Did you Know????

POLLUTION- The meat industry causes more water pollution in the United States than any other industry because the animals raised for food produce 130 times more excrement than the entire human population- 86600 pounds per second. A typical pig factory farm generates raw waste equivalent to that of a city of 12,000 people. Every day, animals raised for food in the United States produce more than 20 Billion Pounds of Waste --thats 250,000 pounds per second!

LAND- Of all agricultural land in the United States, 87 percent is used to raise animals for food. Twenty thousand pounds of potatoes can be grown on one acre of land, but only 165 pounds of beef can be produced in the same space.

WATER- Rasising animals for food consumes more than half of all the water used in the United States. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. The amount of water used in the production of the average steer could float a destroyer.

DEFORESTATION- Rainforest are being destroyed at the rate of 125,000 square miles per year to create space to raise animals for food. Fifty-five square feet of land are consumed for every quarter-pound fast-food burger made of rainforest beef.

ENERGY- Raising animals for food requires more than one-third of all raw materials and fossil fuels used in the United States. Producing a single hamburger patty uses enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 20 miles and enough water for 17 showers.

Did you know that each vegetarian saves one acre of trees each year?

HAMBURGERS are a threat to the Earth's rain forests. Half of all species live in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. Beef producers who supply fast-food chains are destroying these forests at the rate of 260 acres a day to make room for grazing cattle.

MYTH VERSUS REALITY

Myth: A vegan diet won't provide me with sufficient protein.

Reality: As long as you're eating a varied diet with adequate calories, it is impossible to develop protein dificiency. Soybeans and other legumes, along with vegetables and grains are excellent sources of usable protein even if you don't combine them in any special way, and they don't come with the artery clogging cholesterol found in meats. The average person should consume no more than 10 percent of daily calories from protein. Excessive protein consumption is the problem--it has been linked to osteoporosis and kidney stones.

Myth: Vegetarians don't get enough iron.

Reality: Vegetarians have no more trouble getting iron than meat-eaters do. Vegetables are actually a better source of iron than meat! Calorie for calorie, spinach has 14 times the iron of a sirloin steak! Beans, leafy vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains all contain plenty of iron. The trouble many people have is eating too many dairy products, which are iron-deficient and tend to inhibit its absorption.

Myth: Eating fish is a healthful alternative to meat.

Reality: Fish flesh contains high concentrations of toxic residues found in the waters in which they feed and breathe. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that fish can accumulate up to 9 million times the concentration of cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenals that occurs in their environment, as compared to organic produce which is chemical free.

Myth: Vitamins D and B12 are found only in animal foods.

Reality: Natural sunshine is the best source of vitamin D. Spending 15 minutes each day in the sun will cause your body to produce all the vitamin D it requires. Vitamin B12 is found in fortified soy milks and cereals and in vitamin supplements.

Myth: All doctors are in favor of animal experiments.

Reality: To the contrary, thousands of doctors speak out against animal experiments--not only because they''re cruel, but also because they''re bad science. Enormous physiological variations exist among rats, rabbits, dogs, pigs, and human beings, and often data simply can't be accurately extrapolated from animals to humans. Animal tests leave us vulnerable to exposure to drugs that can cause serious side-effects.

Some Information about cows & pigs

Cows on modern dairy are repeatedly artificially inseminated on what farmers call the rape rack. The milk the produce to feed their young is taken several times each day by machines that irritate their sensitive udders, leading to mastitis and infection. Their male calves are taken from them and chained in tiny veal crates, where they spend 16 weeks barely able to move, before being slaughtered.
PIGS are squeezed into narrow, concrete-floored iron maiden stalls, in which they are unable to turn around, and kept constantly pregnant or nursing. These stressful condition lead to cannibalism, self-mulitilation, and infectious diseases. USDA Inspectors regurlarly witness cruel practices commonly used by livestock handlers, including:
beating animalsZ
poking animals in the eyes, anus, or vulva
overcrowding of pens so that animals are trampled
tormenting animals for no reason
hauling young animals in open trucks in all kinds of weather
leaving dead animals on trucks with live ones

FAMOUS VEGETARIANS : Paul McCartney, Woody Harrelson, Prince, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Bolton, Pamela Anderson, Steve Martin, Ashley Judd, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Shania Twain and many more.