Diet dilemmas: “Why Love One but Eat the Other?”
The quoted caption above is from a print advertisement
series that appeared on the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It was
part of an awareness campaign supported by the Vegetarian Association.
On the “love” side, it presented a family pet, and under the “eat”
section, an animal that was commonly known as “dinner”. Then, the poster
proclaimed the characteristics of the “dinner” animal that in many
instances is superior in intelligence to and equally docile as a family
pet. The poster was eye-catching, thought provoking, and to some extent
controversial.
Over the years, I have kept improving
my dietary habits by incorporating more and more vegetarian options.
Initially, this was mainly due to health reasons and later for ethical
reasons. It became more valid since we have Missy and Oreo, two cute
cats that came into our lives. They give us company; they entertain us,
and show unconditional love. They changed my outlook and accelerated my
transformation to vegetarianism.
According to a Mayo
Clinic study, “A well-planned vegetarian diet can meet the needs of
people of all ages, including children, teenagers, and pregnant or
breast-feeding women. The key is to be aware of your nutritional needs
so that you plan a diet that meets them.” The only caveat is the need to
have a balanced diet including a wide variety of foods that meet
nutritional requirements. A research review by a joint team of Japanese
and American doctors published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that a vegetarian diet could help lower blood pressure.
These
days, there is a gradual switch in dietary habits in the western world.
More people are choosing a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, fibres,
greens, fruits, plant-based proteins, and healthy oils. While the
western society is changing over to a more sustainable, healthy and
compassionate diet, I found in India we are moving in the opposite
direction by adopting a diet rich in animal meat and fat. Traditional
Indian food was predominantly vegetarian with plenty of fruits,
vegetables, legumes, beans, and rice. However, as the cultures are
merging, and as the global culinary influence is on the upswing, Indian
diet is leaning more and more towards meats and processed foods.
During
a recent trip I saw roadside meat stalls and butcher’s shops where
animals are callously killed for our dinner pleasures. I see emaciated
cattle on transport trucks en route to slaughter houses. I see in front
of toddy shops and restaurants, boards with lengthy lists of dishes,
meat, poultry, wild animals, sea creatures, to entice passers-by. These
sights were seldom seen some years ago.
Our food
habits evolved along the human evolutionary path. Man’s affinity towards
meat is an acquired habit, perhaps forced on us by circumstances. No
matter, it is appalling to realise that man is the only species that
finds pleasure in killing other living beings for food and fun.
It
is only humane to treat all living things, creatures big and small,
with love and compassion. That does not mean that they can run amok and
create havoc, and contribute to diseases. Controlling their population
in a humane way is the best way to provide a better quality of life for
the rest of them.
A long time ago I realised that a
vegetarian diet is a guilt-free diet. Thus, if we can sustain a healthy
life by consuming a vegetarian diet, then I ask, “Why eat them,
animals?” Why compromise on our loka samastha, sukhino bhavanthu mindset? Why not rejuvenate our ethos of compassion, and live and let live ideology?
se.kumars@gmail.com
Keywords: vegetarianism, vegetarian diet
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