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Do you have any vegetarian options? More and more this is what you will hear at restaurants. People are cutting the meat out of their diet in the name of health, animal welfare and a happy planet. Is this the healthier choice? Are there important nutrients in meat that you just can’t get in a plant based diet?
According to Sam Graci, a pioneer in the supplement and health industry and a former vegan of 25 years, there are certain people that need at least a small portion of animal protein in their diet.
(1) He feels that the Blood Type diet has some validity to it. Consuming meat seems to benefit most North Americans with blood type O. With the animal husbandry that we have in place today he feels that not only is it detrimental to the environment but it is also wreaking havoc on the human body. Changing the animals original diet from growing grass to soy and corn meal causes the animals to become chronically ill. According to Sam, “It’s not what we eat it’s what our food eats.”
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. (2)
It is clear which type of animal protein should be eaten but do we bother at all to search out these consciously raised animals for consumption? According to Sally Fallon,
Not only is it difficult to obtain adequate protein on a diet devoid of animal products, but such a diet often leads to deficiencies in many important minerals as well. This is because a largely vegetarian diet lacks the fat-soluble catalysts needed for mineral absorption. (3)
True vitamin A, or retinol and its associated esters, is only found in animal fats and organs like liver (4). 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. (2)
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. (2)
The highly controversial question, “To eat meat or not to eat meat?” can be debated until the cows come home. The more important question here is where does your food come from? Conventional meat does not contain the essential nutrients that Dr. Weston Price found in abundance in the traditional diets of our ancestors. To take care of our bodies, planet and fellow creatures of the earth we need to be mindful of our animal raising and plant growing practices. To maintain the optimal health we need in order to help the people of our planet and our earth we must sustain ourselves with good quality whole foods. In our world life feeds life whether it be a chick pea or a chicken!
References
1. Interview with Sam Graci, Genuine Health Seminar, June 26, 2006, Vancouver, BC.
2. Stephen Byrnes PhD, RNCP, January 2002, The Myths of Vegetarianism, Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, http://www.powerhealth.net/selected_articles.htm
3. Sally Fallon, 2001, Nourishing Traditions, New Trends Publishing Inc., Washington, DC.
4. J Groff and S Gropper, op cit, 317. http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtvegetarianism.html
Hillary Branoff is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist
778-898-4737
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