50 Reasons...
Environmental
1. 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 of poultry; but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel for 1 calorie of soybeans. By eating plant foods instead of animal foods, you help conserve non-renewable energy sources.
2. Water conservation. It takes 3 to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein.
3. Efficient use of grains. It takes up to 16lb of soybeans and grains to produce 1lb of beef and 3 to 6lb to produce 1lb of turkey and egg.
4. 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.
5. Saving forests. Tropical forests in Brazil and other tropic regions are destroyed daily in part, to create more acreage to raise livestock. Since the forest land ‘filters’ our air supply and contains botanical sources for new medicines, this destruction is irreversible.
6. Aesthetics. Decaying animal parts, whether in a freezer or serves in restaurants, can never be as aesthetically pleasing to the senses as foods made from wholesome vegetable sources. Only habit can allow one not to perceive this.
Personal health
7. No deficiencies. There is no nutrient necessary for optimal human functioning which cannot be obtained from plant food.
8. High fat plus cholesterol. Animal fats are higher in fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats. Plants do not contain cholesterol.
9. Carbohydrate deficient. Meat is deficient in carbohydrates, particularly the starches which are so essential to proper health.
10. Vitamin deficient. Except for b-complex, meat is largely deficient in vitamins.
11. Agricultural chemicals. Being higher on the food chain, animals contain far higher concentrations of agricultural chemicals than plant foods, including pesticides, herbicides etc.
12. Exposure to livestock drugs. There are over 20,000 different drugs including sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drugs that are given tp livestock animals. These drugs are consumed when animal foods are consumed.
13. Pathogenic microorganisims. There are a host of bacteria and viruses, some quite dangerous, that are common to animals. Micororganisms are present in plant foods too, but their number and danger to human health is by no means comparable to those in meat.
14. Worms and other parasites.
15. 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 1 day, which will make you ill?
16. Organoleptic indications of pathenogens. Plant foods give tell-tale signs of ‘going bad’. Ever hear of anyone getting ill from ‘bad broccoli’?
17. Heart disease. Meat eating increased the risk of heart disease. The correlation is an epidemiological fact.
18. Cancer prevention. Of all the natural cancer prevention substances found: vitamin C, B-17, hydroquionenes, beta carotene, NDGA, - none has ever 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 cure. Soybeans contain protese inhibitor, a powerful anti-cancer compound. You wont find it in useful quantities in animal based food.
19. Disease inducing. The correlation between meat consumption and a wide range of degenerative diseases is well founded and includes…..
20. Osteoporosis.
21. Kidney stones and gall stones.
22. Diabetes.
23. Multiple sclerosis.
24. Arthritis.
25. Gum disease.
26. Acne. Aggravated by animal food.
27. Obesity. Studies confirm that vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat eaters. Obesity is considered to be a disease in itself.
28. Intestinal toxaemia. The condition of the intestinal flora is critical to overall health. Animal products putrefy the colon.
29. Transit time. Wholesome food travels quickly through the GI tract, leaving little time to rot and incite disease within the body. Light digestion, light mind.
30. Fibre deficient. Fibre absorbs unwanted, excess fats, cleans the intestines, provides bulk and aids peristalsis. Plant food is higher in fibre content; meat, poultry and dairy products have none.
31. Body wastes. Food from animals contain their waste, including adrenaline, uric acid and lactic acid. Before ketchup, the biggest contributors to the flavour profile of a hamburger are the leftover blood and urine.
32. Excess protein. The average American eats 400% of the RDA for protein. His causes excess nitrogen in the blood that creates a host of long-term health problems.
33. Longevity. To increase ones risk of getting degenerative disease means decreasing ones chance to live a naturally long, healthy life.
34. Wellbeing.
Personal Finances
35. Health care costs. Being healthier on a vegetarian diet means spending less of health care.
36. Food costs. Vegetarian foods tend to cost less than meat based items.
Ethics
37. Love of animals.
38. Stance against intensive factory farming.
39. Respect for sentient life. Eating from the lowest form of consciousness shows gratitude to the Creator.
40. Economic vote. Purchasing animal products shows support for the industry and the way they operate.
41. Small sacrifice. Sacrificing animal consumption is nothing compared to the animals’, its life.
42. Natural diet. Our hands, teeth, feet, intestinal tract, even our body chemistry is that of a herbivore. The closer to mother earth we eat the closer we are spiritually.
43. Reciprocity. If I partake in the slaughter of animals, I will have to repay my contribution to that act.
44. Protecting the temple. Whatever affects the body has a corresponding effect on the mind and the soul.
45. Belief in non-violence. Slaughter isn’t.
46. Peace. There can never be peace among men while men are declaring war on other highly developed life forms.
47. Clear conscience.
48. Example. To live this way is to protect the underlying values of those around me.
49. Easy substitutes. There are vegetable based substitutes for every meat product imaginable.
Spiritual
50. Spiritual connection aided by conscious consumption.
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