A friend and I got into a debate. She said the meat industry was killing our environment. She ruffled my feathers because she was narrow minded and didn’t look at the whole picture.

I have been struggling with doing the right thing not only for my body but for my environment. When I followed weight watchers and calorie control diets not only did I never lose weight but I was on an overload of fast and convenience foods in my house. Stuff that was bad for my heath and the environment as well.
I don’t understand how people could think that the meat industrial is the most environmental devastating industry and not even blink at what fast food has don’t to our environment and health. Most the waste in our landfill comes from this over consumption of junk. I know that the meat industry has room for improvement but do fast foodies and convenience foodies see how their food is destroying our environment also?

I had a similar discussion with a vegetarian while on a train going through wheat fields (I think). I retorted - just think of nature now being used to make cookies! Kill the environment AND your health.

Hmm ... cows and other domestic animals can live quite happily on the vegetation that the earth provides naturally, without any modification. Most grains and other plant agriculture require us to destroy the plants that are already growing in an area, and replace them with our plants, usually grains, of choice. We call the natural plants "weeds"! How is that environmentally better?

Tell your friend to read, The Vegetarian Myth, by Lierre Keith.

Check out Barry Groves' article, The Naive Vegetarian. The full paper, with scientific references, can be found here ... http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/vegetarian.html




Doreen