Hey Cate,

have you read the Peter Singer book -"What we eat: why our choices matter?"  Singer is an ethicist and subscribes to eating a diet not including meat for a whole range of reasons including avoiding the poverty trap and environmental issues.

I didn't eat meat for about 20 years - got caught on a notion of the amount of energy that needed to be digested by a beast to make and maintain a kilo of meat.  I think it was about 20 kilos of grains per kilo of meat.  My downfall? Childbirth - after so many years I had this dreadful craving for corned beef!  I don't each so much meat but it is still part of my diet.

Another trend is eating food which has not travelled - to avoid the impact of carbon emmissions from transport.  There was an article on the ABC Radio National (abc.net.au/radio national) regarding a number of organic restuarants only working with food that are grown within a small number of kilometers. 

The other movement here is also about the education of fish consumers to choose breeds of fish that are sustainable.  Trends and fads tend to deplete wild fish stock.

The breadth of the food debate as it impacts on the environment and sustainability is almost mind boggling.  The true nature of choice is not just about flavour and origin but about key issues relating to community structures and infrastructure.  

As the person who does most of the cooking and the purchasing of food, I know this debate has an impact on my behaviour. I don't want to eat the produce of stressed food - yes it is ethical but it is also a lot about our relationship with all sentient beings.I accept that as animals we are at the top of the food chain and I also sense that my huge craving for meat after giving birth was about my body yelling for an iron rich food.  

 I'm uncertain of the regulations affecting food production in the States but didn't like the imaginary whiff of your story of the Oprah show.  I agree that there are ethical issues which we all need to examine as individuals but wonder about the acitivity of communities around the regulation of food production which any reasonable person would find distasteful/ environmentally challenging.

do you think there is a link between spirit and diet?