Be a Vegan and Save the World?

The Lancet has come out with a new report saying "Repent! The End is Near!" These days, that means someone wants you to live on grains, beans, nuts and vegetation to save your health and civilization itself; coming to Jesus for salvation would be absurd to them.

But there are flies in the ointment that only a bunch of academics could fail to observe:

• After being goaded for decades to move towards such a diet, people in developed countries are fatter and more diabetic than ever. 
• Growing these crops destroys natural habitats, uses fertilizer that depends on fossil fuels, and requires pesticides (even if organically grown). 
• Much of the land on earth is unsuitable for growing anything but livestock. 
• Such a diet is nutrient-poor and completely unsuitable for many people.
• The poorest countries tend to have frequent fighting and ((#%(@!#y governments, not citizens who are oddly unable to figure out what to eat. 
• Bison, deer, elk, antelope and other game used to roam North America before humans came along in great numbers. So how is growing corn and soybeans here better than raising cattle, pigs and other livestock on grassy pastures? Diet Doctor has a three-part series on climate and meat (part 1, part 2, part 3).

What to do? First, ignore the recommendations. Second, if you want to eat meat, eggs, and dairy of pasture-raised animals, you can seek a local source on eatwild.com. (I found my source, Fischer Farms here in Indiana, through a co-op that sold their meat.) Finally, if you want to help the very poor eat better, make a donation to Heifer International, an organization that provides livestock, training and other goods and services to the underprivileged.