YOUR AD HERE »

Letters: Eat your veggies

Vincent Yates
Vail

This has indeed been the year of eating dangerously.

Consumer Reports got things rolling by reporting that 83 percent of all raw chickens harbor campylobacter or salmonella, leading causes of food-borne disease. Spring and summer brought 20 recalls of 30 million pounds of ground beef contaminated with lethal E. coli.

All through the year, two dozen scientific reports, including a mammoth one by the World Cancer Research Fund, linked meat and dairy consumption with elevated risk of colon, stomach, pancreatic, prostate, breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers.



A dozen more reports linked meat and dairy with obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. A survey of 30,000 children by the National Center for Health Statistics indicated an alarming rise in high blood pressure, a precursor to heart attack and stroke.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s The 11th Hour reminded us that, according to the U.N., animal agriculture accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions ” more than automobiles.

Support Local Journalism



The national uproar over Michael Vick’s brutal dog fighting operation made us wonder why we tolerate the brutal treatment and slaughter of billions of cows, pigs, and other innocent, sentient animals for our dinner table.

The dawn of the new year is a great time to explore the rich variety of veggie burgers, dogs, deli slices, heat-and-eat dinners, and soy-based milk, cheese, and ice cream in our local supermarket, as well as the traditional vegetables, nuts, grains, and fruits.

It’s the one new year’s resolution that’s easy and fun to keep.


Support Local Journalism