Vegetarians in the Media

Or shall I say, lack thereof.

While wondering why so many people didn't know about this lifestyle that I live and advocate for, it dawned on me: how would they?


Vegetarian and vegan diets are more popular than ever, but both are still considered "alternative" diets when the media addresses either.
Why is this?

If we think think back to our childhoods and how we learned to eat, what comes to mind?
For most Americans, it is whatever mom put on the dinner table, or it is the USDA's Food Pyramid, which places importance on grains,meat and dairy products, without giving the option of cutting out those items.

But think about it , the USDA is the Federal Agency that regulates what exactly?
Meat and poultry.
They do this through the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) is what regulates other food additives, seafoods, fruit juices, as well as contaminants in food.

While the FDA was created to protect consumers from contaminants in food through the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (amended in 1958), the USDA was created to help those in agriculture.
A.K.A: farmers
A.K.A: not consumers


In more recent history, those "farmers" have become corporations using industrial agriculture and mass producing meat and dairy products. These companies include National Beef, Cargill, Swift, and Tyson (sound familiar?)
These are the companies that are investigated in Food Inc.

The USDA was built to support farmers in a country that was still in it's first century in 1862, it was made to help them. 

But the times have changed, and now more than ever people are concerned about what they're eating.

In order to be considered a less alternative lifestyle, vegetarianism needs the support of the government and media. While the media can spread the word about the benefits of going veg, the government can give it credibility.

Here's what a "Vegetarian Food Pyramid" would look like:

Some authors, like Michael Pollan (1955-present), who wrote the Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, and Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) who wrote Forbidden Words: On God, Alcohol, Vegetarianism & Violence, have played a role in the growing popularity of vegetarians in place of the media.