ONE EXAMPLE OF a nutritious menu to consider today is this: 

Begin your day with a breakfast of fresh organic fruits and vegetables (making a large smoothie is an easy way to do this).  If desired, include oatmeal cereal with walnuts, or maybe an organic egg or two from free range chickens. 

Lunch is a big salad topped with a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans; and a slice of whole grain bread. 

For dinner, one of the main entrées can be a large serving of asparagus and onion sautéed in olive oil.  Complementary co-main entrees include a rice or quinoa dish and 4 ounces of free range meat or seafood.  A whole grain roll and a bowl of fresh or frozen mixed berries and other fruit complete the meal.

An Evolutionary Perspective

Some readers may prefer that the above menu not include any meat or animal products.  It is true that a completely vegan diet can be healthy if properly followed, even in regard to adequate protein intake – but it does take far more effort and commitment than more traditional diets. 

A vegan diet requires adequate sun exposure and possible supplements to provide appropriate levels of vitamin D.  Those adhering to a vegan lifestyle must also add vitamin B-12 (via pills or fortified foods) to their diet, as this essential nutrient is not naturally present in plant based foods and must be obtained from animal sources.  Like it or not, over millions of years, humans evolved to be at least somewhat reliant on the consumption of animal products for optimal nutrition and health.

We have, however, recently become less dependent on our evolutionary predisposition to eat meat and other animal products.  Wheat, rice, corn, millet, barley and potatoes now provide more than ninety percent of the total global calories consumed; and most populations have adapted fairly well to a predominantly grain based diet.  As vitamins and supplements can be added to many of the foods that we eat, it is possible to meet nutritional requirements without consuming large amount of animal products.  

Although this adaptation has generally worked well for most people, there are still many whose bodies do not well tolerate the consumption of grains; particularly  wheat products, which can cause or worsen inflammatory conditions in some individuals.

Creative Destruction

There are many people who are ethically opposed to the idea of animals being killed for food.  Some are also uncomfortable utilizing animals for their milk or egg products. 

This sentiment is indeed understandable. 

However, we are born into a universe that is not of our making; one that follows an unyielding model of creative destruction, where living forms consume other living forms to survive.  Unsettling as it may be, the fact remains that a lion must kill a zebra to sustain its own life.

Even following a vegan lifestyle often involves some loss of animal life, particularly if mechanized agricultural techniques are employed.  Many mice, birds, reptiles, and other creatures are inadvertently killed during the planting and harvesting of crops.

It must be noted, however, that although we evolved to hunt (and gather), this does not absolve humanity of the responsibility to utilize animal products in an ethical fashion. 

Humankind evolved hunting animals and eating meat, but at the same time also evolved a deepened pool of consciousness.  With that consciousness comes a greater realization that humanity is not set above and apart from the rest of creation, rather we are fully immersed within it. 

And although ours is indeed a violent world, this does not diminish the sanctity of each of Earth’s creatures.

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All life is extraordinarily precious and astonishing, and it is within this thread of understanding that humanity can best assimilate into the web of Nature and the universe.

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THE NEW NORMAL

You may have heard the story that if a frog happens to jump into a pot of very hot water it will immediately jump back out.  However if it jumps into cool water that is slowly heated, it becomes accustomed to the small incremental changes in temperature, and will therefore remain in the water until it perishes. 

Ten thousand years ago, humans abandoned hunting in favor of farming and the domestication of animals.  This was a logical step undertaken to feed an increasingly large world population.  However, in the last century we have made an unnecessary change, slowly altering the conditions in which we treat some of the domesticated animals that we utilize for food.  

We have gradually let the water come to a boil, acclimating ourselves to a disquieting new normal, one in which we now raise animals in factories or confined in small cages – because this method allows more meat to be produced for less money.

Poultry and pigs often endure miserable existences, spending their entire lives in cramped and crowded conditions.   

The “free-range” and “pastured” concepts of animal production are not perfect solutions, but they do alleviate much of the suffering endured by many of the domesticated creatures that we use for food.

Next time: Eat Your Veggies!