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Saturday, Nov 7, 2009
I think if we all eat one PETA member the worlds problems will be on the road to recovery...mmmm human pork. Yummy.
Quality is another part of the discussion of the effect of animal products on humans and the planet.
Routinely mixing antibiotics into feedlot chicken and beef diets has produced antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that can (and do) make people sick, but for which there is no effective antibiotic treatments.
Also, poultry processing includes high levels of fecal contamination, which can stay in the meat, and are then consumed by people.
The quality of our diets affects our health, and with the cost of health care in this country rising along with increases in chronic illnesses,diabetes and obesity, greenhouse gas emissions aren't the only negative consequences of consuming a diet high in commercially produced meat.
...not widespread veganism or vegetarianism, seems to be the real point here.
a.) People can certainly eat less meat, and should be encouraged to do so. But they're not going to give it up altogether. Hell, beef is tasty! Plus, we are omnivorous apes--our bodies require some animal protein to maintain optimal health.
b.) Most of the problems described in the article are effects of large-scale industrial farming, and could be mitigated by the widespread adoption of organic, sustainable techniques--which are not, as the fear-mongers say, inadequate to the task of feeding the world. Indeed, organic farming, whose foundational principle is that the soil must be rebuilt and replenished as it's farmed--is the only long-term solution to our agriculture and climate woes. Those "waste lagoons?" A waste of valuable fertilizer. Composting would take care of those emissions. The grain vs. grass controversy? Not much of a question when you consider the pounds of fossil fuels going into the grains the cows eat.
I'm a little bit peeved that none of the vegetarians and vegans who have posted letters have responded to my letter about vitamin B12 and other issues surrounding a plant-based diet.
Silenced is right on, of course. Anyone hoping to prescribe any sort of diet as a panacea is sorely mistaken. Our bodies have adapted over the years and, based on our heritage, some of us respond better to certain diets over others. Perhaps there are people out there who function on an extremely low-meat diet who perhaps only need to eat once per month, but I know that there are people in the world who live on high-fat, high-protein diets (such as the Eskimo) who eat virtually nothing but meat and still have reasonable lifespans.
Veganism is not going to be a viable long-term option for humanity until we learn to solve the problem of natural absorption of thiamine and B12. Fortifying tofu doesn't seem to work properly.
One good asteriod impact will solve all our problems. In the meantime live according to your conscience.
Thanks for publishing this article. I can no more give up meat than I can give up sex, and I strongly suspect the majority of human beings is in my camp. I'll drive a smaller car, I'll pay more on my electric bill for wind power, and I'll vote for any party that taxes me more to invest in the future of our planet. I'll happily sacrifice.
But I just can't give up meat. I would willingly eat less of it, and would happily see prices on meat go up, way up, especially if higher prices ensured meat was humanely and sustainably produced. Westerners do have too much meat in their diets, after all.
But I refuse to feel bad about the fact that evolution designed me to require a lot of protein to support my large brain. And that evolution made me only able to get complete proteins from just meat, and one lonely plant, the soy bean. That I am evolved this way because my ancestors got good enough at fishing, hunting, and trapping, that humans' ability to manufacture complete proteins from a variety of plants, as other animals do, fell away from us, superfluous to our survival.
And I do tire of PETA and their ilk trying to pretend that my lust for meat is not innate. That's like trying to ignore the fact that I like salt and sugar. Or sex. Or that I'm straight. I'm already starting to imagine myself in some dystopian future buying meat on the black market!
PETA would be so much more successful if they campaigned for particular kinds of meat, in particular amounts. But, like so many other organizations these days, PETA is not about facts; PETA is about its agenda, and cherry-picking the facts to support its foregone conclusions.
It's too bad our political landscape is divided by left and right. It would be so much more useful if the political spectrum ran from truthful to deceitful. PETA, sad for them, would be on the Terry Schiavo end of the scale.
Do you seriously think meat and soybeans are the only foods on the planet that contain protein? Sadly, I suspect most carnivores share that misconception. Soy protein is not the only non-flesh protein in the world.
I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years and every year I take a full physical, complete with extensive bloodwork. And I am not lacking in even one necessary nutrient, including protein. Plus my good cholesterol is crazy high; bad cholesterol crazy low.
If you want to eat meat, whatever. I'm not your doctor or your mother. But please don't insist that you have no choice because it's the only way to get protein, because that's simply inaccurate. Meat, and our society's new obsession with high protein--courtesy of the bizarre Atkins Diet, are plain old unhealthy, all "moral" issues aside. This from The Mayo Clinic:
Although high-protein diets generally aren't harmful, they may increase the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis. High-protein diets may also limit other healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. In addition, many high-protein foods — such as meat, milk, cheese and eggs — are also high in fat and cholesterol. So choose your protein sources wisely. Good choices include fish, beans, lentils and low-fat dairy products.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The Maine fight was supposed to be the dress rehearsal for repealing California's Prop. 8 -- but gay marriage lost
Once one obtains Seriousness credentials in the Washington media, they are irrevocable no matter one's conduct.
Salon headlines in your mailbox
