In regards to eating meat

[Tenet Nosce]

Personally, I am a bit confused as to why the discussion keeps going round and round as to what is the "best" diet when, frankly, we already have the answer. It's the one that very few people seem willing to accept:

There is no best diet. Every body is different. Period. End of story.

More than just being exasperated, I am really curious to understand the psychological process behind this. I've brought the point up several times in this thread. People say- yes TN you're probably right about that! And then proceed to continue discussing from the standpoint of what is "good" and "bad", as if there were one standard to apply to everyone, and as if every body was exactly the same. As if.. there really is some "ultimate answer" here to be found and if we just keep arguing enough about it, somehow it will finally emerge.

I'm not just talking about here in this thread, but I have seen this in many different contexts. For example, I used to teach 12-week weight loss classes. Same thing. One week we are talking about how every body is different, and what is good for one person might not be right for another. Everyone "seems" to understand... then next week it is right back to "I heard peanuts are bad for you. Is that true?" Um.... hell-O? Didn't we just cover this last week? And the week before? And the week before? Do people have amnesia or something?

It's almost like one of those pop-up boxes that just won't go away. Or like a virus program that keeps launching itself no matter how many times you shut it down. It's the "good/bad" mental virus or something. It's like people just aren't willing to let go of that kind of thinking for real. They are willing to consider it for a moment, but then left to their own devices it is right back to "good" and "bad" mentality.

What is this really about? Why the insistence on reducing every subject down into neat little "good" and "bad" categories? What purpose does this serve, if any?

Here's the deal:

Beef is good for some bodies, and not for others.
Wheat is good for some bodies, and not for others.
Potatoes are good for some bodies, and not for others.
Tilapia is good for some bodies, and not for others.
Carrots are good for some bodies, and not for others.
Beets are good for some bodies, and not for others.
Lamb is good for some bodies, and not for others.
Sauerkraut is good for some bodies, and not for others.
Yogurt is good for some bodies, and not for others.
Salad is good for some bodies, and not for others.
Spicy food is good for some bodies, and not for others.
... and so on and so forth.

This is actually the view that is most well-supported by the available literature. It is the view that is most well-supported by people's actual experience. And it is the view of the world's oldest healing traditions, such as Ayurveda. Why, then, all the resistance? What is that -really- about?

Why can't we just let this be what it is? Why do people feel so compelled to take what they have found personally works for their own body, and then generalize as to be the "best" for every body?

There is no "one true way". Not for diet. Not for relationships. Not for sex. Not for spirituality. Not for politics. Not for education. Not for ANYTHING.

You must find your own answers. Seek what is right for you. There are no "hard and fast" rules to follow in this place. It is up to us to discern what is best for us. And when we do... it then becomes our honor/duty to assist others in finding out what is best... for THEM... and being completely willing to accept that what is best for THEM might be totally different than what is best for ourselves.

(Oh, and by the way, I am fairly sure this is also the view supported by Carla. Not that it should matter all that much.)