I like to see what happens when I challenge my deepest held convictions, so I thought this book would have some good points that could get me thinking and give me something to chew on. A quick glance at the bibliography tells you all you need to know about the author's "research." No medical journals or scholarly sources, except some outdated works from publications over 80 years old. Most of her sources were opinion pieces which didn't source real information either. A chain of non-credible parroting. A quick Google search will discredit much of the false nutrition information she uses. I was surprised when she said that there were NO vegetarian sources of tryptophan available and so vegetarians would quickly become sickly and depressed. 30 seconds of fact checking showed that soybeans, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds have MORE tryptophan per 100g than pork, turkey, chicken, and beef! There were many other great sources of tryptophan that also ranked up there with meat such as chickpeas, oats, rice, and quinoa. There were many other frustrating instances of false information in this book; this was just one example. The book is mostly dramatized personal anecdotes. After years of vegetarianism, she takes a bite of meat and instantly feels the health returning to her body and life flowing through her like some amazing mystical experience?? Okay buddy. I could rate this book anywhere between 1 to 5 and legitimately defend my choice, and feel good doing so. I settled on 3 stars as more of a compromise. How you view the book really will depend upon the vantage you want to take. Lierre Keith is a radical left misandrist, and if you lean that way you might enjoy her style more than someone with a different perspective. I've read the negative reviews of this book and those complaints all have merit. What audience is she preaching to? In my opinion, she eviscerates the logic and conclusions of her younger self - that's exactly who's she's talking to. I am not aware of how her old logic and the best arguments for vegetarianism would compare to each other, and in that sense, the entire book might be a strawman argument and I wouldn't really know.Yes, the author is duplicitous. She claims to have been vegan for two decades, and then admits in an interview that she ate eggs and dairy any chance she had. I'm not sure how she'd reconcile the two statements - but this isn't germane to the argument in the book."It's your choice," she says, "but don't pretend you're saving the world."THAT, and only that is the "vegetarian myth" that she tries to expose. She also argues that strict vegetarianism (veganism) is not healthy over the long run and in a large population setting. She freely admits that no method of argiculture will work given our current population. And if you're intelligent enough to read this book, then you probably already knew that.You want to save the world? Keith offers up three bits of advice:1. Do not procreate2. Do not drive3. Grow your own foodShe also would like to see you get involved to support sustainable local farming.I will go ahead an add one. You want to save the animals, the environment, the lush life of Earth from the clutches of anthropogenic destruction? Go to a weapons distributor, buy a hand gun of your choice along with ample ammo, go home, point it at anyone in your house, pull the trigger, and then do the same to yourself. If everyone follows this plan, soon the Earth will be free from the environmental destruction we're causing.Of course I'm not entirely serious here. That's the point of the book. It's a myth that there are easy solutions such as avoid meat.It's a very complex problem, and with 7 billion people, it's basically an impossible task.Does that mean you should give up and just eat big agro meats? No, that's not what she argues at all. Some reviewers have reading comprehension issues, I think. She does argue that full vegan is not healthy over the long haul; if you have an issue with that, you'd better cite better sources than The China Study.While her ranting style got tiresome for me, I still enjoyed the book enough as it made me think. Perhaps it will do the same for you, even if you still walk away disagreeing.
What do You think about Vegetarian Myth (2009)?
Keith writes in a very moving way so I was touched by her style. Nonetheless, she divulges her personal story of health problems while having been vegetarian for many years. What I also really enjoyed was her knowledge of the interconnectedness of life - the ecosystem and keystone species - and talks about how humans have a vastly inflated sense of self-importance in regards to their own species as well as their existence. Another issue is GMO foods, and livestock that have been given antibiotics and growth hormones, which a number of countries have banned. Anyone who has eaten organic produce and meat can taste the difference in quality and nutrition - it's incredible.It's true that vegetarianism isn't going to save the world because it is the agricultural/farming system itself that is corrupt (think also about how many migrant workers get exploited). When she talks about the earth dying, I think she meant less in a "let's save the earth" way and more of a,"if we keep killing the earth we're going to go extinct," because even without us the earth will repair itself.
—chevdiggity
I don't really love the way meat tastes and I was interested in basially just labeling myself as a vegetarian or maybe even a vegan, but, I now can see that that is a terrible idea. Originally I thought this woman was basically full of shit. I stand corrected. After having the science explained to me aruond the nutritional aspects of not eating animals, I could never support someone who was on a vegan diet, and I couldn't REALLY support a vegetarian either although I guess if they were grain-free, soy-free, but still eating eggs, cottage cheese, and especially yogurt from GRASS FED, FREE RANGE animals, then maybe, but still probably not. That still comes with a world of health problems, some of which I experience myself that I can only attribute to my infrequent consumption of healthful animal products. I want a grass fed cheeseburger, STAT!
—CCC
the idea is great but there is a lot of misinforation
—jassywassy
