My beef, revisited.

I recently did a post exposing the false claims of the ecological benefits of the vegan diet versus a meat-based diet. I did this, not because I want people to stop being vegans, but because I want vegans to stop trying to manipulate me into changing my life. Their claims that veganism is better for the environment are demonstrably false. I included plenty of links showing the amount of resources it takes to produce grains and other “earth-friendly” crops for human consumption. But even if they acknowledge that veganism is no better for the environment they still refuse to let me enjoy my steak in peace.

There was a claim made during a recent debate which absolutely astonished me. It was so devoid of reason and any basis in empirical fact that I cannot believe it was uttered by a sentient being. The claim was that meat is a luxury. The supporting evidence was that millions of people live without meat. The implication being that since millions do it, it must be safe, healthy, and proper. Of course, millions of people take drugs too. That does not make taking drugs safe, healthy, or proper. In the realm of formal logic this is known as “argumentum ad populum”, or appeal to the masses, or appeal to belief. It is a fallacy. The fact any group does something has nothing to do with the morality or efficacy of the act in question.

The implication of the claim that meat is a luxury is that we should do without meat because we don't need luxuries and the world would be better off if we only produced necessities. This is a hypocritical statement coming from a person who is using a computer to get online and pontificate. I guarantee his computer consumed more resources than any meal I have ever eaten. And billions of people exist quite happily without computers.

I could even turn his logic to support my own “alternative” lifestyle. I live barefoot. Given my choice I would not own a pair of shoes. Shoes are a luxury. Millions of people live their entire lives without shoes. Shoes consume vast amounts of resources that could be used for more essential things. This is the same logic as the anti-meat stance. I wonder if my opponent in this instance would acknowledge the validity of my claim and decide to quit wearing shoes? I doubt it. Because the only reason he claimed meat was a luxury was because he could live without it. His claim was solely to justify his worldview. I can guarantee that when faced with his own logic being used to defend an idea he doesn't like he would find some other way of rationalizing his worldview.

Returning to the world of food, there are many items which could certainly be considered luxuries. Coffee, tea, soda, and alcohol are four that come to mind right away. None of these items are essential to human survival. In fact, they each have detrimental effects. How many acres of land could we reclaim by banning the production of these “foods”? How many resources would be saved for use on the essential items we really need? Would my opponent call for these to be eliminated?

But what about the actual substance of his claim? Is there any validity to the idea that meat is a luxury? No. True, there are millions of people who live without meat. But these people all have one thing in common. They all live in advanced societies where it is possible to acquire a broad range of foods and supplemental nutrients. There has never been a vegetarian culture. Because at the subsistence level, meat is essential to survival. Alone in the wilderness, humans need meat of some sort to provide essential nutrients. You can't go out to the garden in the dead of winter and pluck the spectrum of fruits and vegetables necessary to sustain you. But you can carry a spear into the forest and kill a pig. Take away the vast technology that allows people the *luxury* of avoiding meat and they would have no choice but to kill to survive.

The idea that meat is a luxury has another serious flaw. Humans evolved as omnivores. Our arboreal origin still influences our diet. In the canopy millions of years ago we lived on leaves, shoots, eggs, nuts, fruit, berries, insects, and most likely some birds or other small animals. This is the typical menu of any arboreal creature even though some are more selective than others. This is the diet our bodies are adapted to. This is what we have the enzymes to digest. Also, biologists and anthropologists agree that it was increased consumption of meat that gave us the protein we needed to grow our brains and become human. When vegans point out that other primates are mostly vegan, they seem to ignore the fact that veganism is precisely why those other primates are still “other” primates.

Further refuting the idea that meat is a luxury is the growing amount of hard data showing that many of the staples of the vegan lifestyle are detrimental to human health. Grains which are high in fiber cause physical damage to the digestive system. Grains and legumes also contain phytic acid which blocks the absorption of various nutrients. Soy is especially problematic. Aside from the phytic acid mentioned above it also contains trypsin inhibitors, which is important because trypsin is one of the enzymes that breaks proteins into amino acids that can be absorbed and used by the body. Ironically, soy is touted as as a viable source of protein in a vegan diet despite containing compounds that block protein absorption. Soy also contains lectin, which can cause serious problems when consumed in large quantities over a period of time. There is also concern over the phytoestrogens and potential carcinogenic properties of soy.

I am no fear-mongerer. I realize that eating various beans, seeds, and grains in small amounts as part of a natural diet is unlikely to cause serious problems. The body can handle small amounts of toxins regularly and even larger amounts periodically without damage. This is why pipe and cigar smokers are less prone to cancer than cigarette smokers. Their dosage of carcinogenic compounds is smaller and less frequent. Similarly, an omnivorous human who places meat, fruits, and greens at the center of their diet can afford the occasional adventure with grains and legumes. But the vegan diet is heavily based on legumes and grains. This means chronic exposure to the above-mentioned anti-nutrients. That cannot be healthy in the long term.

Yet health is precisely the reason many vegans chose their path. They pontificate ad nauseum on the virtues of their lifestyle. Feel free to believe that if you wish. But do not try swaying me with the tired comparison of the perfect vegan diet with the typical Western diet. As somebody who knows firsthand, I can attest to the fact that it is the attention paid to the diet that makes the difference. People are not fat because they eat meat. People are fat because they eat everything in sight. And there is more science coming out almost daily which shows meat, and hence fat, is not the culprit in the obesity epidemic. Instead, it is the insulin spikes caused by our overly grain-based diet which causes the problem. This is why Westerners continue to get fatter even though the “low-fat” craze has been going on for more than a generation now. It isn't the bacon and eggs. It's that slice of toast covered in jelly which causes an insulin spike that triggers the body to burn the glucose and store the fat for later. Get rid of the glucose rush and the protein and fat in the bacon and eggs will go to build cells, repair cells, fuel cells, or be excreted as excess.

The essential benefits of meat also impact the brain. The brain actually runs better on ketones than on glucose. Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for fuel instead of glucose. This happens in a low-carb, high-protein diet. Ketones are also shown to help maintain a healthy brain and even reduce seizures in epileptic children. Your body burns fat, your brain runs better, how is this a luxury? How is this a bad thing?

I am not trying to sway anybody from their chosen path. As I have said many times in many forums, your life is yours to live. I post this because I am tired of the arrogance displayed by many vegans and vegetarians. They assume I am just an ignorant neanderthal who needs to be shown the light. They are wrong. I have done plenty of research on nutrition over the past thirty years due to my involvement with strength training. I have experimented with many types of diet. There is no empirical evidence showing meat to be anything other than an essential component of a healthy human diet. There is a huge amount of hard data from many studies over many years showing that meat and fat consumption are essential to peak human health. I am not about to dismiss all that simply because a handful of people insist I am wasting resources on a luxury I could easily do without. I cannot do without meat. I will not even entertain the idea. There is no rational reason to sacrifice my health.