To Veg Or No-Veg

Prior to visiting India I had a preconceived belief that its entire population was enlightened. Curious to observe what function vegetarianism played in this phenomenon, I began to investigate. I discovered the road to enlightenment is not automatically paved with vegetables and consuming a vegetarian diet is not equivalent to a spiritual nature. The terrorism and continual threat of war in Kashmir demonstrates neither compassion nor holiness. This revelation caused me to consider: is vegetarianism actually the best approach to diet for every person?

There are innumerable studies that show a vegetarian diet is the healthiest eating plan to follow. Lower cholesterol, blood pressure, risks of cancer, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease are just the beginning of physical health benefits attributed to vegetarian eating.

Animal products contain saturated fats, as well as hormones and antibiotics if raised in the United States. The American Cancer Society consistently reports on studies emphasizing the dangers of red meat. Red meat is the chief source of saturated fat in the western diet, and often contains toxins. Ranchers, in order to yield high production despite sub-standard conditions for livestock, systematically use antibiotics to counteract infection and disease. Supermarkets sell eggs from chickens that have been fed omega-3 oils and claim that these eggs along with their omega-3 oils are good for you. If feeding omega-3 oils to an animal can be transferred into their eggs then it follows that all hormones, antibiotics, and chemicals used in the feed are absorbed by the humans who eat them. All meat, chicken, eggs and fish can be a source of pathogenic viruses and bacteria if not cooked very well. High animal protein ingestion translates into feeling sluggish and irritates your immune system.

The same troubles associated with meat are also present in dairy. In 1994, to artificially increase milk productivity, dairy farmers began to routinely inject a synthetic (genetically engineered) form of bovine growth hormone (BGH) into their cows. Research shows the hormone is present not only in the milk produced but is transferred to cheese, yogurt and ice cream generated from the milk. Due to the current cost of excess of milk in this country increased production is unnecessary and frivolous. The use of BGH adds an additional $15 million to over $100 million subsidized by taxpayers each year in surplus milk and dairy products. In Europe, there has been a ban on growth hormone treated products since 1989. Despite threats by the United States in pressing a case against the European Union in the World Trade Organization, Europe will not accept exports of beef or dairy from the United States.

Vegetarianism does not guarantee health. Reasons for becoming a vegetarian range from the expected health advantages to concerns for the environment and economics to religious beliefs. There are plenty of non-meat eaters sustaining life on high carbohydrate low vegetable meals. This is what is called a “junk food” vegetarian. Consuming non-nutritional foods including sugar (FYI, sugar uses bone ash from animals in the whitening process), refined flour, hydrogenated oils and processed ingredients has created many overweight herbivores who are battling diabetes, heart disease and obesity. An unbalanced diet is common in our fast food culture whether or not meat is incorporated.

Fast food restaurants provide quick meals not good nutrition. Health sources routinely site Asian diets as superior to the western diet. Residents of India, China and Japan have historically experienced a superior level of health and longevity at times living over one hundred years chopping wood and working in fields until dying peacefully in their sleep. In these countries home-cooked beans, vegetables and soy are eaten regularly creating a balanced environment. The McDonalds in India serves meatless veggie burgers along with french fries, sodas, and shakes. Regardless of the absence of meat, as soon as a fast food influence is introduced these cultures embark on an experience of the same rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease as their western omnivorous counter part.

According to F.M. Berg “Women Afraid to Eat” For some people, young women in particular, following a vegetarian diet may be an acceptable way to mask an eating disorder. As a result of confusion about calories many people young and old become vegetarians in an attempt to lose weight. They begin ingesting low calorie low fat foods like pasta, bread and cereals. These foods do not satisfy hunger, nutritional needs or provide long lasting energy. It is much more effective for some people to eat a lean piece of organic meat with lots of veggies and a small serving of whole grains than to ingest a big bowl of pasta with a creamy sauce and bread. The meat dish will provide more energy, release stored fat, increase fiber and build stronger tissues and muscles. Even though it contains more calories, meat and veggies will result in a healthy reduction in weight not possible with the low calorie vegetarian meal.

History shows that humans have always incorporated some meat into their diet. There have been theories proposing our teeth and long intestines were made for fiber-rich diets. This is true, but not exclusively fiber-rich diets. Meat was already part of our diet when we evolved from primates and developed stone tools, which increased the proportion of meat consumed. Population growth, over-hunting, and climatic changes required fishing, plant collecting and grain agriculture to contribute a larger component to our diet. “Environmental necessity not biology spurred the development of domestic grain production,” claims Anne Louise Gittleman in her book Your Body Knows Best. Dietary fiber found in plant foods also was an important part of the evolving human’s diet and in fact served to aid in the rapid digestion of meat and elimination of waste.

Some people believe that meat-eaters are barbaric killing defenseless animals and having no consideration for other species on this planet. Karma can also be sighted; if you inflict suffering on others, you will receive suffering back. This is an example of spiritual viewpoints in conflict with biological requirements. The human body has a certain program to follow regardless of personal values. Ancestry, heritage, blood type, metabolism, environment and life style are the keys to determining what foods the body needs for optimal performance and health. It would be very difficult for someone of Alaskan descent to be a healthy vegetarian regardless of spiritual inclination. Alaskan ancestry and environment requires a diet consisting of up to eighty percent meat/ blubber to endure the temperatures and lack of natural plant agriculture and they don’t exhibit any of the health problems that are so-called associated with meat eating. Native Americans thought to be highly spiritual beings incorporate meat into their diet first offering thanks for the animal that gave its life. Even in India I met very few people entirely vegetarian, most incorporated chicken, lamb or fish into their diet on an occasional basis.

The idea that Eastern vegetarian diets are superior to their Western omnivorous counterpart has been discussed for eons. While some people are able to absorb all the necessary nutrients from a vegetarian diet, others are not. While meat may be necessary for some, it is important to limit intake to 4-8 times per month while one is healthy and balance its presence in the diet with plenty of fiber in the form of vegetables and whole grains. The meat our ancestors ate was much lower in saturated fats and higher in essential fatty acids than the feedlot cattle available to us now. Eating organic free-range chicken, wild game, and beef that are antibiotic and hormone free is the best source for duplicating the proteins of our ancestral diet.

Remember a diet that may work for some people is not necessarily the best diet for everyone. Eating is not religion. Vegetarianism in India is a socioeconomic consequence of the population not a tool for enlightenment. The people are friendly and loving whether herbivore or omnivore just like in the United States. The health of all people is determined by their ability to listen to their body and eat whole unprocessed foods.

Some of our most well known scholars in history have been vegetarians. Among the list are Benjamin Franklin, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, John Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, and Albert Einstein.

Rose Payne is the founder and Director of High Level Wellness a holistic health and nutrition center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She is an AADP certified Holistic Nutrition Counselor and National Educator with a private practice that offers assistance countrywide. She is also the Director of the Immersion Graduate Program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. Her passion is helping clients transform their lives through the power of nutrition. You can contact Rose at info@high-level-wellness-online.com

If you are interested in purchasing an article or having Rose write for your publication contact publishing@high-level-wellness-online.com