Oysters: Vegan's Best Friend?

Next time you're at your favorite oyster bar, give yourself a pat on the back - you're probably eating one of the most sustainable foods in the world. In fact, Slate writer Christopher Cox suggests that even the strictest of vegans could include oysters in their diet without compromising their ethics.

Oysters, according to Cox, are farmed on a large scale - about 95 percent of all oysters consumed are farm-raised. Not only that, but some nonprofits are cultivating oysters to improve water quality. Cox points out that since so many oysters are farmed, the overfishing problem is nearly eliminated. Oysters require no cleared land, no fertilizer, and no feed - they eat plankton.

In fact, Cox writes, oysters may even have less impact on the environment than plants. On agricultural farms, bees are sometimes trucked in for pollinating plants, and many farms still use pesticides. And in contrast with other bivalves like clams and mussels, even wild oysters can be harvested without disrupting the life around them because they aren't dredged from the bottom of the sea. According to Cox, oysters lack a central nervous system and are unlikely to experience pain. They also don't move or respond to injury.

So whether you slurp oysters at a dive bar or an upscale restaurant like Perla's, you're enjoying ethical eating on the half-shell.

Find out where to get oysters in Austin!