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Peace on Our Plates A


Mindful Eating for a More Peaceful World by Judith Fertig


s Earth’s population grows to a projected 9 billion people by 2050, can our global commu- nity keep eating flesh like we’ve been doing for centuries? No, according to a 2010 report by the United Nations Environment Programme, an interna- tional panel of sustainable resource management experts. Examining the food demands of a growing popula- tion and associated environmental and sustainability issues, Assessing the En- vironmental Impacts of Consumption and Production recommends “substan- tial worldwide diet change away from animal products.”


Making the case for a holistic view,


Will Tuttle, Ph.D., suggests in World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony that we start to see the connections between our food choices and the health and well-being of ourselves, our families, communities and the world.


Web of Understanding At the center of the web of life is the food we all share to sustain our bod- ies. Tuttle insists that we celebrate this and regard each meal as a feast. “Food preparation is the only art that allows us to literally incorporate what we create. It is also the only art that fully involves all five senses,” he says. We honor this wonderful activity most by sharing our


46 Collier/Lee Counties swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com


cooking efforts with others, blessing the food and eating mindfully. The problem at the center of life,


maintains Tuttle, is that we involve animals in our food chain, an act that “introduces suffering, whether physi- cal, mental or emotional.” This is a truth we try to hide from, what he calls the ”cultural shadow”. “The worst examples include factory farming, but even the best methods ultimately involve killing other animals for food,” he says. One of Tuttle’s more controversial claims is that the herding culture—rais- ing, dominating, selling, killing and owning animals—sets up a harm- ful physical, emotional and cultural dynamic, extolling domineering and aggressive behavior. “The herding culture requires male dominance and a mentality that might makes right,” observes Tuttle. “It also sees females as primarily breeders, not beings.” Based on contemporary research in anthropol- ogy, sociology and psychopathology, he maintains that the actions required to both dominate animals and eat their meat can lead to more aggressive and violent behavior. One recent study seems to sup- port his claim. Dr. Neil Barnard, in his book, Foods That Fight Pain, remarks that, “Plant-based diets also help tame testosterone’s activity.” Barnard cites a Massachusetts male aging study


photo by Stephen Blancett


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