Sir, – Ciaran Walsh (August 9th) seems confused about a number of things.
Mr Walsh correctly identifies humans as omnivores, but then declares that this means we should eat no meat! In fact, an omnivore is an animal that eats both meat and non-meat (plants, fungi etc) matter. Humans are indeed omnivores. We have a number of evolutionary adaptations to eating meat, notably canine teeth and the presence of bile, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and pepsin, enzymes specifically designed to digest meat, in our stomachs.
Contrary to what Mr Walsh declares, the amount of energy we get from fresh air is not over 80 per cent; the true amount is, in fact, 0 per cent. Energy is entirely derived from the food we eat; oxygen from the air is a necessary reagent in releasing that energy, but the energy itself comes from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in that order.
Finally, the idea that vegans live in harmony with nature is based on the fallacies that nature is fluffy and huggable, when in fact the natural world is a harsh, vicious struggle for survival; and that nature is designed to benefit humans, when in fact it is a case of every gene for itself. This is why primates have sought to defy nature ever since we evolved, and why we developed such unnatural things as farming, selective breeding, writing, electricity, paper, and the Internet.
Mr Walsh may think he is living in harmony with nature, but there is nothing natural about the food he eats; all farmed fruit, vegetables, and mushrooms have been selectively bred by humans over millenniums, resulting in food which is very good for humans but cannot last long in the natural world. In fact, for a truly natural diet, one should restrict themselves to hunting and fishing, as game animals and wild fish have not been unnaturally altered by selective breeding!
It is true that most of us eat a very unhealthy diet, and humans in the developed world eat far too much meat. However, any change in diet must be based on logic and evidence, and not New Age nonsense about living in harmony with nature. For example, it takes approximately 6 kilos of vegetable matter, which could be eaten by humans, to make 1 kilo of beef.
Now that’s a good reason to become a vegetarian. – Yours, etc,