Food for Thought

The world has already witnessed a lot of debate on whether consuming vegetables or animals is good for humans. Fitness experts, dieticians, doctors, and even religious gurus have had their take on the subject and it is only logical to conclude that unanimity on the subject will remain elusive for some time. Lately, with movie stars turning vegetarian (though, I am not sure if this is out of serious compassion for the animal kingdom or publicity), and diseases like mad cow and bird flu doing rounds, the discussion has acquired a whole new meaning.

I had been an omnivorous myself before turning vegetarian. And although, I was convinced even during those days that vegetarian food was much healthier, my taste buds would occasionally drive me to savor my favorite Chicken Tikka (a famous north indian dish). Almost everyone who has grown up on non-vegetarian foods finds it difficult to develop a taste for vegetarian food no matter how sumptuous it may be. I was no exception until I began to observe the ill effects of fleshy food on my health. Quite athletic in school, I had developed obesity when I finished college. My digestive system had become inefficient, and my otherwise quick reflexes had become painfully slacky (basically I am using kind words when my actual state was that of a couch potato). As I began to investigate, it all zeroed down to my food and eating habits. When I was one hundred percent sure of the culprit, I eliminated all kinds of meat from my food plate.

As is obvious, my reasons for switching were purely borne out of concern for my health. However, there are several others like religious affiliations, doctor’s prescription, fear of bacteria and viruses such as bird flu, or quite simply affordability. Interestingly, a few of my friends who had been hardcore meat eaters completely relinquished it once they saw the miserable conditions in which the birds were kept and subsequently butchered. This syndrome affected me too to a certain extent.

It is also my personal experience that the reasons people stick to animal foods (other than taste) is because they believe that first, it is a source of strength and second, it has variety unlike vegetarian food. Although I am sure that the first reason is nothing but a false propaganda, the second does have some substance. With more than a million species of birds and animals inhabiting the planet, one can never have enough of them.
Non-vegetarians in our country are still conservative about what they feed themselves on, whereas their counterparts in other countries eat whatever comes their way (cats, dogs, rats, snakes etc.). If you have been a visitor to China, Hongkong, or Indonesia, you would know that there is literally a recipe for each and every bird or animal. So you see you can never fall short of variety.
As for the touting about it being a health food, consider this: It has been medically proved that in flesh, we consume what our bodies were never meant to. If a comparison was drawn between the anatomy of a meat eating animal and us, there would hardly be any match. They have teeth and claws designed to rip and tear animal flesh whereas we have teeth designed for grinding, not tearing. Our jaws move up and down as well as side to side, which a flesh-eater’s jaw cannot do. Flesh-eaters also have high hydrochloric acid content in their stomachs to break down and digest flesh, while humans do not. The digestive tract of the flesh-eater is short and designed to get the flesh out of the system before it has a chance to putrefy. The digestive tract of the humans is long with many twists and bends, which produce monumental problems for the colon when flesh foods are consumed. Is it a surprise then that our body takes an exceptionally long time to digest any food containing flesh as compared to any meal containing fruits and vegetables? In the present age where even human life does not command any respect or value, any talk of sympathy or compassion towards any other living specie feels like a joke. But I have come to believe that slaughtering animals for food simply because it appeals to our gastronomical senses is simply uncivilized and an act of cruelty.

Since the day I changed my food preferences, I have been experimenting with various combinations of fruits and vegetables and my body has never felt deprived. On the contrary, cooking has become much more fun, sans any guilt, all my tummy problems are gone, and though I can still afford to loose a few kilos here and there, the days of being a couch potato are history.

I certainly do not fancy that you will find this write-up inspiring enough to drastically alter your opinions on food, yet I sincerely hope that at the very least, it leaves you thinking.