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The Ethical Gourmet
Jay Weinstein

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Jerry, August 12, 2006

Far too many people out there are absolutists in their dietary beliefs. Regarding dairy, if you read Andrew Weil MD, Walter Willett MD or other reputable authors you will find the same (correct) recommendations cited over and over again, namely that there is no reason for adult humans to be drinking milk from any animal. However you will also read that SMALL amounts of fermented dairy products like cheese or yougurt made from goat or sheeps milk are very low in lactose and the chemicals/hormone's that pose a problem with cow dairy. Regarding soy...you will read the same (correct) recommendations over and over, namely that there is no reason for people to be eating large quantities of unfermented soy products like soymilk or tofu (due to phytates, androgens, etc.) but that SMALL amounts of fermented soy products (tempe, miso) are perfectly healthy.

Regarding meat...while my diet is about 90% vegetarian I do eat SMALL portions of organic, free-range red meat (beef, lamb or wild game) because I enjoy the taste, they are rich with zinc and iron that can be difficult to get with a pure veggie diet (especially if you have further food restrictions) and because I have no ethical problem with the killing of animals for food. B12 pill-popping vegans can insist on the superiority of their diet but I will argue that a diet including SMALL amounts of certain animal products is not only as healthy but MORE healthy than a pure vegan one.

Weinstein gets everything right in this book...informing readers on how they can maintain a healthy and ethical diet without necessarily adopting a hardcore vegan perspective. The real problem isn't those of us who sprinkle a little feta cheese on our Greek salad or who eat a small amount of organic meat, it's the vast numbers of Americans out there who indiscriminately consume huge amounts of dairy, factory raised meat or processed foods without any consideration for the welfare of the animals or the environment. It's those people who desperately need to get the message of moderation and ethical eating...hopefully Weinstein's book will help with that process.

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