It certainly didn’t hurt the Danes during World War I, when Denmark virtually became a meatless country because of the British naval blockade. Nutritionists who studied the people during the war concluded that general health had significantly improved. Similarly, Norway had to adopt a vegetarian diet during World War II, and there was a significant drop in heart disease. Both nations, however, reverted to meat diets as soon as the crises passed and subsequent studies showed that the temporary health advantages apparently subsided. CD-SG 36.3
We Americans, too, have been conditioned to believe that only a meat-based diet can provide the adequate nutrition necessary for good health. Traditionally, we have been a nation of carnivores, consuming an average of one-half pound of meat per person every day (the Japanese eat an average of only one-half pound of meat per month, per person). CD-SG 36.4
In 1973, Americans devoured 176 pounds of meat per person—66 times more than in the average Indian diet. In fact, McDonald’s—the fast-food hamburger franchise—uses more beef per year than is consumed by the entire populations of countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast. CD-SG 36.5