Clear Vision Trust

Commonly asked questions

You may still have some questions - most people do when they are considering changing their diet. This section attempts to address some of the more common questions.

How do I give up eating meat?

Nowadays it's remarkably easy to become vegetarian. Indeed, it is easier now, in the West, than at any previous time. Virtually every restaurant has a vegetarian selection on the menu. A few years ago, vegetarians had to haunt health-food stores; now even the supermarkets have latched on to the fact that the vegetarian population is substantial (7 per cent of young adults in the uk in 1999) and enthusiastically market vegetarian products.

There has been an explosion in the number of cookery books devoted exclusively to vegetarian food, and many of these are remarkably inexpensive. Buy some. Look at the pictures and try out some of the recipes. You may realize that some of your favourite foods are vegetarian and you hadn't even thought about it! Many people imagine that a vegetarian meal is meat-and-two-veg with the meat missing, or replaced by some kind of soya substitute. Once you begin to explore vegetarian cookery you will begin to see that pattern as hopelessly limited and won't even try to imitate it most of the time. You can slowly build up a new repertoire of dishes, gradually phasing the meat out of your diet. Or you can just decide to stop eating meat right now.

Telling others what you are doing and why - kindly and clearly - can help you to reinforce it and clarify your thinking. Some will be supportive, others may be hostile (and may think they're being criticized even when they aren't). Those who might invite you to dinner need to know you're vegetarian or it might prove embarrassing for both of you. Let them know - it's really not a problem since most people by now must be used to catering for vegetarian friends. Anyone who wants to have guests round had better get used to catering for vegetarians, given that people are increasingly giving up meat.

If you're the only vegetarian in your family, that is more difficult, but not insurmountable. There are cookery books designed to help you and your family cope with this. In addition, supermarkets supply many vegetarian frozen and chilled foods (although it's a shame to eat mass-produced food when home-cooked is usually much better). You could try introducing the others in your family to the food you eat. They might be pleasantly surprised.

Surely it is impossible to live without causing harm?

It's true that it's impossible to live without causing any harm. Even the cultivation of vegetables and grains kills many small creatures living in the earth, and pesticides (whether organic or chemical) kill many insects. We should not dismiss this out of hand. If we wish to reduce the amount of suffering in the world, we should be aware of such issues.

However, some forms of agricultural practice cause less destruction than others. If we have a choice of foods grown in different ways, it would be sensible to choose those grown by the most ethically acceptable methods. At the very least, it would be good if we began to make more use of organically grown produce. The build-up of long-lasting toxic chemicals in the food chain undoubtedly leads to problems for birds and higher mammals (including ourselves), and we should discourage the use of such chemicals.

As an argument for meat-eating, though, the idea that we cannot avoid causing some harm simply does not hold water. There is some harm that we can avoid. The harm caused to farm animals is unnecessary, and we can, and indeed should, avoid it if we regard ourselves as compassionate. We may not be able to live without causing any harm at all but we can certainly live in such a way that we cause less harm.

Plants are living too. Aren't vegetarians inconsistent?

The notion that vegetarians are being inconsistent in eating plants because plants are living things is very common: there can scarcely be a vegetarian who hasn't heard this argument several times. It is hard, however, to see how plants can suffer. They have nothing corresponding to a central nervous system or even to nerves. While it's of considerable evolutionary benefit for animals to have a sense of pain so that they can escape danger, why should plants, which are by nature static, have evolved such a sense? I believe that we instinctively recognize that plants are of a different order from animals. I doubt if many who employ the above argument would really feel the same seeing a carrot pulled out of the ground and eaten as they would seeing a lamb having its throat cut. The difference seems obvious.

A second count on which this argument falls is that it takes ten kilos of vegetable protein to produce one kilo of meat protein. Thus, by eating plants directly, rather than by converting them into animal protein first, we cause the deaths of far fewer of them. If you're concerned about causing less destruction to plants then become a vegetarian!

Why should I worry about animals when there is so much human suffering in the world?

For some, the issue of animal suffering is insignificant compared to the problems involved in human suffering. They would rather not, they say, divert their energies into preventing animals from suffering while there are so many humans in the world who lack food, medicine, and clean water.

If we had to make a choice between alleviating the sufferings of animals and that of humans, this argument would have a great deal of force. However, it is not necessary to do this. Becoming a vegetarian is not a difficult thing to do. It adds little or no extra demands to our lives. In choosing what to eat (something we have to do anyway) we simply choose to eat food that does not contain meat. In doing so we boycott a trade that leads to immeasurable suffering. The rest of our time is free to spend in whatever way we wish, including working for the welfare of other members of our species.

There is also a strong argument for becoming vegetarian to help other humans (apart from the many ecological arguments we've already looked at). The ten kilos of vegetable protein it takes to produce one of animal protein mean that raising animals is a vastly inefficient method of producing food. Animal farming has been correctly described as 'a protein factory in reverse'. As much as 40 per cent of the world's grain is used to feed cattle, pigs, and poultry.(footnote 59) In theory (for there are also problems of unequal distribution of wealth and food), we could feed many more people on a vegetarian diet. There would be far more food in the world to feed the hungry if we did not eat meat and potentially far less human suffering as a result.

How do I relate to meat-eaters?

Some meat-eaters seem to feel threatened when they are with a vegetarian. It is as if they sense an implied criticism in the simple action of someone asking if there is anything vegetarian on the menu. This may reveal an underlying sense of moral unease. We rarely acknowledge that meat is part of a dead animal, and nowadays meat is packaged to disguise the connection with the farm and slaughterhouse. Reminders of the connection are often unwelcome. It's therefore quite natural and to be expected that some meat-eaters will react in this way.

In return, some vegetarians can be self-righteous and harsh, but most are not. If a vegetarian is self-righteous, the problem is with their lack of metta, and not with their diet. They need to learn to have more respect and kindness towards others and not to judge harshly. If you are going to become a vegetarian it's good to be aware of any tendency you might have toward self-righteousness. You can then deal with it by reminding yourself that you once ate meat, and for the same reasons that others continue to eat meat. A little patience, kindness, and humility are called for.

What would happen to the animals if we all became vegetarian?

There is one other argument that comes up surprisingly often. Well, if the whole world decided simultaneously to stop eating meat, there would be an enormous crisis! However, common sense tells us that changes do not happen in such a way, except where there is a major panic over health, as with salmonella in eggs or the bse scare. Vegetarianism has been growing in recent decades but in the way we would expect - in a relatively slow, steady, and progressive manner. When change happens in this way, farmers and the food industry adjust to suit the market. Fewer animals are bred, so the total number of farm animals declines. There is no question of us being lumbered with vast herds of animals roaming around the countryside.

Will I miss having meat in my diet?

To start with, the answer for many people is probably 'yes'. It would be normal for you to experience cravings for meat from time to time - but this will probably be just a passing phase and won't last very long. If you begin to have doubts about what you're doing then reflect on your reasons for becoming vegetarian in the first place. Think about what it is you're really giving up - your involvement in death and destruction. Think about the benefits of what you're doing, for yourself; the benefits for your health and for your conscience - and for others; the contribution you're making towards a better world.

We all hit times when our own actions seem insignificant in this very large and complex world of ours. In a later chapter on 'Meat and Metta' we'll see that the whole subcontinent of India became almost entirely vegetarian as a result of individuals giving up meat - and that was in a time and place where there were no mass media to spread ideas and information. At times when we feel discouraged, it's good to bear this in mind. Your actions are important. You are shaping the world whatever you do. Why not change it for the better?

Above all, enjoy the change in your diet. You'll be performing a highly positive action in giving up meat. You'll probably get more pleasure from your food, you'll almost certainly be healthier, and you can be absolutely sure that there will be less suffering in the world as a result of your actions.

What about veganism?

A vegan diet is one that excludes all animal products, including dairy and eggs. In addition many vegans do not wear leather or wool, and avoid other products that contain ingredients derived from animals.

For some, becoming vegetarian is not enough. The sufferings of animals in the dairy and poultry industries are so great that many people feel they have to take a stand against it by abstaining from dairy products and eggs. Indeed, it's a perfectly logical step from vegetarianism to veganism. If we want to reduce the amount of harm that our needs and appetites cause, it is unhelpful to assume that because we've become vegetarian we've done all we can. Vegetarians need to avoid complacency, and the arguments in this book support the change from vegetarianism to veganism just as much as they do the change from meat-eating to vegetarianism.

As we have seen, the dairy and meat industries are, in reality, a single economic entity. Cows have to calve in order to lactate. Most of the calves (mainly the male ones) have no value except as meat. By supporting the dairy industry, we are also supporting the meat industry. It makes sense, considering what we have seen, to go the whole way and stop supporting both. This can involve a bit of scrutinizing of labels - eggs and milk are used in a large range of products, including biscuits, cakes, yoghurt, ice-cream, chocolate, etc., although there are vegan alternatives to all of these.

If you do decide to become vegan there is one nutrient that you do need to take special notice of - vitamin B12. This is needed for the healthy production of blood and to maintain the nervous system. Meat and dairy products are rich sources, but vegetables have only traces of this vitamin. However, it is abundant in yeast extract and fermented foods like soy sauce and miso, and B12 is added as a supplement to other foods (some margarines, soya milk, breakfast cereals, etc.). We need only minute quantities every day, and even in pregnancy two-millionths of a gram daily should be sufficient for good health. If in doubt take a supplement.

If you eat meat, you might think it's too big a change to go straight to a vegan diet. In fact your digestive system might not take kindly to such a large change in your dietary habits in too short a time. It makes more sense to change your habits little by little - after all, any change you make in moving towards veganism is going to benefit the world. Even if you don't feel you can make the step from being a meat-eater to being a vegan all at once, it is still good to be aware that becoming vegetarian is an immensely positive action. It will lead, over the course of an average human life, to many scores of animals not having to experience the hells that we have been exploring in imagination. Once you feel comfortable about being a vegetarian you can begin to adopt a vegan diet more and more.

If you are a vegetarian who still eats dairy products and eggs, I hope this exploration of the principles of vegetarianism and the practices of modern farming will persuade you to take a further step in the direction of abstaining from harm and cultivating an all-embracing love for all that lives.

Notes:

59: John Bennett, The Hunger Machine , Polity Press, Cambridge 1987, p.37.