Fascism. We see it in different government bodies enforcing a particular point of view (e.g. mandatory vaccination). I see it in the farmers that unsuccessfully tried to sue Oprah for questioning the dangers of non-organic beef. (Oprah is welcome to her point of view – like anyone else.)
And I see a little touch of fascism in the vegetarian, vegan and raw community when their strong belief systems cause them to condemn other people’s dietary preferences.
And I see it in the Atkins-style “eat-meat-and-avoid-carb” crowd who run “vegetarian recovery” programs.
Fascism. I know – it’s is a very strong word. It’s about forcing your beliefs on others. I encourage people to stay away from it. First, because it denies freedom of choice. Second because it’s not a good way to motivate people to adopt your point of view (unless you have a gun).
I had an email from a member of Future Health Now! about the “Beefing Up” section in Module 3:
Why do you recommend beef when there is such a strong correlation between saturated cooked animal fats and heart disease etc. etc. especially when there are superior more bio-available sources that are vegan and lower on the food chain therefore less contaminants, such as blue-green algae, marine phytoplankton, spirulina, hemp seeds, bee pollen?
Seeds, algae and raw food in general can be hard for some people to digest – especially those who live in cold climates. Thin and lightweight people often do better with heartier proteins. And other people just don’t like the taste of those foods and take it as an indication their bodies aren’t meant to eat them.
In the preface to the beef segment, I wrote: “I realize some of you may purposely be avoiding beef for a variety of reasons. If a beefless life is working for you, I’m not here to dissuade you. You can live a perfectly healthy life without consuming ‘dead cows’ as long as your environment offers you adequate protein in other forms.” I thought that said it all.
We really don’t have a good analysis of who is healthier and who is not – the meat eaters or the vegetarians or the vegans. And even if we did – science and statistics can’t tell you how your individual body will react to foods. Neither can a health enthusiast tell you what to eat (even though they may think they have all the reasons why you should or shouldn’t).
You have to experiment on your own body. What your body does with the food you give it is experiential and individual.
It also depends on your environment. A vegan stranded in the Arctic Circle would be well-advised to start eating raw seal meat – as soon as possible.
Most important is that you…
- feel good after eating certain foods
- they are grown and prepared with little or no chemicals
- you chew it thoroughly (see Module 8 of Future Health Now!)
- you don’t overeat (see Module 13)
- it’s not refined or denatured
Also, look at what your ancestors ate. If for thousands of years they ate plenty of meat… avoiding meat can be a hard choice for some people’s DNA. Not impossible. But you probably should adopt a vegetarian diet slowly (e.g. 1-3 years).
And I know of no cultures that avoided all animal protein. The Chinese, for example, ate little or no dairy – but still ate meat (despite popular belief). Many Hindu sects largely avoided meat – but did eat plenty of dairy.
(If it helps, the publisher of Doctor of the Future Publications hasn’t eaten any meat since 1996. John does eat eggs and dairy. He principally avoids eating animals for spiritual reasons. Oh, and our designer for Future Health Now! doesn’t eat meat either. Our proofreader’s a vegetarian, too. And, gosh, a new editorial assistant — starting next week — doesn’t touch meat either. I’m way outnumbered!)
Mahatma Gandhi – a strict vegetarian and a believer in non-violence to all living things – told a story of a vegetarian and a meat eater sitting at the same table. One ate beef and the other ate lentils. The meat-eater took little notice of what the vegetarian was eating. The vegetarian, however, spent the entire meal condemning the meat eater for consuming a dead cow.
Gandhi said that during that particular meal the meat-eater was mentally practicing “non-violence” and the vegetarian was not.
Carolyn Dean MD ND
The Doctor of the Future®
RESOURCES: Along the borders and in the links of my web site you can find my books, writings, and my call-in radio show. Email your questions to: questions@drcarolyndeanlive.com.
