Only A Fool Would Say That September 30, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Sustainable Living.trackback
Someone recently told me that people who become vegetarians are . . . foolish.
Foolish? How so?
Are vegetarians foolish for wanting . . .
* To eat in a more sustainable way?
* To improve their health and well-being?
* To save animals from unnecessary suffering?
* To avoid eating food laced with growth hormones?
* To lessen their environmental impact on the planet?
Research over the past 25 years shows that plant-based diets are:
* Eco-Friendly and Sustainable: How To Feed The World By Going Veggie
According to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, meat production accounts for 18% of annual greenhouse-gas emissions — more than transportation, which accounts for roughly 14%.
What’s more, millions of acres of rain forest are cleared each year for cattle ranchers and suppliers of animal feed, wiping out one of the world’s great “carbon sinks” and further accelerating climate change.
* Heart-Friendly: Clinton’s Weight Loss Secret ~ Plants
Bill Clinton has adopted a diet that is free of all animal flesh and dairy. He adopted a 100% plant-based diet because animal fat clogs arteries and shuts off blood flow to heart and brain (and other essential organs).
* Healthier and more Humane: The Hidden Costs of Cheap Meat
According to a recently published Harvard School of Public Health study that followed 84,000 women over 26 years, women who ate two servings per day of red meat had a 30 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease than those who had half a serving per day.
* Better at keeping the doctor away: The Pros & Cons of A Vegetarian Diet
Evidence keeps mounting that a diet based on low-fat, high-fiber fruits, grains and colorful vegetables can play a key role in keeping cancer and other deadly diseases at bay.
According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), vegetarians tend to have lower overall cancer rates, less risk of ischemic heart disease, lower blood pressure, lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, and lower rates of Type 2 diabetes.
In short, evidence continues to mount that consumers who adopt a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle are benefitting themselves, the planet, and the animals they would otherwise be consuming.
Maybe a vegetarian diet won’t work for everyone, but any one with an open mind can find ample evidence to support the switch from a flesh-based diet to a plant-based diet, and to substantiate the benefits of eating at least a few meat-less meals a week.
Foolish?
Only a fool would say that.
Related posts: Tammy’s Top Ten Reasons To Become A Vegetarian * Food, Inc. * Join a C.S.A. * Become A Voice of Compassion * A Trip to the Farmer’s Market * Health Benefits From Greening Your Life * Got Milk? Toss It Out! * Go HSUS! * All The Gory Details * Top Ten List ~ Vegetarian * Gradual Change
Comments
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Spirit Lights The Way 
You have the right to choose how you live your life and it is foolish of anybody to criticise that. What an eejit 😦
I didn’t take it personally. I know why I am a vegetarian and the opinion expressed didn’t make me feel foolish at all.
The individual in question has a teen daughter who is vegetarian and it made me flash back to my first forays into vegetarianism when I received constant ridicule and scorn from the “rest of the clan.” At that stage in my life, their condescension stung.
So, if other vegetarians and vegans are receiving similar comments, just remember . . . many people are only “OPEN” to information that supports what they already believe.
I say to each his or her own, the only thing that bothers me is when a militant foodie tells me all about how what I’m eating will kill me while I’m still eating it. (Holy run on sentence Batman!)
I like the idea of eating vegetarian and work to incorperate meat free meals several times a week. I do however, like my burgers and bacon every once in a while.
You have my solemn vow . . . I will never mention what that bacon is doing to your arteries while you’re enjoying it. 🙂
This comment came up because I asked about the daughter and whether she was still a vegetarian . . . NOT because I was trying to force a conversation on the evils of eating meat.
In response, I got, “Yup. She’s still a fool” and all vegetarians are “foolish.”
BTW: I still LOVE the smell of bacon!
Bacon is the reason I could never become a vegetarian. 🙂
Anybody who makes such broad-sweeping comments about a whole group of diverse individuals is the one who is foolish.
I agree. And that’s pretty much what I told them at the time. 🙂
I’d love to tell you of some great tasting bacon substitute . . . but I haven’t found one yet.
When I use Bragg Liquid Soy on my salad (in place of acidic salad dressings) I do not miss the ‘hit’ of bacon. I’m not saying it tastes the same – it takes away my thoughts of “hmmmm a few bacon bits…”
Boca makes some good meatless burgers and sausage patties.
Morningstar Farms some good meatless hotdogs.
But I haven’t stumbled across any meatless bacon.
Oh my how about a great BLT?! I don’t eat red meat and when I was a teenager I tried to not eat any meat. Living in a small southern town wasn’t a great place for that kind of lifestyle. All the neighbors had to make all of their snide remarks. It’s not as if I was trying to talk them into the same lifestyle. I really should have grown up in California.
I first became a vegetarian as a teen. Tough, to say the least.
My parents were convinced I was killing myself.
Oops I don’t eat pork anymore either. I still haven’t eliminated the chicken but I am working on it.
One step at a time. 🙂
I reckon each to their own & everyone should Juice 😀
My sister drinks 48 oz. of carrot juice a day . . . so she’s got my allotment covered.
That said, I agree with you about the merits of raw veggies pressed into powerhouse shakes overflowing with veggies and minerals and anti-oxidants and fiber and . . .
Note to self: Buy a juicer.
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