I was listening to the radio the other day during my lunch break—something I do quite often—and the broadcast I was listening to had Dan Matthews, an advocate from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as a guest. Matthews said individuals should eat a vegan diet. But, rather than saying people should eat a vegan diet because of choice, Matthews said individuals should eat a vegan diet for health reasons.I was listening to the radio the other day during my lunch break—something I do quite often—and the broadcast I was listening to had Dan Matthews, an advocate from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as a guest. Matthews said individuals should eat a vegan diet. But, rather than saying people should eat a vegan diet because of choice, Matthews said individuals should eat a vegan diet for health reasons.
Now, for all you vegans out there reading this, I couldn’t care less what someone chooses or chooses not to eat. But to claim a vegan diet is, by any stretch of the imagination, healthier than a diet containing animal products is simply false. It appears Matthews has allowed his philosophical position to distort the cold, hard facts. And when someone starts to bend the truth in order to conform to a philosophy, that’s where I get off the bus.
I agree the average American consumes too much meat. However, there is no call for a complete abstention from eating animal products. In 2000, the average American ate approximately 195 pounds of meat for the year. That’s 57 pounds more per year than the average American ate in the 1950s and, according to the USDA, that’s three times the amount an American should be eating in one year. The daily recommended meat serving for an adult is 3-5 ounces. That’s about the size of a deck of poker cards.
I suppose American culture is partly to blame for our increased attraction to meat. After all, the ultimate “manly” meal is steak and potatoes, isn’t it? And how do they label steaks in restaurants? The small steak is the “petite cut,” the medium steak is the “queen cut,” and the big daddy is called the “king cut.” Oh, yeah! What man would be caught ordering that embarrassing petite or even queen cut when he could have the king cut steak? A full pound of meat or more is five to seven times the recommended daily allowance; that one steak will take care of your meat servings for the week!
While we should definitely eat less meat, we should certainly not completely eliminate it from our diet. This is because the human body requires the essential nutrient B12, a vitamin found only in animal products. B12, also known as cobalamin, is critical for good health. According to the National Institute for Health, B12 helps maintain nerve cells, red blood cells and is also needed to make DNA. Pregnant women and women who are breast feeding especially need B12 to ensure the health of their baby. B12 can be obtained from some cereals and breads, but those cereals and breads must first be fortified with B12 in order to provide it.
According to the National Institute for Health, a lack of vitamin B12 can cause anemia, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite and weight loss. B12 deficiency can also lead to neurological problems, depression, confusion, dementia, poor memory and an elevated risk for coronary disease. A B12 deficiency in an infant can cause failure to thrive, movement disorders, delayed development and megaloblastic anemia—an anemia characterized by dysfunctional red blood cells.
Now that we’ve gotten the facts out of the way, we can talk about philosophy. If you, or Matthews, choose to refrain from a carnivorous diet, that’s fine. It’s your body, do with it what you will. But to intentionally skew the facts in order to put forth some ideological agenda is pathetic. If you don’t want to eat animal products because you simply don’t want to, then that is fine with me. But let’s stick with the facts please. Humans require vitamin B12 to survive. Unless you are willing to take B12 supplements or you like eating lots and lots of fortified cereal, meat is essential to a healthy diet. Too much meat, however, isn’t such a good thing.
Tags: 1950s, abstention, advocate, american culture, animal products, break something, cold hard facts, ethical treatment of animals, health reasons, listening to the radio, lunch break, people for the ethical treatment of animals, philosophical position, poker cards, steaks, three times, vegan diet, vegans