The World Peace Diet: Eating For Spiritual Health And Social Harmony

94 / the world peace diet
never “cheat,” because that means directly harming others, which we
are unwilling to do. While there are thus many “former vegetarians,”
it’s unlikely that “former vegans” were ever actually vegans; it seems
doubtful that compassion authentically attained is ever lost.
The main reason for outlining some of the negative health consequences
of eating animal products in this chapter was to help disabuse
us of the incorrect notion that our bodies somehow “need” animal
foods. This erroneous belief opens gateways into incalculable dimensions
of misery. The suffering that food animals undergo, the suffering
of those who eat them and profit by them, the suffering of starving people
who could be fed with the grain that feeds these animals, and the
suffering we thoughtlessly impose on the ecosystem, other creatures,
and future generations are all interconnected. It is this interconnectedness
of suffering, and its reverse, of love, caring, and awareness, that
calls out for our understanding.