The recent feature on vegetarians and vegans was appropriate for October, National Vegetarian Month, and hopefully will encourage Creative Dining Services to continue to reform their food choices for the Calvin community. By offering more vegetarian options and locally sourced food products, Creative Dining Services has demonstrated that they are listening (at least with one ear) to some of the desires of students and the Calvin community.

Being a vegetarian in college, especially for underclassmen who are required to live and eat on campus, is a strong ethical choice. When food has already been purchased and prepared, one has little control over its origin, processing and preparation. Refusing to eat some of it is a strong act of resistance, which I applaud.

However, in contemporary conversations about vegetarianism and veganism, there are several points that are not often brought up because they further complicate and muddy what may seem to be clear ethical choices. Allow me to elaborate.

One of the vegan students interviewed for the feature stated, “Human beings do not need animal products to survive. At least, rich Westerners do not.” This is not entirely true. There has never been a single longstanding, vegan society. Why? Vitamin B12 is necessary for the brain and nervous system, and pregnant women must have this vitamin in order for the fetus to develop properly. Human beings can only absorb B12 from animal products such as liver, milk and seafood.

Although most vegans take a B12 supplement, I question the wisdom of a diet that requires external supplements in order to provide what the body needs.

Second, though I agree that the life of most animals raised for food is cruel, dismissive of God’s created order and uncompassionate, it does not necessarily follow that animals should not be used for food. I know several farmers who raise animals for food — milk, dairy products and meat — who treat their animals compassionately. Farmer Joel Salatin of Virginia talks about allowing animals to be themselves and live out the “pigness of a pig” (or cow or chicken) happily until their death. Several local farms follow his lead including Lubbers Family Farm and Our Farm and Dairy. Their food is locally available for purchase.

Sometimes it is argued that, were fewer animals raised for food, more grain and legumes could be grown to feed the world’s population. This is not entirely true, either. Agronomist and Christian Gary W. Fick of Cornell University writes that “only eleven percent of the earth’s total land area is suited for the sustained production of food crops for humans.” Land that is inappropriate for crops is often well suited for grazing animals.

Finally, there is a growing trend for vegetarians, vegans and even omnivores like myself to supplement their diets with soy foods. There are some soy foods like tofu, tempeh and miso that provide good

nutrition and have been traditionally eaten by many societies for hundreds of years. However, some of the more recent soy inventions, such as soy milk, textured vegetable protein and other unfermented soy products have an unhealthy amount of plant estrogens. They also block the body’s absorption of protein, calcium and zinc. Of course, there are plenty of other vegetarian options — nuts, whole grains and legumes, but I am suspicious that much of the soy industry is marketing itself to vegetarians and vegans who are not entirely informed of the health risks associated with eating too many soy products.

There are many issues to be addressed within the conversation about eating ethically, and I’ve only given a few brushstrokes to some of them here. But for students and members of the Calvin community who want to remain omnivorous while eating conscientiously, allow me to say that it is possible, although rife with constant decisions. Sometimes, deciding not to decide is the hardest thing of all.