The Myths of Vegetarianism

[Guest guest]

The Myths of Vegetarianism

by _Stephen Byrnes_ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#bio) , PhD,

RNCP

_http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html)

Originally published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, July

2000. Revised January 2002. This paper is posted at:

_http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm_

(http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm) .

" An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into account is the

only method of preservation against the fluctuating extremes of fashionable

opinion. " —Alfred North Whitehead

Bill and Tanya sat before me in my office in a sombre mood: they had just

lost their first baby in the second month of pregnancy. Tanya was particularly

upset. " Why did this happen to me? Why did I miscarry my baby? " The young

couple had come to see me mostly because of Tanya's recurrent respiratory

infections, but also wanted some advice as to how they could avoid the

heartache of

another failed pregnancy.

Upon questioning Tanya about her diet, I quickly saw the cause of her

infections, as well as her miscarriage: she had virtually no fat in her diet

and

was also mostly a vegetarian. Because of the plentiful media rhetoric about the

supposed dangers of animal product consumption, as opposed to the alleged

health benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle, Tanya had deliberately removed

such things as cream, butter, meats and fish from her diet. Although she liked

liver, she avoided it due to worries over " toxins. "

Tanya and Bill left with a bottle of vitamin A, other supplements and a

dietary prescription that included plentiful amounts of animal fats and meat.

Just before leaving my office, Tanya looked at me and said ruefully: " I just

don't know what to believe sometimes. Everywhere I look there is all this

low-fat, vegetarian stuff recommended. I followed it, and look what happened. "

I

assured her that if she and her husband changed their diets and allowed

sufficient time for her weakened uterus to heal, they would be happy parents in

due

time. In November 2000, Bill and Tanya happily gave birth to their first

child, a girl.

The Evolution of a Myth

Along with the unjustified and unscientific saturated fat and cholesterol

scares of the past several decades has come the notion that vegetarianism is a

healthier dietary option for people. It seems as if every health expert and

government health agency is urging people to eat fewer animal products and

consume more vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes. Along with these

exhortations have come assertions and studies supposedly proving that

vegetarianism is

healthier for people and that meat consumption is associated with sickness

and death. Several authorities, however, have questioned these data, but their

objections have been largely ignored.

As we shall see, many of the vegetarian claims cannot be substantiated and

some are simply false and dangerous. There are benefits to vegetarian diets

for certain health conditions, and some people function better on less fat and

protein, but, as a practitioner who has dealt with several former vegetarians

and vegans (total vegetarians), I know full well the dangerous effects of a

diet devoid of healthful animal products. It is my hope that all readers will

more carefully evaluate their position on vegetarianism after reading this

paper.

Myth #1: _Meat consumption contributes to famine and depletes the Earth's

natural resources._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#1)

Myth #2: _Vitamin B12 can be obtained from plant sources._

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#2)

Myth #3: _Our needs for vitamin D can be met by sunlight._

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#3)

Myth #4: _The body's needs for vitamin A can be entirely obtained from plant

foods._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#4)

Myth #5: _Meat-eating causes osteoporosis, kidney disease, heart disease,

and cancer._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#5)

Myth #6: _Saturated fats and dietary cholesterol cause heart disease,

atherosclerosis, and/or cancer, and low-fat, low-cholesterol diets are healthier

for people._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#6)

Myth #7: _Vegetarians live longer and have more energy and endurance than

meat-eaters._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#7)

Myth #8: _The " cave man " diet was low-fat and/or vegetarian. Humans evolved

as vegetarians._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#8)

Myth #9: _Meat and saturated fat consumption have increased in the 20th

century, with a corresponding increase in heart disease and cancer._

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#9)

Myth #10: _Soy products are adequate substitutes for meat and dairy

products._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#10)

Myth #11: _The human body is not designed for meat consumption._

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#11)

Myth #12: _Eating animal flesh causes violent, aggressive behavior in

humans._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#12)

Myth #13: _Animal products contain numerous, harmful toxins._

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#13)

Myth #14: _Eating meat or animal products is less " spiritual " than eating

only plant foods._ (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#14)

Myth #15: _Eating animal foods is inhumane._

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#15)

Myth #1: Meat consumption contributes to famine and depletes the Earth's

natural resources.

Some vegetarians have claimed that livestock require pasturage that could be

used to farm grains to feed starving people in Third World countries. It is

also claimed that feeding animals contributes to world hunger because

livestock are eating foods that could go to feed humans. The solution to world

hunger, therefore, is for people to become vegetarians. These arguments are

illogical and simplistic.

The first argument ignores the fact that about 2/3 of our Earth's dry land

is unsuitable for farming. It is primarily the open range, desert and

mountainous areas that provide food to grazing animals and that land is

currently

being put to good use (1).

The second argument is faulty as well because it ignores the vital

contributions that livestock animals make to humanity's well-being. It is also

misleading to think that the foods grown and given to feed livestock could be

diverted to feed humans:

Agricultural animals have always made a major contribution to the welfare of

human societies by providing food, shelter, fuel, fertilizer and other

products and services. They are a renewable resource, and utilize another

renewable resource, plants, to produce these products and services. In

addition, the

manure produced by the animals helps improve soil fertility and, thus, aids

the plants. In some developing countries the manure cannot be utilized as a

fertilizer but is dried as a source of fuel.

There are many who feel that because the world population is growing at a

faster rate than is the food supply, we are becoming less and less able to

afford animal foods because feeding plant products to animals is an inefficient

use of potential human food. It is true that it is more efficient for humans

to eat plant products directly rather than to allow animals to convert them to

human food. At best, animals only produce one pound or less of human food

for each three pounds of plants eaten. However, this inefficiency only applies

to those plants and plant products that the human can utilize. The fact is

that over two-thirds of the feed fed to animals consists of substances that are

either undesirable or completely unsuited for human food. Thus, by their

ability to convert inedible plant materials to human food, animals not only do

not compete with the human rather they aid greatly in improving both the

quantity and the quality of the diets of human societies. (2)

Furthermore, at the present time, there is more than enough food grown in

the world to feed all people on the planet. The problem is widespread poverty

making it impossible for the starving poor to afford it. In a comprehensive

report, the Population Reference Bureau attributed the world hunger problem to

poverty, not meat-eating (3). It also did not consider mass vegetarianism to

be a solution for world hunger.

What would actually happen, however, if animal husbandry were abandoned in

favour of mass agriculture, brought about by humanity turning towards

vegetarianism?

If a large number of people switched to vegetarianism, the demand for meat

in the United States and Europe would fall, the supply of grain would

dramatically increase, but the buying power of poor [starving] people in Africa

and

Asia wouldn't change at all.

The result would be very predictable -- there would be a mass exodus from

farming. Whereas today the total amount of grains produced could feed 10

billion people, the total amount of grain grown in this post-meat world would

likely fall back to about 7 or 8 billion. The trend of farmers selling their

land

to developers and others would accelerate quickly. (4)

In other words, there would be less food available for the world to eat.

Furthermore, the monoculture of grains and legumes, which is what would happen

if animal husbandry were abandoned and the world relied exclusively on plant

foods for its food, would rapidly deplete the soil and require the heavy use

of artificial fertilizers, one ton of which requires ten tons of crude oil to

produce (5).

As far as the impact to our environment, a closer look reveals the great

damage that exclusive and mass farming would do. British organic dairy farmer

and researcher Mark Purdey wisely points out that if " veganic agricultural

systems were to gain a foothold on the soil, then agrochemical use, soil

erosion,

cash cropping, prairie-scapes and ill health would escalate. " (6)

Neanderthin author Ray Audette concurs with this view:

Since ancient times, the most destructive factor in the degradation of the

environment has been monoculture agriculture. The production of wheat in

ancient Sumeria transformed once-fertile plains into salt flats that remain

sterile 5,000 years later. As well as depleting both the soil and water

sources,

monoculture agriculture also produces environmental damage by altering the

delicate balance of natural ecosystems. World rice production in 1993, for

instance, caused 155 million cases of malaria by providing breeding grounds for

mosquitoes in the paddies. Human contact with ducks in the same rice paddies

resulted in 500 million cases of influenza during the same year.(7)

There is little doubt, though, that commercial farming methods, whether of

plants or animals produce harm to the environment. With the heavy use of

agrochemicals, pesticides, artificial fertilizers, hormones, steroids, and

antibiotics common in modern agriculture, a better way of integrating animal

husbandry with agriculture needs to be found. A possible solution might be a

return

to " mixed farming, " described below.

The educated consumer and the enlightened farmer together can bring about a

return of the mixed farm, where cultivation of fruits, vegetables and grains

is combined with the raising of livestock and fowl in a manner that is

efficient, economical and environmentally friendly. For example, chickens

running

free in garden areas eat insect pests, while providing high-quality eggs;

sheep grazing in orchards obviate the need for herbicides; and cows grazing in

woodlands and other marginal areas provide rich, pure milk, making these lands

economically viable for the farmer. It is not animal cultivation that leads

to hunger and famine, but unwise agricultural practices and monopolistic

distribution systems. (8)

The " mixed farm " is also healthier for the soil, which will yield more crops

if managed according to traditional guidelines. Mark Purdey has accurately

pointed out that a crop field on a mixed farm will yield up to five harvests a

year, while a " mono-cropped " one will only yield one or two (9). Which farm

is producing more food for the world's peoples? Purdey well sums up the

ecological horrors of " battery farming " and points to future solutions by

saying:

Our agricultural establishments could do very well to outlaw the

business-besotted farmers running intensive livestock units, battery systems

and

beef-burger bureaucracies; with all their wastages, deplorable cruelty,

anti-ozone

slurry systems; drug/chemical induced immunotoxicity resulting in B.S.E. [see

myth # 13] and salmonella, rain forest eradication, etc. Our future direction

must strike the happy, healthy medium of mixed farms, resurrecting the old

traditional extensive system as a basic framework, then bolstering up

productivity to present day demands by incorporating a more updated application

of

biological science into farming systems. (10)

It does not appear, then, that livestock farming, when properly practiced,

damages the environment. Nor does it appear that world vegetarianism or

exclusively relying on agriculture to supply the world with food are feasible

or

ecologically wise ideas.

Myth #2: Vitamin B12 can be obtained from plant sources.

Of all the myths, this is perhaps the most dangerous. While lacto and

lacto-ovo vegetarians have sources of vitamin B12 in their diets (from dairy

products and eggs), vegans (total vegetarians) do not. Vegans who do not

supplement

their diet with vitamin B12 will eventually get anemia (a fatal condition)

as well as severe nervous and digestive system damage; most, if not all,

vegans have impaired B12 metabolism and every study of vegan groups has

demonstrated low vitamin B12 concentrations in the majority of individuals

(11).

Several studies have been done documenting B12 deficiencies in vegan children,

often with dire consequences (12). Additionally, claims are made in vegan and

vegetarian literature that B12 is present in certain algae, tempeh (a fermented

soy product) and Brewer's yeast. All of them are false as vitamin B12 is only

found in animal foods. Brewer's and nutritional yeasts do not contain B12

naturally; they are always fortified from an outside source.

There is not real B12 in plant sources but B12 analogues--they are similar

to true B12, but not exactly the same and because of this they are not

bioavailable (13). It should be noted here that these B12 analogues can impair

absorption of true vitamin B12 in the body due to competitive absorption,

placing

vegans and vegetarians who consume lots of soy, algae, and yeast at a greater

risk for a deficiency (14).

Some vegetarian authorities claim that B12 is produced by certain fermenting

bacteria in the lower intestines. This may be true, but it is in a form

unusable by the body. B12 requires intrinsic factor from the stomach for proper

absorption in the ileum. Since the bacterial product does not have intrinsic

factor bound to it, it cannot be absorbed (15).

It is true that Hindu vegans living in certain parts of India do not suffer

from vitamin B12 deficiency. This has led some to conclude that plant foods

do provide this vitamin. This conclusion, however, is erroneous as many small

insects, their feces, eggs, larvae and/or residue, are left on the plant

foods these people consume, due to non-use of pesticides and inefficient

cleaning

methods. This is how these people obtain their vitamin B12. This contention

is borne out by the fact that when vegan Indian Hindus later migrated to

England, they came down with megaloblastic anaemia within a few years. In

England, the food supply is cleaner, and insect residues are completely removed

from

plant foods (16).

The only reliable and absorbable sources of vitamin B12 are animal products,

especially organ meats and eggs (17). Though present in lesser amounts than

meat and eggs, dairy products do contain B12. Vegans, therefore, should

consider adding dairy products into their diets. If dairy cannot be tolerated,

eggs, preferably from free-run hens, are a virtual necessity.

That vitamin B12 can only be obtained from animal foods is one of the

strongest arguments against veganism being a " natural " way of human eating.

Today,

vegans can avoid anemia by taking supplemental vitamins or fortified foods.

If those same people had lived just a few decades ago, when these products

were unavailable, they would have died.

Myth #3: Our needs for vitamin D can be met by sunlight.

Though not really a vegetarian myth per se, it is widely believed that one's

vitamin D needs can be met simply by exposing one's skin to the sun's rays

for 15-20 minutes a few times a week. Concerns about vitamin D deficiencies in

vegetarians and vegans always exist as this nutrient, in its full-complex

form, is only found in animal fats (18) which vegans do not consume and more

moderate vegetarians only consume in limited quantities due to their meatless

diets.

It is true that a limited number of plant foods such as alfalfa, sunflower

seeds, and avocado, contain the plant form of vitamin D (ergocalciferol, or

vitamin D2). Although D2 can be used to prevent and treat the vitamin D

deficiency disease, rickets, in humans, it is questionable, though, whether

this

form is as effective as animal-derived vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Some

studies have shown that D2 is not utilized as well as D3 in animals (19) and

clinicians have reported disappointing results using vitamin D2 to treat

vitamin

D-related conditions (20).

Although vitamin D can be created by our bodies by the action of sunlight on

our skin, it is very difficult to obtain an optimal amount of vitamin D by a

brief foray into the sun. There are three ultraviolet bands of radiation

that come from sunlight named A, B, and C. Only the " B " form is capable of

catalyzing the conversion of cholesterol to vitamin D in our bodies (21) and

UV-B

rays are only present at certain times of day, at certain latitudes, and at

certain times of the year (22). Furthermore, depending on one's skin colour,

obtaining 200-400 IUs of vitamin D from the sun can take as long as two full

hours of continual sunning (23). A dark-skinned vegan, therefore, will find it

impossible to obtain optimal vitamin D intake by sunning himself for 20

minutes a few times a week, even if sunning occurs during those limited times

of

the day and year when UV-B rays are available.

The current RDA for vitamin D is 400 IUs, but Dr. Weston Price's seminal

research into healthy native adult people's diets showed that their daily

intake

of vitamin D (from animal foods) was about 10 times that amount, or 4,000

IUs (24). Accordingly, Dr. Price placed a great emphasis on vitamin D in the

diet. Without vitamin D, for example, it is impossible to utilize minerals like

calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium. Recent research has confirmed Dr.

Price's higher recommendations for vitamin D for adults (24).

Since rickets and/or low vitamin D levels has been well-documented in many

vegetarians and vegans (26), since animal fats are either lacking or deficient

in vegetarian diets (as well as those of the general Western public who

routinely try to cut their animal fat intake), since sunlight is only a source

of

vitamin D at certain times and at certain latitudes, and since current

dietary recommendations for vitamin D are too low, this emphasizes the need to

have reliable and abundant sources of this nutrient in our daily diets. Good

sources include cod liver oil, lard from pigs that were exposed to sunlight,

shrimp, wild salmon, sardines, butter, full-fat dairy products, and eggs from

properly fed chickens.

Myth #4: The body's needs for vitamin A can be entirely obtained from plant

foods.

True vitamin A, or retinol and its associated esters, is only found in

animal fats and organs like liver (27). Plants do contain beta-carotene, a

substance that the body can convert into vitamin A if certain conditions are

present

(see below). Beta-carotene, however, is not vitamin A. It is typical for

vegans and vegetarians (as well as most popular nutrition writers) to say that

plant foods like carrots and spinach contain vitamin A and that beta-carotene

is just as good as vitamin A. These things are not true even though

beta-carotene is an important nutritional factor for humans.

The conversion from carotene to vitamin A in the intestines can only take

place in the presence of bile salts. This means that fat must be eaten with the

carotenes to stimulate bile secretion. Additionally, infants and people with

hypothyroidism, gall bladder problems or diabetes (altogether, a significant

portion of the population) either cannot make the conversion, or do so very

poorly. Lastly, the body's conversion from carotene to vitamin A is not very

efficient: it takes roughly 6 units of carotene to make one unit of vitamin

A. What this means is that a sweet potato (containing about 25,000 units of

beta-carotene) will only convert into about 4,000 units of vitamin A (assuming

you ate it with fat, are not diabetic, are not an infant, and do not have a

thyroid or gall bladder problem) [28].

Relying on plant sources for vitamin A, then, is not a very wise idea. This

provides yet another reason to include animal foods and fats in our diets.

Butter and full-fat dairy foods, especially from pastured cows, are good

vitamin A sources, as is cod liver oil. Vitamin A is all-important in our

diets,

for it enables the body to use proteins and minerals, insures proper vision,

enhances the immune system, enables reproduction, and fights infections (29).

As with vitamin D, Dr. Price found that the diets of healthy primitive peoples

supplied substantial amounts of vitamin A, again emphasizing the great need

humans have for this nutrient in maintaining optimal health now and for

future generations.

Myth #5: Meat-eating causes osteoporosis, kidney disease, heart disease, and

cancer.

Oftentimes, vegans and vegetarians will try to scare people into avoiding

animal foods and fats by claiming that vegetarian diets offer protection from

certain chronic diseases like the ones listed above. Such claims, however, are

hard to reconcile with historical and anthropological facts. All of the

diseases mentioned are primarily 20th century occurrences, yet people have been

eating meat and animal fat for many thousands of years. Further, as Dr.

Price's research showed, there were/are several native peoples around the world

(the Innuit, Maasai, Swiss, etc.) whose traditional diets were/are very rich in

animal products, but who nevertheless did/do not suffer from the

above-mentioned maladies (30). Dr. George Mann's independent studies of the

Maasai done

many years after Dr. Price, confirmed the fact that the Maasai, despite being

almost exclusive meat eaters, nevertheless, had little to no incidence of

heart disease, or other chronic ailments (31). This proves that other factors

besides animal foods are at work in causing these diseases.

Several studies have supposedly shown that meat consumption is the cause of

various illnesses, but such studies, honestly evaluated, show no such thing

as the following discussion will show.

Osteoporosis

Dr. Herta Spencer's research on protein intake and bone loss clearly showed

that protein consumption in the form of real meat has no impact on bone

density. Studies that supposedly proved that excessive protein consumption

equalled more bone loss were not done with real meat but with fractionated

protein

powders and isolated amino acids (32). Recent studies have also shown that

increased animal protein intake contributes to stronger bone density in men and

women (33). Some recent studies on vegan and vegetarian diets, however, have

shown them to predispose women to osteoporosis (34).

Kidney Disease

Although protein-restricted diets are helpful for people with kidney

disease, there is no proof that eating meat causes it (35). Vegetarians will

also

typically claim that animal protein causes overly acidic conditions in the

blood, resulting in calcium leaching from the bones and, hence, a greater

tendency to form kidney stones. This opinion is false, however. Theoretically,

the

sulphur and phosphorous in meat can form an acid when placed in water, but

that does not mean that is what happens in the body. Actually, meat contains

complete proteins and vitamin D (if the skin and fat are eaten), both of which

help maintain pH balance in the bloodstream. Furthermore, if one eats a diet

that includes enough magnesium and vitamin B6, and restricts refined sugars,

one has little to fear from kidney stones, whether one eats meat or not (36).

Animal foods like beef, pork, fish, and lamb are good sources of magnesium

and B6 as any food/nutrient table will show.

Heart Disease

The belief that animal protein contributes to heart disease is a popular one

that has no foundation in nutritional science. Outside of questionable

studies, there is little data to support the idea that meat-eating leads to

heart

disease. For example, the French have one of the highest per capita

consumption of meat, yet have low rates of heart disease. In Greece, meat

consumption

is higher than average but rates of heart disease are low there as well.

Finally, in Spain, an increase in meat eating (in conjunction with a reduction

in

sugar and high carbohydrate intake) led to a decrease in heart disease (37).

 

Cancer

The belief that meat, in particular red meat, contributes to cancer is, like

heart disease, a popular idea that is not supported by the facts. Although

it is true that some studies have shown a connection between meat eating and

some types of cancer (38), its important to look at the studies carefully to

determine what kind of meat is being discussed, as well as the preparation

methods used. Since we only have one word for " meat " in English, it is often

difficult to know which " meat " is under discussion in a study unless the

authors

of the study specifically say so.

The study which began the meat=cancer theory was done by Dr. Ernst Wynder in

the 1970s. Wynder claimed that there was a direct, causal connection between

animal fat intake and incidence of colon cancer (39). Actually, his data on

" animal fats " were really on vegetable fats (40). In other words, the

meat=cancer theory is based on a phony study.

If one looks closely at the research, however, one quickly sees that it is

processed meats like cold cuts and sausages that are usually implicated in

cancer causation (41) and not meat per se. Furthermore, cooking methods seem to

play a part in whether or not a meat becomes carcinogenic (42). In other

words, it is the added chemicals to the meat and the chosen cooking method that

are at fault and not the meat itself.

In the end, although sometimes a connection between meat and cancer is

found, the actual mechanism of how it happens has eluded scientists (43). This

means that it is likely that other factors besides meat are playing roles in

some cases of cancer. Remember: studies of meat-eating traditional peoples show

that they have very little incidence of cancer. This demonstrates that other

factors are at work when cancer appears in a modern meat-eating person. It is

not scientifically fair to single out one dietary factor in placing blame,

while ignoring other more likely candidates.

It should be noted here that Seventh Day Adventists are often studied in

population analyses to prove that a vegetarian diet is healthier and is

associated with a lower risk for cancer (but see a later paragraph in this

section).

While it is true that most members of this Christian denomination do not eat

meat, they also do not smoke or drink alcohol, coffee or tea, all of which

are likely factors in promoting cancer (44).

The Mormons are a religious group often overlooked in vegetarian studies.

Although their Church urges moderation, Mormons do not abstain from meat. As

with the Adventists, Mormons also avoid tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine. Despite

being meat eaters, a study of Utah Mormons showed they had a 22% lower rate

for cancer in general and a 34% lower mortality for colon cancer than the US

average (45). A study of Puerto Ricans, who eat large amounts of fatty pork,

nevertheless revealed very low rates of colon and breast cancer (46). Similar

results can be adduced to demonstrate that meat and animal fat consumption

do not correlate with cancer (47). Obviously, other factors are at work.

It is usually claimed that vegetarians have lower cancer rates than

meat-eaters, but a 1994 study of vegetarian California Seventh Day Adventists

showed

that, while they did have lower rates for some cancers (e.g., breast and

lung), they had higher rates for several others (Hodgkin's disease, malignant

melanoma, brain, skin, uterine, prostate, endometrial, cervical and ovarian),

some quite significantly. In that study the authors actually admitted that:

Meat consumption, however, was not associated with a higher [cancer] risk.

And that,

No significant association between breast cancer and a high consumption of

animal fats or animal products in general was noted. (48)

Further, it is usually claimed that a diet rich in plant foods like whole

grains and legumes will reduce one's risks for cancer, but research going back

to the last century demonstrates that carbohydrate-based diets are the prime

dietary instigators of cancer, not diets based on minimally processed animal

foods (49).

The mainstream health and vegetarian media have done such an effective job

of " beef bashing, " that most people think there is nothing healthful about

meat, especially red meat. In reality, however, animal flesh foods like beef

and

lamb are excellent sources of a variety of nutrients as any food/nutrient

table will show. Nutrients like vitamins A, D, several of the B-complex,

essential fatty acids (in small amounts), magnesium, zinc, phosphorous,

potassium,

iron, taurine, and selenium are abundant in beef, lamb, pork, fish and

shellfish, and poultry. Nutritional factors like coenzyme Q10, carnitine, and

alpha-lipoic acid are also present. Some of these nutrients are only found in

animal foods--plants do not supply them.

Myth #6: Saturated fats and dietary cholesterol cause heart disease,

atherosclerosis, and/or cancer, and low-fat, low-cholesterol diets are

healthier for

people.

This, too, is not a specific vegetarian myth. Nevertheless, people are often

urged to take up a vegetarian or vegan diet because it is believed that such

diets offer protection against heart disease and cancer since they are lower

or lacking in animal foods and fats.

Although it is commonly believed that saturated fats and dietary cholesterol

" clog arteries " and cause heart disease, such ideas have been shown to be

false by such scientists as Linus Pauling, Russell Smith, George Mann, John

Yudkin, Abram Hoffer, Mary Enig, Uffe Ravnskov and other prominent researchers

(50). On the contrary, studies have shown that arterial plaque is primarily

composed of unsaturated fats, particularly polyunsaturated ones, and not the

saturated fat of animals, palm or coconut (51).

Trans-fatty acids, as opposed to saturated fats, have been shown by

researchers such as Enig, Mann and Fred Kummerow to be causative factors in

accelerated atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cancer and other ailments

(52).

Trans-fatty acids are found in such modern foods as margarine and vegetable

shortening and foods made with them. Enig and her colleagues have also shown

that excessive omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake from refined vegetable

oils is also a major culprit behind cancer and heart disease, not animal

fats.

A recent study of thousands of Swedish women supported Enig's conclusions

and data, and showed no correlation between saturated fat consumption and

increased risk for breast cancer. However, the study did show, as did Enig's

work,

a strong link between vegetable oil intake and higher breast cancer rates

(53).

The major population studies that supposedly prove the theory that animal

fats and cholesterol cause heart disease actually do not upon closer

inspection. The Framingham Heart Study is often cited as proof that dietary

cholesterol

and saturated fat intake cause heart disease and ill health. Involving about

6,000 people, the study compared two groups over several years at five-year

intervals. One group consumed little cholesterol and saturated fat, while the

other consumed high amounts. Surprisingly, Dr William Castelli, the study's

director, said:

In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol

one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person's serum cholesterol

.... we found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most

saturated fat, [and] ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most

physically active. (54)

The Framingham data did show that subjects who had higher cholesterol levels

and weighed more ran a slightly higher chance for coronary heart disease.

But weight gain and serum cholesterol levels had an inverse correlation with

dietary fat and cholesterol intake. In other words, there was no correlation at

all (55).

In a similar vein, the US Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial, sponsored

by the National Heart and Lung Institute, compared mortality rates and

eating habits of 12,000+ men. Those who ate less saturated fat and cholesterol

showed a slightly reduced rate of heart disease, but had an overall mortality

rate much higher than the other men in the study (56).

Low-fat/cholesterol diets, therefore, are not healthier for people. Studies

have shown repeatedly that such diets are associated with depression, cancer,

psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide (57). Women with lower

serum cholesterol live shorter lives than women with higher levels (58).

Similar things have been found in men (59).

Children on low-fat and/or vegan diets can suffer from growth problems,

failure to thrive, and learning disabilities (60). Despite this, sources from

Dr

Benjamin Spock to the American Heart Association recommend low-fat diets for

children! One can only lament the fate of those unfortunate youngsters who

will be raised by unknowing parents taken in by such genocidal misinformation.

There are many health benefits to saturated fats, depending on the fat in

question. Coconut oil, for example, is rich in lauric acid, a potent antifungal

and antimicrobial substance. Coconut also contains appreciable amounts of

caprylic acid, also an effective antifungal (61). Butter from free-range cows

is rich in trace minerals, especially selenium, as well as all of the

fat-soluble vitamins and beneficial fatty acids that protect against cancer and

fungal infections (62).

In fact, the body needs saturated fats in order to properly utilize

essential fatty acids (63). Saturated fats also lower the blood levels of the

artery-damaging lipoprotein (a) (64); are needed for proper calcium utilization

in

the bones (65); stimulate the immune system (66); are the preferred food for

the heart and other vital organs (67); and, along with cholesterol, add

structural stability to the cell and intestinal wall (68). They are excellent

for

cooking, as they are chemically stable and do not break down under heat,

unlike polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Omitting them from one's diet, then, is

ill-advised.

With respect to atherosclerosis, it is always claimed that vegetarians have

much lower rates of this condition than meat eaters. The International

Atherosclerosis Project of 1968, however, which examined over 20,000 corpses

from

several countries, concluded that vegetarians had just as much atherosclerosis

as meat eaters (69). Other population studies have revealed similar data.

(70) This is because atherosclerosis is largely unrelated to diet; it is a

consequence of aging. There are things which can accelerate the atherosclerotic

process such as excessive free radical damage to the arteries from antioxidant

depletion (caused by such things as smoking, poor diet, excess

polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet, various nutritional deficiencies,

drugs, etc),

but this is to be distinguished from the fatty-streaking and hardening of

arteries that occurs in all peoples over time.

It also does not appear that vegetarian diets protect against heart disease.

A study on vegans in 1970 showed that female vegans had higher rates of

death from heart disease than non-vegan females (71). A recent study showed

that

Indians, despite being vegetarians, have very high rates of coronary artery

disease (72). High-carbohydrate/low-fat diets (which is what vegetarian diets

are) can also place one at a greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and

cancer due to their hyperinsulemic effects on the body (73). Recent studies

have also shown that vegetarians have higher homocysteine levels in their blood

(74). Homocysteine is a known cause of heart disease. Lastly,

low-fat/cholesterol diets, generally favoured to either prevent or treat heart

disease, do

neither and may actually increase certain risk factors for this condition

(75).

Studies which conclude that vegetarians are at a lower risk for heart

disease are typically based on the phoney markers of lower saturated fat

intake,

lower serum cholesterol levels and HDL/LDL ratios. Since vegetarians tend to

eat less saturated fat and usually have lower serum cholesterol levels, it is

concluded that they are at less risk for heart disease. Once one realizes that

these measurements are not accurate predictors of proneness to heart

disease, however, the supposed protection of vegetarianism melts away (76).

It should always be remembered that a number of things factor into a person

getting heart disease or cancer. Instead of focusing on the phony issues of

saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, and meat-eating, people should pay more

attention to other more likely factors.

These would be trans-fatty acids, excessive polyunsaturated fat intake,

excessive sugar intake, excessive carbohydrate intake, smoking, certain vitamin

and mineral deficiencies, and obesity. These things were all conspicuously

absent in the healthy traditional peoples that Dr. Price studied.

Myth #7: Vegetarians live longer and have more energy and endurance than

meat-eaters.

A vegetarian guidebook published in Great Britain made the following claim:

 

You and your children don't need to eat meat to stay healthy. In fact,

vegetarians claim they are among the healthiest people around, and they can

expect

to live nine years longer than meat eaters (this is often because heart and

circulatory diseases are rarer). These days almost half the population in

Britain is trying to avoid meat, according to a survey by the Food Research

Association in January 1990. (77)

In commenting on this claim of extended lifespan, author Craig Fitzroy

astutely points out that:

The ' nine-year advantage ' is an oft-repeated but invariably unsourced

piece of anecdotal evidence for vegetarianism. But anyone who believes that by

snubbing mum's Sunday roast they will be adding a decade to their years on the

planet is almost certainly indulging in a bit of wishful thinking. (78)

And that is what most of the claims for increased longevity in vegetarians

are: anecdotal. There is no proof that a healthy vegetarian diet when compared

to a healthy omnivorous diet will result in a longer life. Additionally,

people who choose a vegetarian lifestyle typically also choose not to smoke, to

exercise, in short, to live a healthier lifestyle. These things also factor

into one's longevity.

In the scientific literature, there are surprisingly few studies done on

vegetarian longevity. Russell Smith, PhD, in his massive review study on heart

disease, showed that as animal product consumption increased among some study

groups, death rates actually decreased! (79) Such results were not obtained

among vegetarian subjects. For example, in a study published by Burr and

Sweetnam in 1982, analysis of mortality data revealed that, although

vegetarians

had a slightly (.11%) lower rate of heart disease than non-vegetarians, the

all-cause death rate was much higher for vegetarians (80).

Despite claims that studies have shown that meat consumption increased the

risk for heart disease and shortened lives, the authors of those studies

actually found the opposite. For example, in a 1984 analysis of a 1978 study of

vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists, HA Kahn concluded,

Although our results add some substantial facts to the diet-disease

question, we recognize how remote they are from establishing, for example, that

men

who frequently eat meat or women who rarely eat salad are thereby shortening

their lives. (81)

A similar conclusion was reached by D.A. Snowden (82). Despite these

startling admissions, the studies nevertheless concluded the exact opposite and

urged people to reduce animal foods from their diets.

Further, both of these studies threw out certain dietary data that clearly

showed no connection between eggs, cheese, whole milk, and fat attached to

meat (all high fat and cholesterol foods) and heart disease. Dr. Smith

commented,

In effect the Kahn [and Snowden] study is yet another example of negative

results which are massaged and misinterpreted to support the politically

correct assertions that vegetarians live longer lives. (83)

It is usually claimed that meat-eating peoples have a short life span, but

the Aborigines of Australia, who traditionally eat a diet rich in animal

products, are known for their longevity (at least before colonization by

Europeans). Within Aboriginal society, there is a special caste of the elderly

(84).

Obviously, if no old people existed, no such group would have existed. In his

book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Dr. Price has numerous photographs

of elderly native peoples from around the world. Explorers such as Vilhjalmur

Stefansson reported great longevity among the Innuit (again, before

colonization). [85]

Similarly, the Russians of the Caucasus mountains live to great ages on a

diet of fatty pork and whole raw milk products. The Hunzas, also known for

their robust health and longevity, eat substantial portions of goat's milk

which

has a higher saturated fat content than cow's milk (86). In contrast, the

largely vegetarian Hindus of southern India have the shortest life-spans in the

world, partly because of a lack of food, but also because of a distinct lack

of animal protein in their diets (87). H. Leon Abrams' comments are

instructive here:

Vegetarians often maintain that a diet of meat and animal fat leads to a

pre-mature death. Anthropological data from primitive societies do not support

such contentions. (88)

With regards to endurance and energy levels, Dr Price traveled around the

world in the 1920s and 1930s, investigating native diets. Without exception, he

found a strong correlation between diets rich in animal fats, robust health

and athletic ability. Special foods for Swiss athletes, for example, included

bowls of fresh, raw cream. In Africa, Dr Price discovered that groups whose

diets were rich in fatty meats and fish, and organ meats like liver,

consistently carried off the prizes in athletic contests, and that meat-eating

tribes

always dominated tribes whose diets were largely vegetarian. (89)

It is popular in sports nutrition to recommend " carb loading " for athletes

to increase their endurance levels. But recent studies done in New York and

South Africa show that the opposite is true: athletes who " carb loaded " had

significantly less endurance than those who " fat loaded " before athletic events

(90).

Myth #8: The " cave man " diet was low-fat and/or vegetarian. Humans evolved

as vegetarians.

Our Paleolithic ancestors were hunter-gatherers, and three schools of

thought have developed as to what their diet was like. One group argues for a

high-fat and animal-based diet supplemented with seasonal fruits, berries,

nuts,

root vegetables and wild grasses. The second argues that primitive peoples

consumed assorted lean meats and large amounts of plant foods. The third argues

that our human ancestors evolved as vegetarians.

The " lean " Paleolithic diet approach has been argued for quite voraciously

by Dr.'s Loren Cordain and Boyd Eaton in a number of popular and professional

publications (91). Cordain and Eaton are believers in the Lipid Hypothesis of

heart disease--the belief (debunked in myth number six, above) that

saturated fat and dietary cholesterol contribute to heart disease. Because of

this,

and the fact that Paleolithic peoples or their modern equivalents did/do not

suffer from heart disease, Cordain and Eaton espouse the theory that

Paleolithic peoples consumed most of their fat calories from monounsaturated

and

polyunsaturated sources and not saturated fats. Believing that saturated fats

are

dangerous to our arteries, Cordain and Eaton stay in step with current

establishment nutritional thought and encourage modern peoples to eat a diet

like

our ancestors. This diet, they believe, was rich in lean meats and a variety

of vegetables, but was low in saturated fat. The evidence they produce to

support this theory is, however, very selective and misleading. (92) Saturated

fats do not cause heart disease as was shown above, and our Paleolithic

ancestors ate quite a bit of saturated fat from a variety of plant and animal

sources.

From authoritative sources, we learn that prehistoric humans of the North

American continent ate such animals as mammoth, camel, sloth, bison, mountain

sheep, pronghorn antelope, beaver, elk, mule deer, and llama (93). " Mammoth,

sloth, mountain sheep, bison, and beaver are fatty animals in the modern sense

in that they have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, as do the many species

of bear and wild pig whose remains have been found at Paleolithic sites

throughout the world. " (94) Analysis of many types of fat in game animals like

antelope, bison, caribou, dog, elk, moose, seal, and mountain sheep shows that

they are rich in saturates and monounsaturates, but relatively low in

polyunstaurates. (95)

Further, while buffalo and game animals may have lean, non-marbled muscle

meats, it is a mistake to assume that only these parts were eaten by

hunter-gatherer groups like the Native Americans who often hunted animals

selectively

for their fat and fatty organs as the following section will show.

Anthropologists/explorers such as Vilhjalmur Stefansson reported that the

Innuit and North American Indian tribes would worry when their catches of

caribou were too lean: they knew sickness would follow if they did not consume

enough fat (96). In other words, these primitive peoples did not like having to

eat lean meat.

Northern Canadian Indians would also deliberately hunt older male caribou

and elk, for these animals carried a 50-pound slab of back fat on them which

the Indians would eat with relish. This " back fat " is highly saturated. Native

Americans would also refrain from hunting bison in the springtime (when the

animals' fat stores were low, due to scarce food supply during the winter),

preferring to hunt, kill and consume them in the fall when they were fattened

up (97).

Explorer Samuel Hearne, writing in 1768, described how the Native American

tribes he came in contact with would selectively hunt caribou just for the

fatty parts:

On the twenty-second of July, we met several strangers, whom we joined in

pursuit of the caribou, which were at this time so plentiful that we got

everyday a sufficient number for our support, and indeed too frequently killed

several merely for the tongues, marrow, and fat. (98)

While Cordain and Eaton are certainly correct in saying that our ancestors

ate meat, their contentions about fat intake, as well as the type of fat

consumed, are simply incorrect.

While various vegetarian and vegan authorities like to think that we evolved

as a species on a vegan or vegetarian diet, there exists little from the

realm of nutritional anthropology to support these ideas.

To begin with, in his journeys, Dr Price never once found a totally

vegetarian culture. It should be remembered that Dr. Price visited and

investigated

several population groups who were, for all intents and purposes, the 20th

century equivalents of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Dr. Price was on the

lookout for a vegetarian culture, but he came up empty. Price stated:

As yet I have not found a single group of primitive racial stock which was

building and maintaining excellent bodies by living entirely on plant foods.

(99)

Anthropological data support this: throughout the globe, all societies show

a preference for animal foods and fats and our ancestors only turned to large

scale farming when they had to due to increased population pressures (100).

Abrams and other authorities have shown that prehistoric man's quest for more

animal foods was what spurred his expansion over the Earth, and that he

apparently hunted certain species to extinction. (101)

Price also found that those peoples who, out of necessity, consumed more

grains and legumes, had higher rates of dental decay than those who consumed

more animal products. In his papers on vegetarianism, Abrams presents

archaeological evidence that supports this finding: skulls of ancient peoples

who were

largely vegetarian have teeth containing caries and abscesses and show

evidence of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases (102). The appearance of

farming and the increased dependence on plant foods for our subsistence was

clearly harmful to our health.

Finally, it is simply not possible for our prehistoric ancestors to have

been vegetarian because they would not have been able to get enough calories or

nutrients to survive on the plant foods that were available. The reason for

this is that humans did not know how to cook or control fire at that time and

the great majority of plant foods, especially grains and legumes, must be

cooked in order to render them edible to humans (103). Most people do not know

that many of the plant foods we consume today are poisonous in their raw

states (104).

Based on all of this evidence, it is certain that the diets of our

ancestors, the progenitors of humanity, ate a very non-vegetarian diet that was

rich

in saturated fatty acids.

Myth #9: Meat and saturated fat consumption have increased in the 20th

century, with a corresponding increase in heart disease and cancer.

Statistics do not bear out such fancies. Butter consumption has plummeted

from 18 lb (8.165 kg) per person a year in 1900, to less than 5 lb (2.27 kg)

per person a year today (105). Additionally, Westerners, urged on by government

health agencies, have reduced their intake of eggs, cream, lard, and pork.

Chicken consumption has risen in the past few decades, but chicken is lower in

saturated fat than either beef or pork.

Furthermore, a survey of cookbooks published in America in the last century

shows that people of earlier times ate plenty of animal foods and saturated

fats. For example, in the Baptist Ladies Cook Book (Monmouth, Illinois, 1895),

virtually every recipe calls for butter, cream or lard. Recipes for creamed

vegetables are numerous as well. A scan of the Searchlight Recipe Book

(Capper Publications, 1931) also has similar recipes: creamed liver, creamed

cucumbers, hearts braised in buttermilk, etc. British Jews, as shown by the

Jewish

Housewives Cookbook (London, 1846), also had diets rich in cream, butter,

eggs, and lamb and beef tallows. One recipe for German waffles, for example,

calls for a dozen egg yolks and an entire pound of butter. A recipe for Oyster

Pie from the Baptist cookbook calls for a quart of cream and a dozen eggs, and

so forth and so on.

It does not appear, then, that people ate leaner diets in the last century.

It is true that beef consumption has risen in the last few decades, but what

has also risen precipitously, however, is consumption of margarine and other

food products containing trans-fatty acids (106), lifeless, packaged " foods " ,

processed vegetable oils (107), carbohydrates (108) and refined sugar (109).

Since one does not see chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease in

beef-eating native peoples like the Maasai and Samburu, it is not possible for

beef to be the culprit behind these modern epidemics. This, of course, points

the finger squarely at the other dietary factors as the most likely causes.

Myth #10: Soy products are adequate substitutes for meat and dairy products.

It is typical for vegans and vegetarians in the Western world to rely on

various soy products for their protein needs. There is little doubt that the

billion-dollar soy industry has profited immensely from the anti-cholesterol,

anti-meat gospel of current nutritional thought. Whereas, not so long ago, soy

was an Asian food primarily used as a condiment, now a variety of processed

soy products proliferate in the North American market. While the traditionally

fermented soy foods of miso, tamari, tempeh and natto are definitely

healthful in measured amounts, the hyper-processed soy " foods " that most

vegetarians

consume are not.

Non-fermented soybeans and foods made with them are high in phytic acid

(110), an anti-nutrient that binds to minerals in the digestive tract and

carries

them out of the body. Vegetarians are known for their tendencies to mineral

deficiencies, especially of zinc (111) and it is the high phytate content of

grain and legume based diets that is to blame (112). Though several

traditional food preparation techniques such as soaking, sprouting, and

fermenting can

significantly reduce the phytate content of grains and legumes (113), such

methods are not commonly known about or used by modern peoples, including

vegetarians. This places them (and others who eat a diet rich in whole grains)

at

a greater risk for mineral deficiencies.

Processed soy foods are also rich in trypsin inhibitors, which hinder

protein digestion. Textured vegetable protein (TVP), soy " milk " and soy protein

powders, popular vegetarian meat and milk substitutes, are entirely fragmented

foods made by treating soybeans with high heat and various alkaline washes to

extract the beans' fat content or to neutralize their potent enzyme

inhibitors (110). These practices completely denature the beans' protein

content,

rendering it very hard to digest. MSG, a neurotoxin, is routinely added to TVP

to

make it taste like the various foods it imitates (114).

On a purely nutritional level, soybeans, like all legumes, are deficient in

cysteine and methionine, vital sulphur-containing amino acids, as well as

tryptophan, another essential amino acid. Furthermore, soybeans contain no

vitamins A or D, required by the body to assimilate and utilize the beans'

proteins (115). It is probably for this reason that Asian cultures that do

consume

soybeans usually combine them with fish or fish broths (abundant in

fat-soluble vitamins) or other fatty foods.

Parents who feed their children soy-based formula should be aware of its

extremely high phytoestrogen content. Some scientists have estimated a child

being fed soy formula is ingesting the hormonal equivalent of five birth

control

pills a day (116). Such a high intake could have disastrous results. Soy

formula also contains no cholesterol, vital for brain and nervous system

development.

Though research is still ongoing, some recent studies have indicated that

soy's phytoestrogens could be causative factors in some forms of breast cancer

(117), penile birth defects (118), and infantile leukemia (119). Regardless,

soy's phytoestrogens, or isoflavones, have been definitely shown to depress

thyroid function (120) and to cause infertility in every animal species

studied so far (121). Clearly, modern soy products and isolated isoflavone

supplements are not healthy foods for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone else, yet

these

are the very ones that are most consumed.

Myth #11: The human body is not designed for meat consumption.

Some vegetarian groups claim that since humans possess grinding teeth like

herbivorous animals and longer intestines than carnivorous animals, this

proves the human body is better suited for vegetarianism (122). This argument

fails to note several human physiological features which clearly indicate a

design for animal product consumption.

First and foremost is our stomach's production of hydrochloric acid,

something not found in herbivores. HCL activates protein-splitting enzymes.

Further,

the human pancreas manufactures a full range of digestive enzymes to handle

a wide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable. Further, Dr. Walter

Voegtlin's in-depth comparison of the human digestive system with that of the

dog,

a carnivore, and a sheep, a herbivore, clearly shows that we are closer in

anatomy to the carnivorous dog than the herbivorous sheep. (123)

While humans may have longer intestines than animal carnivores, they are not

as long as herbivores; nor do we possess multiple stomachs like many

herbivores, nor do we chew cud. Our physiology definitely indicates a mixed

feeder,

or an omnivore, much the same as our relatives, the mountain gorilla and

chimpanzee who all have been observed eating small animals and, in some cases,

other primates (124).

Myth #12: Eating animal flesh causes violent, aggressive behavior in humans.

Some authorities on vegetarian diet, such as Dr Ralph Ballantine (125),

claim that the fear and terror (if any, see myth #15) an animal experiences at

death is somehow " transferred " into its flesh and organs and " becomes " a part

of the person who eats it.

In addition to the fact that no scientific studies exist to support such a

theory, these thinkers would do well to remember the fact that a tendency to

irrational anger is a symptom of low vitamin B12 levels which, as we have

seen, are common in vegans and vegetarians. Furthermore, in his travels, Dr

Price

always noted the extreme happiness and ingratiating natures of the peoples

he encountered, all of whom were meat-eaters.

Myth #13: Animal products contain numerous, harmful toxins.

A recent vegetarian newsletter claimed the following:

Most people don't realize that meat products are loaded with poisons and

toxins! Meat, fish and eggs all decompose and putrefy extremely rapidly. As

soon

as an animal is killed, self-destruct enzymes are released, causing the

formation of denatured substances called ptyloamines, which cause cancer. (126)

This article then went on to mention " mad cow disease " (BSE), parasites,

salmonella, hormones, nitrates and pesticides as toxins in animal products.

If meat, fish and eggs do indeed generate cancerous " ptyloamines, " it is

very strange that people have not been dying in droves from cancer for the past

million years. Such sensationalistic and nonsensical claims cannot be

supported by historical facts.

Hormones, nitrates and pesticides are present in commercially raised animal

products (as well as commercially raised fruits, grains and vegetables) and

are definitely things to be concerned about. However, one can avoid these

chemicals by taking care to consume range-fed, organic meats, eggs and dairy

products which do not contain harmful, man-made toxins.

Parasites are easily avoided by taking normal precautions in food

preparations. Pickling or fermenting meats, as is custom in traditional

societies,

always protects against parasites. In his travels, Dr Price always found

healthy,

disease-free and parasite-free peoples eating raw meat and dairy products as

part of their diets.

Similarly, Dr Francis Pottenger, in his experiments with cats, demonstrated

that the healthiest, happiest cats were the ones on the all-raw-food diet.

The cats eating cooked meats and pasteurized milk sickened and died and had

numerous parasites (127). Salmonella can be transmitted by plant products as

well as animal.

It is often claimed by vegetarians that meat is harmful to our bodies

because ammonia is released from the breakdown of its proteins. Although it is

true

that ammonia production does result from meat digestion, our bodies quickly

convert this substance into harmless urea. The alleged toxicity of meat is

greatly exaggerated by vegetarians.

" Mad Cow Disease, " or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is most likely

not caused by cows eating animal parts with their food, a feeding practice

that has been done for over 100 years. British organic farmer Mark Purdey has

argued convincingly that cows that get Mad Cow Disease are the very ones that

have had a particular organophosphate insecticide applied to their backs or

have grazed on soils that lack magnesium but contain high levels of aluminum

(128). Small outbreaks of " mad cow disease " have also occurred among people

who reside near cement and chemical factories and in certain areas with

volcanic soils (129).

Purdey theorizes that the organophosphate pesticides got into the cows' fat

through a spraying program, and then were ingested by the cows again with the

animal part feeding. Seen this way, it is the insecticides, via the parts

feeding (and not the parts themselves or their associated " prions " ), that has

caused this outbreak. As noted before, cows have been eating ground up animal

parts in their feeds for over 100 years. It was never a problem before the

introduction of these particular insecticides.

Recently, Purdey has gained support from Dr. Donald Brown, a British

biochemist who has also argued for a non-infectious cause of BSE. Brown

attributes

BSE to environmental toxins, specifically manganese overload (130).

Myth #14: Eating meat or animal products is less " spiritual " than eating

only plant foods.

It is often claimed that those who eat meat or animal products are somehow

less " spiritually evolved " than those who do not. Though this is not a

nutritional or academic issue, those who do include animal products in their

diet

are often made to feel inferior in some way. This issue, therefore, is worth

addressing.

Several world religions place no restrictions on animal consumption; and nor

did their founders. The Jews eat lamb at their most holy festival, the

Passover. Muslims also celebrate Ramadan with lamb before entering into their

fast. Jesus Christ, like other Jews, partook of meat at the Last Supper

(according to the canonical Gospels). It is true that some forms of Buddhism do

place

strictures on meat consumption, but dairy products are always allowed.

Similar tenets are found in Hinduism. As part of the Samhain celebration,

Celtic

pagans would slaughter the weaker animals of the herds and cure their meat for

the oncoming winter. It is not true, therefore, that eating animal foods is

always connected with " spiritual inferiority " .

Nevertheless, it is often claimed that, since eating meat involves the

taking of a life, it is somehow tantamount to murder. Leaving aside the

religious

philosophies that often permeate this issue, what appears to be at hand is a

misunderstanding of the life force and how it works. Modern peoples

(vegetarian and non-vegetarian) have lost touch with what it takes to survive

in our

world--something native peoples never lose sight of. We do not necessarily

hunt or clean our meats: we purchase steaks and chops at the supermarket. We do

not necessarily toil in rice paddies: we buy bags of brown rice; and so

forth, and so on.

When Native Americans killed a game animal for food, they would routinely

offer a prayer of thanks to the animal's spirit for giving its life so that

they could live. In our world, life feeds off life. Destruction is always

balanced with generation. This is a good thing: unchecked, the life force

becomes

cancerous. If animal food consumption is viewed in this manner, it is hardly

murder, but sacrifice. Modern peoples would do well to remember this.

Myth #15: Eating animal foods is inhumane.

Without question, some commercially raised livestock live in deplorable

conditions where sickness and suffering are common. In countries like Korea,

food

animals such as dogs are sometimes killed in horrific ways, e.g., beaten to

death with a club. Our recommendations for animal foods consumption most

definitely do not endorse such practices.

As noted in our discussion of myth #1, commercial farming of livestock

results in an unhealthy food product, whether that product be meat, milk,

butter,

cream or eggs. Our ancestors did not consume such substandard foodstuffs, and

neither should we.

It is possible to raise animals humanely. This is why organic, preferably

Biodynamic, farming is to be encouraged: it is cleaner and more efficient, and

produces healthier animals and foodstuffs from those animals. Each person

should make every effort, then, to purchase organically raised livestock (and

plant foods). Not only does this better support our bodies, as organic foods

are more nutrient-dense (131) and are free from hormone and pesticide residues,

but this also supports smaller farms and is therefore better for the economy

(132).

Nevertheless, many people have philosophical problems with eating animal

flesh, and these sentiments must be respected. Dairy products and eggs, though,

are not the result of an animal's death and are fine alternatives for these

people.

It should also not be forgotten that agriculture, which involves both the

clearance of land to plant crops and the protection and maintenance of those

crops, results in many animal deaths (133). The belief, therefore, that

" becoming vegetarians " will somehow spare animals from dying is one with no

foundation in fact.

The Value of Vegetarianism

As a cleansing diet, vegetarianism is sometimes a good choice. Several

health conditions (e.g., gout) can often be ameliorated by a temporary

reduction

in animal products with an increase of plant foods. But such measures must not

be continuous throughout life: there are vital nutrients found only in

animal foods that we must ingest for optimal health. Furthermore, there is no

one

diet that will work for every person. Some vegetarians and vegans, in their

zeal to get converts, are blind to this biochemical fact.

" Biochemical individuality " is a subject worth clarifying. Coined by

nutritional biochemist Roger Williams, PhD, the term refers to the fact that

different people require different nutrients based on their unique genetic

make-up.

Ethnic and racial background figure in this concept as well. A diet that

works for one may not work as well for someone else. As a practitioner, I've

seen

several clients following a vegetarian diet with severe health problems:

obesity, candidiasis, hypothyroidism, cancer, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome,

anemia and chronic fatigue. Because of the widespread rhetoric that a

vegetarian

diet is " always healthier " than a diet that includes meat or animal products,

these people saw no reason to change their diet, even though that was the

cause of their problems. What these people actually needed for optimal health

was more animal foods and fats and fewer carbohydrates.

Further, due to peculiarities in genetics and individual biochemistry, some

people simply cannot do a vegetarian diet because of such things as lectin

intolerance and desaturating enzyme deficiencies. Lectins present in legumes, a

prominent feature of vegetarian diets, are not tolerated by many people.

Others have grain sensitivities, especially to gluten, or to grain proteins in

general. Again, since grains are a major feature of vegetarian diets, such

people cannot thrive on them. (134)

Desaturase enzyme deficiencies are usually present in those people of

Innuit, Scandinavian, Northern European, and sea coast ancestry. They lack the

ability to convert alpha-linolenic acid into EPA and DHA, two omega-3 fatty

acids

intimately involved in the function of the immune and nervous systems. The

reason for this is because these people's ancestors got an abundance of EPA

and DHA from the large amounts of cold-water fish they ate. Over time, because

of non-use, they lost the ability to manufacture the necessary enzymes to

create EPA and DHA in their bodies. For these people, vegetarianism is simply

not possible. They MUST get their EPA and DHA from food and EPA is only found

in animal foods. DHA is present in some algae, but the amounts are much lower

than in fish oils. (135)

It is also apparent that vegan diets are not suitable for all people due to

inadequate cholesterol production in the liver and cholesterol is only found

in animal foods. It is often said that the body makes enough cholesterol to

get by and that there is no reason to consume foods that contain it (animal

foods). Recent research, however, has shown otherwise. Singer's work at the

University of California, Berkeley, has shown that the cholesterol in eggs

improves memory in older people (136). In other words, these elderly people's

own

cholesterol was insufficient to improve their memory, but added dietary

cholesterol from eggs was.

Though it appears that some people do well on little or no meat and remain

healthy as lacto-vegetarians or lacto-ovo-vegetarians, the reason for this is

because these diets are healthier for those people, not because they're

healthier in general. However, a total absence of animal products, whether

meat,

fish, insects, eggs, butter or dairy, is to be avoided. Though it may take

years, problems will eventually ensue under such dietary regimes and they will

certainly show in future generations. Dr. Price's seminal research

unequivocally demonstrated this. The reason for this is simple evolution:

humanity

evolved eating animal foods and fats as part of its diet, and our bodies are

suited and accustomed to them. One cannot change evolution in a few years.

Dr. Abrams said it well when he wrote:

Humans have always been meat-eaters. The fact that no human society is

entirely vegetarian, and those that are almost entirely vegetarian suffer from

debilitated conditions of health, seems unequivocally to prove that a plant

diet

must be supplemented with at least a minimum amount of animal protein to

sustain health. Humans are meat-eaters and always have been. Humans are also

vegetable eaters and always have been, but plant foods must be supplemented by

an ample amount of animal protein to maintain optimal health.(137)

Author's Notes:

The author would like to thank Sally Fallon, MA; Lee Clifford, MS, CCN; and

Dr. H. Leon Abrams, Jr., for their gracious assistance in preparing and

reviewing this paper.

This paper was not sponsored or paid for by the meat or dairy industries.

About the Author:

The late Stephen Byrnes was a nutritionist and naturopath. Visit his website

at _www.PowerHealth.net_ (http://www.powerhealth.net/) to read more of his

articles.

Recommended Further Reading:

_The Weston A. Price Foundation_ (http://www.westonaprice.org/)

_Why I am Not a Vegetarian_

(http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.760/healthissue_detail.asp)

_Beyond Vegetarianism_ (http://www.beyondveg.com/)

_The Cholesterol Myths_ (http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm)

_The Paleolithic Diet Page_ (http://www.panix.com/~paleodiet/)

_The Great Fallacies of Vegetarianism_

(http://www.vanguardonline.f9.co.uk/00509.htm)

_National Animal Interest Alliance_ (http://www.naiaonline.org/)

_Animal Rights.net_ (http://www.animalrights.net/)

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Prescription: A Program of Diet & Exercise and a Design for Living, (Harper &

Row

Publishing; CA), 1986.

92. S Fallon and M Enig. _Guts and Grease: The Diet of Native Americans_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/native_americans.html) . Wise

Traditions, 2001, Spring, 40-47.

93. DJ Stanford and JA Day, eds. Ice Age Hunters of the Rockies. (University

Press of Colorado; CO.), 1992.

94. S Fallon and MG Enig. _Caveman Cuisine_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/caveman_cuisine.html) . Jnl of

PPNF, 21:2:1-4.

95. USDA data, prepared by JL Wehrauch with technical assistance from J

Borton and T Sampagna, presented as a reference table in S Fallon and M Enig,

Guts and Grease: The Diet of Native Americans, op. cit.

96. V Stefansson. The Fat of the Land (MacMillan Company; NY), 1956. 93. (a)

Ibid. (b) S Fallon and M Enig. _The Cave Man Diet_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/caveman_cuisine.html) . Jnl of

PPNF, 1997, Summer.

97. S Hearne. _The Journals of Samuel Hearne_

(http://web.idirect.com/~hland/sh/title.html) , 1768.

98. WA Price. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 279.

99. (a) HL Abrams. The Preference for Animal Protein and Fat: A

Cross-Cultural Survey. Food and Evolution: Toward a Theory of Human Food

Habits. M Harris

and EB Ross, eds. (Temple University Press; PA), 1987, 207-223; (b) HL

Abrams. The relevance of paleolithic diet in determining contemporary

nutritional

needs. J Appl Nutr, 1979, 31:1,2:43-59; © MN Cohen. The Food Crisis in

History. (Yale University Press; CT.), 1977.

100. (a) Ibid. (b) J Bronowski. The Ascent of Man. (Little, Brown; MA.),

1972; © PS Martin. Pleistocene Overkill. Natural History, 1967, 76:32-8.

101. (a) HL Abrams. The Relevance of Paleolithic Diet in Determining

Contemporary Nutritional Needs. J Appl Nutr, 31:1-2 (1979), 43-59; (b) Susan

Allport. The Primal Feast. (Harmony Books; NY), 2000; © _Human Skeletons in

Human

Society in Prehistoric Italy_ (http://www.arch.soton.ac.uk/Research/Italy/) .

University of Southampton, Dept. of Archaeology. Accessed on January 7,

2002.

102. HL Abrams. Fire and cooking as a major influence on human cultural

advancement: An anthropological/botanical nutritional perspective. J Appl Nutr,

1986, 38:1,2:24-31.

103. WA House and RM Welch. Effects of Natural Antinutrients on the

Nutritive Value of Cereal Grains, Potato Tubers, and Legume Seeds. Crops as

Sources

of Nutrients for Humans. (American Society of Agronomy; WI.), 1984.

104. S Rizek and others. Fat in Today's Food Supply. J Amer Oil Chem Soc,

1974, 51:244.

105. MG Enig. Trans Fatty Acids in the Food Supply: A Comprehensive Report

Covering 60 Years of Research, 2nd edition. (Enig Associates; MD.), 1995.

106. Rizek and others, op cit. 107. CW Enns and others. Trends in Food and

Nutrient Intakes by Adults: NFCS 1977-78, CSFII 1989-91, and CFSII 1994-95.

Fam Econom Nutr Rev, 1997, 10:4:2-15.

108. (a) J Beasley and J Swift. The Kellogg Report. (Institute of Health

policy and Practice; NY), 1989, 144-5;(b) J Yudkin and others. Ann Nutr Metab,

1986, 30:4:261-6.

109. (a) E.H. Tiney. Proximate composition and mineral and phytate contents

of legumes grown in Sudan. J Food Comp Analy, 1989, 2:67-78; (b) R Anderson

and W Wolf. Compositional changes in trypsin inhibitors, phytic acid,

saponins, and isoflavones related to soybean processing. J Nutr, 1995,

518S-588S.

110. (a) A Bedarova and others. [Comparison of nutrient intake and

corresponding biochemical parameters in adolescent vegetarians and

non-vegetarians].

Cas Lek Cesk, 2000, Jul 139:396-400; (b) JN Freeland-Graves and others. Zinc

status in vegetarians. J Am Diet Assoc 1980 Dec 77:655-6; © AL Rauma and

others. Antioxidant status in vegetarians versus omnivores. Nutrition 2000 Feb

16:111-9; (d) E Ginter and others. [Nutritional status in adults on an

alternative or traditional diet]. Cas Lek Cesk, 2001, Mar 140:142-6; (e) R

Simoncic

and others. Influence of vegetarian and mixed nutrition on selected

haematological and biochemical parameters in children. Nahrung 1997 Oct

41:311-4; (f)

MR Lowik and others. Long-term effects of a vegetarian diet on the

nutritional status of elderly people (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). J

Am Coll

Nutr 1990 Dec 9:600-9; (g) RD Bhattacharya and others. Copper and zinc level

in biological samples from healthy subjects of vegetarian food habit in

reference to community environment. Chronobiologia, 1985, Apr-Jun;

12(2):145-153;

(h) JR Hunt and others. Zinc absorption, mineral balance, and blood lipids in

women consuming controlled lactoovovegetarian and omnivorous diets for 8 wk.

Amer J Clin Nutr, 1998, Mar;67(3):421-30; (i) M Krajcovicova-Kudlackova and

others. [Nutritional risk factors of a vegetarian diet in adult lacto-ovo

vegetarians]. Bratisl Lek Listy, 2000, 101:38-43.

111. (a) BF Harland and others. Nutritional status and phytate: zinc and

phytate x calcium:zinc dietary molar ratios of lacto-ovo vegetarian Trappist

monks: 10 years later. J Am Diet Assoc 1988; 88: 1562-6; (b) R Ellis.

Phytate:zinc and phytate X calcium:zinc millimolar ratios in self-selected

diets of

Americans, Asian Indians, and Nepalese. J Am Diet Assoc, 1987, 87:1043-7; c) RS

Gibson. Content and bioavailability of trace elements in vegetarian diets. Am

J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(5 Suppl): 1223S-1232S.

112. (a) AS Sandberg. The effect of food processing on phytate hydrolysis

and availability of iron and zinc. Adv Exp Med Biol, 1991, 289: 499-508; (b) U

Svanberg and A-S Sandberg. Improved iron availability in weaning foods using g

ermination and fermentation. In: Nutrient Availability: Chemical and

Biological Aspects. Southgate DAT, Johnson IT, Fenwick GR, eds. (Cambridge

University Press; UK), 1989, 179-81; c) Larsson M, Sandberg A-S. Phytate

reduction in

bread containing oat flour, oat bran or rye bran. J Cereal Sci 1991; 14:

141-9.

113. S Fallon and MG Enig. _Tragedy and Hype: The Third International Soy

Symposium_ (http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/tragedy.html) . Townsend Letter for

Doctors and Patients, 2000, July and August.

114. Ibid.

115. L. Dunne. The Nutrition Almanac, 3rd edition, 306.

116. M Fitzpatrick. _Soy Isoflavones: Panacea or Poison?_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/isoflavones.html) Jnl of PPNF, Fall 1998.

117. (a) N L Petrakis and others. Stimulatory influence of soy protein

isolate on breast secretion in pre-and postmenopausal women. Cancer Epid Bio

Prev,

1996, 5:785-794; (b) C Dees and others. Dietary estrogens stimulate human

breast cells to enter the cell cycle. Env Health Perspec 1997, 105(Suppl

3):633-636.

118. Vegetarian diet in pregnancy linked to birth defect. Brit J Urology

Int, January 2000, 85:107-113.

119. T Abe. Infantile leukemia and soybeans--a hypothesis. Leukemia, 1999,

13:317-20.

120. (a) Y Ishizuki and others. The effects on the thyroid gland of soybeans

administered experimentally in healthy subjects. Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai

Zasshi, 1991, 767: 622-629; (b) R L Divi and others. Anti-thyroid isoflavones

from the soybean. Biochem Pharmac, 1997, 54:1087-1096.

121. (a) K D R Setchell and others. Dietary estrogens - a probable cause of

infertility and liver disease in captive cheetahs. Gastroenterology, 1987,

93: 225-233; (b) A S Leopold. Phytoestrogens: Adverse effects on reproduction

in California Quail. Science, 1976, 191:98-100; © HM Drane and others.

Oestrogenic activity of soya-bean products. Food Cosm Tech, 1980, 18: 425-427;

(d)

S Kimura and others. Development of malignant goiter by defatted soybean

with iodine-free diet in rats. Gann, 1976, 67:763-765; (e) C Pelissero and

others. Estrogenic effect of dietary soy bean meal on vitellogenesis in

cultured

Siberian Sturgeon Acipenser baeri. Gen Comp End 83:447-457; (f) Braden and

others. The oestrogenic activity and metabolism of certain isoflavones in

sheep. Australian J of Agric Res, 1967, 18:335-348.

122. (a) Why Not Meat? (Part 2), Down to Earth News, (Honolulu; HI), Dec/Jan

1998, 1-4; (b) Ralph Ballantine. Transition to Vegetarianism. (Himalayan

Institute Press; PA), 1994.

123. WL Voegtlin. _The Stone Age Diet_

(http://www.paleodiet.com/comparison.html) . (Vantage Press, Inc.; NY), 1975,

44-45.

124. (a) HL Abrams. A diachronic preview of wheat in homonid nutrition. J

Appl Nutr, 1978, 30:41-55;(b) J Goodall. In the Shadow of Man. Boston: 1971.

125. R. Ballantine, op. cit.

126. Why Not Meat? (Part 3). Down to Earth News, (Honolulu; HI). Feb/March

1999, 1-3.

127. F Pottenger, Pottenger's Cats--A Study in Nutrition. (Price-Pottenger

Nutrition Foundation, CA), 1997.

128. (a) M Purdey. Are Organophosphate Pesticides Involved in the Causation

of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)? J of Nutr Med, 1994, 4:43-82; (b)

Ecosystems supporting clusters of sporadic TSEs demonstrate excesses of the

radical-generating divalent cation manganese and deficiencies of antioxidant

co factors Cu, Se, Fe, Zn. Does a foreign cation substitution at prion

protein's Cu domain initiate TSE? Med Hypotheses 2000 Feb 54:2 278-306; ©

High-dose exposure to systemic phosmet insecticide modifies the

phosphatidylinositol

anchor on the prion protein: the origins of new variant transmissible

spongiform encephalopathies? Med Hypotheses 1998 Feb 50:2 91-111.

129. Ibid.

130. D Brown. BSE did not cause variant CJD: an alternative cause related to

post-industrial environmental contamination. Med Hypotheses, 2001, 57:5.

131. V Worthington. Nutritional quality of organic versus conventional

fruits, vegetables, and grains. J Altern Comp Med, 2001, 7:2:161-173.

132. S Fallon. _Nasty, Brutish, and Short?_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/nasty_brutish_short.html) The

Ecologist, February 1999.

133. R Audette. Neanderthin, (St. Martin's Press; NY), 1999, 194-5.

134. (a) K Sullivan. _The Lectin Report_ (http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html)

, accessed on January 2, 2002; (b) DL Freed. Do dietary lectins cause

disease? Brit Med J, 1999, 318:1023-1024.

135. J Ross. The Diet Cure. (Penguin Books; NY), 1999, 102-113.

136. MG Enig. Know Your Fats, 56-57.

137. HL Abrams. The relevance of Paleolithic diet in determining

contemporary nutritional needs. J Appl Nutr, 1979, 1,2:43-59.

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[Guest guest]

Oh, please, whom do you work for?

This is good propaganda by non-vegetarians who want to dump their

feelings of guilty and insecurity to the the vegetarians.

 

Did you know that this Weston A. Price Foundation is a baby of the

meat and dairy industry?

 

,

bestsurprise2002 wrote:

>

>

> The Myths of Vegetarianism

> by _Stephen Byrnes_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#bio) , PhD,

> RNCP

> _http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html_

> (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html)

> Originally published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors &

Patients, July

> 2000. Revised January 2002. This paper is posted at:

> _http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm_

(http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm) .

> " An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into

[Guest guest]

, " drmoratto "

<drmoratto wrote:

 

Dr. Moratto- may I ask where you got the " information " that the

Weston A. Price organisation is a baby of the meat and dairy

industry? Would you be kind enough to provide this for our readers?

>

> Oh, please, whom do you work for?

> This is good propaganda by non-vegetarians who want to dump their

> feelings of guilty and insecurity to the the vegetarians.

>

> Did you know that this Weston A. Price Foundation is a baby of the

> meat and dairy industry?

>

> ,

> bestsurprise2002@ wrote:

> >

> >

> > The Myths of Vegetarianism

> > by _Stephen Byrnes_

> (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#bio) , PhD,

> > RNCP

> > _http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html_

> > (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html)

> > Originally published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors &

> Patients, July

> > 2000. Revised January 2002. This paper is posted at:

> > _http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm_

> (http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm) .

> > " An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into

>

[Guest guest]

That was harsh, unsigned...

 

I eat meat and I don't feel guilty at all, ever. And I've never seen

any other meat-eating animals milling about sullen or dejected about

eating meat either.

 

It tastes really good. And apparently there's a vitamin or mineral in

meat that can make its partakers less judgmental.

 

Signed,

Lover of hormone-free, organic animal parts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

, " drmoratto "

<drmoratto wrote:

>

> Oh, please, whom do you work for?

> This is good propaganda by non-vegetarians who want to dump their

> feelings of guilty and insecurity to the the vegetarians.

>

> Did you know that this Weston A. Price Foundation is a baby of the

> meat and dairy industry?

>

> ,

> bestsurprise2002@ wrote:

> >

> >

> > The Myths of Vegetarianism

> > by _Stephen Byrnes_

> (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#bio) , PhD,

> > RNCP

> > _http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html_

> > (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html)

> > Originally published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors &

> Patients, July

> > 2000. Revised January 2002. This paper is posted at:

> > _http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm_

> (http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm) .

> > " An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into

>

[Guest guest]

Actually I don't work for anybody anymore, but maybe myself. However, who

do you get your income from?

Have you got a Phd in biochemistry or how about a Phd in Nutrition or

better yet, both? Maybe you should look up the credentials of the people

whom write and also approve the information at that organization. This

articles

has 137 references - why don't you check them out and then put your money

where your mouth is ? Can you give any references at all to back up what you

say? Or is this only your opinion backed up by what you want to believe,

regardless of the truth?

sincerely

Shan

 

 

_Re: The Myths of Vegetarianism _

(/message/54857;_ylc=X3o\

DMTJyZmgxbjFnBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzQx

OTgyNTEEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYwODE0BG1zZ0lkAzU0ODU3BHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW

1lAzEyMjY0NzE5MDk-)

Posted by: " drmoratto " _drmoratto _

(drmoratto?Subject= Re:%20The%20Myths%20of%20Vegetarianism)

_drmoratto _

(http://profiles./drmoratto)

Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:15 pm (PST)

Oh, please, whom do you work for?

This is good propaganda by non-vegetarians who want to dump their

feelings of guilty and insecurity to the the vegetarians.

 

Did you know that this Weston A. Price Foundation is a baby of the

meat and dairy industry?

 

_Alternative- Medicine- Forum@ s.com_

( ) ,

bestsurprise2002@ ... wrote:

>

>

> The Myths of Vegetarianism

> by _Stephen Byrnes_

(_http://www.westonap rice.org/ mythstruths/ #bio_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#bio) ) , PhD,

> RNCP

> __http://www.westonap rice.org/ mythstruths/ mtvegetarianism. html__

(http://www.westonap rice.org/ mythstruths/ mtvegetarianism. html_)

> (_http://www.westonap rice.org/ mythstruths/ mtvegetarianism. html_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html) )

>

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I apologise for not signing my post. My name is Maria.

 

My comment resulted from my experience about the defensive attitude

the many animal eaters have against vegetarians.

 

Every time this topic ressurfaces there is a great deal of " attack "

towards the vegetarians from really nice flesh eaters. They come with

all sorts of excuses for enjoying dead animals, such as: but you eat

dead plants, or, we are the top of the food chain, or if animals eat

animals why can't I; they even compare themselves to other animals,

etc. Really ridiculous excuses, in my opinion.

 

And they needn't bother. We vegetarians have no agenda into turning

everyone else into vegetarians anyway. We understand the idea of

different strokes for different folks.

 

I just feel that there is a lot of lobbying from the meat and dairy

industries and somehow people don't realize that and they want us to

change to fit their interests. Everybody I encounter feels the need

to give an excuse and apologise to me for their eating habits.

Really, who cares?

 

I am glad you enjoy your dead animals and yes, your comment was

judgmental, either you realize it or not, so probably the vitamin or

mineral in the animals you eat are not really working for you.

 

Enough of this.

To each his own.

This is too great a forum for bickering. Let's move on, shall we?

 

Maria

 

, " Mistletoes "

<msl5858 wrote:

>

> That was harsh, unsigned...

>

> I eat meat and I don't feel guilty at all, ever. And I've never

seen

> any other meat-eating animals milling about sullen or dejected about

> eating meat either.

>

> It tastes really good. And apparently there's a vitamin or mineral

in

> meat that can make its partakers less judgmental.

>

> Signed,

> Lover of hormone-free, organic animal parts

>

>

>

, " drmoratto "

> <drmoratto@> wrote:

> >

> > Oh, please, whom do you work for?

> > This is good propaganda by non-vegetarians who want to dump their

> > feelings of guilty and insecurity to the the vegetarians.

> >

> > Did you know that this Weston A. Price Foundation is a baby of

the

> > meat and dairy industry?

> >

> > ,

> > bestsurprise2002@ wrote:

> > >

> > >

> > > The Myths of Vegetarianism

> > > by _Stephen Byrnes_

> > (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#bio) , PhD,

> > > RNCP

> > > _http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html_

> > > (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html)

> > > Originally published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors &

> > Patients, July

> > > 2000. Revised January 2002. This paper is posted at:

> > > _http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm_

> > (http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm) .

> > > " An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Actually, most of my vegetarian friends are chunky because they live

on carbs and soy products. Not all of them, but most of them.

 

The thing is, I don't care what others eat, and I certainly don't try

to guilt them into a certain way of eating by using propaganda words

like " torture " and " murder " or telling them they are going to die

sooner to make them feel bad about nourishing their bodies.

 

When you care more about animals' " rights " than you do about human

beings feelings, I question your logic from the start. Who has the

right to dictate what another eats? Or judge?

 

Ideally, you should eat what makes your body feel healthy and function

best--not what anyone tries to guilt you in to eating. I happen to be

extremely allergic to salicylic acid--which is in most fruits and

vegetables, so if I was a vegetarian, I'd have to live on grains--and

I certainly wouldn't be 5'10 " and 125 pounds any longer...

 

Also, Nancy Elizabeth, could you perhaps cite your source for this

information: " Vegetarians and vegans are healthier humans and have

less diseases and are normal weight and live longer than humans who

eat meat! " Because I've never seen that PETA-esque claim

substantiated. Ever. I know that people who binge on red meat don't

fare as well as anyone, but not all people who eat meat eat red meat;

I don't.

 

Personally, I think you love longer when you're nicer. I'm not kidding.

 

Sincerely,

Mistletoes

 

 

 

, " Nancie Elizabeth

Barnett " <deifspirit wrote:

>

> Eating meat is unhealthy. Even animals raised organically have shown

to have

> high levels of stress hormones and cortisol in the their blood and ergo

> their meat after being tortured and murdered. The animals not raised

> organically have antibiotics, hormones in the flesh and are 2

reasons why

> humans have developed auto-immune diseases and other diseases like

diabetes,

> obesity, high cholesterol.

> Vegetarians and vegans are healthier humans and have less diseases

and are

> normal weight and live longer than humans who eat meat!

>

> Nancie

> ----

>

> Mistletoes

> 11/12/2008 5:04:25 PM

>

> << >> Re: The Myths of Vegetarianism

>

> That was harsh, unsigned...

>

> I eat meat and I don't feel guilty at all, ever. And I've never seen

> any other meat-eating animals milling about sullen or dejected about

> eating meat either.

>

> It tastes really good. And apparently there's a vitamin or mineral in

> meat that can make its partakers less judgmental.

>

> Signed,

> Lover of hormone-free, organic animal parts

>

> , " drmoratto "

> <drmoratto@> wrote:

> >

> > Oh, please, whom do you work for?

> > This is good propaganda by non-vegetarians who want to dump their

> > feelings of guilty and insecurity to the the vegetarians.

> >

> > Did you know that this Weston A. Price Foundation is a baby of the

> > meat and dairy industry?

> >

> > ,

> > bestsurprise2002@ wrote:

> > >

> > >

> > > The Myths of Vegetarianism

> > > by _Stephen Byrnes_

> > (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/#bio) , PhD,

> > > RNCP

> > > _http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html_

> > > (http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html)

> > > Originally published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors &

> > Patients, July

> > > 2000. Revised January 2002. This paper is posted at:

> > > _http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm_

> > (http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm) .

> > > " An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into

>

[Guest guest]

The other side of the argument

 

http://www.energygrid.com/health/2002/06ap-stephenbyrnes.htm

l

 

 

 

Dr. Maria Eugenia Moratto

" I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God

who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect

has intended us to forgo their use. "

 ~ Galileo Galilei ~

[Guest guest]

Thanks Maria.

I was reading that a day or so ago - a member or a different group sent it

to me. But unfortunately, it has no references at all and is throughout just

this person's opinion. Do you know anything about the writer of that

article? All it says is that Andrew Patterson is a writer. Well just because I

write

my opinion in an article that does not make it right nor am I legally

responsilbe for it being correct. Now the same goes for Sally Fallon etc but

the

difference is that the people whom wrote the article I posted represent a

non-profit organization and what they say reflects on how this organization is

viewed, therefore on donations which are also used to pay their salaries. They

have lots of motivation to make sure their facts are correct and not just

'wishful thinking' and opinions. Sally Fallon is the president and Mary Enig is

the vice- president. They wouldn't hold those jobs very long if what they said

caused the organizaion to be put in a bad light and not trusted because what

they stood for was sloppy work and misinformation.

 

I personally truely do not care what you eat or don't eat. It is

everyone's choice what they do, or should be - I just do not want to

contribute to all the deceptions already out there.

 

Even Dr M Rath says that a vegetarian diet does not contain hardly any

lycine, an amino acid, that is important to prevent cancer cells from spreading

as well as preventing heart attacks, plus other important uses. **As for food

rich in lysine, it is most noticeable in fish, chicken, eggs, milk and,

although in much reduced quantity in cereals, nuts and pulses.** plus **–

has

been linked to symptoms of learning difficulties and cerebral dysfunctions.

In fact, the WHO considers lysine to be one of the *critical* amino acids for

adequate nutrition and suitable child development. **

_http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/publication_library/interviews/cancer_dsal

ud.htm_

(http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/publication_library/interviews/cancer_dsalud\

..htm)

 

blessings

Shan

PS if you can find some facts to support your view point, I would appreciate

it please.

 

 

 

_Re: The Myths of Vegetarianism _

(/message/54914;_ylc=X3o\

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Posted by: " drmoratto " _drmoratto _

(drmoratto?Subject= Re:%20The%20Myths%20of%20Vegetarianism)

_drmoratto _

(http://profiles./drmoratto)

Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:24 pm (PST)

 

 

The other side of the argument

 

_http://www.energygr id.com/health/ 2002/06ap- stephenbyrnes. htm_

(http://www.energygrid.com/health/2002/06ap-stephenbyrnes.htm)

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Shan,

 

Just because an association is non-profit, it doesn't necessarily

follow that what they say is not based on what their members want to

hear or pay to hear.

 

We must be careful to take only one side of an argument and decide it

is the Truth. In the Byrnes article, you also read his mentioning

that the articles posted by WP are biased.

 

Here are some links regarding Lysine and protein.

Happy reading.

 

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lysine-000312.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/lysine

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

 

Cheers,

Maria

 

 

,

bestsurprise2002 wrote:

>

> Thanks Maria.

> I was reading that a day or so ago - a member or a different

group sent it

> to me. But unfortunately, it has no references at all and is

throughout just

> this person's opinion. Do you know anything about the writer of

that

> article? All it says is that Andrew Patterson is a writer. Well

just because I write

> my opinion in an article that does not make it right nor am I

legally

> responsilbe for it being correct. Now the same goes for Sally

Fallon etc but the

> difference is that the people whom wrote the article I posted

represent a

> non-profit organization and what they say reflects on how this

organization is

> viewed, therefore on donations which are also used to pay their

salaries. They

> have lots of motivation to make sure their facts are correct and

not just

> 'wishful thinking' and opinions. Sally Fallon is the president and

Mary Enig is

> the vice- president. They wouldn't hold those jobs very long if

what they said

> caused the organizaion to be put in a bad light and not trusted

because what

> they stood for was sloppy work and misinformation.

>

> I personally truely do not care what you eat or don't

eat. It is

> everyone's choice what they do, or should be - I just do not want

to

> contribute to all the deceptions already out there.

>

> Even Dr M Rath says that a vegetarian diet does not contain

hardly any

> lycine, an amino acid, that is important to prevent cancer cells

from spreading

> as well as preventing heart attacks, plus other important uses.

**As for food

> rich in lysine, it is most noticeable in fish, chicken, eggs, milk

and,

> although in much reduced quantity in cereals, nuts and pulses.**

plus **†" has

> been linked to symptoms of learning difficulties and cerebral

dysfunctions.

> In fact, the WHO considers lysine to be one of the *critical*

amino acids for

> adequate nutrition and suitable child development. **

> _http://www4.dr-rath-

foundation.org/publication_library/interviews/cancer_dsal

> ud.htm_

> (http://www4.dr-rath-

foundation.org/publication_library/interviews/cancer_dsalud.htm)

>

> blessings

> Shan

> PS if you can find some facts to support your view point, I would

appreciate

> it please.

>

>

>

> _Re: The Myths of Vegetarianism _

> (Alternative-Medicine-

Forum/message/54914;_ylc=X3oDMTJyZXM5amd1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzQx

>

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> Posted by: " drmoratto " _drmoratto _

> (drmoratto?Subject= Re:%20The%20Myths%20of%

20Vegetarianism) _drmoratto _

> (http://profiles./drmoratto)

> Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:24 pm (PST)

>

>

> The other side of the argument

>

> _http://www.energygr id.com/health/ 2002/06ap- stephenbyrnes. htm_

> (http://www.energygrid.com/health/2002/06ap-stephenbyrnes.htm)

>

>

>

>