ts)Must We Kill To Live? Today you’ve arrived here with questions. After you read this maybe you’ll have the answers? If not go to Http://www. geocities. com/rainforest/andes/4004 Whether you’re already a vegetarian or if you’re only curious about vegetarians I hope you find this informative and maybe influential.
Ihope to open your minds enough that you’ll agree that we don’t have to “kill to live”. I hope to expose you to a lifestyle that doesn’t promote violence or death. These are all the reasons you should need to convertyour lifestyle. I’ve been a practicing vegetarian for 2 years. A vegetarian is defined as someone who avoids all animal flesh, including fish and poultry. Vegetarians can be sub categorized: Those who avoid flesh but still indulge in animal products such ascheese, milk and eggs are referred to as ovo-lacto-vegetarians.
People who reject all animal products are referred to as purevegetarians or vegans. Scientific research shows that ovo-lacto-vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters and vegans arehealthier than both. Now I’m going to present you with four reasons everyone should be a vegetarian. First the obvious ethical reasons, second the physiological reasons, third the health reasons and finally the most important reasons for our planet, the environmental impact of a meat based diet. First the ethical reasons to become a vegetarian.
The ethical reasons were the first to occur to me when I began considering becoming a vegetarian. Why should any creature lose it’s life to fill my stomach? Unfortunately most people don’t associate the meat on their plate as having had life at one time. In some countries people eat meat of monkeys, dogs. cats, and even other people which is disgusting to us.
But it’s OK for us to kill cows, chickens, or fish cause they are different? At 20 weeks of age, 85 million pigs die for Americans to eat. Another 24 million die due to abuse before they reach slaughter age. Cows normally have a 25 year life span, but most only live to be 3-5 years old before dying to become hamburgers. More than 1 million calves a year are raised for veal. They spend a miserably short life of 16-18 weeks in a crate that’s not big enough for them to even stand or move in.
Not given any water or solid food, only deficient milk replacers, so they will stay white and tender. Since only female chickens lay eggs over 280 million male chicks are thrown into plastic bags and piled on each other to die. Something to ponder, when you eat out, what’s really in that meat? Besides a dead animal? The FDA says certain percentages of “unknowns” are acceptable. Like cockroach parts, rat feces, and other unknowns. There are over 660,000 animals killed every hour for meat. The average American consumes 200 pounds of meat a year.
Hindus believe that eating an animal ingests its fears and misery from the time of it’s death. Ethically animals live and breath, as we do, they feel pain and know fear. If by not eating meat I spare the torture of another living creature, how small a sacrifice is that? If the ethical reasons weren’t convincing read on to the physiological reasons. Physiology refers to the way we’re built, our anatomy. The differences between animals who were created to be predators (carnivores) and humans are distinct.
Carnivores have long teeth and claws for holding and killing prey, humans have short teeth and no claws. The jaws of carnivores open in an up and down motion and shred, a humans jaw moves sideways for grinding and chewing as well as up and down. Humans are more similar to monkeys than carnivores like lions. There are many more differences that are too technical for me. Well, we’ve covered ethical and physiological reasons, now let’s move on to health. Vegetarians enjoy excellent health consistent with dietary guidelines and meet the recommended daily allowances for nutrients.
The PCRM also lists a host of health benefits of a vegetarian diet including, prevention of cancer, heart disease, lowering blood pressure, preventing and reversing diabetes, preventing and alleviating gallstones and kidney stones as well as aiding osteoporosis and asthma. When looking at .
