Vegan author loving dogs and eating pigs

Vegan author: Why we love dogs, but eat pigs

Vegetarian and vegan diet has long been on everyone's lips. The US psychologist Melanie Joy is dedicated to her new book „Why we love dogs, eat pigs and put cows on“ the psychological and cultural aspects of eating meat. Compared to "BILD" she explained her theses.

Eat pigs and put cows on
According to a recent report, students in Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bremen and Tübingen can look forward to vegan dishes in the university cafeteria. The Studentenwerke wanted to contribute to the „healthy nutrition of learners and for climate protection“ Afford. Melanie Joy, a professor of psychology and sociology at the University of Massachusetts, has been a vegan for many years and explains in her new book „Why we love dogs, eat pigs and put cows on“ the psychological and cultural aspects of meat eating.

Meat eating is not a normal state
According to Joy, eating meat is a culturally learned phenomenon and not the normal state. In some cultures, it is forbidden to eat cows, and for us that is considered normal. „We send one species to the butcher and give our love and attention to the other“, so the author. She went on to say that meat is not necessary for survival. Generally, meat consumption is known to be one of the major causes of common lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, allergies or cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies have shown that the causes of many diseases can be found in animal protein. Joy says: „We eat animals simply because we've always done that and because they taste good.“

Ideology divides into edible and inedible
By the vegan was also the term „Karnismus“ embossed. She describes an invisible system of beliefs that classify animals „edible“ and „not eatable“ sorted. In this ideology, it is necessary to regard one's own consumption of meat as normal, natural and necessary. Based on such beliefs, meat-eating people could distance themselves from compassion for the affected animals. Joy answered BILD.de when asked why we eat cows but not dogs: „Carnism is a belief system that conditions us to eat animals. We distinguish ourselves psychologically and emotionally from the animals, if we consider these selected species as edible.“

Problem of social justice
Although most people would not want animals to suffer, according to the psychologist, the reality is different. In order not to recognize the cruel methods of animal husbandry, there is „a lot of social and psychological defense mechanisms that people use to turn their compassion for animals on without realizing what's happening to them. For example, hardly any meat eater in his beefsteak sees the cow that died for it.“ Ms. Joy had stopped eating meat when she fell ill from a hamburger infested with bacteria. This event had led her to grapple intensively with meat eating and finally to her PhD thesis „Karnismus“ wrote. Your conclusion: „Eating animals is a problem of social justice.“

95 percent from fattening systems
The author sees a big mistake in people believing they need meat for a healthy diet. There are numerous studies that prove that vegan nutrition is not only sufficient, but even much healthier than a diet based on animal protein. She also points out that in Germany, 95 percent of the demand for meat, eggs and milk from livestock come from fattening systems and that the animals are not doing better with the so-called organic products.

Vegan instead of vegetarian
Melanie Joy answers "BILD" why it's not enough to live vegetarian: „Because the production of eggs and milk is as deadly to animals as meat processing. The number of animals killed for this industry is much higher. There are, for example, countless male chicks, which are killed as unwanted by-products in the laying batteries. Or the cows, who get pregnant every year to give birth to as many calves as possible, and who are then separated from their young. These are serious traumas for the animals. Vegetarianism is therefore a viable transition to veganism, but it is still a form of caricature.“

Vegetarians live longer
But not only ethical reasons, as pointed out by Melanie Joy, speak for a renunciation of meat. Nutrition expert dr. Christian Keßler from the Charité Outpatient Clinic for Natural Medicine at the Immanuel Hospital Berlin looks at from a medical point of view: „Balanced vegetarian diets have numerous health benefits, which are now also quite clearly scientifically proven.“ Recent scientific studies would show that vegetarians not only have less serious health problems, especially cardiovascular disease, but also that they live longer. Only recently, a study by Loma Linda University in California was published among about 70,000 participants in the medical journal JAMA, which stated: „Vegetarian diets are associated with a lower death rate.“

No deficiency symptoms
The nutrition expert also gave the all-clear in the prejudice of deficiency symptoms in vegetarians: „Interestingly, vegetarians often have a significantly better supply of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals than meat-eaters.“ Only with the supply of vitamin B12 and iron vegetarians and vegans are advised to take care. Vegetarian diet in children can be discussed with a doctor and monitored if necessary.

Varied vegetarian diet
Keßler advises seasonal and regional on the dining table: „Feed your way through the garden, try new vegetables and fruits, spices and herbs.“ And further: „Diversity is important to that „Pudding vegetarians syndrome“ to avoid.“ This means not just leaving out meat and feeding on finished products and other unhealthy foods. „That would not be balanced and no healthy vegetarian diet.“ Also the vegetarian federation Germany (VEBU) refers to the variety: „In addition to the abundance of different types of vegetables, fruits and cereals, the vegan-vegetarian range is growing in supermarkets, canteens and canteens, restaurants and hotels. Anyone who needs something powerful now and then can dodge the growing selection of meat, sausage and even fish alternatives (from seitan, tofu, lupine or tempeh) with a clear conscience. Meanwhile, there is almost no dish that could not be recreated on a vegetable basis.“ Which recipes can also be prepared without meat is revealed by sites like "vegetarian-rezepte.com". Nutrition expert Keßler concludes by saying that in principle it seems that way, „that the complete renunciation of meat has life-prolonging and life-quality-improving effects as a whole.“ (Ad)