I have been reading many articles on the pros and cons of being vegetarian, and I thought I would explore these further, by taking a good look at why I am vegetarian, and the pros and cons of my own experience.
Growing up in South Africa, I wasn't always a vegetarian! But I never gave it much thought. Several years ago though, I began to take note of the incredible variety of meats we have to choose from. My own conclusion was that this was a little unnatural. In the days when we had to hunt for our food, we took what we could get. Nowadays, we can have almost any meat we choose, all at our local supermarket. The reason we have this huge variety constantly at our fingertips? Because we farm animals for food. At this point I decided to stop eating 'land' animals, as my own private protest against what I deemed unfair and unnatural. Perfectly natural to eat meat, just unnatural to set up hundreds of farms just so that Joe Public can have whatever he wants whenever he wants. I continued to consume sea animals for some time. However, once you begin to look at the ethics of something, you inevitably question the ethics of the next thing...
Deciding that I was against factory farming, because this was an unnatural existence for the animals, I had continued to eat fish because I thought the fish continued living in their natural habitat, and were subject to being hunted (by us) as they would be by any predator. It seemed a more natural choice. Then I was faced by two flies in my logic ointment. One, that fish are farmed too, and two, I began to feel an empathy for the fish too. The countless sea animals caught and killed indiscriminately by trawling (dolphins, turtles, etc), or overfishing, etc..
So I become a vegetarian. I became a vegetarian not for health reasons, but for ethical reasons. I would have done so ever at the detriment of my health, to take a stance for what I believed in. As it turns out, I can be quite healthy on a vegetarian diet. I do not exclude protein from my diet, I merely obtain it from a different, and varied, source.
People always seem to get dragged into the debate about whether a healthy/natural diet should include or exclude animal products. I will agree that a diet that includes meat is far more natural than a solely plant-based diet. Historically, we ate what we could get. Our bodies are more than capable of digesting meats, and animals are a good source of many nutrients required for our survival. Forget trying to debate whether we are 'designed' as herbivores, carnivores or omnivores. We can and do sustain ourselves quite easily on both plant-based diets and diets that include meats. Eating meat is definitely "natural" for human beings. So the question is, is it healthy? Or is a solely plant-based diet the healthy option? Meat can definitely have its place in the human diet. So long as you smart about balancing the nutrients you consume, not overconsuming, you can live a long healthy life with meat as a part of your diet. But equally you can do so on a plant-based diet. Many top athletes and even professional bodybuilders have proven that you can consistently perform at world class levels on a completely plant-based diet. One benefit I do see time and time again with a vegetarian/vegan diet is that because of the need for it, vegetarians/vegans usually consume a larger variety of food, and therefore nutrients, in their diets. Of course some vegetarians/vegans still consume a large amount of processed food and don't get enough variety and are therefore unhealthy!
The bottom line is, if you are looking at health reasons, make sure you get a balanced diet that includes all the required nutrients in the correct quantities. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Be aware of food intolerances. Most people do consume too many carbs, not enough protein, and not enough fruit and vegetables! Try to get a good variety of foods to ensure you are getting the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need. A healthy diet can include meat. Just be sensible about it. A healthy diet can also exclude meat, be sensible about that too, and ensure you are meeting the body's requirements for nutrients. So if health is what you base your diet on, you can include or exclude meat, and you are NOT wrong - either way!
If you choose an ethical debate, then you just need to decide how far you are willing to go for the animals, for your planet. A good expression is "doing LEAST harm". That doesn't mean doing NO harm. Get real - if you are a human being you cannot avoid harming the environment in some way. So you need to decide for yourself where you draw the line. Not eating fish (pescatarian), not eating meat (vegetarian), not consuming any animal-derived products or products that contain or are animal by-products (vegan). You can expand this thinking further into saving the environment, recycling, not purchasing products with excess packaging, not supporting unethical companies, walking or cycling instead of owning a car, not wasting electricity or water... etc.. I could go on ad infinitum! Don't ever call a pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan a hypocrite. They are doing what they CAN, in an attempt to balance the scales a little. A least they are trying to make an effort for the greater good. They have chosen to do LESS harm, and they have decided how far down that road they are willing to go. Don't ask them why they are doing it, ask yourself why you are not.
So my reasons for choosing my path are ethical, but as it turns out, I have not sacrificed my health to do so. I am quite healthy and physically capable. I will not condemn you for your dietary choices, so please respect mine. I will however always urge people to look at their lives, and do whatever they can to preserve our planet and all that is on it. Good planets are hard to find, so we should take care of this one!
More to follow...
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