Lifestyle as Direct Action
Press Action
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/mickeyz12012004/
A Conversation with Rex Bowlby, Author of ‘Plant Roots’
By Mickey Z.
Q. How many vegans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. I dunno...but where do they get their protein?
Like any self-respecting vegan atheist, I’m an evidence junkie. Taking little or nothing at face value, I scoff at the corporate media, the latest scientific (sic) studies, and anything that begins or ends with “amen.” Living in a nation that shuns evidence can be a tad frustrating...that is, until people like Rex Bowlby come along.
His new book, “Plants Roots: 101 Reasons Why the Human Diet is Rooted Exclusively in Plants” (Outside the Box Publishing), is a mother lode of verification on how the eschewing of animals as food, clothes, entertainment, shooting targets, and laboratory subjects makes sense. And when I say “makes sense,” I mean not only for the typical selfish human wishing to steer clear of degenerative diseases...but also for every living thing on the planet.
Readable, often funny, and never condescending, Bowlby’s 101 reasons will bowl you over with the evidence you’ll need to facilitate your own personal lifestyle revolution and/or reaching out to others seeking direct paths toward justice. Being the “militant vegan” I am, I read Bowlby’s book with unmitigated glee...then I got in touch with him to ask some questions.
MZ: So, Mr. Bowlby, where DO you get your protein?
RB: I get it from the wild beet found in the higher elevations of the Himalayas.
Well, this is one of the many answers I give to the well-meaning, but misinformed American omnivore to get his or her attention. Then I try to impart some education and hope it sinks in somewhere down the road such as: We need about 5 percent protein in calories (measured by the urinary nitrogen, broken down protein, we put out) and the vegan gets double that. Or, if you get enough calories from a plant/vegan diet you will have a hard time not getting enough protein. Or, there are 10 to 15 million vegetarians in the U.S., but virtually no cases of the primary disease of protein deficiency, Kwashiorkor.
If the question comes with a dose of smug, I will often answer the question with a question, “So where do you get your medical care when you possibly contract one of the many degenerative diseases—kidney, autoimmune, osteoporosis, some cancers, possibly Alzheimer’s—from consuming too much protein, which you do, from your meat, dairy, and egg diet?”
Or, I might try the logical argument. “Would Nature have left our very survival—food—to chance by placing our protein source in mobile animals ("Hey, come back here!"), another mammal’s milk ("Let’s see, we tried the hedgehog and the seal—only 4,498 species to go."), and under a hen ("Hey Trog, what do you think of this chicken placenta?")"
Or, I might suggest an alternative question. “The ‘protein question’ is a meaningless one that is perpetuated by those interests (meat, dairy, and egg producers) that make their money from the sale of protein. The better question, and the one everyone should be asking is, ‘So where do you get your carbohydrates?’ Given it’s our primary fuel source and should make up 75 to 80 percent of our calories, it would appear this would be a better question.”
MZ: You throw a brick of tofu these days and you’re bound to hit five people who have written books about being a vegan...what’s different about yours?
RB: The thrust of “Plant Roots” is that vegetarians didn’t choose their diet...it chose them! Because think about it: would Nature have placed our very means of survival—food—in mobile animals, another mammal’s milk, and under a hen OR in 260,000 varieties of immobile plants spread over the earth? So rather than showing the virtues of the vegan diet by way of the benefits, I turn it upside down and portray the “benefits as byproducts,” evidence that humans are natural herbivores. It may seem like semantics, but it a much more powerful way, I believe, to persuade meat-eating Americans. The format and presentation are also unique: I have united the compelling science and studies, including 1001 references, and weaved them into 101 stories, using every possible strategy to penetrate the economic, political, and social armor that has influenced America’s SICK (Self-Induced Carnivorous Killer) diet.
MZ: What’s so bad about eating animals? According to the man on the TV, Americans are living longer than ever.
RB: Are they really? Let’s look a little closer and see if that is the case.
MZ: If there’s overwhelming evidence that a meat, dairy, and egg diet is so bad for us, why do we Americans insist on ignoring reality?
RB: The answer is complex and fascinating and deserves a whole book. I have devoted a whole chapter to it (Manipulation: Caution Economic forces at work) because I believe we have to know how we got to where we are, before we can go back to where we should be—a vegan diet...and that’s the last chapter (Insight):
MZ: Here’s where charges of self-righteousness and rigidity come in. Shouldn’t people have the freedom to eat what they want, even if it’s unhealthy?
RB: Absolutely, with the important provision that it affects no one else, is my litmus test. So let’s look who is affected by a meat, dairy, and egg diet.
Think it failed the litmus test by just a fraction.
MZ: Will the world be all vegetarian someday?
RB: First, it will have to be, or the earth won’t support human life. We rely on the estimated 1.75 million species on earth to maintain hydrological cycles, regulate climate, contribute to the process of soil formation and maturation, store and cycle essential nutrients, absorb and break down pollutants, on and on and on. Humbling and shameful to realize: Ant becomes extinct our ecosystem crumbles. Humans become extinct and the earth prospers. Losing a species is like losing a tooth on a gear of the human machine and we are losing 50,000 per year due to our meat-eating ways, which would in theory cause humans to become extinct by the end of the century. But I’m optimistic that we will wake up before it is too late, and we will be a vegetarian world someday, because I believe we naturally “evolve” and progress.
MZ: Have you encountered the paradox of activists and other lefties aggressively rejecting veganism as a form of protest? If so, why do think this happens so often?
RB: Yes, I guess it is conspicuous by its absence. I can only speculate as to why. I doubt that leftists and activists, on a percentage basis, are that much more likely to be vegans than the general American population, roughly 3 to 5 percent. Thus, it would be slightly hypocritical and difficult to rationalize a protest.
Also, your average person, even many who are vegetarian, aren’t educated or confident enough to want to take on the issue. Not to mention are still so deeply influenced by the psychological, physiological, political, economic, social, and medical forces that we are all subject to in Meat America, that it is hard break free from it. And human nature being what it is, an activist realizes if the majority of the population is still holding tight to their animal-based diets, then there is less likelihood for getting much of a rise or following from them, I suppose.
All and all, it’s too bad, because there is no greater cause that would have more profound positive consequences for the individual, society, and the planet than embracing our natural diet, a plant diet.
MZ: That’s what makes it all the more frustrating to be surrounded by people who are skeptical of anything politics-related that comes from the corporate media or an elected official...but they will vehemently defend mainstream paradigms of health, medicine, diet, science, etc. Then you have a Michael Moore advising his readers how “vegetarianism is unhealthy” and explaining that they should put down their sprouts and “pick up a T-bone.” What is in your book for these folks...the socially aware who choose, for some reason, to not only reject veganism, but go as far as taking a public stand against it?
RB: We are still a society that gets most of its information by way of mainstream television, radio, and newspapers, AND unfortunately will not accept information as credible if it doesn’t come from these sources. The mainstream media, ever since Nixon and Watergate, takes pride in exposing political shenanigans. It’s great for ratings, advertising isn’t really affected, and America views the media as doing them a public service. Additionally, politics is a subjective arena. Thus, political skepticism is hip, noble, and welcome.
Then you have health, medicine, diet, and science, an “objective” arena. America views science as already confirming our diet—that animals and their byproducts are a necessary component of our diet. And where it causes a few “subsidiary” problems, the public sees modern medicine and healthcare solving them. They also don’t observe the mainstream media questioning this model which they, the media, don’t for a very good reason—you don’t bite the hand that feeds you—that is, advertising dollars from primary and secondary animal-based products often pay the bills. Then add to the equation the idea that people get immense pleasure three or more times a day from eating, and they don’t want to entertain ANY data that might threaten that pleasure. So you have these two elements working together that make it easy and self-serving for mainstream America to defend the health, medicine, diet, and science paradigms.
Michael Moore has a political agenda, not a diet and health agenda. He is savvy enough to realize that the majority of his supporters are coming from the pool of Americans of which 95 percent are meat-eaters. I would speculate that since it is still fashionable to “tear down” vegetarians, it’s just one of the many tools he has to rally the troops and add to his following. I question though whether he is that ignorant, health-wise. He might feel the diet sacrifice is worth the political gain—the end justifies the means.
The goal of “Plant Roots,” and the challenge I took on, was to produce a book that would penetrate the economic, political, and social armor that has so errantly influenced America’s animal-based dietary habits. I did this by combining the relevant science and studies (1001 references) and weaving them into an entertaining presentation that would show rather then tell by using such devices as psychology, philosophy, humor, sarcasm, logic, and fantasy. Generally, most Americans are smart and socially aware, but you can’t beat people over the head with the facts, you have to let them feel as if they came to their own opinions and conclusions.
MZ: Despite my decidedly simple lifestyle and modest income, I’ve recently been labeled an “elitist” by some. Why? Well, it seems many are under the impression that veganism is too expensive except for an elite few...and thus I am imposing on poor people a lifestyle they simply cannot afford to adopt. Care to jump in here?
RB: Jumpin’ in Mickey. You’re not imposing, you are exposing! Because the impression is a myth that needs to be trotted out and revealed.
The impression no doubt comes from the perception that vegan foods only consist of processed and frozen foods. If that were the case then one could make the argument, although shortsighted, that you are indeed an elitist Mickey and are taking advantage of the disadvantaged. But alas, I’m here to rescue you from this unjust accusation.
Nature already did a pretty good job of “processing” foods for us and absorbing the cost. The vegan diet, which I have coined the WELL diet (Wholly Eating Leaves to Live) is made up essentially of whole grains and legumes, fruits and vegetables, and nuts and seeds to a lesser extent. The traditional American diet which I have coined the SICK diet (Self-Induced Carnivorous Killer) is made up essentially of meat, dairy and eggs, and fruits and vegetables. The foundation of these two diets is roughly the following: The WELL diet is whole grains (rice, oats, barley, etc.) and legumes (beans, peas, lentils, etc.), potatoes and pasta . The SICK diet is meat, dairy and eggs. Overall, calorie for calorie, the WELL menu is considerably less expensive than the SICK menu.
Yes, followers of both diets will purchase a certain amount of processed, refined, and frozen foods. And yes, the vegan and vegetarian foods in these categories tend to be more expensive (although healthier) than non-vegetarian foods. However, these “contrived” foods on both menus are created for profit, rather than nutrition—and Mother Nature has already taken care of the nutrition—all that matters. After all, her number one priority after the assurance we procreate is to ensure our survival, that is, produce a foolproof fuel—our food. So there is no nutritious reason to pay for, and include processed, refined, and frozen foods in our diets.
Although the story could end here with you, Mickey, being exonerated, let’s look closer at the assumed less expensive traditional American SICK diet. Out-of-pocket medical costs are greater for the meat-eating American. (Per Dr. William Harris’ “The Scientific Basis of Vegetarianism,” it is estimated that the total out-of-pocket expenses plus insurance costs is $123 billion per year as a result of the SICK diet.) Then add the potential for weight loss regimens and books, and you have widened the gap. Add to that the costs we all share due to America’s proclivity for meat, dairy, and eggs such as taxes to cover water pollution and soil erosion, and the added energy costs to produce these foods—15 percent of our energy resources; same as to run our automobiles—and you have a diet than runs up a pretty high bill.
The bottom line is: poor people can’t afford not to adopt a vegan diet. It just makes sense—dollars and cents.
MZ: How about the old fallback: Indians? I can’t tell you how many people trot out their romanticized vision of indigenous peoples as “proof” that killing, eating, and wearing animals is noble. Your thoughts?
RB: Let’s look a little closer at the Native American scenario.
Native Americans had ample land to grow food until the American cowboy, who needed land to raise cattle took over their land, with the cattle wiping out much of the vegetation, and capability to grow food. In order to survive, animals became a greater part of their diet, not unlike the ice ages that occurred during our evolution requiring humans to eat whatever we could, that is animals, in order to survive. However, like the Indian’s change of diet, these were relatively short periods of time that apparently didn’t make a dent in the evolutionary process. One only has to look at the many herbivorous features of the human anatomy—the result of evolution—to appreciate this point.
The pride and nobility that the Native American shows, often romanticized in film, I believe is as much as a response to the mistreatment and humiliation they had to endure at the hands of the cowboy/cattle rancher, as it is to their resourcefulness to survive.
You can also say (and people do all the time) that “so-and-so lived to be 98 years old and smoked, drank, and ate meat daily.” There are always exceptions, red herrings, to almost all arguments. But view the human species dietary equation like a rope—that every strand of evidence strengthens the case, but a few broken strands aren’t going to sever it—rather than as a chain—that one weak link will break it, that is, invalidate the argument.
MZ: One of my proudest moments is when someone tells me they’ve become a vegan because of something I wrote or said. Can you share a story like this of your own?
RB: A gentleman told me recently he had read virtually every book on the subject of veganism/vegetarianism and felt “Plant Roots” influenced him more than any other. He suggested it would be the next “Diet for a New America.” I was incredibly flattered by the sentiment and could only hope to have half the influence. But I do believe, like John Robbins and “Diet for a New America,” I have produced a work that is unique and relevant. Only time will tell if “Plant Roots” makes inroads into people’s dietary choices.
“Plants Roots: 101 Reasons Why the Human Diet is Rooted Exclusively in Plants” (Outside the Box Publishing) is available now at bookstores and online booksellers.
Mickey Z. is the author of four books, most recently: “The Seven Deadly Spins: Exposing the Lies Behind War Propaganda” (Common Courage Press). He can be found on the Web at www.mickeyz.net.