Eat your vegetables, if you're smart
By Andrew Warner
A few days ago a
study was released showing vegetarians, in general, have a higher
IQ than meat-eaters.
Frequently dismissed as cranks, their fussy eating habits
tend to make them unpopular with dinner party hosts and guests alike.
But now it seems they may have the last laugh, with research showing
vegetarians are more intelligent than their meat-eating friends.
A study of thousands of men and women revealed that those who stick to
a vegetarian diet have IQs that are around five points higher than
those who regularly eat meat.
Chris Feldhaus, a
wonderfully eloquent conservative blogger, sent me this article and
told me I could chalk up a victory for my side. For a minute I thought
he was right.
When I finally got a chance to read the entire article, I spit out of
my soy milk and dropped my Tofurky sandwich in shock. While he was
correct in general, forgetting I am the kind of guy who ruins all my
mom's holiday dinner plans by passing on dairy as well, he was wrong
about me personally (I wonder if you get docked IQ points for having a
dairy allergy, though).
"However, vegans - vegetarians who also avoid dairy
products - scored significantly lower, averaging an IQ score of 95 at
the age of 10."
It's still unclear why vegetarians are so damn smart (and why vegans
are at the low end with an average IQ of 95 – I certainly would have
brought the average up I were studied). Some scientists suggest it's
possible a vegetarian diet can make you more intelligent, as if there
is some mysterious nutrient in meat that deteriorates your brain.
Others say, and I tend to side with this camp, that a vegetarian diet
is indicative of a more reflective, thoughtful person.
I personally wouldn't say that meat-eaters are stupid. After all,
chicken wings smothered in a spicy garlic sauce, a fat, sizzling
steak, or even an artery clogging Big Mac, are all quite delicious.
Combine the flavor explosion with the inconvenience of passing up the
carcass at the dinner table, or the extra burden a vegetarian diet
places on your wallet, and believe me – I get it.
But as with all our choices in this world, it never hurts to think of
your personal impact, or you "footprint" on the planet. Whether it be
giving up your SUV to stop global warming or passing on the morning
bacon to save a pig from slaughter, there's always ways to do better.
Who knows? Taking the plunge into a world without meat may even make
you smarter.
December 19, 2006
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