160 Convent Ave, 

New York, NY 10031
29 October 2019

The staff member of FDA Consumer

27500, Drake Road
Farmington Hills,
Michigan

Dear recipient:

I’m Yifei Wang, a student of the City College of New York. I’m interested in the dieting topic and I have seen your article, “More People Trying Vegetarian Diets”, which was published in the book of “Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources.” As a person who was born in the twenty-first century, we care about issues such as overweight, fat, nutrition this concern shows a different focus shift from the last hundred years. I agree with the article in the book about vegetarian diets that are effective ways to accomplish the goal of being healthy. However, I have different thoughts on vegetarian diets. The well balanced meal is healthier for our body than vegetarian diets.

The reason I write this letter to you is I want to provide other facts to your article. A lot of people are trying to diet but do not know what should they eats. Your article provides great knowledge to vegetarian diets, but the article is missing the part of the disadvantage of vegetarian diets. Diet is not just about how much calorie should be limited but also is about using diet as a tool to provides the healthier nutrient. And a comprehensive with information about vegetarian diets is more persuasive than the article which is only showing the good side.

Dieting is a big subject, but first question pop in my mind is do we really need to diet? In this society that each of us is under our own stress. The stress from others’ expectation, the stress of others’ judgements, the stress of being a good person in all different aspects. These tiring emotions push us into an unfamiliar area that we typically do not wish to try it. I’m pretty sure that we are all heard about someone loose ten pounds weight but that person gains more than ten pounds after dieting. This situation is caused by the confusion of the concept of being skinny and being on diet. Behind the good-looking body is a healthy life style that a person maintain their whole life. Once the person reaches his/her goal, the person gives up the diet and for a short period of time, that person’s weight would bounce back to the weight lost. This kind of model is called yo-yo dieting. According to a study in South Korea, “All told, people whose weight fluctuated most dramatically between appointments (and who experienced related swings in blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar) were 127 percent more likely to die during the study period, as well as 43 percent more likely to have a heart attack and 41 percent more likely to have a stroke” (New York Post, p. 051). Thus, I believe diet is a tool to reach our health goal instead of being the health goal.

Human are animals, we can’t resist the biological factor. Vegetarian diets can be considered as a diet which is an effectively way to reduce weight and also build in metabolism (Taylor & Francis). The fiber of vegetable can reduce the risk of cancer, “A diet high in fiber and yogurt is associated with a reduced risk for lung cancer, according to a study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers published in JAMA Oncology” (Vanderbilt University Medical Center). But all these studies relate vegetarian diets with low calorie. In biological aspect, the low-calorie diets can cause the hypothalamus of our brain release hunger signals which would made us hungrier. When we get the food, eat become a reward which encourage us to eat more. (Guisinger, Shan). In short term vegetarian diets would made us loose more weight than other method of diets but it would gains the desire of eating in long term. In Taylor and Francis’ study, they claimed vegetarian diets can improve metabolism. But when we only eat vegetables, our digest system would slow down. The reason caused this slowly digest system is when we were starving the digest system would remain the food in our stomach longer for extracts the nutrients from food and for fat storage (Guisinger, Shan). Even we conquer the unpleasant flavor of vegetables but our body’s reaction to diet is opposite to our health goal. In some extreme case, someone would restricts the amount of calorie in diets for loose weight in a short period of time. The disadvantage of this extreme case is greater than its advantage. “All the human eating disorders can be triggered in rats by restricting calories. If starved or if food is limited to one hour a day rats spontaneously develop anorexia behaviors where they ignore their food to run on a wheel. … … Gorging, which is part of bulimia and binge eating disorder is a normal response to starvation” (Guisinger, Shan). Cause by the biological factor, vegetarian diets is a more challenging way for loose weight.

Vegetarian diets are a burden to us or a highway toward the goal of being healthy? Dieting is a big challenge, I have asking the people around me, vegetarian diets is not the first choice as their response. The bitter taste of vegetables is the nightmare of my childhood, I would rather take the risk of getting heart disease than only eat vegetables every day. Your article has mention that “with a plant-based daily diet, eating a variety of foods and sufficient calories for energy needs will help ensure adequate intakes of calcium, iron and zinc” (K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, pp. 416-420). Because vegetarian diets only consider vegetables as the main source of daily nutrition, people need to spend more attention on build the knowledge of the nutrition of vegetables for have a balanced meal. People spending time on family, friends, personal relationship, job, school, so on. And now we need to split a little more time or money for learning the nutrition knowledge. I suppose only few of us can done these tasks perfectly. So, why do we give a harder task to ourself and let the “skinny looking” goal even further from us. 

Eating moderate amount of red meat is good for health. In your article, “‘Some may choose to eliminate red meat but continue to eat fish and poultry occasionally, and such a diet is also to be encouraged,’ said Jack Zeev Yetiv, M.D., Ph.D” (K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, pp. 416-420). However, according to a recent study by University of Nottingham that having a little amount of red meat would reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood which is the one of the reasons that can cause heart disease (University of Nottingham). When people are talking the pros and cons of vegetables and meat, the stereotype would come up first, meat is harmful to people’s health and vegetables improve people’s body condition. But the article on Medical New Today would break the stereotype. Red meat is contains the nutrition of vitamin and iron which can be used for synthesize red blood cell. Usually only taking vegetables are lack of vitamin B-12 and meat is the main source of vitamin B-12. Taking moderate unprocessed meat would prevent B-12 deficiency anemia (Berry, Jennifer, Medical News Today). These facts remind us that both diet menu which is only eat meat or only eat vegetable are not helping people become more health or loose weight.

The health diets include vegetarian diets are released more green gas than we thought. The opinion of eating vegetable has small effect to the earth of your article, “Some believe it’s a better use of the earth’s resources to eat low on the food chain—that is, to eat plant foods, rather than the animals that eat the plant foods. ” (K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, pp. 416-420, pp. 416-420). Nowadays, the green gas is reaches to the highest record compare with history record—412 in parts per million, according to NASA. Another study indicates “‘Eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon,’ said Paul Fischbeck, professor of social and decisions sciences and engineering and public policy” (Carnegie Mellon University). Does this study means we should eat meat instead of vegetables? However, the carbon dioxide was emitted by cattle is another main source of green gas. Consider the efficiency in terms of land use, “The reason is that fruits, vegetables and grains must be grown on high-quality cropland, he explained. Meat and dairy products from ruminant animals are supported by lower quality, but more widely available, land that can support pasture and hay” (Cornell University). Combine these facts, the using proportion of land is the key point. My opinion to environment issue is as long as the modern civilization exist, the environment issue can never be solved. But all we can do is minimized the effect of human activity.

Diets involving many factors and our diet not just affects ourself but also others. Sometimes people confused their main purpose of being health and be on diet, the vegetarian diets are stressful to us because we need to consider taking balanced nutrition from vegetables. Even we overcomes these stressful situations, our body would slow down digest system for “survival”. Red meat is not bad as we thought. In the environment protection aspect, produced red meat is efficiency than vegetables in term use of land. And eat a little meat is good for people’s body. Thanks for reading this letter, I wish these facts can be mention in your article for knowledge the public.

Sincerely,

Yifei Wang

Reference

Berry, Jennifer. “Is Red Meat Bad for You? Benefits, Risks, Research, and Guidelines.” Medical   News Today, MediLexicon International,                            https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326156.php.

Carnegie Mellon University. “Vegetarian and ‘healthy’ diets could be more harmful to the environment, researchers say: Eating lettuce is ‘over three times worse’ in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 December 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151214130727.htm>.

Cornell University. “Diet With A Little Meat Uses Less Land Than Many Vegetarian Diets.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 October 2007. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008130203.htm>.

Guisinger, Shan. “Low-Calorie Diets Create Health Problems.” Can Diets Be Harmful?, edited by Amy Francis, Greenhaven Press, 2016. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/EJ3010463237/OVIC?                   u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=19dd30b6. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019. Originally published as        “Dangers of Dieting a Body Adapted to Famine,”, Mar. 2012.

Health & Fitness The dangers of yo-yo dieting.” New York Post [New York, NY], 9 Oct. 2018,  p. 051. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.ccny-      proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A557433409/OVIC     u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=88080868. Accessed 26 Oct. 2019.

“More People Trying Vegetarian Diets.” Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources, edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, pp. 416-420, Gale, 2006, pp. 416-420. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3456500157/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=0b6591f0. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

Taylor & Francis. “Vegetarian diets almost twice as effective in reducing body weight, study       finds.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 June 2017.     <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612094458.htm>.

University of Nottingham. “You do not have to go cold turkey on red meat to see health benefits.”   ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 September 2019.            <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190930101521.htm>.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “High fiber, yogurt diet associated with lower lung cancer     risk.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 October 2019.     <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191025113010.htm>.

Through the twenty first century, education has been a hot topic. Everyone has their own understanding of education. The concept of education is affected by their culture. In my opinion, education is a process which combines learning behavior and logical thinking. If education is missing any of these conditions then it is not complete for a person.

     Back in the sixteenth century, the meaning of education was different from now, the Etymology Dictionary gives the definition of education as, “1530s, ‘child-rearing,’ also ‘the training of animals,’ from Middle French education (14c.) and directly from Latin educationem (nominative educatio) ‘a rearing, training,’ noun of action from past-participle stem of educare (see educate). Originally of instruction in social codes and manners; meaning ‘systematic schooling and training for work’ is from 1610s” (Online Etymology Dictionary). Eventually the definition on the Dictionary Website of Education became the well-known definition of today, “the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life” (Dictionary). However, society is only focusing on the first half of the sentence. This is an inevitable result. Because a person’s intelligence can be presents as number through test. A person’s idea, moral view, and world view are hard to be measured. When people ate exchanging their opinions to each other, there is no absolute right or wrong. We have different opinions with each other instead of having an “A plus” opinion or “F” opinion. The meaning of education to society is similar with the meaning in the Sixteenth century. Society does not pay attention on “generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life” (Dictionary). 

     The understanding of education at different societal roles causes conflicts between nation and individuals. Our former president Obama’s, opinion on education was, “What you make your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you … … don’t ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country” (Barack Obama). The development of a nation needs education but the attention on each subject are uneven. The nation needs elites of math for space exploration, the elites of biology for the cure to cancer, the elites of architecture to improve city planning, and so on. The expectation of the government towards education is having as many people educated as possible. Thus, they are care about the quantity. Ken Robinson, an educationalist from Britain, has given a speech on Ted Talk, “One effect of ‘no child left behind’ has been narrow the focus onto the so-called STEM disciplines … … A real education has to give equal weight to the arts, the humanities, and to physical education” (Ken Robinson). To a country, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) disciplines are necessary for the development of a society. But for individuals, the importance of STEM disciplines’ is less than the country considers. Because not everyone is good at math, science, chemistry, etc. The focus on STEM disciplines would limit personal growth. Robinson said, “and one of the roles of education is to awaken and develop these powers of creativity” (Ken Robinson). For individuals, the education is about the quality. My thoughts about education are similar with Robison, a nation is constructed by people; the improvement of a nation also must be made by people. So, a government should leave the space on education for the creativity of people.

     In society, education is more focused on intelligence tests than the “inner part” education. This situation would make people confused that moral education and the way of thinking is less important than the test result. Education is important to a society in general, but what is the meaning of education for individual? I question myself, what is the meaning of being a college student? The answer is get a nice job when I graduate. A nice job relates to a high salary. High salary relates to a well-being of life. Eventually, education relates with material life. As the result, the education is done when people get a job. A person would most likely not be willing to read a book after graduating from school, so that his/her “data base” is not updated. This is why some people of the previous generation have outdated thoughts. People are trying so hard to get rid of the burden of education, because the “education” will not fulfill the hollowness of their heart. They cannot see the importance of education to them.

     Education taught people how we can find the solution to solve the problems. Education links to thinking. Determining what is right and what is wrong are important, but how do we judge the right and wrong? The hollowness which stays in people’s heart is one of the results of the lack of thinking. Doing things without thinking why, leads us into the maze of life. The people in the maze often say “I cannot find the purpose of life.” The book, Analects of Confucius has wrote about, “The Master said: ‘To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.’” (Confucius). Learning without thinking would lead to confusion and misunderstanding eventually. People cannot determine the right and wrong by their own logic to other’s opinions. We would follow whatever the book said. This situation is still happening now. It is like solving a math problem. The formula is given but the student still cannot correctly use the formula on the test. Thinking without learning would lead to the end of nothing. A person is thoughtful but has no knowledge to support his/her idea, the thinking would tire out the person and that person would be stuck on the problem that is too hard to solve. For example, a three years old kid question himself why is the sky is blue, he may give the answer like an elfin painted the sky in blue or cannot give an answer. Without learning the concept of scattering and the wave length of light, the kid would stuck at this question for a long time.

     Education is not just about learning knowledge but also about moral education. Plato, the famous philosopher of ancient Greece, talks about education in a different angle, “And all knowledge, when separated from justice and virtue, is seen to be cunning and not wisdom” (Plato, Menexenus, p. 196). How does a person get his wisdom? The wisdom comes from two parts; one is what are people born with, another one is through what they gain from education. But the education without a clear moral view, is failed. At the same time, moral education is also hard to control. The moral view of a person is affected by the accumulation of the person’s culture, family, friends’ effects. Morals are hard to be explained, moral education requires that the teacher and the parents have good explanation skills and knowledge. How could we answer the question of why should we be nice to each other? Why should we not cheat on test? Why should we not do whatever we want? Unfortunately, the failure of moral education may lead to serious issues. An example of recent event represents that issue. On June ninth, 2017, Yingying Zhang, a visiting Chinese scholar student was kidnapped and murdered by Brendt Allen Christensen, who is a Champaign resident and former physics graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The University of Illinois is one of the Public Ivies. How should we blame for a graduate student who is from a top college of America to commit this crime? The education of the United States is not totally failing but the moral education of the murderer, Brendt Allen Christensen, has totally failed. 

     Education is needed even if it does not work on everybody. I have heard people said “college degree is useless.” Because the most supportive evidence of them is some famous people drop at of college and they have a successful career. However, society is improving quickly. More and more jobs needs college degree. I want to emphasis that, without a college degree, it does not mean you cannot have a nice job, but instead, you need to work even harder for a higher position in the firm, than those who have college degree. Mark Zuckerberg dropped out the college for his Facebook business. The key point is he drop out from Harvard, and then after starting his business. He has learned the knowledge and personal discipline from the education and also has the ability to solve the challenge and keep the discipline for his Facebook career. When Mark Zuckerberg answered the question about “Is Bachelor’s degree necessary for success?” He answered, “I did not choose to leave, I just happen to build Facebook and it kind of made me leave … … I wish I could stayed in college.” The experience from others became the excuse for someone to escape the stress from school. Steve Jobs had the same situation, “The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and being dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting” (Steve Jobs). He did not totally drop out from the education, rather he dropped out from the building that was called college.

     The meaning of education to me is not just being in school but also about personal growth. The book, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails inspires me a lot. I was struggling with my life but the opinion from the book said do not find the excuses for yourself. Human have the potential to make change even if the culture, race, or language are obstacles. Education is a window for you to see the outside world and also is a brick which not only breaks the wall that is builds inaccurate of the castle of your mind but also builds up the base of your mind castle. Even though the education of America does not fit the situation of everyone, we do need the education for solving the problems of our life and providing as a chance to be successful.

                            works cited page 

Confucius. “Analects of Confucius.” Translated by A. Charles Muller, Analects of Confucius, http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/analects.html#div-3.

“Education (n.).” Index, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/education#etymonline_v_29710.

“Education.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/education?s=t.

Plato, speech of Aspasia, recounted by Socrates, Menexenus 246e, Plato: The Collected Dialogues (1961), p. 196.

President Obama’s Message for America’s Students, YouTube, 8 Sept. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZ6GrzWkw0.

Robinson, Sir Ken. “How to Escape Education’s Death Valley | Sir Ken Robinson.” YouTube, Ted, 10 May 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX78iKhInsc&t=292s.

Student Ask Mark Zuckerberg “Is Bachelor’s Degree Necessary for Success ?”, YouTube, 13 Mar. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXF_yLYa8j8.

Why I Dropped Out of College | Steve Jobs, YouTube, 21 Nov. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjxhenAHyGk.