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PAKISTAN VEGETARIAN SOCIETY "... why would anybody want to give up eating meat?" (MIDI: "Song for My Children" by Michael D. Walthius. Copyright 1997. All rights reserved.)
Environmental / Ecological
It takes 3 to 15 times are much
water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein. As a
vegetarian I contribute to water conservation. It takes up to 16 pounds
of soybeans and grains to produce 1 pound of beef and between 3 and 6
pounds to produce 1 pound of pork, turkey and egg. By eating grain foods
directly, I make the food supply more efficient and that contributes to
the environment. When grains and legumes are used
more efficiently, our precious topsoil is automatically made more
efficient in its use. We use less agricultural resources to provide for
the same number of people. Tropical forests in Brazil and
other tropic regions are destroyed daily, in part, to create more
acreage to raise livestock. By not supporting the meat industry I
directly reduce the demand to pillage these irreplaceable treasures of
nature. Since the forest land "filters" our air supply and contains
botanical sources for new medicines, this destruction is in many ways
irreversible. Decaying animal parts, whether in a
freezer case or served in public restaurants can never be as
aestheically pleasing to the senses as the same foods made from
wholesome vegetable sources. Only habit can allow one not to perceive
this; a change in diet makes this self-evident. Personal HealthThere is no nutrient necessary for
optimal human functioning which cannot be obtained from plant food. Animal foods are higher
in fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats. They contain
cholesterol; plants do not. Meat is deficient in
carbohydrates, particularly the starches, which are so essential to
proper health. Except for the B-complex, meat
is largely deficient in vitamins. Being higher on the food
chain, animal foods contain fat higher concentration of agricultural
chemicals than plant foods, including pesticides, herbicides, etc. There are 20,000
different drugs, including sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones, and
other veterinary pharmaceuticals that are given to livestock animals. I
consume these drugs when I consume animal foods. The dangers therein,
particularly in secondary consumption of antibiotics, have been well
documented. There are a host of
bacteria and viruses, some quite dangerous, that are common to animals.
When I eat meat, I eat the organisms present in the meat.
Micro-organisms are present in plant foods, too, but ther number and
potential danger to human health is by no means comparable. This is
because animals are so close to us both anatomically and
physiologically. Also common to animals.
The same argument applies here as that for Pathogenic
Micro-Organisms. Plant foods "last" longer
than animal foods. Try this experiment: leave out a head of lettuce and
a pound of hamburger for one full day. Which one will make you sick? Plant foods tend to give tell-tale signs of "going bad" much sooner than animal foods. Did you ever hear of somebody getting sick from "bad broccoli"? Meat-eating increases the risk of
heart disease, the No. 1 killer in the U.S. The correlation is an
epidemiological fact. Of all the natural cancer prevention substances found: Vitamin C, B-17, hydroquinones, beta-carotene, NDGA -- none has been found to be animal-derived. Yet most meats, when cooked, produce an array of benzenes and other carcinogenic compounds. Cancer is infinitely easier to prevent than to cure. Soybeans, for one, contain protease inhibitor, a powerful anti-cancer compound. You won't find it in useful quantities in animal food. The correlation between meat
consumption and a wide range of degenerative diseases is well-founded
and includes... Strong correlation. Strong
correlation. Strong correlation. Meat-eaters are
up to three times as likely to
suffer from dementia in old age; in addition, there's a strong
correlation with multiple sclerosis. Strong correlation. Compelling correlation. Aggravated by animal foods. Vegetarians tend to be thinner than
meat-eaters, and studies contain it. Obesity is considered by many
doctors to be a disease in itself. The condition of the intestinal
flora is critical to overall health. Animal products putrefy in the
colon. Wholesome food travels quickly
through the "G.I. tract," leaving little time to spoil and incite
disease in the body. Animal products uniformly have longer transit
times. Fiber absorbs unwanted, excess
fats; cleans the intestines; provides bulk and aids in peristalsis.
Plant food is high in fiber content; meat, poultry and dairy products
have none. Food from animals contain their waste,
including adrenaline, uric and lactic acid, etc. Before adding ketchup,
the biggest contributors to the "flavor profile" of a hamburger are the
leftover blood and urine. The average American eats 400% of
the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein. This causes excess
nitrogen in the blood that creates a host of long-term health
problems. To increase one's risk of getting
degenerative disease means decreasing one's chance to live a
naturally-long, healthy life. Huzas and other peoples with large
centenarian populations maintain lifestyles that require little or no
meat. I just feel better since "giving up"
meat and becoming a vegetarian. Being healthier from a vegetarian
diet means spending less on health care. Vegetarian food tends to cost less than
meat-based items. Ethics
I love animals myself. I have no
desire to kill them or cause them harm, just as I have no desire to have
someone kill or harm me. I cannot make a
statement about the inhumanity of factory farming if I, myself, eat
animals. I show gratitude to my
Creator by eating as low on the food chain as possible. I support the meat industry and
the way they operate when I purchase and use their products. I do not
wish to do this. The sacrifice I make is nothing
compared to the poor animal's. Spirituality Our hands, teeth, feet, intestinal
tract... even our body chemistry is that of an herbivore. As it states
in Genesis: "Behold I have given you every fruit of every seed... and to
you it shall be for meat." As you sow, so shall you reap. If I
partake of the slaughter of animals, I will have to repay my
contribution to that act. "Whatever affects the
body has a corresponding effect on the mind and soul." (E.G.
White) There is nothing
non-violent about the senseless slaughter of animals, when more
nutritious protein foods are available in their stead. There can never be peace among men
while men are declaring war on other highly developed life forms. This,
too, is the Law of Return, and I prefer to contribute to World
Peace. I know I'm doing right. I feel
good inside about my decision to remain "meatless." To live in this way is to project the
underlying spiritual values to those around me. There is now a vegetable-based
substitute for every meat product imaginable, which brings us to... |
"There are
many reasons to abstain from real animal products. 