There is no sincerer love than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
Eating is a simple act. Yet the question of what humans should eat is a complex one. But why?
Those humans who are reasonably well-off have a lot of choice when it comes to food. The availability of choice spawns the necessity for discrimination. This is a far cry from the hunter-gatherer Early Man who ate what he/she got. No ethical dilemma. No fear of judgement. No restrictions due to religion. More importantly, no real danger of ruining the environment.
Now that humans are very populous and sophisticated and like to think of themselves as righteous, considerate, and reasonable (though their sophistication largely depends on being unrighteous, inconsiderate, and unreasonable towards other life forms but more on that later), many questions must be considered before deciding that they are eating ‘the right food’. In some circles, the consumption of dairy products is looked down upon due to the ill-treatment of cows. Taking this concept further, the consumption of beef is looked down upon due to the slaughtering of cows. After all, cows are animals and they have feelings.
However, a person who must consume red meat to obtain sufficient iron and a person who must drink cows’ milk to obtain sufficient calcium may not consider the welfare of cows as the most important issue. On the other hand, a lactose intolerant human would avoid cows’ milk for his/her own welfare, which is probably good for the cows.
What if everyone stopped consuming cows’ milk and stopped eating beef? Farmers would stop rearing cows. The cow population may dwindle. The few cows that remain would be lucky to find humans that would take care of them as pets.
Some of those who shun meat for environmental reasons prefer to consume avocado. For a human who lives in the UK, the environmental impact of consuming avocado regularly does more damage to the environment than that of consuming locally sourced beef. I am guilty of this as I like the occasional avocado on toast for breakfast.
Personally, I prefer a vegetarian diet because I feel better when I don’t eat meat. Also, I am used to a vegetarian diet because it is the kind of food I grew up with, thanks to the tasty veggie food my mum brought me up with. I am fine with the occasional chicken, and I do include eggs in my diet (I do check that I am not buying eggs from caged chickens because that makes me feel better). However, it would be laughable to say that my food choices are based on ethics, the environment, animal welfare, or religious beliefs because the truth is, they are based on my own well-being. My food choices are purely selfish. My food choices make me feel healthy. That is why I have made them. Simple as that.
The shift towards vegan and vegetarian diets is by no means a bad thing. As with anything, such a shift needs a sensible approach. It is possible that humans are evolving to depend less on meat and more on lighter, leaner foods. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe humans were always meant to be frugivorous but lost their way a bit. It certainly takes less energy to digest plant-based foods and there is plenty of protein that can be found in beans, lentils, and pulses.
Some say that plants have feelings too, not to mention the ill-treated cows that supply milk, and so a vegetarian is just as ‘bad’ as a carnivorous human. Well, maybe. The truth is, one does not feel guilty when chopping a carrot and one can only assume the cow which gave them their milk was treated well unless they were told otherwise. Linking food choices to ethics is always a failed approach. Considering the health benefits of what you eat is far more useful, while making sure you enjoy what you eat.
The interesting question is whether animals would be ‘looked after’ in the same way if they were no longer a part of the food business. Maybe the pig would become extinct. Does that matter? Maybe all species are bound for extinction some day, including humans – which is probably the best outcome for the planet anyway.
Until that happens, what must be avoided is the shaming and judging of people for what they eat. Dog has been a delicacy in South Korea for a long time. Eating dog is considered abhorrent in most other countries. Food is one of those aspects of life which is heavily influenced by society. What is perfectly acceptable in one culture is banned in another. Eating a cute rabbit or a handsome horse offends people while eating an ugly pig does not. Apparently it is ok to eat ugly animals but not good-looking ones (or those more useful to humans). Some consider eating fish acceptable because they have ‘no problem eating something I could kill by myself’. The bottom-line is, humans eat what they want to eat and don’t eat what they don’t want to eat and have various ways of justifying their choices.
Humans who do not belong to such a ‘modern’ society still hunt and gather, like the Early Man. They are a part of their own ecosystem and hence should not be judged in the same light as the rest of us. If anything, they are doing the least damage to the environment compared to everyone else. So what if they killed an ox? Get over it and eat your bacon.