THE MYTHS OF VEGETARIANISM

[Guest guest]

Oh, here is that article and a whole host of links to anit-

vegetarian sites.

 

Too low to copy and paste but if you want otbe wound up, click

here;

 

http://powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm

 

Actually, the only myth about vegetarianism I agree with is that

eggs are vegetables.

 

His most audactious myth - which I believe was debunk ages

ago - was that Hindus have only been able to stay healthy

because they eat bugs and worms in their food.

 

The cutting edge of science folks from a real man that eats liver.

 

John

 

THE MYTHS OF VEGETARIANISM

 

Stephen Byrnes, PhD, RNCP

 

Originally published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors &

Patients,

July 2000.

 

Revised January 2002

 

 

 

" 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 somber 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.

 

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

 

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

 

MYTH #4: The body's needs for vitamin A can be entirely

obtained from plant foods.

 

MYTH #5: Meat-eating causes osteoporosis, kidney disease,

heart disease, and cancer.

 

MYTH #6: Saturated fats and dietary cholesterol cause heart

disease, atherosclerosis, and/or cancer, and low-fat, low-

cholesterol diets are healthier for people.

 

MYTH #7: Vegetarians live longer and have more energy and

endurance than meat-eaters.

 

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

Humans evolved as vegetarians.

 

MYTH #9: Meat and saturated fat consumption have increased in

the 20th century, with a corresponding increase in heart disease

and cancer.

 

MYTH #10: Soy products are adequate substitutes for meat and

dairy products.

 

MYTH #11: The human body is not designed for meat

consumption.

 

MYTH #12: Eating animal flesh causes violent, aggressive

behavior in humans.

 

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

 

MYTH #14: Eating meat or animal products is less " spiritual "

than eating only plant foods.

 

MYTH #15: Eating animal foods is inhumane.

 

Stephen Byrnes, PhD, RNCP, enjoys robust health on a diet that

includes butter, cream, eggs, meat, whole milk, cheese, and

liver.