Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

On average, vegetables are around 23% protein, beans are 28%, grains 13%, and even
fruit comes in at 5.5% … By comparison, human breast milk is only 6% protein (and it is
designed to be ingested at a time when our protein needs are as high as they will ever be).
To remain in optimum health, human adults need a diet that contains 3% to 10% protein,
and plants can supply this amount without difficulty.
And protein is readily available – with high percentages found in beans, nuts, seeds, tofu,
lentils, avocados, broccoli, spinach, peas, artichokes, asparagus and beet greens (not to
mention dairy products – especially those made from goat milk, as long as they are
obtained from farmers who treat their animals as members of their own family, not as
slaves).
*on IRON: “I need meat to satisfy my daily iron needs.” …
This is simply not true. Sufficient iron is easily obtained from a variety of non-meat
sources, including spirulina, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, molasses, tomato paste,
white beans, spinach, peaches, prunes & lentils. Cooking in iron pots is also a good idea –
when tomato paste is simmered in such iron cookware, the iron content of each meal can
be increased ten-fold.
*on VITAMIN B12: “I need to eat meat to satisfy my daily Vitamin B12 needs.” …
This is also not true. While indeed very important for human health – and while it is
primarily found in meat products, very little of this Vitamin must be ingested each day to
maintain optimum health. Vegans might need to take a vitamin supplement, but eating
veggie burgers, fortified breakfast cereals with soy milk, or various yeast derivatives that
are high in B12 is almost always more than sufficient. Also, vegetarians will have no
trouble whatsoever obtaining more than enough Vitamin B12 in their eggs, cheese and
yogurt (as long as they obtain these products from small, local farms who treat their
animals with Love & Respect, of course).
MYTH #02 — “I eat meat because it is natural for humans to do so.”
This is simply not true!
Fact: HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT “DESIGNED” TO EAT MEAT.
Not only do humans not innately crave the killing of other animals the way true
carnivores do, we humans are actually anatomically unable to do so without the use of
manufactured weapons. Humans lack sharp enough claws to tear an animal apart and our
canines aren’t really canines in the pure-carnivore sense of the word. Essentially, unlike
true carnivores, we can’t shred animal carcasses and eat them whole.
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