Most people are as passionate about their dietary choices as they are about their politics. For vegetarians there really is no other way. That we can survive on a plant and grain-based diet is often reason enough to choose one. Meat eaters, on the other hand, are convinced that we are designed to consume animal products; they believe that our ancestors were hunters for a reason. The debate is complex, with legitimate points on each side. There are also many nuances and variations to vegetable and meat-based diets. I recently met a fish-eating vegan. There are also lacto-ovo vegetarians and beef-only carnivores. And then there is the middle ground. Omnivores eat a balanced diet that includes both meat and vegetables. Here LIME takes on both sides of the debate:

Pro Veggie

Looking to lose weight, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease? Vegetarianism can take you there. Plants and grains are inherently low in fat and contribute to numerous aspects of a healthy diet. Meeting the daily requirement of fruits and vegetables is never a challenge for a well-informed herbivore and the American Dietetic Association has confirmed that a vegetarian diet can meet all of a human beings' nutritional needs. Vegetarian diets are also better for the planet. According to Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet, it takes about seven pounds of grain and soybeans to produce one pound of livestock flesh and a cow must consume sixteen pounds of vegetation to produce one pound of beef. Changing over to a vegetarian diet does not guarantee health and wellness. Eliminating all sources of animal protein requires that vegetarians eat a wide variety of foods. I've known many "vegetarians" who subsist on fluffernutters and French fries. A healthy vegetarian diet includes hearty doses of leafy greens, whole grains as well as nuts, seed, and legumes.

Pro Meat

Vegetarians may seem to have the stronger argument given that human beings are encouraged to consume lots of fruits and vegetables, but passionate meat eaters have compiled a significant collection of reasons supporting their cause. At the top of the list is our inability to properly digest grains, legumes, and dairy products. The thinking is that our hunter-gatherer ancestors were not eating bread and yogurt as they were introduced by agricultural innovation and our digestive systems have not yet fully adapted to do so. A more obvious pro-meat argument is all about protein. Carnivores believe that animal products are the best source of protein, a necessary nutrient for maintaining muscle mass and immunity and for preventing the weakening of the heart and respiratory system. Eating meat has also been connected to a sense of grounding and stability. In Food and Healing, Annemarie Colbin, natural food expert and founder of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, recommends that people who spend time under florescent lights or who work with machinery, electronics, or computers eat meat to stay grounded.

**

What's the best way to eat? My vote: there is no “best” way to shape your diet. As with every aspect of health, it's important to assess your own needs and to listen to your body [see Q and A with healthy chef Alex Jamieson]. Have you made the decision to be all-veggie or do you also eat meat? Are you currently considering a dietary change?

Image: wikipedia.org