WikimediaEvery vegetarian faces annoying questions over their lifestyle choices, well those questions are set to become a whole lot more pedantic.
A vegan Assistant Professor of English and Philosophy at Drexel University has argued that it is actually impossible to be truly vegetarian.
The reason is pretty simple – plants consume nutrients from a range of matter which can be traced back to animals.
So plants are actually carnivorous to some extent, apparently.
As reported by Science Alert, Smith said:
Plants acquire nutrients from the soil, which is composed, among other things, of decayed plant and animal remains. So even those who assume they subsist solely on a plant-based diet actually eat animal remains as well.
This is why it’s impossible to be a vegetarian.
Smith suggests that rather than focusing on not eating meat, society would be better served in learning how to maintain a sustainable diet.
He said:
In areas where it’s prohibitively difficult to acquire the essential fats that we need from pressed oils alone, this may include forms of animal use – for meat, manure, and so forth…All life is bound together in a complex web of interdependent relationships among individuals, species, and entire ecosystems. Each of us borrows, uses, and returns nutrients.
This cycle is what permits life to continue. Rich, black soil is so fertile because it’s chock full of the composted remains of the dead along with the waste of the living.
So vegetarians, be prepared for every awkward relative who visits for Sunday dinner to point out that you do still consume animal matter.
