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February 01, 2008

Hitler

"...there's one thing I can predict to eaters of meat: the world of the future will be vegetarian."

Hitler is another celebrity perhaps more vegetarian in reputation than in practice. There are definitely conflicting stories when it comes to his eating habits.

Most people agree his doctor took him off meat for chronic indigestion and flatulence. Some say he stayed off meat for the remaining 14 years till his death, influenced by Richard Wagner and out of his fear of contracting cancer, as his mother did. Goebbels wrote in his diary that Hitler often expounded the benefits of a vegetarian diet and planned to "tackle this problem" nationally after the war.

On the other hand his personal chef says she often cooked him meat. Some report his favourite foods as smoked sausages and stuffed quail. He occasionally "relishes a slice of ham" according to New York Times. Some even go as far as to say the Nazi's banned vegetarian groups around Germany.

Hitler himself may have considered himself vegetarian. There is little doubt that he talked about it a lot, and perhaps even reduced his meat intake, but this is, of course, not the same as being vegetarian.

In the end, does it really undermine the entire foundation of vegetarianism if our centuries most famous mass murderer extolled it's virtues?

Doesn't rate a mention in my reasons.

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