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Meat and Livestock Australia's new TV ad "Red Meat -
we were Meant to eat it", featuring the urbane Sam Neill,
is undoubtedly witty and well-aimed. But while it's not
untruthful exactly, let's just say it leaves a few things
out.
Yes, our ancestors made a great leap. It was when they
commenced agriculture and no longer relied on the time-
and energy-intense activities of hunting and gathering for
survival that written languages, art, architecture, science,
technology and philosophy evolved and - as the ad puts it
- "we came to be".
Yes, our bodies are similar to those of our ancestors and
our closest living relatives. The gorillas, among the most
powerful animals on earth, are entirely vegetarian. On the
other hand our other relatives, the chimpanzees, have eaten
meat for millennia without any sign that they're evolving
into human beings.
Do we "instinctively" desire red meat? If so, we should
eat it raw - with the fur on and the blood still dripping.
We should salivate every time our dog or cat passes the
back door. And we should come out of an abattoir feeling
appetised.
Yes, Omega 3, protein, iron, B12 and zinc are essential
for human health and are contained in red meat. The ad just
neglects to mention that they're also readily available
in a meatless diet. On the other hand, other essentials
like fibre, folate and vitamin C which are also plentiful
in plants are not contained in meat.
The ad also neglects to mention the negatives of meat consumption
- such as cholesterol, saturated fat and oxidants, and the
lack of fibre and complex carbohydrates, which far outweigh
its advertised benefits. That's why although the Australian
Dietary Guidelines do allow for consumption of meat (the
government is answerable to a powerful industry lobby),
they emphasise lean meat and recommend quantities which
for most Australians represent a significant reduction.
The Dietary Guidelines also recommend we significantly increase
our intake of fruits and vegetables, and fibre.
It's clear that the meat industry is desperate, since they
spend so much on advertising. (How much does Sam Neill cost
anyway?) It's because independent research, such as the
China Study by T Colin Campbell (and unlike the research
behind the CSIRO's "Wellbeing" diet - which was paid for
by the meat industry) shows that a meatless diet is unquestionably
better for human health.
Vegetarian Action
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Herald Sun, Monday 27 March, 2006 |
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