In a letter to the editor March 21, Ms. Dorothy Greet opined that Dr. Georges Dahr should have recommended, in his recent article in this publication, that all people "stop eating meat and dairy."
In support of her opinion, she cited a 2013 Kaiser Permanente Nutritional Update. The problem is, she misrepresented the contents of the update, and thus misrepresented the advice it gave to physicians.
Ms. Greet stated that, "Kaiser Permanente advised its 17,000 doctors in 2013 to instruct all patients to consume a meat-free, plant-based diet." This statement is not accurate.
In fact, the KP update suggested that, "Physicians should advocate that it is time to get away from terms like vegan and vegetarian and start talking about eating healthy, whole, plant-based foods (primarily fruits and vegetables) and minimizing consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products." Minimizing consumption does not mean halting consumption, as the article goes on to make clear.
The article goes on to say, "Vegetarian or vegan diets adopted for ethical or religious reasons may or may not be healthy." "A plant-based diet is not an all-or-nothing program, but a way of life that is tailored to each individual." "Individuals who follow a plant-based diet that includes no animal products may be vulnerable to B12 deficiency."
Please read the update for yourself. The text of the 2013 Nutritional Update from KP is available online. Simply Google: Kaiser Permanente 2013 Nutritional Update.
Ms. Greet also cited a movie titled, 'Forks Over Knives.' To merely say that it contains some inaccuracies would be grossly insufficient. There is an excellent critique of the movie available online that exposes its fallacies. Simply Google: Forks Over Knives Denise Minger.
Regarding the "Ornish program," that was also cited by Ms. Greet, the diet proposed by Dr. Dean Ornish has many detractors.
An excellent article that summarizes the diet's problems is available in Scientific American online. Simply Google: Ornish Diet Scientific American.
Perhaps Dr. Georges Dahr declined to recommend that people stop consuming meat and dairy, because he is not a militant vegan activist.
Human beings are carnivorous (actually omnivorous) by nature, and to not eat meat is to go against that natural design.
The reader would do well to not accept statements at face value, but to rather take the time to find out the facts independently.
Lawrence McSwain
Lewes
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
