I’ve been a vegetarian for over thirty years. I’m slender and healthy so obviously it has worked for me, but I don’t recommend it to everyone. Now that I think about it, I don’t recommend eating meat either. Maybe I need to explain myself . . .
At any dinner party where I’m meeting people for the first time, after I’ve explained that I won’t be eating the meat, someone at the table will inevitably say that they tried being a vegetarian for a few years, but found that they had to go back to eating meat, either because of cravings or some health issue that arose.
Vegetarianism and Blood Types
According to the research by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, people with type O blood do better if they eat meat. More than half of the people of African or Caucasian descent are type O. So there may be a physical reason behind the problems that some people experience while on a vegetarian diet. Obviously I’m one of the exceptions because I’m also type O.
Religious Issues
There are religious or quasi-religious reasons for being vegetarian. Hindus, Buddhists and Seventh Day Adventists are vegetarian based on religious principles. Beyond religious questions, I personally feel that it is my moral obligation not to eat meat since, in my opinion, eating vegetables and grains is slightly kinder to the other species on the planet—although I’m not sure that the vegetables I eat would agree with me. There is research, by the way, that shows that plants are sentient beings, so eating a carrot is just slightly kinder than eating a cow. Since kindness is part of my religion, I prefer to eat as far down the food chain as possible and still be healthy myself.
Is Vegetarianism Morally Superior?
As for the vegetarian zealots who feel morally superior to carnivores, I think they need to take a broader view. To me that sense of superiority is like a person who eats chicken feeling superior to a person who eats cows because the cow is more intelligent than the chicken. Perhaps it is best if we sincerely respect the lives that are being sacrificed whether that life is a vegetable or an animal.
Over the years, I have occasionally wondered if it wouldn’t be wiser for me to eat meat again because of my blood type. One example was when I lived for four years on a little island in the Caribbean where the variety of food sources was limited. I added chicken eggs to my diet at that time to improve my protein sources. My health was deteriorating toward the end of my visit so I may have had to eat some meat if I had stayed on the island. I feel that in a perfect world we can probably all be vegetarian but at the moment we have to make pragmatic choices some of which involve meat.
Where to find a moral meat source
One issue that keeps me happily vegetarian is the limited choices of organic, free-range meat in the USA. I believe that when you eat the muscles of an animal, you also eat the hormones that the animal had in its body at the time of slaughter. Those hormones are produced by the fear and pain that the animal experienced during its last hours of life. Most animals consumed in my culture are raised in inhumane conditions and slaughtered in fear and pain. I don’t think it is moral to inflict these emotions on an animal and I don’t think it’s healthy to eat the meat from the poor creatures.
Summary
To conclude, eat what is healthy for you--physically and spiritually. I don't think there is a single answer. If you are type O and would like to be vegetarian then go about it gradually while learning how to obtain complete proteins from non-meat sources. Remember that living on pasta and bread is not being a vegetarian; you actually have to eat vegetables! If you aren’t type O you might want to consider being vegetarian; it should work for you if you do it intelligently.
Whatever your diet, vegetarian or otherwise, eat intelligently using sources that are as natural as possible. Join an organization like the Organic Consumers Association if you want to be more aware of food issues regarding the healthfulness of plant and animal sources.
At any dinner party where I’m meeting people for the first time, after I’ve explained that I won’t be eating the meat, someone at the table will inevitably say that they tried being a vegetarian for a few years, but found that they had to go back to eating meat, either because of cravings or some health issue that arose.
Vegetarianism and Blood Types
According to the research by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, people with type O blood do better if they eat meat. More than half of the people of African or Caucasian descent are type O. So there may be a physical reason behind the problems that some people experience while on a vegetarian diet. Obviously I’m one of the exceptions because I’m also type O.Religious Issues
There are religious or quasi-religious reasons for being vegetarian. Hindus, Buddhists and Seventh Day Adventists are vegetarian based on religious principles. Beyond religious questions, I personally feel that it is my moral obligation not to eat meat since, in my opinion, eating vegetables and grains is slightly kinder to the other species on the planet—although I’m not sure that the vegetables I eat would agree with me. There is research, by the way, that shows that plants are sentient beings, so eating a carrot is just slightly kinder than eating a cow. Since kindness is part of my religion, I prefer to eat as far down the food chain as possible and still be healthy myself. Is Vegetarianism Morally Superior?
As for the vegetarian zealots who feel morally superior to carnivores, I think they need to take a broader view. To me that sense of superiority is like a person who eats chicken feeling superior to a person who eats cows because the cow is more intelligent than the chicken. Perhaps it is best if we sincerely respect the lives that are being sacrificed whether that life is a vegetable or an animal. Over the years, I have occasionally wondered if it wouldn’t be wiser for me to eat meat again because of my blood type. One example was when I lived for four years on a little island in the Caribbean where the variety of food sources was limited. I added chicken eggs to my diet at that time to improve my protein sources. My health was deteriorating toward the end of my visit so I may have had to eat some meat if I had stayed on the island. I feel that in a perfect world we can probably all be vegetarian but at the moment we have to make pragmatic choices some of which involve meat.
Where to find a moral meat source
One issue that keeps me happily vegetarian is the limited choices of organic, free-range meat in the USA. I believe that when you eat the muscles of an animal, you also eat the hormones that the animal had in its body at the time of slaughter. Those hormones are produced by the fear and pain that the animal experienced during its last hours of life. Most animals consumed in my culture are raised in inhumane conditions and slaughtered in fear and pain. I don’t think it is moral to inflict these emotions on an animal and I don’t think it’s healthy to eat the meat from the poor creatures.Summary
To conclude, eat what is healthy for you--physically and spiritually. I don't think there is a single answer. If you are type O and would like to be vegetarian then go about it gradually while learning how to obtain complete proteins from non-meat sources. Remember that living on pasta and bread is not being a vegetarian; you actually have to eat vegetables! If you aren’t type O you might want to consider being vegetarian; it should work for you if you do it intelligently.Whatever your diet, vegetarian or otherwise, eat intelligently using sources that are as natural as possible. Join an organization like the Organic Consumers Association if you want to be more aware of food issues regarding the healthfulness of plant and animal sources.
