Today, I would want to debunk the myth of vegan diet or being a vegetarian as one of the healthiest diet. Many people including some of my friends, colleagues and relatives, are vegetarians. Reasons are, religious concerns, avoid killing animals, leading them to paradise of abundant health. Well, there will surely be debates and arguments about this topic, but, there are many people whose health had suffered from being a vegan(for years), and they wonder how could that happen if Vegan Diet is suppose to be one of the healthiest?
I'm sure you have heard of Angelina Jolie? She is one of the well known celebrities who has suffered from being a Vegan. Vegan diet almost killed her. My relative who had been on vegetarian diet for more then 15 years, suffers multiple diseases and she is clueless to why this had happened to her. My colleague, vegetarian due to religious concern, weighing more then 110kg, and he thought he could lose weight and be healthy with that diet?
Tons of people think that eating animal meats, usually which contain saturated fats and cholesterol were the cause of heart disease. You see people, this is what happen when you guys are too busy playing video games at home, surfing the net, thinking of where to get intoxicated for the weekend, shopping at the malls, cinemas, cracking your heads on how to save up for a BMW and LV bag, and the list goes on. Guess what. Heart disease is one of the leading cause of death in Malaysia and most of the countries in the world.
Honestly, most people whom I spoke to, tells me that by being vegetarian, they will stay healthy for a long life. But, some who are in their 40's, complain to me that they are having symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, etc. I just give them a smirk on my face, but I do not expect them to understand what I meant. Some people who tried on first couple years of being a vegan, their health declined. From tooth decay to thyroid dysfunction, feeling lethargic to anxiety, the list goes on.
For instance, if you analyse The China Study, it has got so many holes that a train can run through it. It emphasis on a one-sided study, which is not comprehensive and intensive, including plant vs animal subject, and it was criticized aggressively from reputable nutritionists, doctors and health practitioners. This study concludes that Vegan diet paves the road to vibrant health. With people or so called 'authors' writing books and articles about vegetarians or vegan diet, promoting the society on how healthy the diet is, no wonder why so many vegetarians are falling sick and suffering from various symptoms.
The China Study also pointed out that animal protein causes cancer. The China Study looked at cancer in two ways, official cancer mortality statistics and a questionnaire that asked each household whether or not there were cancer patients in the family. Just because the China Study research shows that isolated casein protein may cause cancer, it doesn't mean that animal protein causes cancer! This is only one of the many 'holes' in the research of The China Study.
During this 'vegetarianism' posts, I will discuss details about agriculture, soil science and factory farming as well. Let's divert our discussion of The China Study to something which I would like to call it 'Carnivore'. We humans, are carnivore. I would like to rewind back to the time humans are born, and originally what do humans, carnivores, ruminants eat and how they survive. A lot of people have forgotten about the origin of human, our original diet, the food we suppose to eat, and how we actually survive.
The China Study also pointed out that animal protein causes cancer. The China Study looked at cancer in two ways, official cancer mortality statistics and a questionnaire that asked each household whether or not there were cancer patients in the family. Just because the China Study research shows that isolated casein protein may cause cancer, it doesn't mean that animal protein causes cancer! This is only one of the many 'holes' in the research of The China Study.
During this 'vegetarianism' posts, I will discuss details about agriculture, soil science and factory farming as well. Let's divert our discussion of The China Study to something which I would like to call it 'Carnivore'. We humans, are carnivore. I would like to rewind back to the time humans are born, and originally what do humans, carnivores, ruminants eat and how they survive. A lot of people have forgotten about the origin of human, our original diet, the food we suppose to eat, and how we actually survive.
First of all, does anyone know that carnivore cannot survive on cellulose? They may on occasion eat grass, but they use it medicinally, usually as a purgative to clear their digestive tract, especially parasites. Ruminants, on the other hand, have evolved to eat grass. Some of them are cows, deers, goats, buffalos, etc. They have rumen, the first of the series of multiple stomachs, that act as fermentative vat. What's actually happening inside a cow, is that the bacteria eat the grass, and the cow eats the bacteria.
Lions, hyenas and humans don't have a ruminant's digestive tract. Literally, from our teeth to our rectum, we are designed for meat. We have no digestive system for cellulose. So, on the carnivore side of the fence, starvation will take every animal. Without grazers to eat the grass, the land will eventually become dessert. Why? Because without the grazers to level the playing field, the plant mature, and shade out the basal growth point at the plant's base. In fact, the ruminants take over most of the biological functions of the soil, by digesting the cellulose, and returning the nutrients, in the form of urine and feces. And without ruminants, the plant matter will pile up, reducing growth and begin killing the plants. The bare earth is now exposed to the sun, wind and rain, the minerals leached away, and the soil structure is destroyed. In our attempts to save the animals, we killed everything!
The lesson here is obvious, though is it profound enough to kill to inspire a religion, we need to be eaten as much as we need to eat. The grazers need their daily cellulose, but the grass also needs the animals. It needs the manure, its nitrogen, bacteria and minerals. The grass and grazers need each other as much as predators and prey. These are not one-way relationships, and we are not exploiting each other by eating, by only taking turns.
Vegetarian isn't about what you eat or what you believe. It's about WHO YOU ARE and it's a totalizing identity. Most of you especially the vegetarians, who read this post will react with anger and defensiveness, but until you finish reading the whole series of this posts, I would say, get ready to be blown away with the truth about being a Vegan or vegetarian. Stay tuned folks.
Lions, hyenas and humans don't have a ruminant's digestive tract. Literally, from our teeth to our rectum, we are designed for meat. We have no digestive system for cellulose. So, on the carnivore side of the fence, starvation will take every animal. Without grazers to eat the grass, the land will eventually become dessert. Why? Because without the grazers to level the playing field, the plant mature, and shade out the basal growth point at the plant's base. In fact, the ruminants take over most of the biological functions of the soil, by digesting the cellulose, and returning the nutrients, in the form of urine and feces. And without ruminants, the plant matter will pile up, reducing growth and begin killing the plants. The bare earth is now exposed to the sun, wind and rain, the minerals leached away, and the soil structure is destroyed. In our attempts to save the animals, we killed everything!
The lesson here is obvious, though is it profound enough to kill to inspire a religion, we need to be eaten as much as we need to eat. The grazers need their daily cellulose, but the grass also needs the animals. It needs the manure, its nitrogen, bacteria and minerals. The grass and grazers need each other as much as predators and prey. These are not one-way relationships, and we are not exploiting each other by eating, by only taking turns.
Vegetarian isn't about what you eat or what you believe. It's about WHO YOU ARE and it's a totalizing identity. Most of you especially the vegetarians, who read this post will react with anger and defensiveness, but until you finish reading the whole series of this posts, I would say, get ready to be blown away with the truth about being a Vegan or vegetarian. Stay tuned folks.
No comments:
Post a Comment