids that can lead to malnutrition. It is this restriction that leads to greater health risk and poorer performance.

An interesting study in the journal Nutrition shows how easy it is for nutritional deficiencies to arise from a vegetarian diet, even when milk and dairy are included. This study compared plasma levels of various nutrients in a group of Africans who ate a traditional vegetarian diet with a group from a nearby region that ate an omnivorous diet. Neither group supplemented with any nutrients.

Results showed the vegetarian group had significantly less muscle mass, and low levels of taurine, glutathione, and much higher levels of homocysteine than the group that ate meat. Less lean body mass in the vegetarians was likely due to the poorer quality of protein in the diet that led to an imbalance in amino acids.

Persistently high levels of the amino acid homocysteine is called hyperhomocysteinemia, which is known to play a role in poor muscularity, but it also increases risk of heart disease. High homocysteine is also linked with greater stroke risk, elevated cholesterol levels, and hardening of the arteries.

High homocysteine typically comes from B vitamin deficiency (especially B12 and B9), but this vegetarian group had normal concentrations of these vitamins, probably because they ate eggs and dairy. Researchers believe that homocysteine was high due to a long-term deficiency of specific amino acids and very low levels of glutathione. Glutathione is the most important antioxidant that is produced inside of the body out of three amino acids, glycine, glutamine, and cysteine, all of which are primarily gotten in a carnivorous diet (all three are found in eggs, milk, and some nuts as well).

Low glutathione is a big problems for vegetarians because not only is this biological marker necessary for a healthy immune function, it’s directly involved in the removal of toxins from the body. People who have higher glutathione have much less chance of getting a chronic disease because of its importance in maintaining overall health and homeostasis in the body. Athletes can rapidly deplete glutathione but with the adequate diet, it’s possible to replenish it. Vegetarian athletes are at even greater risk for low glutathione unless they supplement.

Avoid Low Glutathione: Supplement with the three amino acids that make glutathione (glycine, glutamine, cysteine) and ensure you get enough B vitamins (see below). Leafy green vegetables contain glycine, glutamine, and cysteine, and dark colored berries will help with glutathione enzyme production.

The Nutrition study highlights the need to prevent nutrient deficiencies for vegetarians and especially vegetarian athletes. For example, the third finding of this study was that the amino acid taurine was very low in the vegetarians, and lack of taurine can negatively alter mood and impair brain function.

Taurine is extremely important for the function of the central nervous system and neurotransmitter production—think of the effect this can have on motivation to train, team cooperation, focus, precision, and skill! And, one of the worst side effects of nutrient deficiencies common in the vegetarian diet is the lack of taurine, which leads to elevated anxiety, unhappiness, and stress.

Get Adequate Taurine: Aside from meat and seafood, taurine can be gotten from some seaweeds, and some eggs, but studies show not all eggs contain taurine. It can also be taken in supplement form.

Methylated B Vitamins Are Essential
B12 (cobalamin) is the most important B vitamin for vegetarians because you can die without it. If you don’t eat meat, dairy, or eggs, there’s no proven way to get B12 without supplementing. Even avid meat eaters have been found to have low B12, making it a good nutrient for everyone to take, especially in methylated form.

Methylated B vitamins ensure your body will be able to absorb the B vitamin supplement because they include a methyl group that allows them to bypass a common genetic predisposition that makes non-methylated versions unusable. In the case of B12, it is commonly bound with a cyano group, which is then converted to a methyl group and you will see it called cyanocobalamin on supplements.

B12 is essential for nervous system function and to avoid something called pernicious anemia, which is an autoimmune disease that destroys the cells in the stomach. Lack of B12 leads to chronic fatigue, cancer, male infertility, heart disease, and altered metabolism.

Get Adequate B12: Take it in a methylated B vitamin supplement. B12 is also found in eggs and dairy.

Omega-3 Fats: Rebalance Fat
The omega-3 fats are absolutely critical for vegetarians because non-meat eaters naturally have a high level of omega-6 fats in their diets from all the vegetable-derived oils and nuts. It’s necessary to balance omega-6 intake with omega-3 fat intake because extensive evidence show much greater risk of chronic disease and inflammation if you have a skewed omega-6 to -3 intake.

Flaxseeds contain omega-3s but the problem is that they contain ALA, and the omega-3s you need are EPA and DHA for optimal health and athletic performance. The body converts about 10 percent of the ALA you eat into EPA, and even a tinier percentage into DHA, but the conversion rate is so pitifully small, that you’d have to consume a huge amount of flax to get enough DHA.

A plant called echium from Latin America is being used as a source of SDA (stearidonic acid) that converts into EPA at a higher rate than ALA (30 percent versus 10), and oil from algae can provide DHA. Again, the problem with algal and echium oils are that they have a low conversion rate and you’d have to consume a large quantity daily for optimal health. But they are an option for strict vegetarians.

Get Adequate EPA and DHA: Supplement with fish oil. Not an option? Echium and algal oil are better than nothing.

Zinc and Iron: Don’t Be Deficient Due To Phytates
Zinc is a much more common nutrient deficiency than iron for everyone, especially vegetarians, but they are grouped together because the problem with both is phytates. Phytates are present in plant foods that contain zinc and iron (beans, grains, nuts, seeds), which inhibit absorption of these minerals by the body. Adequate vitamin C will help bypass the phytates and make iron and zinc bioavailable.

Still, even with high intake of food that contains zinc, athletes are commonly deficient. Adequate zinc is essential for male strength and power athletes because zinc plays a major role in testosterone production. Really everyone should be aware of zinc for performance because it’s involved in proper hormone and brain function, and zinc stores are rapidly lost from exercise, especially strenuous exercise.

Iron is not as much of a problem, although females are at risk of low iron, especially if they are vegetarian and may need to supplement or take extra vitamin C to avoid a drop off in performance.

Avoid Zinc And Iron Deficiency: Supplement or eat dairy and eggs. Get extra vitamin C from strawberries, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower, dark leafy green vegetables, cherries, kiwis, and citrus fruits.

Creatine, Carnitine & Carnosine: Limiting Factors For Vegetarians
Creatine, carnitine, and carnosine are nutrients that are well proven to enhance athletic performance. They are found only in meat in quantities that have the ability to load in the muscles and make you faster and stronger. There’s ample evidence that vegetarians have lower levels of all three, and the question is, do you want your meat-eating opponent to have the carnitine/creatine/carnosine advantage?

For example, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that vegetarians have a significantly lower muscle carnitine content as well as reduced capacity to transport carnitine into the muscle. People deficient in carnitine have difficulty mobilizing fat to burn as energy, and elevated carnitine levels have been shown to translate into greater work capacity and faster time trial performance on endurance tests.

Creatine is well known for enhancing performance because it is a short-term energy source. Low levels mean you will have less power and less capacity to build muscle. Creatine can be made by the body out of the amino acids methionine, glycine, and arginine, but research shows that vegetarians who get adequate intake of these three amino acids still have much lower muscle creatine than meat eaters.

Carnosine is an amino acid derivative that is stored in the fast-twitch fibers and used for anaerobic energy production. Elevating carnosine will improve performance and can help maintain muscle pH during exercise—a major benefit for strength and endurance athletes. Carnosine is found in meat, and in eggs and diary in very small quantities.

Get Carnosine/Creatine/Carnitine: For best results, supplement if you are a vegetarian. If that’s not an option, carnitine is found in small amounts in avocados, wheat, peanuts, and soy. For creatine, try boosting intake of methionine, glycine, and arginine. For carnosine, eat eggs and whole-fat dairy. Unfortunately, vegans are out of luck on carnosine and creatine.

References:
Ingenbleek, Y., McCully, K. Vegetarianism Produces Subclinical Malnutrition, Hyperhomocysteinemia, and atherogenesis. Nutrition. 2012. 28, 148-153.


Laskowska, T., Chelchowska, M., et al. The Effect of Vegetarian Diet on Selected Essential Nutrients in Children. Medycynia Wieku Rozwojowejo. 2011. 15(3 Pt 1), 318-325.

Forbes-Ewan, Chris. Effect of Vegetarian Diets on Performance in Strength Sports. Sportscience. 2002, V6.

Campbell, W., Barton, M., et al. Effects of an Omnivorous Diet Compared with a Lactoovovegetarian Diet on Resistance-Training-Induced Changes in Body Composition and Skeletal Muscle in Older Men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999. 70. 10321029.

Janelle, K., Barr, S. Nutrient Intakes and Eating Behavior Scores of Vegetarian and Nonvegetarian Women. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 1995. 95, 180-186.

Allen, N., Key, T. The Effects of Diet on Circulating Sex Hormone Levels in Men. Nutrition Research Reviews. 2000. 13, 159-184.

Ruby, Matthew. Vegetarianism. A Blossoming Field of Study. Appetite. 2012. 58, 141-150.

Position Paper of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2009. 109(7), 1266-1282.

Persky, V., Chatterton, R., et al. Hormone Levels in Vegetarian and Nonvegetarian Teenage Girls: Potential Implications for Breast Cancer Risk. Cancer Research. 1992. 52(3), 578-583.

Craig, Winston John. Nutrition Concerns and Health Effects of Vegetarian Diets. Nutrition in Clinical Practice. 2010. 25(6), 613-620.

Aubertin-Leheudre, M., Adlecruetz, H. Relationship Between Animal Protein Intake and Muscle Mass Index in Healthy Women. British Journal of Nutrition. 2009. 102(12), 1803-1810.

Stephens, F., Marimuthu, K., et al. Vegetarians Have a Reduced Skeletal Muscle Carnitine Transport Capacity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2011. 94(3), 938-944.

Venderley, A., Campbell, W. Vegetarian Diets: Nutritional Considerations for Athletes. Sports Medicine. 2006. 36(4), 293-305.

Baquet, A., Evereart, I., et al. Effects of Sprint Training Combined with Vegetarian or Mixed Diet on Muscle Carnosine Content and Buffering Capacity. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2011. 111(10), 257-280.
 
By Stephen Byrnes, ND, PhD, RNCP
"An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into account is the only method of preservation against the fluctuating extremes of fashionable opinion" -- Alfred North Whitehead
Bill and Tanya sat before me in my office in a somber mood: they had just lost their first baby in the second month of pregnancy. Tanya was particularly upset: "Why did this happen to me? Why did I miscarry my baby?" The young couple had come to see me mostly because of Tanya's recurrent respiratory infections, but also wanted some advice as to how they could avoid the heartache of another failed pregnancy.
Upon questioning Tanya about her diet, I quickly saw the cause of her infections, as well as her miscarriage: she had virtually no fat in her diet and was also mostly a vegetarian. Because of the plentiful media rhetoric about the supposed dangers of animal product consumption, as opposed to the supposed health benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle, Tanya had deliberately removed such things as cream, butter, meats and fish from her diet. Although she liked liver, she avoided it due to worries over "toxins."
Tanya and Bill left with a bottle of vitamin A, other supplements and a dietary prescription that included plentiful amounts of animal fats and meat. Upon leaving my office, Tanya looked at me and said ruefully: "I just don't know what to believe sometimes. Everywhere I look there is all this low-fat, vegetarian stuff recommended. I followed it, and look what happened." I assured her that if she and her husband changed their diets and allowed sufficient time for her weakened uterus to heal, they would be happy parents in due time. As they left, I shook my head in disbelief and concern: I knew they were not the only ones.
Along with the saturated fat and cholesterol scares of the past several decades has come the notion that vegetarianism is a healthier dietary option for people. It seems as if every health expert and government health agency is urging people to eat fewer animal products and consume more vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes. Along with these exhortations have come assertions and studies supposedly proving that vegetarianism is healthier for people and that meat consumption causes sickness and death.
Several medical authorities, however, have questioned these data, but their objections have been largely ignored.
As we shall see, many of the vegetarian claims cannot be substantiated and some are simply false and dangerous. There are benefits to vegetarian diets for certain health conditions, and some people function better on less fat and protein, but, as a practitioner who has dealt with several former vegans (total vegetarians), I know full well the dangerous effects of a diet devoid of healthful animal products.
It is my hope that all readers will more carefully evaluate their position on vegetarianism after reading this article. It is important to note that there are different types of vegetarianism, including lacto-vegetarian diets (dairy products included) and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets (dairy products and eggs included). The nutritional caveats that follow are primarily directed at veganism, or a diet totally lacking in animal products.
​
Myth #1: Meat Consumption Contributes to Famine and Depletes the Earth's Natural Resources

Some have argued that cows and sheep require pasturage that could be better used to raise grains to feed starving millions in Third World countries. Additionally, claims are made that raising livestock requires more water than raising plant foods. Both arguments are illogical and simplistic. 
The pasturage argument ignores the fact that a large portion of our Earth's dry land is unsuited to cultivation. The open range and desert and mountainous areas yield their fruits to grazing animals (1).
Unfortunately, the bulk of commercial livestock are not range fed, but stall-fed. They do not ingest grasses and shrubs (like they should), but are fed an unnatural array of grains and soybeans. It is true that these foods could be fed to humans. The argument here, then, is not that eating meat depletes the Earth's resources, but that commercial farming methods do. Such methods also subject livestock to deplorable living conditions where infections, antibiotics, steroids and synthetic hormones are common.
These all lead to an unhealthy animal and, by extension, an unhealthy food product. Organically raised livestock, then, is a healthier and more humane choice (see myth #15 for more on this topic).
As for the claims that raising livestock requires more water than raising plant foods, water that livestock drink would be drunk by them anyway, even if they were not being raised for food. Additionally, the urine of grazing animals, which mostly comprises water, is rich in nitrogen, which helps replenish the soil.
Much of the water used in commercial livestock farming, however, is used up in growing the various grains and soybeans fed to the animals. If a concerted effort were made to return to the ecologically sound "mixed farm," (described below), then such huge expenditures of water would be unnecessary.
A far more serious threat to humanity, and the Earth, is the monoculture of grains and legumes, advocated by some vegetarian groups, which depletes the soil and requires the heavy use of artificial fertilizers and dangerous pesticides; pesticides that must first be tested on animals for safety (2). The solution? Astute writers on this dilemma have pointed out:
The educated consumer and the enlightened farmer together can bring about a return of the mixed farm, where cultivation of fruits, vegetables and grains is
combined with the raising of livestock and fowl in a manner that is efficient, economical and environmentally friendly.
For example, chickens running free 
in garden areas eat insect pests, while providing high-quality eggs; sheep grazing in orchards obviate the need for herbicides; and cows grazing in 
woodlands and other marginal areas provide rich, pure milk, making these lands economically viable for the farmer. It is not animal cultivation that leads to hunger 
and famine, but unwise agricultural practices and monopolistic distribution systems. (3)
The "mixed farm" is also healthier for the soil, which will yield more crops if managed according to traditional guidelines. British organic farmer and dairyman Mark Purdey has accurately pointed out that a crop field on a mixed farm will yield up to five harvests a year, while a "mono-cropped" one will only yield one or two (4). Which farm is producing more food for the world's peoples? Purdey well sums up the ecological horrors of "battery farming" by saying:
Our agricultural establishments could do very well to outlaw the business- besotted farmers running intensive livestock units, battery systems and beef-burger bureaucracies; with all their wastages, deplorable cruelty, anti-ozone slurry systems; drug/chemical induced immunotoxicity resulting in B.S.E. [see myth # 13] andsalmonella, rain forest eradication, etc. Our future direction must strike the happy, healthy medium of mixed farms, resurrecting the old traditional extensive system as a basic framework, then bolstering up productivity to present day demands by incorporating a more updated application of biological science into farming systems. (5)
​
Myth #2: Vitamin B12 can be Obtained from Plant Sources

Of all the myths, this is perhaps the most dangerous. Vegans who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 will eventually get anemia (a fatal condition) as well as severe nervous and digestive system damage (6). Claims are made that B12 is present in certain algae, tempeh (a fermented soy product) and brewer's yeast. All of them are false.
Like the niacin in corn, the B12 analogues present in algae and tempeh are not bioavailable. We know this because studies done on people's blood levels of B12 remained the same after they ate spirulina and tempeh; there was no change, clearly indicating no absorption by the body (7). Further, the ingestion of too much soy increases the body's need for B12 (8). Brewer's yeast does not contain B12 naturally; it is always fortified from an outside source.
Some vegetarian authorities claim that B12 is produced by certain fermenting bacteria in the intestines. This may be true, but it is in a form unusable by the body. B12 requires intrinsic factor from the stomach for proper absorption in the ileum. Since the bacterial product does not have intrinsic factor bound to it, it cannot be absorbed (9).
It is true that vegans living in certain parts of India do not suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency. This has led some to conclude that plant foods do provide this vitamin. This conclusion, however, is erroneous as many small insects, their eggs, larvae and/or residue, are left on the plant foods these people consume, due to non-use of pesticides and inefficient cleaning methods. This is how these people obtain their vitamin B12.
This contention is borne out by the fact that when Indian Hindus migrated to England, they came down with pernicious anemia within a few years. In England, the food supply is cleaner, and insect residues are completely removed from plant foods (10). 
The only reliable and absorbable sources of vitamin B12 are animal products, especially organ meats and eggs (11). Though present in lesser amounts, milk products do contain B12. Vegans, therefore, should consider adding dairy products into their diets. If dairy cannot be tolerated, eggs, preferably from free-run hens, are a virtual necessity.
That vitamin B12 can only be obtained from animal products is one of the strongest arguments against veganism being a "normal" way of human eating. Today, vegans can avoid anemia by taking supplemental vitamins or fortified foods. If those same people had lived just a few decades ago, when these products were unavailable, they would have died.
In my own practice, I recently saved two vegans from death from anemia by convincing them to eat generous amounts of dairy products. Both of these sickly gentlemen thought their B12 needs were being met by tempeh and spirulina. They weren't.
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Myth #3: Your Body can Convert Omega-6 Fatty Acids into Omega-3 fatty Acids as it Needs

This falsehood is akin to myth number two. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats of which two, linolenic (an omega-3) and linoleic (an omega 6), are essential to human life and must be obtained from food as the body cannot synthesize them. Although very small amounts of omega 3 linolenic acid are found in whole grains and dark green leafy vegetables, it is principally found in animal foods (especially fish and eggs), as well as flax seed oil. Omega 6 linoleic acid is mostly found in vegetables, but small amounts are present in certain animal fats.
To assuage vegans who fear they may not get enough omega 3 linolenic acid, some vegetarian sources assert that the body can simply convert excess omega 6 linoleic acid into omega 3 linolenic acid, and other omega 3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, two fatty acids intimately involved in the health of the brain and immune system.
Renowned lipid biochemist Dr Mary Enig, of the University of Maryland, and other authorities have shown that the body cannot change the omega number of fatty acids. The body can change the fatty acid's degree of saturation and also its molecular length, but not its omega number (12). In other words, omega 6 fatty acids can only be converted into other omega 6 fatty acids; omega 3s only into other omega 3s.
Again, I have seen the results of this misinformation in my practice. I've had several patients of Northern European descent with severe mental and immune problems caused by a lack of EPA and DHA, two omega-3 fatty acids not found in plant foods (DHA is found in small amounts in some algae). People native to warmer climates in the world can manufacture these fatty acids from other omega-3s, but those of Northern European or Inuit descent cannot.
Since their ancestors ate so much EPA- and DHA-rich fish, their bodies eventually lost the ability to manufacture these fatty acids (13). For these people, vegetarianism is impossible; they must consume either eggs or fish in order to survive.
There is also a very real danger from consuming too many omega-6 fatty acids, principally found in vegetables. The body requires both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. However, when the body's cells are overloaded with omega-6s, their ability to utilize the omega-3 is inhibited (14). 
Chronically low levels of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with higher cancer rates and immune dysfunction. Excessive levels of omega-6 fatty acids are also strongly correlated with a high incidence of cardiovascular disease (as is excessive consumption of refined sugar and trans-fatty acids) [15].
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Myth #4: Your Body's Needs for Vitamin A can be Entirely Obtained from Plant Foods

Vitamin A is principally found in animal products. Plants do contain beta-carotene, a substance that the body can convert into vitamin A. The impression given by some vegetarian sources is that beta-carotene is just as good as vitamin A. This is not true.
Firstly, the conversion from carotene to vitamin A can only take place in the presence of bile salts. This means that fat must be eaten with the carotenes to stimulate bile secretion. Additionally, infants and people with hypothyroidism, gall bladder problems or diabetes either cannot make the conversion or do so very poorly. Lastly, the body's conversion from carotene to vitamin A is not very efficient: it takes 46 units of carotene to make one unit of vitamin A.
What this means is that the sweet potato (containing about 25,000 units of beta-carotene) you just ate will only convert into about 4,000 units of vitamin A (assuming you ate it with fat and do not have a thyroid or gall bladder problem) [16].
Relying on plant sources for vitamin A, then, is not a very wise idea. This is why good-old-fashioned butter is a virtual must in any diet. Butter from pasture-fed cows is rich in vitamin A and will provide the intestines with the fatty material needed to convert vegetable carotenes into active vitamin A. Vitamin A is all-important in our diets, for it enables the body to use proteins and minerals (17).
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Myth #5: Meat-eaters have Higher Rates of Heart and Kidney Disease, Cancer, Obesity and Osteoporosis than Vegetarians

Such stupendous claims are hard to reconcile with historical and anthropological facts. All of the diseases mentioned are primarily 20th century occurrences, yet people have been eating meat and animal fat for thousands of years. Further, there are several native peoples around the world (the Innu, Masai, Swiss, Greeks, etc.) whose traditional diets are very rich in animal products, but do not suffer from the above-mentioned maladies (18).
This shows that other factors besides animal foods are at work in these diseases.
Several studies have supposedly shown that meat consumption is the cause of heart disease, cancer and bone loss, but such studies, honestly evaluated, show no such thing (19). For example, the studies that supposedly proved that meat consumption among the Inuit caused high rates of osteoporosis, failed to note other dietary factors that contributed to bone loss (and to the other chronic diseases listed in myth #5). Things such as refined sugar consumption, alcoholism and a junk food consumption equaled more bone loss were not done with real meat but with fractionated protein powders (20).
Certainly, when protein is consumed in such an unnatural fashion, separated from the fat-soluble nutrients required for its absorption and assimilation, it will lead to problems.
Because of this, the current use of fat-free protein powders as "food supplements", and low-fat or non-fat dairy products should be avoided. Trimming off visible fat from meats and removing duck and chicken skin before eating should also be discouraged.
Despite claims that studies have shown that meat consumption increased the risk for heart disease (21), their authors actually found the opposite. For example, in a 1984 analysis of a 1978 study of Seventh Day Adventists (who are largely vegetarian), H. A. Kahn concluded, "Although our results add some substantial facts to the diet-disease question, we recognize how remote they are from establishing, for example, that men who frequently eat meat or women who rarely eat salad are thereby shortening their lives" (21).
A similar conclusion was reached by D.A. Snowden (21). Despite these startling admissions, the studies nevertheless concluded the exact opposite and urged people to reduce animal foods from their diets.
Further, both of these studies threw out certain dietary data that clearly showed no connection between eggs, cheese, whole milk, and fat attached to meat (all high fat and cholesterol foods) and heart disease. Statistician Dr. Russel Smith concluded, "In effect the Kahn [and Snowden] study is yet another example of negative results which are massaged and misinterpreted to support the politically correct assertions that vegetarians live longer lives."
When all of the data are taken into account, the actual differences of heart disease between vegetarians and non-vegetarians in these studies was less than 1%: hardly a significant amount (22).
It should be noted here that Seventh Day Adventists are often studied in population analyses to prove that a vegetarian diet is healthier and is associated with a lower risk for heart disease and cancer (but see the last paragraph in this section). While it is true that most members of this Christian denomination do not eat meat, they also do not smoke, drink alcohol, or drink coffee or tea, all of which may be factors in promoting cancer and heart disease (23).

The Mormons are a religious group often overlooked in vegetarian studies. Although their Church urges moderation, Mormons do not abstain from meat. Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith, declared a diet devoid of animal products as "not of God." As with the Adventists, Mormons avoid tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine. Despite being meat eaters, a study of Utah Mormons showed they had a 22% lower rate for cancer in general and a 34% lower mortality for colon cancer than the US average (24).
A study of Puerto Ricans, who eat large amounts of fatty pork, nevertheless revealed very low rates of colon and breast cancer (25). Similar results can be adduced to demonstrate that meat consumption by itself does not correlate with cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, kidney disease, or obesity (26). Obviously, other factors are at work.
It is usually claimed that vegetarians have lower cancer rates than meat-eaters, but a 1994 study of California Seventh Day Adventists (who are largely vegetarian) showed that, while they did have lower rates of some cancers (e.g., breast), they had significantly higher rates of several others (brain, skin, uterine, cervical and ovarian)! (27)
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Myth #6: Saturated Fats Cause Heart Disease and Cancer, and Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Diets are Healthier for People

Despite claims that primitive societies are/were largely vegetarian, diets of native peoples the world over are rich in saturated fats and animal foods (28) and, as noted above, heart disease and cancer are primarily modern diseases. Saturated fat consumption, therefore, cannot logically cause these diseases. As with the poorly done studies of the Inuit, modern-day researchers fail to take into account other dietary factors of people who have heart disease and cancer.
As a result, the harmful effects of eating refined sugar, nutrient-poor "foods," trans-fats (found in margarine and hydrogenated oils) and vegetable oils get mixed up with animal fat consumption. It is commonly believed that saturated fats and cholesterol "clog arteries", but such ideas have been shown to be false by such scientists as Linus Pauling, George Mann, John Yudkin, Abram Hoffer, Mary Enig and others (29). On the contrary, studies have shown that arterial plaque is primarily composed of Unsaturated fats, particularly polyunsaturated ones, and not the saturated fat of animals, palm or coconut (30).
Trans-fatty acids, as opposed to saturated fats, have been shown by researchers such as Enig, Mann and Fred Kummerow to be causative factors in atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cancer and other assorted diseases (31).
A recent study of thousands of Swedish women showed no correlation between saturated fat consumption and increased risk for breast cancer. However, the study did show a strong link between vegetable oil intake and higher breast cancer rates (32).
The Framingham Heart Study is often cited as proof that dietary cholesterol and saturated fat intake cause heart disease and ill health. Involving about 6,000 people, the study compared two groups over several years at five-year intervals. One group consumed little cholesterol and saturated fat, while the other consumed high amounts. Surprisingly, Dr William Castelli, the study's director, is quoted in the Archives of Internal Medicine (July 1992) as saying:
In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person's serum cholesterol ... we found that the people who ate the most cholesterol ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most physically active.
It is true that the study did show that those who weighed more and had higher serum cholesterol levels were more at risk for heart disease, but weight gain and cholesterol levels had an inverse correlation with dietary fat and cholesterol intake. In other words, there was no correlation at all (33).
In a similar vein, the US Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial, sponsored by the National Heart and Lung Institute, compared mortality rates and eating habits of 12,000+ men. Those who ate less saturated fat and cholesterol showed a slightly reduced rate of coronary heart disease (CHD), but had an overall mortality rate much higher than the other men in the study (34).
The few studies that indicate a correlation between saturated fat reduction and a lower CHD rate also clearly document a sizeable increase in deaths from cancer, suicide, violence and brain hemorrhage (34). Like the bone density experiments, such things are not told to the public.
Low-fat/cholesterol diets, therefore, are decidedly not healthier for people. Studies have proven over and over that such diets are associated with depression, cancer, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide (35).
Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive, and learning disabilities (36). Despite this, sources from Dr. Benjamin Spock to the American Heart Association recommend low-fat diets for children! One can only lament the fate of those unfortunate youngsters who will be raised by unknowing parents taken in by such misinformation.
There are many health benefits to saturated fats, depending on the fat in question. Coconut oil, for example, is rich in lauric acid, a potent antifungal and antimicrobial substance. Coconut also contains appreciable amounts of caprylic acid, also an effective antifungal (37). Butter from free-range cows is rich in trace minerals, especially selenium, as well as all of the fat-soluble vitamins and beneficial fatty acids that protect against cancer and fungal infections (38).
In general, however, saturated fats provide a good energy source for the vital organs, protect arteries against damage by the atherogenic lipoprotein (a), are rich in fat-soluble vitamins, help raise HDL levels in the blood, and make possible the utilization of essential fatty acids. They are excellent for cooking, as they are chemically stable and do not break down under heat, unlike polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Omitting them from one's diet, then, is ill advised (39).
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Myth #7: Saturated Fats Cause Heart Disease and Cancer, and Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Diets are Healthier for People

Surprising as it may seem, some prior studies have shown the annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian men to be slightly more than that of non-vegetarian men (0.93% vs. 0.89%). Similarly, the annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian women was shown to be significantly higher than that of non-vegetarian women (0.86% vs. 0.54%). (40)
Russell Smith, PhD, referred to in myth # 5, in his authoritative study on heart disease, showed that as animal product consumption increased among some study groups, death rates decreased! Such results were not obtained among vegetarian subjects. For example, in a study published by Burr and Sweetnam in 1982, analysis of mortality data revealed that, although vegetarians had a slightly (.11%) lower rate of heart disease than non-vegetarians, the all-cause death rate was much HIGHER for vegetarians (41).
It is usually claimed that the lives of predominantly meat-eating peoples are short-lived, but the Aborigines of Australia, who traditionally eat a diet rich in animal products, are known for their longevity (at least before colonization by Europeans). Within Aboriginal society, there is a special caste of the elderly (42).
Obviously, if no old people existed, no such group would have existed. In his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Dr. Price has numerous photographs of elderly native peoples from around the world (42). Explorers such as Vilhjalmur Stefansson reported great longevity among the Inuit (again, before colonization). (43)
Similarly, the Russians of the Caucasus Mountains live to great ages on a diet of fatty pork and whole milk products. The Hunzas, also known for their robust health and longevity, eat substantial portions of goat's milk, which has a higher saturated fat content than cow's milk (44). In contrast, the largely vegetarian inhabitants of southern India have the shortest life spans in the world (45). Dr Weston Price, DDS, travelled around the world in the 1920s and 1930s, investigating native diets.
Without exception, he found a strong correlation among diets rich in animal fats, with robust health and athletic ability. Special foods for Swiss athletes, for example, included bowls of fresh, raw cream! In Africa, Dr. Price discovered that groups whose diets were rich in fatty fish and organ meats, like liver, consistently carried off the prizes in athletic contests, and that meat-eating tribes always dominated peoples whose diets were largely vegetarian (42).
It is popular in sports nutrition to recommend "carb loading" for athletes, to increase their endurance levels. But recent studies done in New York and South Africa show that the opposite is true: athletes who "carb loaded" had significantly less endurance than those who "fat loaded" before athletic events (46).
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Myth #8: The "Cave Man" Diet was Low-Fat and/or Vegetarian
Our Neolithic ancestors were hunter-gatherers, and two schools of thought have developed as to what their diet was like. One group argues for a high-fat and animal-based diet supplemented with seasonal fruits, berries, nuts, root vegetables and wild grasses. The other argues that primitive peoples consumed small amounts of lean meats and large amounts of plant foods. Once again, such notions of a "low-fat diet" are hard to reconcile with what we know of modern-day hunter-gatherer societies.
Present-day African tribes readily consume the fatty portions of animals, especially organs such as the brain, liver and tongue. The Aborigines, another hunter-gatherer society, also have a diet rich in saturated animal fats (47).
Explorers such as Stefansson reported that the Inuit and North American Indian tribes would worry when their caches of caribou were too lean: they knew sickness would follow if they did not consume enough fat (48).
Canadian Indians would deliberately hunt older male caribou and elk, for these animals carried a 50-pound slab of back fat on them, which the Indians would eat with relish. Native Americans would also refrain from hunting bison in the springtime (when the animals' fat stores were low, due to scarce food supply during the winter), preferring to hunt, kill and consume them in the fall when they were fattened up.
More interesting is the way political prisoners are sometimes tortured in South and Central America: they're fed a diet of lean meat and they die quickly. Why? Without the fat-soluble vitamins contained in animal lipids, the body is unable to utilize and synthesize the proteins and other nutrients present in the meat (49).
On his journeys, Dr. Price never once found a totally vegetarian culture. Anthropological data support this: throughout the globe, all societies show a preference for animal foods and fats and people only turn to vegetarianism when they have to (50). Nutritional anthropologist H. Leon Abrams, Jr., has shown that prehistoric man's quest for more animal foods spurred his expansion over the Earth, and that he apparently hunted certain species to extinction (50).
Price also found that those peoples who, out of necessity, consumed more grains and legumes, had higher rates of dental decay than those who consumed more animal products (51). Archaeological evidence supports this finding: skulls of prehistoric peoples who were largely vegetarian have teeth containing caries and abscesses and show evidence of tuberculosis (50, 51).
Based on all of this evidence, it is certain that the diets of our ancestors, the progenitors of humanity, ate a very NON-vegetarian diet that was rich in saturated animal fat.
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Myth #9: Meat and Saturated Fat Consumption have Increased in the 20th Century, with a Corresponding Increase in Heart Disease and Cancer
Statistics do not bear out such fancies. Butter consumption has plummeted from 18 lb (8.165 kg) per person a year in 1900, to less than 5 lb. (2.27 kg) per person a year today (52). Additionally, Westerners, urged on by government health agencies, have reduced their intake of eggs, cream, lard, beef and pork. Chicken consumption has risen in the past few decades, but chicken is low in saturated fat (chicken skin contains primarily polyunsaturated fat).
Furthermore, a survey of cookbooks published in the last century shows that people of earlier times ate plenty of animal foods and saturated fats. For example, in the Baptist Ladies Cook Book (Monmouth, Illinois, 1895), virtually every recipe calls for butter, cream or lard. Recipes for creamed vegetables are numerous as well. A scan of the Searchlight Recipe Book (Capper Publications, 1931) also has similar recipes: creamed liver, creamed cucumbers, hearts braised in buttermilk, etc.
British Jews, as shown by the Jewish Housewives Cookbook (London, 1846), also had diets rich in cream, butter, eggs, and lamb and beef tallows. One recipe for German waffles, for example, calls for an entire pound of butter! A recipe for Oyster Pie from the Baptist cookbook calls for a quart of cream and a dozen eggs, and so forth and so on.
It does not appear, then, that meat or saturated fat consumption has risen in this century. What has gone up, however, is consumption of margarine and other trans-fatty acids, lifeless, packaged "foods," processed vegetable oils, pasteurized/homogenized milk, commercially raised livestock and plant foods, and refined sugar. These, along with exposure to a growing number of environmental poisons, are our real culprits in the modern epidemics of cancer and coronary heart disease (and other chronic illnesses) [53].
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Myth #10: Soy Products are Adequate Substitutes for Meat and Dairy Products
The billion-dollar soy industry has profited immensely from the anti-cholesterol, anti-meat gospel of current nutritional thought. Whereas, not so long ago, soy was an Asian phenomenon, now soy products proliferate in the North American market. While the traditionally fermented soy products of miso, shoyu, tempeh and natto are definitely healthful in measured amounts; the hyper-processed soy "foods" are not.
Non-fermented soybeans are extremely high in phytic acid (54), an anti-nutrient that binds to minerals in the digestive tract and carries them out of the body. Vegetarians are known for their high rates of iron and zinc deficiencies (55).
Soybeans are also rich in trypsin inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion. Textured vegetable protein (TVP), soy "milk" and soy protein powders, and popular vegetarian meat and milk substitutes are entirely fragmented foods made by treating soybeans with high heat and various alkaline washes to extract the beans' fat content or to neutralize their potent enzyme inhibitors. These practices completely denature the beans' protein content, rendering it very hard to digest. MSG, a neurotoxin, is routinely added to TVP to make it taste like the various foods it imitates (56).
On a purely nutritional level, soybeans, like all legumes, are deficient in cysteine and methionine, vital sulphur-containing amino acids (56). Soybeans are also lacking in tryptophan, another essential amino acid (56).
Furthermore, soybeans contain no vitamins A or D, required by the body to assimilate and utilize the beans' proteins (56). It is probably for this reason that Asian cultures that do consume soybeans usually combine them with fish or fish broths, The New Zealand government is considering removing soy formula from the market and making it available only by prescription (58).
Though research is still ongoing, some recent studies have indicated that soy's phytoestrogens could be causative factors in breast cancer and infantile leukemia (59). Regardless, soy's phytoestrogens, or Isoflavones, have been shown to depress thyroid function and cause infertility in some animals (60). As a practitioner, I have seen more than my share of vegetarians with hypothyroidism. They invariably rely on soy foods to get their protein.
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Myth #11: The Human Body is Not Designed for Meat Consumption
Some vegetarian groups claim that since humans possess grinding teeth like herbivorous animals and longer intestines than carnivorous animals, this proves the human body is better suited for vegetarianism (61). This argument fails to note several human physiological features, which clearly indicate a design for animal product consumption.
First and foremost is our stomach's production of hydrochloric acid, something not found in herbivores. HCL activates protein-splitting enzymes.
Further, the human pancreas manufactures a full range of digestive enzymes to handle a wide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable. 
While humans may have longer intestines than animal carnivores, they are not as long as herbivores; nor do we possess multiple stomachs like many herbivores, nor do we chew cud. Our physiology definitely indicates a mixed feeder, or an omnivore, much the same as our relatives, the mountain gorilla and chimpanzee (who have been observed eating small animals and, in some cases, other primates) [62].
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Myth #12: Eating Animal Flesh Causes Violent, Aggressive Behavior in Humans
Some authorities on vegetarian diet, such as Dr. Ralph Ballantine in Transition to Vegetarianism (63), claim that the fear and terror (if any, see myth #15) an animal experiences at death is somehow "transferred" into its flesh and organs and "becomes" a part of the person who eats it. 
In addition to the fact that no scientific studies exist to support such a theory, these thinkers would do well to remember the numerous studies that show that low saturated-fat consumption CAUSES violent behavior in people (see notes to myth #7).
Furthermore, in his travels, Dr. Price always noted the extreme happiness and ingratiating natures of the peoples he encountered, most of whom were heavy meat-eaters (see references to Weston Price in notes).
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Myth #13: Animal Products Contain Numerous, Harmful Toxins
A recent vegetarian newsletter claimed the following: "Most people don't realize that meat products are loaded with poisons and toxins! Meat, fish and eggs all decompose and putrefy extremely rapidly. As soon as an animal is killed, self-destruct enzymes are released, causing the formation of denatured substances called ptyloamines, which cause cancer." (64) This article then went on to mention "mad cow disease" (BSE), parasites, salmonella, hormones, nitrates and pesticides as toxins in animal products.
If meat, fish and eggs do indeed generate cancerous "ptyloamines," it is very strange that people have not been dying in droves from cancer for the past million years. Such sensationalistic and nonsensical claims cannot be supported by historical fact.
Hormones, nitrates and pesticides are present in commercially raised animal products (as well as commercially raised fruits, grains and vegetables) and are definitely things to be concerned about. However, one can avoid these chemicals by taking care to consume range-fed, organic meats, eggs and dairy products, which do not contain harmful, man-made toxins.
Parasites are easily avoided by taking normal precautions in food preparations. Pickling or fermenting meats, as is custom in traditional societies, always protects against parasites. In his travels, Dr. Price always found healthy, disease-free and parasite-free peoples eating raw meat and dairy products as part of their diets.
Similarly, Dr. Francis Pottenger, in his experiments with cats, demonstrated that the healthiest, happiest cats were the ones on the all-raw-food diet. The cats eating cooked meats and pasteurized milk sickened and died and had numerous parasites. Salmonella can be transmitted by plant products as well as animal (65).
Mad Cow Disease is probably not caused by cows eating animal parts with their food, a feeding method that has been done for over 100 years. British organic farmer Mark Purdey has argued convincingly that cows that get Mad Cow Disease are the very ones that have had a particular organophosphate insecticide applied to their backs (see notes to myth #1) or have grazed on soils that lack magnesium but contain high levels of aluminum. Small outbreaks of "mad cow disease" have also occurred among people who reside near cement and chemical factories and in certain areas with volcanic soils.
Purdeytheorizes that the organophosphate pesticides got into the cows' fat through a spraying program, and then were ingested by the cows again with the animal part feeding. Seen this way, it is the insecticides, via the parts feeding (and not the parts themselves), that has caused this outbreak. As noted before, cows have been eating ground up animal parts in their feeds for over 100 years. It was never a problem before the introduction of these particular insecticides (66).
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Myth #14: Eating Meat or Animal Products is Less "Spiritual" than Eating Only Plant Foods
It is often claimed that those who eat meat or animal products are somehow less "spiritually evolved" than those who do not. Though this is not a nutritional or academic issue, those who do include animal products in their diet are often made to feel inferior in some way. This issue, therefore, is worth addressing.
Several world religions place no restrictions on animal consumption; and nor did their founders. The Jews eat lamb at their most holy festival, the Passover. Muslims also celebrate Ramadan with lamb before entering into their fast. Jesus Christ, like other Jews, partook of meat at the Last Supper (according to the canonical Gospels).
It is true that some forms of Buddhism do place strictures on meat consumption, but dairy products are almost always allowed. Similar tenets are found in Hinduism. As part of the Samhain celebration, Celtic pagans would slaughter the weaker animals of the herds and cure their meat for the oncoming winter. It is not true, therefore, that eating animal foods is always connected with "spiritual inferiority."
Nevertheless, it is often claimed that, since eating meat involves the taking of a life, it is somehow tantamount to murder. Leaving aside the religious philosophies that often permeate this issue, what appears to be at hand is an understanding of the life force and how it works. Modern peoples (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) have lost touch with what it takes to survive in our world, something native peoples never lose sight of. We do not necessarily hunt or clean our meats: we purchase steaks and chops at the supermarket. We do not necessarily toil in rice paddies: we buy bags of brown rice; and so forth, and so on.
When Native Americans would kill a game animal for food, they would routinely offer a prayer of thanks to the animal's spirit for giving its life so that they could live. In our world, life feeds off life. Destruction is always balanced with generation. This is a good thing: unchecked, the life force becomes cancerous. If animal food consumption is viewed in this manner, it is hardly murder, but sacrifice. Modern peoples would do well to remember this.
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Myth #15: Eating Animal Foods is Inhumane
Without question, commercially raised livestock live in deplorable conditions where sickness and suffering are common. Additionally, some prescription drugs are derived from animals (e.g., Premarin) in torturous ways. In America, at least, livestock animals are exempted from anti-cruelty laws and, typically, commercially raised livestock animals are slaughtered in ways that promote adrenaline release, which could have harmful effects on the people who eventually consume them.
In countries like Korea, food animals such as dogs are killed in horrific ways, i.e., beaten to death with a club. Our recommendations for animal foods consumption most definitely do not endorse such practices. As noted in our discussion of myth #1, commercial farming of livestock results in an unhealthy food product, whether that product be meat, milk, butter, cream or eggs. Our ancestors did not consume such substandard foodstuffs, and neither should we.
It is possible to raise animals humanely. This is why organic, "free-range" farming is to be encouraged: it is cleaner and more efficient, and produces healthier animals and foodstuffs from those animals. Each person should make every effort, then, to purchase organically raised livestock (and plant foods). Not only does this better support our bodies, as organic foods are more nutrient-dense and are free from hormone and pesticide residues, but this also supports smaller farms and is therefore better for the economy (67).
Orthodox Jewish and Muslim slaughtering methods (kosher and hallal, respectively) are similar to those practiced by organic farms, in that the animals are slain in a state of tranquility, unlike their unfortunate battery-farm cousins. Such practices minimize, if not eliminate, the release of harmful stress hormones and are therefore more humane to the animal and more healthful to us. 
Nevertheless, many people have philosophical problems with eating animal flesh, and these sentiments must be respected. Dairy products and eggs, though, are not the result of an animal's death and are fine alternatives for these people.
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The Value of Vegetarianism
As a cleansing diet, vegetarianism is a good choice. Several health conditions (e.g., gout) can often be ameliorated by a temporary reduction in animal products with an increase of plant foods. But such measures must not be continuous throughout life: there are vital nutrients found only in animal products that we must ingest for optimal health. Furthermore, there is no one diet that will work for every person. Some vegetarians and vegans, in their zeal to get converts, are blind to this biochemical fact.
"Biochemical individuality" is a subject worth clarifying. Coined by biochemist Roger Williams, PhD, the term refers to the fact that different people require different nutrients based on their unique genetic make-up. Ethnic and racial background figure in this concept as well. (The current theory of blood type influencing nutritional needs is false, as discussed below.)
A diet that works for one may not work as well for someone else. As a practitioner, I've seen several patients following a low-fat, low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet with severe health problems: obesity, candidiasis, hypothyroidism, leaky gut syndrome, anemia and generalized fatigue.
Most of these people have been vegetarians. Because of the widespread rhetoric that a vegetarian diet is "always healthier" than a diet that includes meat or animal products, these people see no reason to change their diet, even though that is the cause of their problems. What these people actually need for optimal health is more animal foods and fewer carbohydrates!
Conversely, some people do very well on little or no meat and remain healthy as lacto-vegetarians or lacto-ovo-vegetarians. The reason for this is because these diets are healthier for those people, not because they're healthier in general. However, a total absence of animal products, whether meat, fish, insects, eggs, butter or dairy, is to be avoided. Though it may take years, problems will eventually ensue for these people.
The reason for this is simple evolution: humanity evolved eating animal foods and fats as part of its diet, and our bodies are suited and accustomed to them. One cannot change evolution in a few years.
When it comes to good nutrition, it's best to stick with the tried and true, rather than the untested and new. Humanity has been consuming animal products and saturated fats for thousands of years as part of its diet. Today's health-conscious person needs to follow humanity's historical example and make ample room for all of the gifts of life provided to us by our animal friends.
​
Note on Blood Typing Theories
There is a nutritional "fad" at the present time, spurred on by the book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Peter D'Adamo, ND (Putnam; USA, 1996). The main tenet of the book is that the four major blood types (O, A, B, AB) evolved sequentially as humans colonized the Earth.
Anthropologists, however, have disputed this and have produced considerable evidence that all four types were present at the same time. On top of this obvious difficulty is the reality that there are well over 400 blood types found in human beings! Though most of these are confined to small groups of isolated peoples, the fact remains that such diversity argues against the blood type/nutrition theory. 
Clinically, I have seen patients who have had a lack of stomach acid who were type Os. According to the theory, type Os should produce plenty of HCL acid to handle more meats.
Additionally, I have seen blood type As with no HCL acid deficiencies. According to the theory, type As should have low HCL levels. Such experiences strongly argue against the blood typing/food theory. 
For more detail on this subject, I refer readers to the article, "Eat Right 4 Your Type Hype," by Sally Eauclaire Osborne, published in The Price-Pottenger Nutrition Journal, Winter 1998, link to "Eat Right 4 Your Type Hype," by Sally Eauclaire Osborne.
Author's Notes:
The author would like to thank Sally Fallon, MA; Lee Clifford, MS, CCN; and H. Leon Abrams, Jr., for their gracious assistance in this paper. This paper was not sponsored or paid for by the meat or dairy industries. 
About the Author: Stephen Byrnes is a naturopathic doctor and registered nutritional consultant who enjoys robust health on a diet that includes butter, cream, eggs, meat, whole milk dairy products, and offal. He is the author of Healthy Hearts: Natural Medicine for Your Ticker, Digestion to the Max!, and Overcoming AIDS with Natural Medicine (available off of www.amazon.com), as well as numerous magazine articles, published worldwide.
By Dr. Mercola
It is my belief that no one diet is right for everyone’s body. There are a few people who do well on a vegetarian or vegan diet. However, in my experience, the majority do not. I have been committed over the years to presenting both sides of the debate and remaining open to new information, as science presents it. For more information about the vegetarianism debate, I recommend the following articles and resources. (There are many others on the site that you can find using the search engine, but these are excellent starters.)

  1. You Will Suffer - If You Carelessly Make This Eating Mistake
  2. Why 1/3 of the Population Gets Sick by Restricting This Vital Food Group
  3. Why the China Study is Flawed
  4. The Dark Side of the China Study Story Supporting Vegetarianism
  5. Why Vegetarianism Will Not Save the World
 
Author's References and Sources:
Myth #1:
1. Sally Fallon, Mary Enig and Patricia Connolly, Nourishing Traditions, ProMotion Publishing, USA, 1995, p. 5.
2. Purdey, Mark, "The Vegan Ecological Wasteland," Journal of the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation [hereafter referred to as Jnl of PPNF], Winter 1998; "Are Organophosphate Pesticides Involved in the Causation of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)? Jnl of Nutritional Medicine 4:43-82, 1994.
3. Fallon, et al, op. cit., p. 6
4. Purdey, op cit.
5. Ibid
Myth #2:
6. Dunne, L. The Nutrition Almanac, 3rd ed. (McGraw Hill; New York), p. 32-33; Garrison, R. & Somer, E. The Nutrition Desk Reference, 3rd ed., (Keats Publishing; CT), p. 126.
7. Scheer, James. Health Freedom News, (Monrovia, CA), March 1991, p. 7.
8. Smith, Allan. Soybeans: Chemistry & Technology, vol 1 (Avi Publishing Co; CT), 1972, pp. 184-188.
9. Rowland, David. Digestion: Inner Pathway to Health (Health Naturally Publications; Canada), 1996, p. 22.
10. Specker, B.L. et al., Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 47:89-92 (1998); Van den Berg, H. et al., Lancet 1:242-3 (1998); Abrams, H. Leon, "Vegetarianism: An Anthropological/ Nutritional Evaluation," Journal of Applied Nutrition 32:2, (1980) p. 59.
11. Dunne, op cit, p. 31.
Myth #3:
12. Fallon and Enig, "Tripping Lightly Down the Prostaglandin Pathways," Jnl of PPNF, Fall 1996; Lands, W.E.M., "Biochemistry & physiology of n-3 fatty acids," The FASEB Journal, vol. 6, May 1992, pp. 2530-2536.
13. Fallon & Enig, ibid.
14. Food Technology, October 1988, p. 134; Kabara, J.J. The Pharmacological Effects of Lipids (Amer Oil Chemists Society; IL), 1978, pp. 1-14.
15. Horrobin, DF. Reviews in Pure and Applied Pharmacological Sciences, vol 4 (Freund Publishing House; 1983), pp. 339-383; Harmon, D. et. al., Jnl of Amer Geriat Soc, 1976 24:1: pp. 292-298; Meerson, Z, et al., Bulletin Exper Biol Med, 1983 96:9: pp. 70-71.
Myth #4:
16. Fallon, Sally, "Vitamin A Vagary," Jnl of PPNF, Summer 1995; Dunne, op cit, p. 14.
17. Jennings, I.W., Vitamins in Endocrine Metabolism, Charles Thomas, 1970, pp. 39-57, 84-85.
Myth #5:
18. Price, Weston. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration (Keats Publishing; CT), 1943.
19. Smith, Russell. Diet, Blood, Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review of the Literature, Vector Enterprises, 1991.
20. Spencer, Herta and Lois Kramer, "Factors Contributing to Osteoporosis," Jnl of Nutr. 116:316-319 (1986); "Further Studies of the Effect of a High Protein Diet as Meat on Calcium Metabolism," Am. Jnl Clin. Nutr. 924-929, June 1983.
21. Kahn, et al., Amer Jnl Epidem, 1984, 119:775; Snowden, et al., Preventive Medicine, 1984, 13:490. Quotation from Kahn is printed in Smith, op cit.
22. Smith, op. cit. See also "Vegetarian Studies -- A Summary" by Smith, Jnl of PPNF, Winter 1998.
23. Abrams, op cit., p. 62
24. Lyon, et al., New Eng Jnl Med, 294:129, 1976.
25. Enig, et. al, Federation Proceedings, 37:2215, 1978.
26. Ibid. See also Price, op cit.
27. "7th Day Adventists & Cancer," Am. Jnl Clin. Nutr. 59:1136S-1142S (1994).
Myth #6:
28. Abrams,Leon. "The Preference for Animal Protein and Fat," Food and Evolution (Temple University Press; PA), 1987; see also Price, op cit.
29. Fallon and Enig, "The Oiling of America," Nexus, Dec 1998Jan 1999 and FebMar 1999; Yudkin, John, Pure, White and Deadly, (Davis Poynter, London), 1972; Pauling, Linus, How to Live Longer and Feel Better, (Avon Books, New York), 1985; Hoffer and Walker, Putting It All Together: The New Orthomolecular Nutrition, Keats Publishing, CT), 1995; Mann, George, (ed). Coronary Heart Disease: The Dietary Sense and Nonsense (Veritas Society; London), 1993; Cleave, T.L., The Saccharine Disease, (Keats Publishing; CT),1975.
30. Lancet 344:1195 (1994)
31.Mann, George, "Metabolic Consequences of Dietary Trans-fatty Acids," Lancet 343:1268-71 (1994); Enig, Mary et al., Fed. Proc. 37:2215, July 1978; Kummerow, F. "Nutritional Effects of Isomeric Fats," Dietary Fats and Health, Horisberger and Bracco, eds. (Amer Oil Chem Soc; IL), 1983, pp. 391-402.
32. Wolk, A. et al., Arch of Inter Med, 158:41 (1998); see also Chris Mudd's Cholesterol and Your Health (American lite Co; OK), 1990, for a thorough discussion of studies that show high polyunsaturate intake with increased cancer rates.
33. Hubert, H. et al., Circulation 67:968 (1983)
34. Jnl of American Med. Assoc. 248(12):1465, September 24, 1982
35. Lancet 339:3/2/92
36. Food Chem. News, October 3, 1994
37. Fallon, Enig, and Connolly, op. cit., pp. 17-18.
38. Ibid, pp. 14-15.
39. Enig, Mary, "Trans-Fats and Saturated Fats: Not the Same," Jnl of PPNF, Winter 1998.
Myth #7:
40. "Death Rates of Vegetarians," Am. Jnl Epidemiol. 97:372 (1973)
41. Smith, op. cit.; Burr and Sweetnam, Amer Jnl Clin Nutr, 1982, 36:873.
42. Price, op. cit.; Fallon, S. "Nasty, Brutish, and Short?" The Ecologist, (London), Jan/Feb 1999; Enig & Fallon, "Australian Aborigines," Jnl of PPNF, Summer 1998.
43. Stefansson, V., The Fat of the Land, Macmillan, New York, 1956
44. Pitskhelauri, G.Z., The Long Living of Soviet Georgia, Human Sciences Press, New York, 1982; Moore, Thomas. Lifespan: What Really Affects Human Longevity (Simon & Schuster; NY), 1990.
45. Abrams, "Vegetarianism," pp. 74-77.
46. "Carb Loading for Athletes? Not Such a Good Idea," Jnl of PPNF, Fall 1996
Myth #8:
47. Abrams, H. Leon, "The Preference for . . ."; Fallon & Enig, "Australian Aborigines."
48. Stefansson, op. cit.
49. Stefansson, op cit.; Fallon and Enig, "The Cave Man Diet," Jnl of PPNF, Summer 1997.
50. Abrams, "Vegetarianism" and "Preference for . . ."
51. Price, op cit.
Myth #9:
52. Rizek, et al., "Fat in Today's Food Supply," Jnl Amer. Oil Chem. Soc., 51:244 (1974).
53. See note 29 and 30, as well papers listed at http://www.realmilk.com/.
Myth #10:
54. Tiney, E.H., "Proximate Composition and Mineral and Phytate Contents of Legumes Grown in Sudan," Jnl of Food Comp. and Analysis, vol. 2, 1989, pp. 67-78; Leviton, Richard, Tofu, Tempeh, Miso and Other Soy Foods, (Keats Publishing, CT),1982; Grant, T.G., Progress in Food and Nutrition Science 13:317-348 (1989); Fallon, Sally and Enig, Mary, "Soy Products for Dairy Products? Not So Fast," Health Freedom News, September 1995; Anderson, Robert and Wolf, Walter, "Compositional changes in trypsin inhibitors, phytic acid, saponins, and isoflavones related to soybean processing," Jnl of Nutr., March 1995, 518S-588S.
55. Abrams, "Vegetarianism . . .," pp. 60-61; Wilson, MD, Lawrence. "Evidence for Traditional Diets from Hair Mineral Analysis," Jnl of PPNF, Spring 1999.
56. Fallon and Enig, "Soy Products . . .,"
57. Fitzpatrick, Mike, "Soy Isoflavones: Panacea or Poison?" Jnl of PPNF, Fall 1998; see also papers on http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz>www.soyonlineservice.co.nz
58.%20See%20 59. Leukemia 13:317-20 (1999); Hsieh, et al., Cancer Res, 1998, Sept 1, 58:17, 3833-8
60. Ishizuki, et al., Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai Zasshi, 1991, May 20, 67:5, 622-9; Divi, et al., Biochem Pharmacol, 1997, Nov. 15, 54:10, 1087-96; Fitzpatrick, op cit.
Myth #11:
61. "Why Not Meat? (Part 2)," Down to Earth News, Dec/Jan 1998, pp. 1-4; Ballantine, Ralph, Transition to Vegetarianism, Himalayan Institute Press, PA, 1994.
62. Abrams, "Vegetarianism . . .," pp. 75-76.
Myth #12:
63. Ballantine, op. cit.
Myth #13:
64. "Why Not Meat? (Part 3)," Down to Earth News, Feb/March 1999, pp. 1-3.
65. Pottenger, Francis, Pottenger's Cats, (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, CA), 1997 (reprint).66. Purdey, op. cit.; Sally Fallon, personal communication.
Myth #15:
67. See Biodynamics, March/April 1998, for a report on the horrors of commercial hog farming, as well as its drain on local economies and the environment. Also in this article are the benefits of "free-run," organically raised hogs. You can also check out www.sierraclub.org/chapters/ok/cafo for a horrendous exposé on commercial hog farming.
 
Unless they are born into it due to religion or custom, men of science including medical doctors rarely become vegans. Anyone heard of doctor becoming a vegan? I am sure we are all curious. Of all the people, they would know best, have access to the right literature and research and know how to interpret the information. I know of doctors who do Gym work, cycle long distance etc but heard of one turning vegan.
 
If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other lifestyle diseases, a flexi-terian (semi-vegetarian) diet is the best way to go. Easiest way to do this is to go vegetarian from Mon to Thurs when you have to work. Come Friday to Sunday when you are out with family and friends, you can revert to your normal diet which includes meat. The cycle switching allows your body to properly process the foods you are eating and prevent any serious imbalances from building. You will finding yourself gradually losing weight and get much better numbers when you do your annual medical screening.

scroobal said:
Unless they are born into it due to religion or custom, men of science including medical doctors rarely become vegans. Anyone heard of doctor becoming a vegan? I am sure we are all curious. Of all the people, they would know best, have access to the right literature and research and know how to interpret the information. I know of doctors who do Gym work, cycle long distance etc but heard of one turning vegan.
Click to expand...
 
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Disadvantages of grass-eating

1) Being a grass-eater would mean that you could be as RETARDED as tonychat.

2) For man you may suddenly find ladyboys attractive.

3) For woman you will develop facial hair.

4) Your brain size will shrink to become smaller than a ping pong ball.

5) You will forever be angry at something or someboby without any reasons.

6) You will be a failure in life and you will blame everyone else except yourself for it.
 
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[FONT=arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif]By danharan in Culture
Tue Oct 14, 2003 at 07:44:09 AM EST
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[TD="class: justified, colspan: 2"][FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I have been vegetarian for 8 years, with a few forays into stricter diets and the occasional lapse and a few bits of meat eaten at family diners to keep the peace. While I clearly understood my reasons for being vegetarian when I started to eschew meat, for the past year and a half I have very honestly told people that inquired about my odd behaviour that it was only a matter of habit. It is a habit I am about to break. Here's why.[/FONT]
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I was 20 when I became vegetarian. I cared about our planet and spent more time reading books than many spend in cathodic worship. Searching for books on the environment, I stumbled upon Diet for a New America in my local public library. Public libraries are wonderful places for unemployed 20-year-olds that haven't decided what institution of higher learning they would mortgage their future to attend. I skipped the first of the three parts of the book, which deals with animal welfare. Diet, I thought, was too important a matter to change on the basis of such emotional nonsense. The last two parts, dealing with health and the environment, were convincing: before finishing the book, I had sworn off meat and started to learn about such exotic foods as tofu and quinoa, convinced that I would live longer and healthier while minimizing my environmental impact.

However, I soon find out that people react very badly to vegetarians. Otherwise rational people might tell me I will turn green and die. In a cold Canadian climate, meat is essential. Everybody knows that. Sometimes, they leer at my plate, and launch into tirades about how much they like meat and how they could never "do it". When people aren't nicely volunteering such information, they are preemptively attacking me for my wicked ways.


While there are some militant vegetarians, most don't think they're superior, or even give a damn that you're eating meat, that you enjoy it, or think you could never live without it. Most won't say "moo" when you're having that steak or hamburger. They are not a threat, so why do some people feel the need to justify their choices? Can't we just "eat and let eat"? Most of the comments I heard were stupid, ignorant and boorish. Like telling the only black person at a party that you know some black people and even have some black friends, telling a vegetarian about how you could never give up meat (maybe even thought of it) just isn't kosher. And don't even think of asking about how we get enough protein or iron - another sure way to advertise your own etiquette deficiency. The etiquette is simple: unless the vegetarian is telling you how bad you are for eating meat - or how virtuous they are for not doing so, there's no need to dwell on the topic.


The longer I was a vegetarian (and the longer I studied diets) the more I realized how complex the issue was. My very rational decision to give up meat highlighted the irrationality of our society's relationship to food. After 8 years of dietary exile, one thing is clear: not only is our diet bad for our health, our environment or the animals, and it isn't even very tasty. When people say they like the taste of meat, I wonder if they ever eat anything else satisfying. Odds are better than even that their veggies, if something other than potatoes, are always served terminally limp, that their desserts are mostly fat and sugar, and their salad base - if they eat salads - is an uninspiring iceberg lettuce.


Our society has a strange love-hate relationship to food, and I came to realize that for many vegetarians and perhaps most vegans, the decision was an ascetic one. While a strong scientific case can be made for the validity of their diet in terms of health and environmental impact, it often lacks beauty.


Let me be clear about this point: while the diets of vegans and vegetarians often lacks beauty, the diets of most other North Americans almost always lack beauty. SAD is an apt acronym for the Standard American Diet.


So, why, if I believe that the vegetarian diet is scientifically and aesthetically superior, am I going to start eating meat again? (And please note, I am talking about the diet, not the people who practise it!)


First, I believe that superiority to be relative . Our knowledge of diet is too imperfect to make many final statements about what is best for the human body - and we may soon be able to accurately measure what is best for a specific individual. As for environmental impact, hunting and gathering has less impact than a vegan diet- and fewer animals may die from our encroaching on their territory. Given time, chefs will also devise ever more beautiful ways to prepare their dishes, whether or not they contain meat.


More importantly, vegetarianism has a very high social cost. The alienation borne by a vegetarian will often do them more harm than the food they would consume to keep the peace or remain unnoticed. I'm not just thinking the occasional Thanksgiving lapse to please the parental units. There's also the job interviews, dates, sales call, and every day social engagements.


I've tried to understand the reasons for this social cost, even to vegetarians that don't want to make a big deal of their diet. Sometimes - well, ok, often - people are simply stupid, and will just assume you're some kind of weirdo and won't want to talk to you (interesting people usually have the opposite impulse). But refusing food from someone who cooked it surely is horrible karma.


And then there's the reasons we'd usually rather not talk about, starting with gender. A vegetarian woman is less of a problem - "they've always been more emotional". But for a man, barbecuing eggplant and portobello mushrooms is a sure way to have people question your sexual orientation. Real men eat steaks.


Food also helps define our ethnic and even religious identities. No self-respecting Acadian could pass on rapure pie, which Anglos accurately nicknamed frenchman's glue. Gooey-grated potatoes, pressed of their juices, baked in chicken stock- Yum! Turkey at Thanksgiving and Fish on Fridays, Kosher or Halal, all our major religions impose rules or conventions about food. Transgression can alienate you from your ethnic or faith community.


[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Our culture needs change, and getting this much negative attention puts me at a disadvantage. Worse, a personal 'vegetarian witness' is not the best way to encourage people to have a more sensuous experience with food, or challenge the centrality of meat in our diets.[/FONT]
 
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