Is the vegetarian diet is the most ecologically friendly way to eat?
The conventional wisdom has become that a vegetarian diet is the most ecologically friendly way to eat. This seems to be sticking point for those of us that believe humans were evolved to eat plants AND meat.
Personally, I do not eat any CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) foods or soy or grains or nuts or seeds or eggs or dairy. Instead, I follow the eating plan nature evolved us to eat, because I believe it is the most ethical, sustainable, and healthiest diet on the planet. Some features of this plan:
It does not require the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides (environmental neurotoxins that kill animals); or agricultural machinery to plow, cultivate and harvest; or artificial irrigation; or GM seeds (Frankenfoods).
It is completely independent of farms and all of the agricultural machinery that destroys topsoil and kills/maims/crushes millions of ground-living animals. It eliminates the need for any of the products produced by the pesticide, fertilizer, and GM AgriGiants, or the need for feed-lots, egg-breeders, or dairy farms.
It does not use anything made by Monsanto, Archer Daniels Midland, Syngenta, Dean Foods, Heinz, Nestle, Kraft, General Mills, Betty Crocker, Solae, Kellogg, Nabisco, Stonyfield, Yoplait, ConAgra, Cargill, etc.
The ecological footprint of this diet is estimated to be much smaller than either a vegan, vegetarian, or Standard American Diet. It arguably is the most nutrient dense, and respects the ethical treatment of both animals and plants – something unavailable in any other diet.
A description of this diet, along with supporting references, can be found in my book The Original Diet – The Omnivore’s Solution.