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Vegging out
(Cover Story)
6 November 2009
What is it about meat-free diets that attract so many people and keep them leading a veggie lifestyle? To coincide with World Vegan Day on November 1, Heena Aswani catches up with a few Dubai residents, both vegan and vegetarian, who share their reasons for altering their eating habits
Abdalla Alnajjar had a hard time focusing on his work in the afternoons. His drowsy look did not suit his job as a TV presenter. He tried caffeine and going to bed earlier in the evenings, but he still found it difficult to concentrate on his work after lunch. Desperate to find a solution, he began tracking his lunch menu and noticed that he felt fresh and active on the days he ate vegetables or fruits but lethargic when he ate meat.
When Alnajjar decided to stop eating meat for lunch, he took the first step towards what eventually became an entirely vegetarian diet. Many vegetarians like Alnajjar — who eliminate meat from their diets but still consume eggs and milk products — say they have seen a positive effect on their bodies.
Alnajjar says, “I do not want to go back to eating meat. I have excluded it entirely from my diet.”
Many vegans, who abstain from all animal products, cite particularly strong reasons, such as animal cruelty, global warming or mental health, for changing their eating habits.
Experts have long known that our food choices affect our physical health and well being. Research conducted by Cambridge University in 1999 showed that almost 80 per cent of bowel, breast and colon cancer are correlated with high-meat diets. A similar study conducted in 1990 stated, “The rates of colon cancer in various countries are strongly correlated with the per capita consumption of red meat and animal fat. High-intake of animal fat increases the risk of colon cancer.”
Christian Steyl, who works in the media, turned vegan in 2003. He researched and compared vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, finding studies that lead him to conclude that meat takes longer to digest compared to fruit and vegetables, and that it may rot in the digestive tract. “Furthermore, it may also be a reason for cancer, as uric acid is released by decaying meat,” he says.
During the butchery process, the animal’s adrenal glands become very active. Katerina Bernakevich, a real estate broker, believes the adrenaline released into the animal’s blood during slaughter can affect humans when they eat the meat. Bernakevich gave up meat, and later seafood, after talking with a friend about a non-vegetarian diet and the meat industry.
At an age as young as 10, Steyl says he felt compassionate towards animals and asked his parents, “when we die, will we find all the animals we have slaughtered in heaven asking us why we killed them?” Steyl says his belief in a non-violent lifestyle contributed to his decision to become a vegan nearly six years ago when he moved out his parents’ home.
Sharing Steyl’s view, Bernakevich says, “How can I eat something that has been living peacefully and was killed to satisfy man’s hunger? Even though they are lower creatures, they deserve respect.”
Living a ‘green life’ has been Leena Al-Abbas’ motto ever since she was a child. The marketing director echoes the thoughts of many environmentalists who believe the consumption of meat, poultry or even milk products, is not eco-friendly. By the time Al-Abbas read the book Skinny b*tch, a vegan advocacy book in disguise, from cover to cover, she decided to quit meat and dairy products altogether. It was not a tough decision for her, as Al-Abbas followed a semi-vegetarian diet prior to the shift.
“The overall effects the meat and dairy industry have on the environment are shocking. Raising animals for food is depleting and polluting our natural resources. All animals need food to survive. It’s bizarre really: You take a crop that is high in protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates but devoid of cholesterol and artery-clogging saturated fat; feed it to an animal and create a product with no fibre or complex carbohydrates at all, but with lots of cholesterol and saturated fat.”
She elaborates with the relatively unpalatable example of taking pure water, running it through a sewer system, and then drinking it. “Where the environment is concerned, eating meat is like driving a huge SUV or an 18-wheeler. Eating a vegetarian diet is like driving a motorcycle, and eating a vegan diet is like riding a bicycle or walking.”
Though Steyl is no hardcore environmentalist, the ecological impact of the meat industry added to his health concerns to give him a stronger set of reasons to turn vegan.
“Acquiring land for cattle farming is one of the largest contributors to deforestation and the destruction of some important biospheres. The whole meat business annually consumes hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil and millions of cubic litres of fresh drinking water.”
Claus Leitzmann, from the Institute of Nutrition at the University of Giessen, Germany, writes in his article Nutrition Ecology: the contribution of vegetarian diets, “Research shows that vegetarian diets are well suited to protect the environment, to reduce pollution and to minimise global climate changes. To maximise the ecologic and health benefits of vegetarian diets, food should be regionally produced, seasonally consumed and organically grown.”
Many blame the meat-production industry for adding to world hunger, an issue compounded by rising levels of consumption by many nations. Crops that could be used to feed the hungry are instead being used to fatten animals raised for food. It takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of edible animal flesh. Land used to farm cabbage for 23 people can only provide enough chickens for two people, according to The Food Revolution, a paper by John Robbins, a renowned writer on environmental issues.
Sushma Dhalwani did not want to be yet another contributor to the prevailing problem. A presentation at a spiritual group gave her all the reasons to quit meat she needed. “Crops can fulfill the needs of more humans as compared to being fed to animals. With the same amount of resources, one can produce more vegan or vegetarian meals as against meaty meals. Grains in large quantities are fed to farm animals for a meager amount of meat. The same amount of grains can be given to one of the many children dying of hunger every day.”
Robbins also outlined the difference between traditional and modern livestock production. “In traditional livestock production systems, domestic animals turn grass and other things people can not eat into things people can. Still, in many parts of the world (including most of Africa), people depend on animals to convert vegetation that does not compete with human food crops into edible protein.”
He writes, “To raise meat output, however, livestock producers in the industrialised world have adopted intensive rearing techniques that rely heavily on grains and legumes to feed their animals. The nations that eat the most meat dedicate the largest share of their grain to fattening livestock. In the United States, livestock now eat twice as much grain as is consumed by the country’s entire human population. Overall, nearly 40 per cent of the world’s grain is fed to livestock.”
Steyl adds, “Tonnes of grain are being fed to cattle in factory-style farms, grains which could easily be fed to humans to alleviate world hunger.” One need not be a PETA activist to be affected by the ill treatment of animals. In the last several years, books and movies such as Fast Food Nation, Food,Inc and Fast Food Craze have brought the inner workings of factory farms into the public eye and websites such as
www.goveg.com have given people options for eliminating meat from their diets. Steyl says, “Animals are being abused and artificially inseminated. They are slaughtered in the most horrific ways and are more often than not alive while being skinned or cut.”
Former Beatle Paul McCartney, a longtime vegetarian whose daughter, Stella, designs completely vegan clothing, has echoed Steyl’s thoughts. “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”
Veganism was an easy step for Al-Abbas, once the inner story at factory farms was known. “I literally couldn’t eat for two days. I was so shocked and disgusted with the realities of what is involved within the meat and dairy industries and the pain, cruelty and suffering animals go through.
“Turning vegan was easy and I’m proud and happy I did it.”
wknd@khaleejtimes.com
Reduce your DIET’S CARBON FOOTPRINT
If you are concerned about the impact your diet of meat could be having on your carbon footprint, and your health, there are several ways to reduce the amount of meat you consume.
1) Start by cutting down on meat in your regular meals. If you currently consume meat for three meals each day, try including it in just one or two.
2) Set apart one day each week or fortnight when you eat only fruits, vegetables and grains. Gradually increase the number of vegetarian days every month.
3) Try alternative cuisines to vary your diet without including meat. Local restaurant, Sukothai, offers a good variety for vegetarian Thai food, and many other restaurants — especially Indian ones — offer vegetarian options on their menus.
4) If you crave meat during your vegetarian days, don’t break your resolve. Instead, opt for mock meat which is available at Café Haven, in Oasis Centre, and Organic Foods and Café, in the Dubai Mall.
5) Replace chicken with tofu or paneer, as they have a similar texture, and even taste almost the same.
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