Every Thanksgiving in the Schwartz house, Richard would get a
drumstick. It was a tradition.
But the tradition ended in 1978, when Dr. Schwartz, a Willowbrook
resident and professor emeritus at the College of Staten Island,
decided to become a vegetarian.
Dr. Schwartz said he was a meat and potatoes guy until then. So what
caused the change?
The thing that changed his outlook was a class he began teaching at
CSI in 1975, “Mathematics and the Environment,” he said. “The course
uses basic mathematical concepts and problems to explore current
critical issues, such as pollution, resource scarcities, hunger,
energy, and the arms race. While reviewing material related to world
hunger, I became aware of the tremendous waste of grain associated
with the production of beef.”
Gradually, Dr. Schwartz made the shift toward a plant-based diet.
First he gave up red meat, with the hopes of helping world hunger.
After that, through additional research on the benefits of
vegetarianism, he joined the International Jewish Vegetarian Society
and on Jan. 1, 1978, became “a full practicing vegetarian.”
“A shift toward plant-based diets is a planetary imperative,” Dr.
Schwartz said. His research shows that: We are trying to feed 48
billion farmed animals; Animal-based agriculture requires far more
water, energy, and other resources than plant-based agriculture
does; tropical rain forests are being destroyed largely to produce
beef more cheaply for the fast food market, and more.
“I hate to be overly dramatic, but I really feel that the world is
heading toward environmental disaster, and animal-centered diets are
a major contributor, and thus it is essential that we help people
become aware of the issues,” said Dr. Schwartz, who wrote the book,
“Judaism and Vegetarianism” in 1982.
Dr. Schwartz, who uses charts and graphs in his class at the
college, demonstrates that disease and poor diet are a leading cause
of death in the world. “The more fat in the diet, the more different
kinds of cancer,” he said, pointing to a grid.
He relates the high rate of disease with the high amount of animal
protein in the American diet.
We’re way off on how much protein we actually need, Dr. Schwartz
said. “The problem is excess animal protein. We get far too much,
it’s bad for the kidneys.”
The more protein we take in, the harder the kidneys have to work, he
argued. “It’s almost impossible not to get enough protein.
“We have those two myths out there about protein and calcium,” he
said, citing that calcium from animals has attributed to the rise in
osteoporosis.
“What we’re doing is unsustainable,” he said, adding that he has the
support of his family and still makes walking and bicycling a part
of his physical routine.
“People often tell me I look younger than my 68 years,” said Dr.
Schwartz, who lost 20 pounds when he first became a vegetarian – and
he’s managed to keep it off. He added that he was also blessed with
good genes – his mother lived to be almost 90 and his father was 99
when he died.
