Published Letters and Op-Eds from
COK’s Writers Group

Letter to the Editor: Vegetarian Alternatives

The Washington Times
October 20,  2008

Your editorial ("Where's the beef?" Friday) contains a number of inaccuracies.

Vegetarian alternatives to meat, like rice, vegetables, and legumes, are usually less expensive than meat itself, not more expensive.

Experts, like those at the American Dietetic Association, repeatedly state that vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other health problems. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional researcher at Cornell University and director of the largest epidemiological study in history, says "The vast majority of all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other forms of degenerative illness can be prevented simply by adopting a plant-based diet."

Nor is it necessary to drink cows' milk to get Vitamin D; 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure is one of the best (and easiest) ways to get Vitamin D. The Harvard School of Public Health also reports that, contrary to dairy-industry propaganda, heavily consuming of dairy appears to cause bone loss.

Our bodies most certainly do not need meat, dairy and eggs to function - in fact, most people become healthier when they leave animal products off their plates.

MAX FISCHLOWITZ-ROBERTS
Washington