WHAT IS A VEGETARIAN?
vegetarian is a being who doesn't eat meat of any kind.
The two main types of vegetarian are Lacto vegetarians who will
not eat any products that involve the slaughter of animals but still
eat dairy products, and Lacto-ovo vegetarians who will include eggs
in their diet.
WHAT IS A VEGAN?
Vegans are the strictest of us all and do not consume any products
that are derived from animals, such as dairy, eggs, honey, leather,
wool, silk, etc.-
IS IT HEALTHIER TO BE A VEGETARIAN OR A MEAT
EATER?
It is medically proven that a vegetarian diet is healthier than
one centred around meat! It is not only healthier but actually reduces
the risks of colon, rectum, breast, uterus, and other cancers by
up to 40%. These types of cancer are rare among vegetarians, they
also have very little chance of suffering with kidney and gall stones,
high blood pressure, strokes, diet-related diabetes and arteriosclerosis.
As a vegetarian you are less likely to suffer from problems related
to obesity, your cholesterol levels reduce, as does the risk of
developing coronary heart disease by approximately 30%. Ninety to
ninety-seven percent of heart disease could be prevented with a
vegetarian diet. Studies have scientifically shown that after tobacco
and alcohol, the consumption of meat is the greatest single cause
of mortality in Western Europe, the United States, Australia, and
other affluent areas of the world. A vegetarian diet can also lead
to a 20% lower premature mortality rate when compared to meat eaters!
ARE OUR BODIES DESIGNED FOR MEAT CONSUMPTION?
No, definitely not, our characteristics are closer to those of a
herbivore, the action of eating involves both the hands and the
mouth; if our hands were meant for meat-eating we would have claws
for hunting, not hands with outward stretching fingers, which are
better suited for harvesting fruit and vegetables. Here is a comparison
table to take a look at.
CARNIVORE |
HERBIVORE |
MAN |
· Has Claws. |
· No Claws. |
· No Claws. |
· No skin pores - Perspires
through tongue. |
· Perspires through skin pores. |
· Perspires through skin pores. |
· Sharp front teeth for tearing.
· No flat molar teeth for grinding.
|
· No sharp front teeth.
· Flat rear molars.
|
· No sharp front teeth.
· Flat rear molars.
|
· Intestinal Tract 3 times
body length - Rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly. |
· Intestinal Tract 10 - 12
times body length. |
· Intestinal Tract 12 times
body length - Rapidly decaying meat remains in body for a
long time. |
· Strong hydrochloric acid
in stomach to digest meat. |
· Stomach acid 20 times less
strong than carnivores. |
· Stomach acid 20 times less
strong than carnivores. |
WHAT ABOUT PLANTS, IS IT NOT BAD TO KILL
THEM?
It has not been proven that plants experience pain, they are obviously
living organisms and they grow and react to energy. We live in a
world where we need to exist; we survive by taking advantage of
our planet and the ones who we live with. As vegetarians, we exist
by doing the least harm possible, we need to live healthily and
can do so by eating fruit, grains and vegetables, and in this way
are not contributing to the suffering of animals. Plants are our
source of nutrition, animals should not be.
WHAT ABOUT LEATHER?
Leather is widely considered as a problem that pales in comparison
to the millions of animals slaughtered daily for food. Leather in
particular accounts for a huge proportion of the meat industry income
and is greatly relied upon. There are many companies that provide
alternatives to leather and sell cruelty free shoes, bags, belts
and wallets etc. If we were to never buy leather goods again and
buy only these animal friendly products, the meat industry would
be forced to reduce the amount of animals slaughtered due to the
reduced demand. Click here to see a list of
such products and where to purchase them.
IF WE DIDN'T EAT THE ANIMALS THEY WOULDN'T
EXIST AT ALL…
Of course they wouldn't exist in the same numbers, millions of animals
living in captivity awaiting slaughter. The few animals would at
least live as other wild species do; this is surely better than
breeding them by the million only to kill them in less than a year
of their birth. Would we ever, in this day and age, consider breeding
and raising humans to use as slaves? This analogy can easily be
dismissed as ridiculous but is it really such a long time ago since
this kind of behaviour took place?
ARE ANIMALS KILLED HUMANELY IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSES?
What exactly is killing humanely? It is a contradiction that most
people seem more than happy to go along with. Is it possible to
shout quietly? Of course not and it's also impossible to kill anything
or anyone in a humane manner. More than 2,000,000 animals are murdered
every day in British slaughterhouses, that is 250,000 every hour,
4167 every minute, 69 every second; With such a high volume of killing
taking place, the precautions and HUMANE measures aren't always
strictly adhered to, because of this many animals experience huge
amounts of pain and suffering.
If you have any questions that you
still need answering or have any information you believe should
be listed above, please don't hesitate to contact us :- VoicesAgainstCrueltytoAnimals@Yahoo.co.uk |