From:             "Henry Grabowski" 
To:               "Susan Grabowski" 
Subject:          50 reasons Why I'm a vegetarian
Date sent:        Fri, 4 Sep 1998 09:19:34 -0400

... why would anybody want to give up eating meat?" 50
Reasons Why I'm A Vegetarian (From Lumen Foods) 

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There are many reasons to abstain from real animal
products. Here are fifty of the best reasons I can
think of, all abstracted from The Lumen Book. ... G.J.
Caton 


Environmental / Ecological 




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
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. 2.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. 3.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.
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 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. 6.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 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 foods
are higher in fat than most plant foods, particularly
saturated fats. They contain cholesterol; plants do
not. 9.Carbohydrate Deficient. Meat is deficient in
carbohydrates, particularly the starches, which are so
essential to proper health. 10.Vitamin Deficient.
Except for the B-complex, meat is largely deficient in
vitamins. 11.Agricultural Chemicals. Being higher on
the food chain, animal foods contain fat higher
concentration of agricultural chemicals than plant
foods, including pesticides, herbicides, etc.
12.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. 13.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. 14.Worms and Other Parasites. Also
common to animals. The same argument applies here as
that for Pathogenic Micro-Organisms. 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 one full day. Which one
will make you sick? 16.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"?
17.Heart Disease. Meat-eating increases the risk of
heart disease, the No. 1 killer in the U.S. The
correlation is an epidemiological fact. 18.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. 19.Disease Inducing.
The correlation between meat consumption and a wide
range of degenerative diseases is well-founded and
includes... 20.Osteoporosis. Strong correlation.
21.Kidney Stones and Gallstones. Strong correlation.
22.Diabetes. Strong correlation. 23.Multiple Sclerosis.
Compelling evidence. 24.Arthritis. Strong correlation.
25.Gum Disease. Compelling correlation. 26.Acne.
Aggravated by animal foods. 27.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. 28.Intestinal Toxemia. The
condition of the intestinal flora is critical to
overall health. Animal products putrefy in the colon.
29.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. 30.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. 31.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. 32.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. 33.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.
34.Well-Being. I just feel better since "giving up"
meat and becoming a vegetarian.


Personal Finances


35.Health Care Cost. Being healthier from a vegetarian
diet means spending less on health care. 36.Food Costs.
Vegetarian food tends to cost less than meat-based
items.


Ethics


37.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. 38.Stance
Against Factory Farming. I cannot make a statement
about the inhumanity of factory farming if I, myself,
eat animals. 39.Respect for Sentient Life. I show
gratitude to my Creator by eating as low on the food
chain as possible. 40."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.
41.Small Sacrifice. The sacrifice I make is nothing
compared to the poor animal's.


Spirituality


42.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." 43.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. 44."Protecting the Temple." "Whatever affects the
body has a corresponding effect on the mind and soul."
(E.G. White) 45.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. 46.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. 47.Clear Conscience. I know I'm doing right. I
feel good inside about my decision to remain
"meatless." 48.Example. To live in this way is to
project the underlying spiritual values to those around
me. 49.Easy Substitutes. There is now a vegetable-based
substitute for every meat product imaginable, which
brings us to... 50.The Whole Earth Vegetarian
Catalogue! 


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