ALL ABOUT FOOD:How much meat is too much?

To eat meat or not to eat meat, that is the question. And more specifically, how much meat should we eat if we choose to eat meat? The debate rages on.

The food pyramid has been turned on its ear. Mother always told us we must eat our vegetables, but how much is enough and what about a 12-ounce steak?

Our meat-addicted population is loathe to give that up, but recent medical opinion suggests that we eat way too much animal protein.

A growing number of people have elected to delete meat from their diets completely. These include: vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians, lacto-ovo vegetarians, vegans, raw vegans and fruitatarians.

Then come the fence-sitters: the macrobiotics who eat mostly whole grains and beans but permit the consumption of fish; the pescatarians who eat fish; the pollotarians who eat poultry; and the flexitarians who are primarily vegetarian but will eat a little bit of everything from time to time.

Vegetarianism has a long and complicated history motivated by three primary impulses: religious/philosophical, healthful and environmental.

Some say that the proscription in Genesis 9:4, “Flesh with the life thereof which is the Blood thereof, shall ye not eat,” can be interpreted as meaning to remove the blood of the meat before eating it or not to eat animals at all.

Religious Hindus believe killing animals is a sin. These arguments cross the line into the philosophical, exploring the relationship between man and animals. Does man have a moral right to kill animals?

The arguments for and against vegetarianism for physical and mental health have evolved over the years. Galen, a first-century physician, proposed a causal link between diet and character.

Meat made you brave, bloody meat made you bloody-minded. It was forbidden to scholars and philosophers as it stimulated their melancholic humour or drained away the vital spirits needed for higher contemplation, since it was difficult to digest.

Seventeenth-century English vegetarian writers blamed meat eating for making people “sordid, surly and soldiers.” It was thought to fortify their bestial nature.

On the other hand, the roast beef of Olde England was considered character-building food — stout fare for stouthearted men. A vegetarian diet would make men weak, timorous and effeminate.

When the British arrived in India, they were amazed by the fact that these Hindu vegetarians were healthy and thriving.

Historically, disproving any connection between diet and personality, we have Hitler, who adhered to a strict vegetarian diet, as well as Mohandas Gandhi, Alec Baldwin, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci and Ringo Starr.

Medical concerns have transmogrified from the breeding of ill humours to the accumulation of cholesterol. Current studies indicate that adult vegetarians have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and less obesity. It has also been shown that vegetarian women are more likely to have female babies.

Environmentally driven vegetarianism focuses on sustaining the environment.

It is asked: How many square miles of forest are cleared to graze cattle? How much bio-diversity is lost in raising livestock and the corn and soybeans to fatten them?

The United Nations’ food and agriculture organization has said that 18% of global warming comes from livestock and 40% of grain output is used to feed animals rather than people. Half of this grain would be sufficient to eliminate world hunger.

If you have made the vegetarian choice, for whatever reason, dining out can present a problem.

Terry’s brother, Corey, has been a strict vegetarian for most of his adult life and he also travels a lot, so eating out is not often a treat, but he amiably goes with the flow.

So on a recent Sunday, for their mother’s 94th birthday, the family went to a trendy new Laguna restaurant, which shall remain name- less. The only vegetarian dish on the menu was loaded with cheese so he asked the waiter if the chef could make him a salad with lots of veggies.

“Of course,” said the waiter, “we have 12 different kinds of vegetables in the kitchen and proceeded to name a few.

“Great,” Corey said. “Whatever you can do.”

What arrived, however, was a handful of lettuce mix, four yellow wax beans, four green beans and two cherry tomatoes. Never one to make a fuss, Corey resigned himself to thinking about what he was going to cook when he got home — not an unfamiliar scenario.

Terry couldn’t resist saying something to the waiter when they were leaving.

The response was totally puzzling. Not an apology or a defense, but rather he said that he was also a vegetarian and there were 18 chefs in the kitchen, many of whom were hotel-trained and were used to accommodating guests’ special orders.

“So,” Terry said, “then, what was so difficult for the kitchen to understand?” No reply!

Here in Laguna we have three vegetarian restaurants: Café Zinc, The Stand and Guarandas at the Hari Krishna Temple.

Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurants always have a plethora of vegetable dishes and most other restaurants have salads, pastas or pizzas from which to make a meal.

It seems that the fancier the restaurant, the harder it is to find vegetables other than tiny ones in their infancy or elaborately sculpted ones for garnish. However, some restaurants in town make a specific effort to accommodate vegetarians with a dinner option.

Mozambique makes a terrific vegetarian curry. Aegean Café has a Greek vegetable plate and a stuffed Portobello mushroom entrée with zucchini, spinach and artichoke hearts. San Shi Go offers vegetable tempura, vegetable teriyaki and sautéed vegetables; and Brussels Bistro serves a grilled vegetable medley as well as a vegetable gratin with mixed salad.

Whether or not you are a vegetarian, we all are becoming more aware of healthful eating, and the consensus seems to be that fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains need to claim a larger part of our dinner plates, while meat, poultry and fish should play a supporting role.