The Vegetarian Advantage

Every morning we crawl out of bed and face the same philosophical question to which man, woman and child has woken since the dawn of time: namely, "what's for breakfast?" The answer used to be bacon, eggs, and buttered toast, until physicians realized that we were putting a full-nelson on our arteries (eggs have since been mostly let off the hook). The Vegetarian Advantage persuasively argues that a little bit of meat goes a long way--literally; our intestines (or to use the medical term, "guts") go on for days, which means that animal products can actually turn rancid before reaching the exit sign. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the negative bacterial effects of pork gone south in your transverse colon. Vegetarians, on the other hand, can easily obtain all the vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates, they need, as well as smaller amounts of fats and oils and proteins from veggies. Protein, which is getting better press these days thanks to Barry (Enter the Zone) Sears, is not necessarily good for you in larger amounts as this simple formula demonstrates: more protein = faster growth = higher basal metabolism = dying quicker. End of biology lesson. In addition to pointing out the benefits of a vegetarian diet, the program addresses common concerns such as getting enough calcium (which, according to just released reports, is even more important to good health than we thought) and vitamin B-12. A good primer on the benefits of just saying no to meat. Recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Pitman)