Neatly trimmed yards, intricately cut bushes, and last but definitely not least, an organic home garden from which the perfect American family clips off some basil for a boost of flavor to that healthy vegetarian salad. Vegetarian? You may ask. Of course, only vegetables, eating meat is evil. Just imagine the pain animals go through. Could you imagine eating an adorable little cow as steak? How cruel!
However, most people don’t realize that plants are living organisms as well. According to Matt Soniak from Mental Floss, that delightful smell of freshly cut grass is actually a chemical distress signal, an increased amount of green leaf volatiles that kickstart the healing process and call out for protection against that dreadful lawn mower. Luckily, several chivalrous insects may happen to be nearby, catch the signal and come to the rescue of the helpless plants. Unfortunately, insects aren’t exactly enough to protect grass from the deadly blades of the all-powerful lawn mower. Therefore, no one should eat plants of any kind! Only fruits can be eaten as plants want for us consumers to eat the fruit to disperse seeds!
Now, this obsession with vegan and even fruit-only diets all deal with health. These days, people are everywhere wailing about trivial concerns like vegetarian diets versus paleo diets or vegan diets. But there are many more critical issues stemming from health concerns like famine and malnutrition. Some people don’t have the luxury to choose what to eat and what not to eat. Finding clean food at all is a struggle.
In an article, Nicholas Kristof discusses the impact of the Trump budget on humanitarian aid. Four countries: Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria all have millions of people tumbling toward famine, the problem exacerbating after America’s budget cuts. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that currently around 795 million people suffer from malnutrition.
Perhaps, instead of wasting all this time squabbling over what food is acceptable to eat, people can use that time and energy to learn about the millions of children going to bed hungry each night. Especially now, as a society, we are so much more connected. We could all come together and create a solution.
Project Peanut Butter is a non-profit organization that has created a formula of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food which they distribute to children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. It is a straightforward solution that has treated around 80,000 children each year.
Many times a simple idea can achieve a great deal, but we will only reach these solutions if we are willing to search beyond our own self-absorbed concerns to see the issues plaguing people all around the world today.
