Hello everybody. What I,m going to talk about in this entry is hardly the most pressing or urgent issue in our world. nonetheless, some people tend to think it is, and it seems that lately I,ve been bombarded with propoganda making me feel bad for eating meat. Of course, everyone has a different opinion, and all the "facts" we're told seem to support contradictory claims, although it seems to be that way for everything.
So, what is a vegetarian? For the sake of this article, vegetarians are those who don't eat any dead animals, but will eat animal products. In other words: no beef, chicken, pork, shellfish, or fish, but will eat eggs and dairy. What is a vegan? People who will not eat any animals product (including eggs and dairy). To complicate things further, there are people who only eat certain things: my mom, for instance, is a vegetarian except that she still eats any seafood. Many people choose to avoid red meat (beef, etc), and lots of people avoid pork for religious reasons.
First, let's talk about vegetarians. Why are people vegetarians? Many different reasons exist. In very few cases the reasons are cultural. As for as my anthropological knowledge goes, cultural vegetarianism is pretty rare (but not unheard of). Most socities have some sort of animal meat staple (although they also may have some taboos). Some people don't eat meat for health reasons, for environmetal reasons, or for ethical reasons. I'm only going to talk about the former three.
Is it healthier to be a vegetarian? I'm not a scientist, nor am I a nutritionist, Evidence seems a bit mixed on this topic. One thing that seems pretty consistent is the difference between complete and incomplete proteins. Our bodies need complete proteins. incomplete proteins, in appropriate combinations, can suffice for complete proteins. However, complete proteins come only from animals and animal products. Plant protiens are all incomplete. That says, a diet containing eggs and dairy still gets the appropriate complete proteins. Vegans, however, don't eat those things. They get their protein from solely incomplete sources. Unhealthy? Maybe. With correct planning, ie, finding the correct combinations EVERYDAY, a vegan diet CAN get the appropriate proteins. Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets are ARGUABLY healthier for a few reasons. Non-meat proteins tend to be lower in saturated fats and contain less harmful chemicals. Of course, saying that would lump all meats together. Fish is widely considered the healhtiest meat: it is very high in protein, and rich in healthy omega fats (but, also potentially rich in polutants). Poultry is also considered very healthy and lean, but usually has the most hormones and chemicals. Pork comes from an "unclean" animal, known to eat rubbish, or whatever else it can find. Red meat is highh in saturated fats and in hormones. Eggs and cheese from factory animals contain these bad things, but liekly in lower concentrations. Plant proteins don't contain them at all... except that they probably contain lots of pesticides. So, what's the answer?? It depends on a lot of things.... where do you buy your meat? If you can find non-factory meat, it would obviously be better. How well do you cook it? Cooking it well-done kills most undesirable things. most importantly, how often do you eat it? Red meat should be consumed less often than poultry/fish. My conclusion is that neither of the three diets are necessarily healthier than the other. It is perfectly possible to be very healthy or very unhealthy in either alternative. Carnivirious diets require less planning, but require more moderation. Vegan diets require a LOT of planning, but deal with less undesirable chemicals. Vegetarian diets are in the middle: still require some planning, and still deal with unnatural .... I don't know what else to call the stuff they use these days.
How about the environmental concern? This one I would probably have to agree with the vegies. Based on the average amount of meat consumed by most North Americans, it is simply unsustainable. Animals, especially in unnatural settings, are not renewable resources to the extent that plants are. Animals also require plant food (some of which could easily go to us). If that wasn't enough, the well-known 10% rule makes it worse. Only 10% of the energy consumed by the animals is consumable by predators. In other words, 90% of everything consumed by the prey (eg, cow, chicken, etc) is lost. I will admit that given the present day circumstances, with the mass production and mass consumption of animal resources, the vegetarian, and especially the vegan lifestyle is more beneficial for the environment. However, in ideal circumstances, meat-eating IS sustainable. That requires, of course, more moderate consumption of meat. If everyone kept their consumption at, say, 180 g a day, things would improve.
How about ethics? I will FULLY admit that the way domesticated animals are treated today is nothing short of APALLING. However, I can't help but to laugh when people talk about "speciesism". Give me a break? Until they start paying taxes and become liable to the court system, I'm not about to grant pigs rights. I don't think there's anything wrong with killing animals for food. Other animals do it. Throughout the history of humanity, almost every culture in almost every part of the world did it (granted they likely ate much less meat than we did today, and likely had much more respect for the creature they slaughtered). Ecologically speaking, we are at the top of the food chain. We are the only species that have built cities and written novels. We have sovereignty over our domain.... it's more about being responsible. Animals are a decent source of protein, and are present, so why shouldn't we eat them? Does that mean we should go hog wild, like we are now? I don't think so. Does that mean that I have problems with a vegetarian lifestyle? Of course not.... JUST PLEASE DON'T PREACH. Please don't make me out ot be an evil person. I respect vegans and vegetarians, especially those who are for environmental reasons. Just please respect me and my decision to eat meat.... albeit moderately. (And because it tastes good!)
One other thing to consider.... this is mostly for our vegan friends, but also for vegetarians. Good luck travelling. Vegetarianism, and espeically veganism, is unheard of in many parts of the world. Sure, you could probably get by in parts of Europe, and India, and a few other random places. But for the rest of the world, good luck. Just my experiences in Thailand/Burma: vegetarianism is unheard of. Almost all meals - even breakfast, contain some form of meat. Occasionally, egg is eaten instead of (or in addition to) meat. But getting your proper protein requirements is trickier for several reasons: the proper types of plant proteins may be obscure, and especially if you don't speak the language you may not find it. It's also disrespectful to the culture, especially when people cook you something over their house. That means, if they cook you dog, it is appropriate to eat the dog! Who would you rather offend? Fellow human beings, or animals that aren't aware of how you feel and are incapable of thinking about you? At least you have the bonus of knowing that that dog was probably not raised in a factory.
My conclusion in a nut shell. Carnivirous lifestyles are healthful and sustainable with selection and moderation. If possible, buy from a source less-likely to be mass-produced. Choose fish/poultry over red meat. Eat in moderation. The same thing does for vegetarians. Yes, you're helping improve the sustainability of animals, but that doesn't mean you should go hog wild, especially with your egg and dairy consumption. Vegans must be especially careful in planning their diets to get appropriate protiens. Whatever option you chose, or whatever variant of an option, rememebr a few things. You should always avoid rubbish food. And you should be respectful of other people. Don't preach at them for eating meat, or don't make fun of them for not eating meat. This is especialy true if you're a guest in another country. If you're a vegan, you're better off not going to many third-world countries, unless you either give up veganism while youre there, or can do it with tact and respect (it helps if you know the langauage). If you're going to make an ass out of yourself, better off not going.... people in third world countries have many things more urgent to worry about.... in some cases, getting enough food period, and you freaking out over eating meat/dairy will just bring shame and loss of face to everyone.
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