No
Deficiencies. There is no nutrient necessary for
optimal human functioning which cannot be obtained from
plant food.
High
Fat Plus Cholesterol. Animal foods are higher in
fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats.
They contain cholesterol; plants do not.
Carbohydrate
Deficient. Meat is deficient in carbohydrates,
particularly the starches, which are so essential to proper
health.
Vitamin
Deficient. Except for the B-complex, meat is largely
deficient in vitamins.
Agricultural
Chemicals. Being higher on the food chain, animal
foods contain fat higher concentration of agricultural chemicals
than plant foods, including pesticides, herbicides, etc.
Exposure
to Livestock Drugs. 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.
Pathogenic
Micro-Organisms. 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.
Worms
and Other Parasites. Also common to animals. The
same argument applies here as that for Pathogenic Micro-Organisms.
Shelf-Life
Differential. 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?
Organoleptic
Indications of Pathogens. 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"?
Heart
Disease. Meat-eating increases the risk of heart
disease, the No. 1 killer in the U.S. The correlation is
an epidemiological fact.
Cancer
Prevention. 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.
Disease
Inducing. The correlation between meat consumption
and a wide range of degenerative diseases is well-founded
and includes...
Osteoporosis.
Strong correlation.
Kidney
Stones and Gallstones. Strong correlation.
Diabetes.
Strong correlation.
Senile
Dementia. 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.
Arthritis.
Strong correlation.
Gum
Disease. Compelling correlation.
Acne.
Aggravated by animal foods.
Obesity.
Vegetarians tend to be thinner than meat-eaters, and studies
contain it. Obesity is considered by many doctors to be
a disease in itself.
Intestinal
Toxemia. The condition of the intestinal flora
is critical to overall health. Animal products putrefy in
the colon.
Transit
Time. 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
Deficient. 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.
Body
Wastes. 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.
Excess
Protein. 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.
Longevity.
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.
Well-Being.
I just feel better since "giving up" meat and becoming a
vegetarian.
Environmental / Ecological
Conservation
of Fossil Fuel. It takes 78 calories of fossil
fuel to produce 1 calorie of beef protein; 35 calories for
1 calorie of pork; 22 calories for 1 calorie of poultry;
but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel for 1 calorie of soybeans.
By eating plant foods instead of animal foods, I help conserve
our non-renewable sources of energy.
Water
Conservation. 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.
Efficient
Use of Grains. 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.
Soil
Conservation. 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.
Saving
Our Forests. 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.
Aesthetics.
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 Finances
Health
Care Cost. Being healthier from a vegetarian diet
means spending less on health care.
Food
Costs. Vegetarian food tends to cost less than
meat-based items.
Ethics
Love
of Animals. 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.
Stance
Against Factory Farming. I cannot make a statement
about the inhumanity of factory farming if I, myself, eat
animals.
Respect
for Sentient Life. I show gratitude to my Creator
by eating as low on the food chain as possible.
"Economic
Vote." I support the meat industry and the way
they operate when I purchase and use their products. I do
not wish to do this.
Small
Sacrifice. The sacrifice I make is nothing compared
to the poor animal's.
Spirituality
God-Given
Diet. 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."
Reciprocity.
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.
"Protecting
the Temple." "Whatever affects the body has
a corresponding effect on the mind and soul." (E.G. White)
I
Believe in Non-Violence. There is nothing non-violent
about the senseless slaughter of animals, when more nutritious
protein foods are available in their stead.
World
Peace. 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.
Clear
Conscience. I know I'm doing right. I feel good
inside about my decision to remain "meatless."
Example.
To live in this way is to project the underlying spiritual
values to those around me.
Easy
Substitutes. There is now a vegetable-based substitute
for every meat product imaginabl
