DISCLAIMER: I am aware that a plant based diet isn't the solution to all our problems. I am not trying to judge anyone for what they eat, just sharing my viewpoint, which could be totally wrong but it's my blog and I can write what I want! Bahahahah ;)
Lately, I've started to have a lot of negative feelings about food choices. I haven't felt this way for a very long time, since I first stopped eating meat in college and wanted everyone to get on board with me. I'm pretty active on facebook and I see people I know posting links about saving endangered animals and puppy mills and environmental problems but I know that these people still eat meat. Now, please don't read this and think I'm judging anyone for eating meat, I'm not! I ate meat for the first 20 years of my life so I'm not trying to be all high and mighty :), but I stopped in 96 and haven't missed it at all. For me, it was so easy to give up and that was 14 years ago when there weren't nearly as many options as there are now! It was all about animal abuse in the beginning but I've found other benefits.
I can't help it, it bothers me when people say they love animals and want to protect them, but see nothing wrong with eating food they know comes from factory farms, it just seems like a contradiction. Then, when someone mentions factory farming and the huge impact meat production has on the planet they get all upset and make excuses without ever having tried a plant-based diet even for a week. How can you say something won't work, if you refuse to even give it a try?
I hear things like:
1) I have to eat meat, I have diabetes
2) I need my protein
3) I get sick when I don't eat meat
4) My family would never go for it
5) It's too expensive
6) I hate vegetables
7) Soybeans are bad for you and vegetarians eat all kinds of soy
8) Vegetables havings feelings too, don't you feel bad about killing them?
Noone, ever just says "I like meat and it's all about what I like, so I don't plan on giving it up anytime soon" which is closer to the truth and honestly would be a better answer than the ones I listed. Those excuses I listed have pretty simple responses:
1) I have to eat meat, I have diabetes:
Plant based diets are recommended by doctors for diabetics. And, if you've eaten meat your whole life and now you have diabetes, don't you think eating more veggies might be worth a try.
You can read more about this at WebMD via CBS news:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/26/health/webmd/main1837927.shtml
2) I need my protein:
Ok, this one is so silly and I'm really tired of it. Protein deficiencies never happen anymore unless you simply don't eat enough food. More info on protein:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/protein_myth.html
Think you need animal protein to get fit, check out this website:
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/
3) I get sick when I don't eat meat:
I always want to ask: Really, how long have you went without it? What did you eat in the place of meat? If you ate too much soy that could be the problem. If you tried to live on pizza and macaroni and cheese that is a real problem. Did you eat a variety of food? Did you do research?
4) My family would never go for it:
It's true, they might not go for it, but what if you sat them down and explained why you want to try it but let them know in the end the choice was up to them. It's a chance to try new things, to experiment with food, maybe lose some weight. What's wrong with that?
5) It's too expensive:
Have you seen the price of meat, dairy and eggs? If you learn to cook and bake for yourself it will be no more expensive than your previous diet and you may even find it to be cheaper, especially in the summer months.
6) I hate vegetables:
Well, if you hate them, that's all the more reason you should want to destroy them with your fork ;)
But seriously, I hear people say this all the time and when I ask which ones they've tried the answer is usually none or "well, I had a tomato once and it wasn't too bad" We all get stuck in routines with food, step out of the box and try something new!
7) Soybeans are bad for you and vegetarians eat all kinds of soy
It's true that vegetarians can get caught up in eating to much soy. I've been guilty of it, but we shouldn't eat anything in excess and should focus on a variety of foods including nuts, grains, fruits and veggies. Less processed food should be eaten without a doubt. I have my concerns about soy and especially the big name companies putting out low fat soy foods, they make me nervous. I don't think they have our best interest at heart. But fermented, organic soy foods like tofu seem fine to me.
8) Vegetables have feelings too, don't you feel bad about killing them?
This is the one that makes me laugh the hardest, because it usually comes from someone who really thinks they have a logical excuse but it's just so ridiculous. It's true that plants can respond to some stimuli, however at the end of the day they have NO brain and NO central nervous system. They are not like animals! And, in most cases we don't kill the plant to get the berry, veggie, seeds, etc.. those are given freely by the plant. You don't see many animals walking around missing a thigh.
What to do?
1) We all need to eat a lot less food period, we have become a nation of overeaters.
2) If possible we should try to grow some of our own food and buy local
3) We should try to make food choices that have the least impact on the planet and involve less animal cruelty. I don't expect everyone will give up meat, but it would be nice if people could cut back.
We all know there are health benefits associated with a plant based diet: much lower incidences of heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc... I am aware that a plant based diet isn't the solution to all our problems. But I look at all the negatives associated with eating meat, the mass cruelty involved in producing meat and the overall state of our planet and cannot understand why people don't choose to eat differently.
Sometimes, I think there's hope, then I take a trip to the grocery store look at people and what they're adding to their carts (processsed food void of any nutrition) and I know there isn't much hope for our planet. It makes me sad to think what it will be like in 50 years.
