RE: meat, forced vegetarianism, etc.
From: TR Ruddick (truddickearthlink.net)
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 23:24:09 -0600 (MDT)
Personal perspective:

Even when I was a practicing vegetarian, I disliked the way that some
vegetarians insisted that their diet was superior. As Dan O'Neil put it, if
you think vegetarians are peaceful, advanced people, try eating a good
hamburger in front of one.

Now, I am on the Atkins diet.  Which means, people, that I have bacon for
breakfast, and very few veggies indeed compared to myself in years past.

Looking back, I now realize that I started to have the symptoms of diabetes
at the time I went vegetarian.  A low-carb lifestyle has made me healthier;
for several years I had been getting daily bouts of vertigo and other
symptoms that made my life less than vigorous, but avoiding carbs has
cleared up those problems.  In my experience, I must limit my food carbs to
under 20 per day, normally, and avoid like the plague anything particularly
sugary or starchy, with exceptions on special occasions or in emergencies.

Having tried vegetarian, even vegan, in my earlier life, I am well aware of
those styles.  I can say with some authority that there's no easy way to
provide a diet within those parameters and still meet my needs--and any
diet that managed to do so would be deadly boring.  That's not to deny that
some people thrive under a vegetarian diet; but I insist that we're all
different and that we all should pursue our own dietary needs based on what
seems to work for us.

I am aware that there is "good" research to support all kinds of dietary
choices.  Frankly, I am amazed that anyone can still earn a living as a
dietician; over the years, the dietary profession has relied on junk
science and wives-tale wisdom to contradict itself again and again in food
recommendations.  Until the dietary profession settles itself into some
recommendations that last longer than a decade, I'm planning to consider
them only a little more believable than politicians.

IMO, there is too much in American culture that amounts to food faddism. 
Happily enough, the people I'm currently working with on cohousing are of
like mind.

As I envision it, a common house dinner involves serving dozens of people. 
Why not prepare a great ranges of foods to accomodate peoples' needs?

Enough about imaginary non-starchy vegan meal plans--bring me a
porterhouse, medium rare, with Atkins steak sauce!

TR Ruddick
Dayton Cohousing


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