Edging Towards Vegetarianism

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Nevertheless, it doesn't take much to convince me that a diet laden with fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes and other fresh vegetables will keep my heart healthier, weight lower, spirits higher, steps bouncier and sex life friskier.

In mulling over these old books, I suddenly remembered their common inspirationthe seminal Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, which first attracted attention in 1971 and has since sold over 3 million copies. I picked up my old copy again and began to read. It soon dawned on me that her message-changing one's diet helps prevent mass hunger and environmental disaster-had only become more significant and relevant in the intervening years. My quest came to a close. I now know how to be good in the '90s.

The secret lies in accepting the broad environmental framework that Lappe constructed to support vegetarianism. It works today. All it needs is a little rehabilitation and polishing. Lappe saw the crisis long before ozone bole and greenhouse effect had become household words. She analyzed the inherent waste and destructiveness of a meat-eating world. When I eat meat, according to Lappe's vision, I'm eating the environment.

"Our daily choices about food connect us to a worldwide economic system," Lappe' said in 1987. "Even an apparently small change-consciously choosing a diet that is good both for our bodies and for the earthcan lead to a series of choices that transform our whole lives." From this perspective, vegetarianism is far more than just a flaky remnant of the '70sit's the key to conservation, and to a sense of personal responsibility for the environment. Do we genuinely want to make a difference? The hard facts indicate the kind of impact we can make with a dietary change. And that impact is profound.

CONSIDER, for example, water. More than half of U.S. water consumption goes to raising beef It takes 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat, but 2,500 for a pound of meat. In one day, the diet for a meat eater requires 4,000 gallons of water; for a true vegetarian, only 300. That contrast amounts to real conservation. It also means fewer dams and more water left in streams for beady-eyed fish.

Some 90% of the water pollution that results from organic wastes is attributed to livestock. The inorganic residues of pesticides are also overwhelmingly caused by meat production (55%) and dairy operations (23%). For example, American corn production, which is predominantly oriented toward the feeding of livestock, uses 30 million pounds of toxic chemicals annually to control the corn borer. Only 11% of combined pesticide residuals come from the growing of vegetables, fruits and grains. And even that small percentage should decline as organic gardening and agriculture continue to spread.

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