Pedestals of Gluttony

    Why do we teach our children to eat meat?
    Mounting evidence shows that meat accelerates gastrointestinal disease, including colon cancer, which is on the rise among people under 50. And heart disease from all the saturated fat it contains, contributing to obesity and all the other diseases that imparts. It seems to breed harmful bacteria in the gut and not probiotic ones, which can also impact our mood. I've personally noticed that after eating meat I am more sluggish and irritable.

    Meat production, particularly raising cattle, is disastrous for the environment by clearing forests, depriving the soil, and increasing greenhouse gases. It increases transportation costs that further pollutes because cattle cannot be raised near most urban settings. The meat for slaughter needs to be transported long distances before it can be consumed.

    We have a choice as parents to teach our children to eat healthy, sustainable sources of protein. Beans, nuts, vegetables, and to a lesser extent fish and poultry, are all better sources of it, having profoundly less fat. It's sad that in our culture meat is so ingrained that we can't reduce consumption, that it is one of the many harmful addictions we praise on a pedestal of gluttony.