I have to strongly state my disagreement with the author. Prior to the turn of the 20th Century the age of consent in most American states was 10. Some states were lower yet. Records indicate that the average age of marriage for girls in Rome at it's height was 13. That was also the way things were done across Europe during medieval times, and generally across the world prior to raging feminists promoting temperance of every kind, mixed with religious fanatics and loons, like Kellog, who invented corn flakes to stop masturbation. One of the worst effects of jacking Age of Consent far beyond puberty and sending women into careers childless is that the strong pubertal hormones that naturally cement life long marriage bonds are wasted on furtive and desperate encounters on back seats and in alley ways instead of marriage beds, and research shows that premarital multiple partners dramatically degrade the quality of marriages. Postponing childbearing also dramatically reduces fertility of the population that is today below replacement rates on every continent on Earth except Africa, and it's plunging there. This is not natural, and if it continues humanity will go extinct.

I do not believe Dr. McDougall is correct. I neither agree with meat somehow being bad for kids. If you look at the research into dental proteins recovered from ancient humans, prior to the Neolithic diets were much meatier, and after farming was adopted malnutrition was a scourge on humanity everywhere it spread. Amongst pastoral tribes in Africa are the tallest peoples on that continent. There may be hormonal additives given meat animals today that do cause problems, but organic natural meat does not, and has always been a major component of human diets, that enabled our brain to differentiate us from monkeys.

As a single father that homeschooled my sons who both grew more than 6" taller than me, I can compare anecdotal evidence with the best of them, and refute the author's contentions on that basis as well. I raised my sons not on store bought meat, but wild game we hunted ourselves. Perhaps the author might reconsider whether the hormone drenched products available in stores are remotely comparable to organic meats.

Thanks!