To meat, or not to meat?
That is the question more and more Americans are asking themselves in an
increasingly health-conscious society
By Ben Henry
Somewhere, a cow is breathing a sigh of relief.
As more Americans come to grips with the fact that one-third of their population is obese, the heaviest per capita country in the world is finally waking up in a cold sweat to the reality of its bingeful eating - and it's not because of heartburn.
Add to that America's cultural obsession with thinness, and you get a group of people who are realizing that a steady diet of Big Macs and pizza is an efficient way to eat one's way into a grave.
And yes, a lot of relieved cows.
But how healthy is a vegetarian diet? "A lot of it depends on how the diet is designed," said Dr. Alan Titchenal, sports nutritionist in the Department of Food Service and Human Nutrition at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. "I'd like to give you a one-diet-fits-all guide, but it's not possible to create a diet plan that's going to work for the ultra-endurance athlete or the little old lady."
There is little doubt about vegetarianism's popularity. According to the Vegetarian Times, 12.4 million people are vegetarian, including the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Kim Basinger and Dustin Hoffman.
When vegetarianism first ventured into a segment of the mainstream in the early '70s, it was widely scoffed at, regarded as quackery. But as more studies on the subject accumulated, it became a legitimate diet, something that can be seen in the scientific community's attitude towards it.
According to the American Dietetic Association's most recent position paper on vegetarianism, "appropriately planned vegetarian diets are helathful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of some diseases."
Vegetarianism as a recommended form of diet even made its way into the best-selling book in the latter part of this century after the Bible. When the seventh edition of "Baby and Child Care" was released in 1998, the late Dr. Benjamin Spock, co-author and one of the most famous pediatricians ever, offered this advice:
"We now know that there are harmful effects of a meaty diet. Children can get plenty of protein and iron from vegetables, beans and other plant foods that avoid the fat and cholesterol that are in animal products."
Don't have a cow
So do you need to "have a cow" for a balanced, healthy diet? It all boils down to a straightforward "maybe".
Dr. Titchenal has been a lacto-ovo vegetarian since 1972. "Most people would have a healthier diet if they moved in the direction of a vegetarian diet," he said. "They're eating high-fat, high-protein food, and they need to add more vegetables and whole grains to their diet. There's no doubt moving to it would help.
And that's the premise behind the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii.
According to a Society pamphlet, vegetarians have the lowest rate of atherosclerotic heart disease, a cause of heart attacks and impotence, of "any group in the United States."
Further, the Society asserts that the risk of breast and colon cancer for carnivores compared to pure vegetarians is 10 fold.
They say that vegetarianism can also help in the prevention of osteoporosis and kidney failure, which affects tens of millions of Americans. And the level of "chemical pollution" in the breast milk of meat-eating mothers is 35 times higher than the breast milk of pure vegetarians.
The Society seems to have an answer for almost all of America's woes: "One acre of land growing broccoli will supply 10 times as much protein as the same area of land producing beef," reads the pamphlet. "If acreage now being used for grazing cattle and raising feed grains were growing trees or fiber plants to burn for energy, the U.S. would not have to import foreign oil."
And water shortages? "More than half of the water used for all purposes in the United States is used for livestock production." Fact is, the world population in general would be better off as vegetarians. For every calorie of beef, it takes seven calories of grain to feed cattle, according to Goode's World Atlas.
However, Dr. Titchenal says a vegetarian diet doesn't necessarily ensure health. "I see just as many junk vegetarian diets as I see junk omnivorous diets," he said.
Dr. Terry Shintani, nutritionist and author of "HawaiiDiet," agrees. "Vegetarianism can be done in a healthy way and in an unhealthy way," he said. "If you think about it, Coke and jellybeans are vegetarian. I wouldn't call that healthy."
A health-conscious person should be careful with his or her diet, Dr. Titchenal says. "A diet with a moderate amount of meat is not bad for you," he said. "The problem is over-consuming those foods. We still have a few things to learn to find out ways to make the vegetarian diet a truly optimal diet, and to make omnivorous diets optimal, as well. I don't think it's a 'Yes' or 'No' question. That frustrates people, because they want black and white."
"If a vegetarian diet is done properly, it's typically going to be healthier than a meat-eating diet," Dr. Shintani added. "One of the concerns is protein. Almost all whole vegetables and grains are adequate in total protein and essential amino acids."
More are catering to vegetarians
Although the benefits of vegetarianism are becoming more recognized, there are problems with the lifestyle.
For instance, a vegetarian is not going to find too many options beyond french fries at Burger King. "It's very difficult being a vegetarian," said Maya Smith, a vegetarian since birth. "There's not a lot of fast food places that cater to vegetarians, and there are many restaurants that don't serve a single vegetarian dish."
But some say that's changing. "I'm seeing that more and more people asking for vegetarian selections," said Dr. Shintani. "More vegetarian items are being offered on standard menus (than before)."
Also, nourishment can be a factor. Smith says that not getting enough to eat affects her more than it would a meat-eater: "Sometimes I wake up shaking if I don't eat regularly."
Some experts are saying that vegetarians are missing out on essential nutrients. "You'll compromise the health of any child you make into a vegetarian," said Gretchen Hill, associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Missouri-Columbia, in USA Today magazine. "My bet is those kids will have health problems when they reach 40, 50 or 60 years of age - mostly because of imbalances with micronutrients, particularly iron, zinc and copper."
Only with a diet that includes meat, Hill asserts, will you get an adequate amount of iron. "You get virtually nothing out of fruits and vegetables compared to what you get from beef, lamb and pork," she said. "Sure, you can take pills that contain these micronutrients, but we don't know how well your body will use (them) in that form. But we do know that meat is a good source for these micronutrients in a usable form. Why take the chance, when these micronutrients affect your growth, ability to fight disease, sexual maturity and other aspects of your health?"
But Dr. Titchenal says that planning and moderation are key to a successful vegetarian diet. "Where a vegetarian diet can create some problems is if it becomes too extreme," he said. "The most extreme diet would be a fruitarian diet, which is based on the philosophical desire to not kill; by eating the fruits of plants, you're not killing the plant. But almost all fruits are extremely low in protein."
A macrobiotic diet, another version of a vegetarian diet, is an eastern diet with a philosophical basis, the goal of which is to simplify one's diet to brown rice. "The weak spot there is calcium intake," Dr. Titchenal said. "It's possible to get adequate calcium intake if it's designed properly. But some people have dismissed the calcium issue, saying that with a low-protein diet, you don't have to worry about calcium. That, in my opinion, is an oversimplification."
Other problems for vegetarians may include inadequate vitamin B12 and the fatty acid DHA, especially for pregnant women and the elderly, who tend to develop deficiency problems most. "I don't think too many people are saying that vegetarian diets are not adequate," Dr. Titchenal said. "But the question is, what is optimal? I don't think that anybody who maintains an objective view of scientific literature is ready to say that a vegetarian diet is optimal. My bias says it is, but as a scientist, I cannot say that at this time."
No two reasons alike
By Ben Henry
One of the first indications of the civilizing of humans involved the rough conversion from hunting and gathering to crop raising and herding, thousands of years ago. Since then, many people, for a variety of reasons, decided to exclude animal products from their diets.
Some do it for philosophical reasons. Maya Smith, 28, was raised in a Hare Krishna family. This branch of the ancient Hindu religion is made up of strict vegetarians, who in fact laud the lowly cow as holy.
"I believe it's a personal choice," she said. "I do it because I don't like to kill animals - when I look at food, I see an animal. I wouldn't eat my cat any more than I would eat a cow. Also, it's the one healthy thing I do."
"I think it's cruel (to the animals)," said Nicole Noren, 23, an employee of Down To Earth. "I've seen some videos (of slaughterhouses) that have just made me sick."
Another popular reason for vegetarianism is simple logistics. "Meat is so expensive," said Noren, who has been a light vegetarian for about a year.
But if she's eating at the house of a friend who's serving meat, she says she "won't make it an issue."
Robert Bright became a vegetarian for a more personal reason - to save his life.
In 1989, Bright, who is HIV positive, decided he couldn't afford not to turn to vegetarianism. Prior to his change, Bright was eating a typical high-fat American fast-food diet. "It was based mainly on convenience - what was fast, easy ... old habits," he said.
But in order to maintain his already shaky health, he knew he had to do something. His life depended on it.
"It was hard," he said. "I didn't realize how taxing all that meat was on my body, because it takes longer to digest."
Since then, he has incorporated non-red meat into his diet, but has still maintained a balanced and healthy diet. "Whenever someone served me food, I felt like I wanted to participate in what people were providing to me," he said. "That's one of the reasons I stopped the vegetarian diet. Especially when I was sick."