Page 43 - Spring2008

that are higher in vegetable proteins are much toxins (pesticides, environmental pollutants, preservatives) that overload
lower in fat and calories than the SAD. Vegetar- our systems and cause illness. When people begin formal detoxifi cation

ians are also less likely to fall victim to weight- programs, their first step is to replace meats and dairy products with fruits
related disorders like heart disease, stroke and and vegetables and juices.
diabetes. There are no studies showing that elimination of meat from the diet
Studies do show that vegetarians on aver- helps “purge the body of toxins.” The wording is interesting as it implies
age have lower body mass than non-vegetarians, that vegetarianism will render a sinful body pure.
but vegetarianism does not confer protection from Most plant foods today are loaded with pesticides and many compo-
stroke and diabetes and provides only minimal nents in animal products support the body’s detoxifi cation system—such as
protection against heart disease. Some people do iron in meat, amino acids in bone broths, vitamin A in liver and saturated
gain weight—lots of weight—on a vegetarian diet fat in butter.
and many vegetarians are far too thin. No doubt about it, however, toxins are everywhere, in plant foods and
animal foods. Health conscious consumers need to do their best to reduce
7. YOU’LL GIVE YOUR BODY the toxic load by choosing organic plant foods and pasture-raised animal
A SPRING CLEANING: foods.
Giving up meat helps purge the body of The Honolulu Heart Study found an interesting correlation of

rant and bakery dumpsters). Dumpster diving especially is seen as a radical form of environmental stewardship—saving
otherwise good food from going to a landfill. Getting food for free in this way also gives rise to the name—“free” plus
“vegan” equals “freegan.”

MEAGANISM: A further subset of freeganism! A meagan would dispense with the strict adherence to a vegan diet when
their dumpster diving provides them with usable meat or other animal foods. (“Meat” plus “vegan” equals “meagan.”) Some
meagans argue that all foods produced by the dominant corporate model are ethically-tainted, meatless or otherwise.
Following this line, there is no moral high ground to be had when eating salvaged food. Other meagans believe that it is
disrespectful to the spirit of an animal to allow its flesh or other products to be wasted, so it is better to eat these items
and honor the loss of their lives by keeping them in the food chain whenever possible.

FRUITARIANISM: A subset of veganism wherein neither animals nor plants are allowed to be harmed or killed to feed
human beings. This means that only the fruits of plants and trees are morally acceptable as human food, as these may
be harvested without doing any harm to the plant. However, there is no strong consensus among fruitarians as to what
exactly should constitute “fruit.” Botanically speaking, some common vegetables are actually classified as fruits (such as
bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers), as are nuts and grains. Some fruitarians abide by the wider, botanical meaning of
“fruit,” while others only eat the sweet, fleshy, more commonly-known fruits. Many fruitarians also include seeds in their
diet, following the line of thought that anything that naturally falls from a plant (or would do so) is valid food.

LIQUIDARIANISM / JUICEARIANISM: A rarely-espoused dietary philosophy wherein adherents only consume liquids and
fruit and vegetable juices. More often than not, such a program would only be undertaken for a limited period of time
only for the purposes of a cleansing fast. However, a relatively small number of people have attempted to maintain such
a regime over an indefinite period of time.

RAW FOODISM: While not necessarily falling under any of the above headings, many raw foodists base their food choices
on some form of vegetarianism or veganism. A raw foodist consumes most or all of their foods in uncooked and unprocessed
forms. (This may or may not include practices such as the soaking of nuts, seeds and grains.) While many raw foodists
minimize or exclude animal products, some do consume raw meats, eggs and dairy products.

MACROBIOTICS: Again not necessarily falling under any vegetarian category, but many macrobiotic adherents have strong
overlap with vegetarianism and veganism. The macrobiotic diet emphasizes eating foods that are grown locally and (to the
extent possible) when they are actually in season, placing an emphasis on eating grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts,
seeds, fermented soy products and sometimes fish. Processed foods and animal products are typically excluded, as are
vegetables of the nightshade family.

VEGANGELICAL: Extreme veganism, where eating habits have become a highly intolerant, proselytizing religion!

SPRING 2008 Wise Traditions 43