Be Healthy! Be a Vegetarian!

Simple anatomical evidence shows that:

¨ human teeth are suited for grinding and chewing just like in any herbivore

¨ man has no sharp front teeth, unlike the carnivores, to rip flesh apart

¨ the human jaw moves sideways to facilitate chewing

¨ the human hand has no claws and has an opposite thumb suited for harvesting fruits rather than killing animals

¨ hydrochloric acid in a human being’s stomach is only 1/20 of the strength of the acid found in the stomachs of carnivorous animals. To digest meat strong levels of hydrochloric acid are required

¨ a human’s alimentary canal is 12 times the length of his body just like in any herbivore. A carnivore's alimentary canal measures only 3 times the length of their bodies so they can quickly eliminate the meat that is putrefying in their bodies

Medical studies show that:

¨ human beings are unable to deal with excessive animal fats from meat unlike carnivorous animals. That is why meat consumption is a main cause of the hardening of arteries which leads to heart related diseases

¨ meat consumption is related to a higher incidence of colon cancer and a host of other illnesses

¨ vegetarians perform better on endurance tests. They can perform an endurance task from 2-3 times longer and can recover 5 times faster than meat-eaters

The “Meat Protein” myth:

Many vegetables contain complete proteins in a far more usable form than meat does. Where do you think the elephant, rhinoceros, or bull get their strength from? They eat plants.

¨ The 8 amino acids that are essential for growth and replacement of bodily tissue and which the body cannot manufacture itself are present in the vegetable kingdom (beans, dairy products)

¨ When we consume foods from the plant kingdom we have the advantage of combining amino acids with other essential substances such as carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones, chlorophyll, etc.

¨ It is the current position of the American Dietetic Association that meatless diets are healthy and adequate when appropriately planned. This was written in 1993, the November issue of the journal

¨ “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, in September of 1995, represent the current federal policy on the role of dietary factors in health and disease prevention: “Vegetarian diets are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines and can meet Recommended Dietary Allowances for nutrients. Protein is not limiting in vegetarian diets as long as the variety and amounts of foods consumed are adequate.”

¨ There are many elite athletes and celebrities who are vegetarians like Bill Pearl (body builder, 4 time NABBA Mr. Universe), Chris Campbell (1981 World Wrestling Champion), Edwin Moses (World Record holder for 400 meter hurdles), Kim Basinger, Michael J. Fox, George Harrison, Paul and Linda McCartney, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Sting, along with many others

Studies show that meat contains the following dangerous chemicals of which consumers are generally unaware:

¨ DES, a carcinogenic growth hormone

¨ DDT

¨ Preservatives

¨ Tranquilizers

¨ Arsenic (used in cattle as growth stimulant)

¨ Sodium Sulfate

On top of that meat also contains many animal diseases

Ethical factors: animals are sentient beings who have emotions and feel pain. The process of slaughter is painful, and most people would not dare kill the animal themselves, but they buy the meat of animals which are killed by others

Economic factors:

¨ it costs more to feed and kill a cow than to let her live and drink her milk

¨ practical agricultural experiments show that 1000 acres of land planted with rice, soy, corn, or other grain will yield approx. 1000 lbs. of protein whereas when, over a period of time, that much protein in the form of grains is fed to a steer it will yield only about 125. lbs. of protein from meat

¨ 8 times more water is required to raise livestock than to grow vegetables. On top of that we lose the farm land as well

Environmental factors:

¨ the heavily contaminated runoff and sewage from America’s thousands of slaughterhouses is a major source of pollution of rivers and streams

¨ the world’s priceless rainforests are decreasing day by day as the lumber and meat industries transform them into giant pastures to provide cheap beef

¨ methane is one of the greenhouse gases that contributes to global warming and the 1.3 billion cattle in the world produce 1/5^th of all the methane emitted into the atmosphere

Aesthetic factors: Many of us know that the smell from dead animal carcasses and dead fish is horrible and is only tolerated with the help of different types of intoxication that dull our senses. People often dress such foods with different spices, sauces, broil, and cook them so that finally the flesh can be consumed without being repulsed by it. Most people would not dare eat raw meat, what to speak of taking on the responsibility to slaughter the animal themselves. On the other hand, dishes prepared from the plant kingdom are colorful, pleasing to the eyes, the sense of smell, and to the tongue.

Moral and religious factors:

Follow the great examples of powerful religious leaders, philosophers, and authors who advocated vegetarianism: Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Count Leo Tolstoy, Albert Einstein, Henry David Thoreau, George Bernard Shaw, Gandhi to name only some.

Avoidance of meat has been a part of all authorized religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Here are a few quotes:

"Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in that which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." - Genesis 1.29

"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it." - Genesis 1.30

"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? Saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats..." - Isaiah 1:1I

"And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."
- Isaiah 1:15

"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man." - Isaiah 66:3

Many Christians believe that Christ ate meat. But close study of the original Greek manuscripts shows that the vast majority of the words translated as "meat" (trophe, brome, etc.), simply mean "food" or "eating." The Greek word for meat is kreas ("flesh"), and it is never used in connection with Christ. This agrees with Isaiah's famous prophecy about Jesus's birth: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good (7:14-15)."

As found in St. Clement's, St. John Chrysostom's, and Eusebius's writings the first disciples of Jesus (Peter, John, Thomas, Jacob, Matthew) were vegetarians. There were many early, as well as more modern, Church fathers who recommended a meatless diet such as Tertullian, Pliny, Origen, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, St. Benedict, Clemet, Eusebius, Papias, Cyprian, Pantaenus, and John Wesley

"To avoid causing terror to living beings, let the disciple refrain from eating meat. . . the food of the wise is that which is consumed by the holy men; it does not consist of meat." - Buddha, from the Dhammapada

"He who, seeking his own happiness, punishes or kills beings who also long for happiness, will not find happiness after death." - Dhammapada

"Because he has pity on every living creature, therefore a man is called 'holy.' " -Dhammapada

"If one has a strong desire for meat, he may make an animal out of clarified butter, or one of flour, and eat that. But let him never seek to destroy a living being. . ." - Manusmriti 5.37.174

"As long as human society continues to allow cows to be regularly killed in slaughterhouses, there cannot be any question of peace and prosperity - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way in which its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Whoever is kind to the lesser creatures is kind to himself." - Prophet Mohammed

"There is not an animal on the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like unto you." - Koran, surah 6, verse 38

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