Myths about Vegetarianism

MYTH: "Humans were designed to eat meat."

Fact: Human anatomy suggests otherwise. We're designed to be able to eat meat occasionally, as a survival mechanism, but our digestive systems are similar to those of the other plant-eaters and totally unlike those of carnivores. Also, the less meat someone eats, the less their risk of just about every major disease. Finally, people who don't eat meat have better physical performance, whether they're athletes or not. The argument that humans are carnivores because we possess "canine" teeth ignores the facts that other plant-eaters have these same so-called canine teeth, and that only plant-eaters have molar teeth. [more on this topic]

MYTH: "Vegetarians get little protein."

Fact: Plant foods offer abundant protein. Vegetables are around 23% protein on average, beans 28%, grains 13%, and even fruit has 5.5%. For comparison, human breast milk is only 5% (designed for the time in our lives when our protein needs are as high as they'll ever be). The US Recommended Daily Allowance is 8%, and the World Health Organization recommends 4.5%. [more on this topic, inc. chart]

MYTH: "Beans are a good source of protein."

Fact: There is no such thing as a special "source of protein" because all foods -- even plants -- have plentiful protein. You might as well say "Food is a good source of protein". In any event, beans (28%) don't average much more protein per calorie than common vegetables (23%). [more on this topic, inc. chart]

MYTH: "Meat protein is better than plant protein. You have to combine plant foods to make the protein just as good."

Fact: This myth was popularized in the 1971 book Diet for a Small Planet and has no basis in fact. The author of the book admitted nearly twenty years ago that she made a mistake (in the 1982 edition of the same book). [more on this topic]

MYTH: "Vegetable oils are healthy."

Fact: Dr. John McDougall says: "Sadly, the myth that vegetable oil is health food isn't true… choosing between dropping some butter or pouring some olive oil into your frying pan is, nutritionally speaking, like choosing whether you want to be shot or hanged. Here's why. All fats--saturated and unsaturated--are involved in the growth of certain kinds of cancer cells. Scientific research…has consistently shown that a higher consumption of fats will produce a higher incidence of cancer. What's worse, the unsaturated fats in such highly touted vegetable oils as corn oil, safflower oil, and olive oil, and the margarines made from them, are the fats that most promote the growth of cancer. They're much better at this double-crossing deal than are the saturated fats that are so bad for your arteries and heart."

-- The McDougall Program; 1990; John A. McDougall, M.D.; p. 41-42.

McDougall goes on to explain that fatty foods (including vegetable oils and tofu ) kill your energy level by making your blood cells stick together in clumps, can make the skin and hair oily, and are extremely fattening.

MYTH: "Tofu is a low-fat food."

Fact: Tofu is 54% fat, more than many meats, and way more than the 10-20% of dietary calories from fat that most vegetarian authorities recommend. McDougall again: "[Soybeans] contain far too much fat for regular use by most people… Tofu…is even a little worse… Obviously, tofu is a rich, high-fat, low-fiber food that should be used sparingly."

MYTH: "Milk is necessary for strong bones."

Fact: McDougall: "Where does a cow or an elephant get the calcium needed to grow its huge bones? From plants, of course. Only plants. … People in Asia and Africa who consume no milk products after they're weaned from their mother's breast grow perfectly healthy skeletons in the normal size for their race. A consistent conclusion published in the scientific literature is clear: Calcium deficiency of dietary origin is unknown in humans. Dairy products contain large amounts of animal proteins. This excess protein removes calcium from the body by way of the kidneys. Knowing the physiological effects on calcium metabolism of eating excess protein explains why societies with the highest intakes of meat and dairy products--the United States, England, Israel, Finland, and Sweden--also show the highest rates of osteoporosis, the disease of bone-thinning."

MYTH: "Vegans are at high risk for Vitamin B12 deficiency."

Fact: McDougall: "B12 deficiency is rare… Two kinds have been observed. The more common is due to malabsorption of this vitamin as a consequence of diseased conditions of the stomach or of the small intestine. It has nothing to do with the amount of B12 present in the diet, so it is treated with injections of B12. The other kind of B12 deficiency is found very rarely among people who take essentially no B12 in their diet. Less than a dozen cases of this type of B12 deficiency have been reported among the tens of millions of vegetarians in the world. One reason it's so uncommon is that B12 is made by the bacteria naturally present in the human mouth and intestines.… [In addition,] the average American has stored so much B12 in his body's tissues… that twenty to thirty years must pass before you run out of it.

[Note: New research suggests that it's prudent for vegans to take a B12 supplement anyway.]

MYTH: "Hitler was a vegetarian."

Fact: No, he wasn't. Not in the traditional sense of the word. Hitler occasionally reduced his meat consumption because of digestive problems. If you want to call that vegetarianism, you might as well say that all meat-eaters are vegetarian for the eight hours they're asleep each not and not eating meat. Of course, educated people will understand that it's irrelevant that Hitler was vegetarian, but non-vegetarians delight in repeating this myth as though they've made some sort of point. (more)

MYTH: "Turkey is traditional at Thanksgiving."

Fact: Turkey wasn't a part of the Pilgrims/Indian feast at Plymouth Rock. (more)

 

References:
The McDougall Program .|. Diet for a New America .|. Diet for a Small Planet