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Book Review: The Vegetarian Myth By Lierre Keith
Oct 19, 2009 
Though I am the author of a book that promotes raw vegetarianism, I couldn’t put this book down! I found it fascinating and full of hard core indisputable research. I especially loved how she debunked the cholesterol myth, pointing to 167 studies indicating that dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on blood cholesterol, and also pointing out that cholesterol is needed for good health.
And wait until you read about how soy is causing Alzheimer’s, early puberty, undescended testicles, and cancer.
After being a raw vegan for four years, I suffered some serious health problems. Once I incorporated raw eggs and fish into my diet, they went away. But I have faced head on the wrath of vegans, and know that Lierre speaks the truth when she calls veganism a cult. (Ever notice that vegans are more ‘vegangelical’ or dogmatic than vegetarians? It’s because many of them lack good saturated fats in their diet and this affects their brains, as the author explains.)
Nonetheless, I DO KNOW MANY LONG TERM RAW VEGANS WHO ARE VERY HEALTHY. These are mostly educated and know the importance of getting nutrients from superfoods, sea vegetables, and getting lots of sun for Vitamin D. However—I did all that, and it didn’t work.
I have come to the conclusion that Dr. Mercola (among others) is right: some of us are protein types (who really do need meat), some are carb types (successful vegetarians and perhaps even vegans) and some are mixed (needing about half of both). The author points to these biochemical differences among us when she (on p. 180) explains that “some of us can synthesize very-long-chain fatty acids from other EFAs (essential fatty acids), but some of us can’t. These people don’t produce the enzymes for the task. They’re called ‘obligate carnivores’ and they must get their elongated fatty acids from animal products.”
This book is a must read for vegans, raw fooders, cooked fooders, vegetarians, carnivores and omnivores. It is not just about diet, but about ecology and how we are ruining the planet. This book is a real paradigm shifter, the highest compliment I can ever pay a book! You think ‘meat is murder?’ Wait till you read this book, which proves that AGRICULTURE IS MURDER! It has caused the demise of thousands of species. It kills the mice and rabbits that get torn up by farm machines. It requires fertilizer filled with dead animals or limited petroleum. Ultimately, it is murdering us. Grains kill. They create disease. I detail this in an appendix of my own book. We need solutions, much broader ones than simply stopping the farm factories.
Lierre Keith is a writer, a farmer, and a feminist activist. She is the author of the novels Conditions of War and Skyler Gabriel. You'll find the author online at www.LierreKeith.com
The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability (PM Press/ 2009) by Lierre Keith
Book Review: The Top 100 Healing Foods By Paula Bartimeus
Susan Schenck is author of The Live Food Factor
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Alzheimer's, choesterol, meat, myth, raw, soy, vegan, vegetarian in Book Review, Raw, Soy, Susan Schenck, Vegan, Vegetarian 
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Reader Comments (9)
I am not saying that NO ONE can be a vegetarian (although Lierre leans more that way.) But I will say this: I have observed the above types to be true. I have met and read about people who do well on a vegetarian diet, and others who simply cannot do it without compromising their health. If you are a vegan, however, it can take over a decade for deficiencies to show up. Veganism is not our natural diet, though many people are so passionate about it that they are willing to be guinea pigs.
Studies have also shown that keeping low insulin levels is the NUMBER ONE determination in health and as to how long you will live. It is the common denominator in those who live to be 100. Carb types can digest carbs; others get spiked insulin levels. The only foods with zero carbs are---animal products.
The truth is there is no "one diet fits all" especially when it comes to the ratio of macronutrients (carbs, fats, proteins). I have learned in life, DON'T BE DOGMATIC. You end up learning lots more that way! You really do.
But people with Syndrome X --though they can live without meat--will not likely be HEALTHY without it. They need a low carb diet, and meat is about the only food that has no carbs. It is nearly impossible to live on a diet of less than 100 carbs a day and not eat meat.
Besides, history shows that man was a hunter, no doubt about it: Meat was our primary food for millions of years. Today we have a hard time finding such quality meat. Yet, I know some people who buy wild meat and even some who eat it raw, like the Eskimos. They are in superb health.
A couple years ago, I tried using beans and grains with a small amount of fish as my only protein sources. This debilitated me and gave me gas. During this time the very thought of meat turned my stomach. Trust me, I had no emotional attachment to the stuff.
When my Mom convinced me to eat flesh protein again, I got better. Science shows that there are nine essential amino acids human beings must get from their diet. Without them, our bodies cannot do things like produce neurotransmitters, grow healthy hair, or live.
Flesh protein is the only source of those amino acids that my body is willing to digest.