Resources and Reflections

I’ve just finished listening to an hour-long interview on KZXY, Mendocino public radio, with Lierre Keith, author of  “The Vegetarian Myth, food, justice and sustainability”. Her basic thesis regarding the vegetarian/vegan diet is that humans are simply not capable of thriving without quality animal proteins, and that the chronic lack of these proteins in vegetarian and vegan diets is the cause of immense suffering and ill health. She has much more to say regarding the food system as a whole, but her message regarding the consequences of the vegetarian diet strike a very personal note with me.

A dear friend of mine who has been a strict vegetarian for almost 20 years is currently suffering from the whole list of symptoms that the author describes. I have long suspected that there might be a dietary connection to these symptoms but had never heard such a succinct, well researched and eloquently stated argument regarding the relationship of vegetarianism to ill health. I have no axe to grind here, and have for years refrained from expressing my admittedly vague misgivings, in part because I’m an unrepentant carnivore, in part because my default position is to respect others personal choices, and also due to a lack of good research. Ms. Keith has the bona fides of a 20 year vegan and highly qualified researcher so she knows whereof she speaks and has partaken personally of her own conclusions.

In the abstract, if someone wants to be a vegetarian, fine. But when the practical consequences seem to threaten health, well being and happiness,  not just for the person making that choice, but also for the friends and family, making at least a brief two week trial of Ms. Keith’s hypothesis seems a reasonable compromise of principle. Below I post some excerpts and links for http://www.lierrekeith.com/

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