Diet for a New America by John Robbins - Essay Example

"Diet for a New America by John Robbins" is an outstanding example of a paper on food and nutrition.
“Diet for a New America” by John Robbins is a documentary about how turning to vegetarianism can solve many of the problems that we are facing today. It claims that cutting back on animal proteins not only solves many of our problems and saves our lives but also saves the world. John Robbins puts forward numerous arguments under different topics such as environment, hunger, cholesterol, ethics, cancer, natural resources, etc to prove his point. It is well supported by evidence and is considered by many as the bible of vegetarianism (book).

Even though the arguments made by John Robbins are persuasive there are other factors that need to be considered. The arguments right now are 1 dimensional and on considering other factors a whole new perspective can be drawn. For example, let’s take the hunger arguments. Robbins argues that if only 10% of Americans reduce their meat intake, then land freed from this can be used to feed the entire population of the world that dies from malnutrition every year. At first sight, this sounds convincing and more importantly touching. But what needs to be seen here is the reasons for death due to malnutrition, the factors specific to the countries where people die of malnutrition. Also, if 10% of Americans reduce meat intake, will it directly make a positive impact on those dying from malnutrition. The answer would not be a definite yes. Factors such as international trade, laws, transportation, political stability, etc will play a role. Therefore, the argument works on the logical front but in the real world, there are other factors that need to be considered. Also, it must be noted that non-vegetarianism is not just a diet style but an industry that generates revenue and creates jobs. Stopping it completely would have adverse effects on the economy which is completely ignored by John Robbins.