We enjoy Diane Sagers’ Homefront column and find her articles informed and poignant, but we were disappointed with her recent article, “Where’s the Beef?” which appeared in the March 11 edition. In it, she refers to the dangers of not eating beef. Of course, beef in moderation is one option for a well-balanced diet, but it’s easy to maintain a well-balanced diet without meat too. We’ve done it consistently for over 15 years through two pregnancies and with our remarkably healthy and intelligent children. Separately, we became vegetarians for three reasons: 1) environmental impact, 2) opposition to most meat-production practices, and 3) health. For beef, the weight ratio of food-in to food-out is 16 to 1, and the volume of water required to produce one pound of beef is 5,500 gallons. There are also dangers in the common American diet having too much protein and too many calories, contributing to osteoporosis, obesity, and heart disease — which are virtually unknown in vegetarian societies. Americans eat meat at most meals in portions too large, and miss out on the bounty, flavors and health benefits of diets rich in plant foods. So in answer to Sagers’ “I’m not exactly sure how it happened” that beef fell from favor comment, for many reducing meat intake comes from asking whether one wishes to eat in an incredibly consumptive way when easy, delicious, more humane and healthier options are readily available.
George Lucier
Tooele