Is Vegetarianism Bad For Us?
Designed by Amy Wang Editor: Amy Wang Publisher: Amy Wang Thank you to all of the dietitians around Canada to help make this book happen. Reference help from Alanna Wray/ Tracy Greer/ Dietitians of Canada and National Geographic. Published by The Printing House Toronto Dominion Square Retail, 317 7 Ave SW #190 Calgary, AB, Canada Tel: (403) 697-6231
Copyright Š ACAD 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission of the copyright holder. Production by KIM Magazine Production Ltd., Canada All reasonable attempts have been made to trace, clear and credit the copyright holders of the images reproduced in this book. However, if any credits have been inadvertently omitted, the publisher will endeavor to incorporate amendments in future editions.
1
Why this book page 6-7
We’ve always been told by doctors that in order to have a healthy diet we should go vegetarian. However, for those who are big on saving the environment, we might not be saving as much as we think we are.
2
What is good for us page 8-9
Vegetarianism is never a bad thing, there are many benefits to vegetarianism or veganism for our bodies.
Many Vegetarians get it wrong page 10-11 GMO’S page 12-13
3
Vegetarian diet help better the planet page 14-15
We know the obvious research that being vegetarian can help better the planet in some ways, but by how much really because doesn’t soy beans take up more agriculture?
Vegetarians don’t always save the world page 16-17 Our global soy bean production page 18-19
4
How much water is used to produce food page 20-21
How much do we really know about the vegetables we eat? They sure take up a lot of clean water. We use so much water to feed meat, but think of a whole field of corn, grains or soy beans.
Our water usage page 22-23 Irrigated farms use of water page 24-25 Our water footprint page 26-31
5
6
Q&A: what our experts have to say page 32-33
Problems of moral vegetarians page 42-43
3 common values that vegetarians share p age 34-35
My final conclusion page 44-45
Let us hear what some of the researchers from PETA and dieticians across Canada had to say about vegetarianism and veganism.
1. Vegetarians want to save the animals. page 36-37 2. We want to save our home planet. page 38-39 3. We want to be healthy. page 40-41
Vegetarians may be a good diet, for some, or great for others. However, being a vegetarians there are many things to consider.
WHY THIS BOOK?
We’ve been told that a vegetarian
or vegan diet can feed the hungry, honor the animals, and save the planet. Many people believe in the plant based diet and spend almost half their life following it. But in this book “Is Vegetarianism Bad For Us?” will argue that being a vegetarian harms the planet and animals like livestock does; also just because someone becomes a vegetarian it doesn’t always mean they’re automatically healthier. The truth is that agriculture is a relentless assault against the planet, and more of the same won’t save us. In service to annual grains, humans have devastated prairies and forests, driven countless species extinct, altered the climate, and also destroyed the topsoil—the basis of life itself. Furthermore, the idea of food as a lifestyle decision is growing. People go fat-free, carb free, dairy-free, and gluten-free; they go organic, Kosher, or join the slow food movement. There are many reasons people choose dietary restrictions to promote good health, to fend off bad health, to help the environment, for ethical
or religious reasons, and even purely out of habit or family history. Vegetarianism and veganism have been around for centuries, particularly in certain cultures and/ or religions, and the reasons for committing to these lifestyles are enormously varied. Vegetarians consume no animal flesh red meat, poultry, and seafood are avoided – but they may consume other animal products, depending on personal preference. For example, lacto-ovo vegetarians consume both dairy products and eggs, ovo-vegetarians consume only eggs, and lacto-vegetarians eat only dairy products. Health is a major factor in the shift to a diet with few or no animal products. People who worry about obesity and high cholesterol simply have to look at the role animal fats play in their diets. But ethical concerns about animal welfare, food safety and the antibiotic resistance fostered by feedlots are also making a vegetarian or vegan diet more attractive.
WHAT IS GOOD FOR US
BENEFITS OF A PLANT BASED DIET
A well balance vegetarian diet has many health benefits such as the reduced risk of chronic diseases, which includes obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes and some types of cancer. Vegetarians and vegans also have lower rates of illness and death from a number of degenerative diseases. Vegetarian diet helps with the heart: Limiting the amount of animal-fare and you’ll be reducing your likelihood for heart diseases, which happens to be the number one killer of women. Fatty red meats and many processed meats are high in saturated fat, cholesterol and increases risk of coronary heart diseases. Vegetarian diet keeps your weight down: A study conducted from by Dean Ornish, MD, president and director of the preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, found that overweight people who
followed a low-fat, vegetarian diet lost an average of 24 pounds in the first year and kept off that weight 5 years later. They lost the weight without counting calories, carbs or measuring portions or feeling hungry. Vegetarians live longer: If we switch from an unhealthy junk food diet to a vegetarian diet, you can add about 13 healthy years to your life, says Muchael F. Roizen, MD, author of The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat. People who consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and more disability at the end of their lives. A vegetarian diet builds strong bones: Some people are mildly lactose-intolerant can often enjoy small amounts of dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and lactose-free milk. But if you avoid dairy altogether, you can still get a healthful dose of calcium from dry beans, tofu, soymilk and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collards and turnip greens.
MANY VEGETARIANS GET IT WRONG...
BEING A VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN doesn’t mean you’re automatically healthier. After all, you can still have a baked potato loaded with butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese – simply leaving off the bacon doesn’t make the meal healthy! Even if you’re vegan, you could theoretically live on oreo’s and french-fries – so it’s all a matter of how you do it. The devil is always in the details. Sugar is ‘vegan.’ It is certainly possible to have a very poor vegetarian or vegan diet.
BEWARE THE SNACKS: Ok, yes most
potato chips are vegetarian, and made our of, well potatoes obviously...but loading up on things strictly because they’re vegetarian by coincidence doesn’t mean they’re healthy
HARD TO PROCESS: Mock meat
and tofu dishes can be tasty and fill the void left by abandoning meat, but many are highly processed and may even contain genetically modified soy beans.
TO POTA S P I H C
MOM WAS RIGHT!!!
Broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and promotes a healthy digestive system. As well, it’s proven to decrease the risk of cancer. Green is good! See also kale and spinach. SPIRULINA: Lake algae loaded with antioxidants BROCCOLI: Helps with digestion and reduces risks of cancer LEAFY GREENS: Kale is loaded with minerals and amino acids FRESH BERRIES: Less sugar than other fruits. Antioxidants.
A GMO IS:
the direct human manipulation of an organism DNA in a laboratory environment
SCIENCE OF GMO’S
Genetic modification may include the addition of DNA from species that would not breed in nature. GM may also involve removing species strands of DNA. Cross species or transgenic – genetic manipulation has gone so far as to COMBINE FISH DNA WITH STRAWBERRIES
+
GMO GROCERY STORE
=
STUDIES OF GMO’S: NO LONG-TERM TESTING.
It took decades for the dangers of Trans-Fats, which is another artificial food, to become understood. Mice fed GM pesticide producing corn over four generations showed abnormal structural and chemical changes to various organs and significantly reduced fertility GMO varities of corn and potatoes are engineered to produce their own pesticides. GM foods have only existed in groceries since the late 1990’s.
THE MOST COMMON GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS SOY: soybeans contain a gene that comes from soil bacteria. This gene helps the soybeans grow even when sprayed with herbicide.
CORN: corn has a gene that produces a toxin. This kills an insect called the corn borer and allow the corn to grown without damage.
TOMATOE: tomatoes are mixed with fish genes and are made to last longer. Don’t rot as quickly to tolerate longer periods of transportation.
DAIRY: Some US dairy farms inject the genetically engineered hormone rbGH, also called rbST, into their cows to boost milk production.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
Approximately 70% of foods in our supermarket contain GM ingredients. 80% conventionally processed food contain GMO’s in North America and labeling is not required on the package
A GMO IS NOT :
Plants and animals that are traditionally bred to achieve specific characteristics such as breeding dogs or cross-pollinate or plants.
PREVALENCE OF GMO’S:
Hundreds of additives derived from GMO’s are also in most ingredients we consume daily such as glucose, lecithin and maltodextrin. Some of these ingredients are likely to be in your soft drinks,bakes goods, chocolate, ice-cream, instant soup, crackers and so on. Therefore it makes REAL FOOD harder to find. Most of the food consumed in North America has been chemically treated, genetically engineered or heavily processed.
HEALTH RISK:
GMO’s have not been proven safe. The long term consequences of GMO’s on our health & environment have not been adequately investigated. Genetically engineered products can produce: severe allergic reaction, antibiotic resistance, Immune suppression and cancer.
LABELING & BANS YES
40 countries, including Australia, Japan and all European Union nations, there are significant restrictions on the production of GMOs because they are not considered proven safe.
NO
The United States and Canada do not require labeling of genetically engineered foods
Canada UK
U.S.A Mexico Brazil
Germany
Russia China
Poland
Spain France Italy
Saudi Arabia
Japan South Korea Australia
WE ALL KNOW THAT A
VEGETARIAN DIET CAN HELP BETTER THE PLANET
CUTTING DOWN ON MEAT CAN HELP SAVE THE OUR HOME PLANET Raising livestock is responsible for global warming and produces the three primary gases. First, carbon dioxide, second is the methane gas and third is the nitrous oxide. Every year in the United States alone, 41 million tons of food are fed to seven billion livestock, which only produce seven million tons of food. There are 701 million starving people in the world. The United States alone could feed 800 million people with the grain used to feed livestock. If we all eat less meat, we will tend to save more lives Here is what happens when people cut short on meat and eat at least one vegetarian meal, whether thats a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly bases. A vegetarian helps you save: About 3000 gallons of water: It takes a lot of water to grow the grain to feed the cow that ultimately produces a hamburger. Replacing just four ounces of beef to one vegetarian option saves 3000 gallons of water.
About 16 pounds of grain: We put far more energy into animals per unit of food than we do for any plant crop. The main reason is that cattle consume 16 times as much grain as they produce as meat. Your money & your health: Vegetarianism could extend your life by several years, as well as lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, chronic disease and better your health.
JUST BECAUSE YOU
DON’T EAT MEAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE SAVING THE WORLD IF YOU’RE SOMEONE WHO EATS A LOT OF SOY PRODUCTS, HERE’S THE DIRTY TRUTH
CLIMATE CHANGE: Forest soils are moist, without protection from trees, the soil quickly dry out. Trees help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapor back into the atmosphere. Without trees, many forest lands can quickly become deserts.
CANOPY: Removing trees deprives the
forest of portions of its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays during the day and holds in heat at night. This disruption leads to more extreme temperatures swings that can be harmful to plants and animals.
GLOBAL WARMING: Trees also play a DESTRUCTION OF ANIMALS: The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for millions of species. 70% of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests and many cannot survive
DEFORESTATION: Forests are cut down mostly related to money or the need for high food demand. The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture.
critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere—and increased speed and severity of global warming.
THIS IS OUR GLOBAL SOYBEAN PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY
Did you know that there are 75 million acres of land planted to soy in the U.S. One acre of soy can be used to make 2,500 gallons of soy milk, over 40, 000 8oz. servings of tofu and over 82, 000 crayons. THATS CRAZY!
4%
4% 3%
1% OTHER
CANADA
PARAGUAY
INDIA
28%
32%
21%
7%
CHINA
ARGENTINA
BRAZIL
UNITED STATES
LET US SOAK IN HOW
MUCH WATER IS USED FOR OUR FOOD
FARM IRRIGATION DEPLETES GLOBAL WATER SUPPLY If You Think the Water Crisis Can’t Get Worse, Wait Until the Aquifers Are Drained We’re pumping irreplaceable groundwater to counter the drought. When it’s gone, the real crisis begins Aquifers provide us freshwater that makes up for surface water lost from droughtdepleted lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. We are drawing down these hidden, mostly nonrenewable groundwater supplies at unsustainable rates in the western United States and in several dry regions globally, threatening our future. We are at our best when we can see a threat or challenge ahead. If flood waters are rising, an enemy is rushing at us, or a highway exit appears just ahead of a traffic jam, we see the looming crisis and respond.
We are not as adept when threats—or threatened resources—are invisible. Some of us have trouble realizing why invisible carbon emissions are changing the chemistry of the atmosphere and warming the planet. Because the surface of the sea is all we see, it’s difficult to understand that we already have taken most of the large fish from the ocean, diminishing a major source of food. Neither of these crises are visible—they are largely out of sight, out of mind—so it’s difficult to get excited and respond. Disappearing groundwater is another out-of-sight crisis.
WATER USAGE Daily U.S. agriculture water use
= 10 Billion Gallons
70% of fresh water use globally is for agriculture. Gallons of rainwater and irrigation used by global agriculture every year
128 Billion Gallons
= 100 Billion Gallons
This accounts for 40% of U.S. fresh water withdrawals
= 2 Quadrillion That is enough to cover the entire United States with two feet of water
85% of water withdrawals in developing countries is for agriculture
40% of U.S. farms use drip or precision irrigation systems which are more efficient
MOST IRRIGATED FARMS USE
2-3 TIMES MORE WATER THAN THEIR CROPS NEED AND WASTE BETWEEN
50% & 80% OF IRRIGATION WATER THROUGH LEAKS, RUNOFF AND EVAPORATION
GALLONS OF WATER NEEDED TO PRODUCE FOODS 400
1lb. of sugar
2,500
1lb. of coffee
240
1lb. of soy beans
250
1 pint of milk
130
1lb. of wheat
650
1lb. of rice
GALLONS OF WATER NEEDED BY ANIMALS DAILY 5
150
20
Includes water for drinking as well as hosing down the dairies and feedlots.
&
Hogs
Cows
Beef Cattle
LET US TAKE A LOOK AT
OUR WATER FOOTPRINT
1400L Sorghum 750L of water for 500g
of water for 500g
Cane 840L
Coffee
650L
Barley
225L
Beer
2500L Millet of water for 500g
650L
of water for 500g
Wheat
of water for one pot 750ml
of water for 500g
4650L Beef of water for 300g
of water for 750ml
720L
Wine
1000L
Milk
2500L
Cheese
650L
Toast
2500L
Burger
2500L
Coconut
Apple
90L
of water for 750ml
of water for 500g
500L
of water for 1000g
of water for 1L of milk
of water for 100g beef
Orange 700L
of water for 1000g
of water for 500g
of water for 1000g
of water for 500g
Tomato
860L
Banana
270L
Corn
1830L
Sheep
1410L
Pork
1200L
Goat
1170L
Chicken
990L
Egg
1020L
Rice
540L Soy Beans
of water for 1000g
of water for 300g
of water for 300g
of water for 300g
of water for 300g
of water for 300g
of water for 300g
of water for 300g
of water for 300g
12000L
Chocolate
litres of water for 500g
= 50L (liters) Water is probably one of today’s most precious resources and vital for everyone’s everyday life. Besides the obvious water usage for drinking, washing and cooking, even more water is needed to produce the products we are consuming. This is where the water footprint of a product comes in. The water footprint of a product is the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where it was actually made. It refers to the water used in the various steps of the production chain. It may look small, butt it makes a big difference.
Q& A Let us hear from an expert and see what they have to say about vegetarianism.
I had interviewed one of the largest organization in the world, PETA, that helps prevent all animal cruelty and encourages people to go on a vegan or vegetarian diet to help save the planet and help better our health.
EVERYONE REACTS DIFFERENTLY TO THINGS. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE LACK OF HIGH PROTEINS, IT CAN LEAD TO HIGHER CHANCES OF HEART ATTACKS, CANCER AND OTHER DISEASES BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING THE RIGHT AMOUNT?
WARMING. DOES GOING ON A VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN DIET HELP REDUCE POLLUTION?
PETA: “There is absolutely no lack
a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life”. There is 5 tons of animal waste
of protein, calcium, iron, in vegan foods”. The vegan diet meets the
Recommended Daily Allowance for all of these categories and is approved by the American Dietetic Association for everyone from full grown men to pregnant women and children. Vegan lowers your risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, among other life threatening diseases. A QUESTION MOAT PEOPLE GET CURIOUS ABOUT IS IF PEOPLE WERE TO BECOME VEGETARIANS OR GO ON A PLANT BASED DIET, IS THERE A CHANCE OF LIVING LONGER? PETA: “Vegans and vegetarians
live an estimated 9.5 or 6.1 years longer” STATISTICALLY WE KNOW RAISING BEEF AND LIVESTOCK IS ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF GLOBAL
PETA: According to the World Watch Institute, vegan diets only require 300 gallons of water a day compared to the 4,200 gallons that the standard American diet requires. “Each day,
for every U.S. citizen every year, and about 2% of the population is vegan.
NOWADAYS IT’S HARD TO CALL A VEGETARIAN A “VEGETARIAN: GMO’S ARE ALMOST IN EVERY PRODUCT. CAN WE STILL BE CONSIDERED AS “VEGETARIANS” OR “VEGANS”? PETA: While I do recommend that you try to avoid these GMO foods, this is definitely not something that we can control. Being vegan or vegetarian
is not about perfection, it’s about making the biggest impact for animals.
WHAT ABOUT FREE RANGE ANIMALS. IF ANIMALS ARE RAISED NATURALLY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, DOES THAT MAKE IT OK TO EAT? PETA: “Animals raised on many
“organic” or “free-range” farms suffer the same conditions that characterize factory farms”. The
term “organic” applies only to what the animals are fed and what kind of drugs they are given—it does not signify improvements to quality of life, cleanliness, how the animals are housed or transported. Animals who become ill on organic farms may also be sent to premature slaughter since farmers may be reluctant to give them antibiotics or other medicines which might prevent the “product” from being sold as organic. The intense fear and pain suffered by farmed animals are among the many reasons why we at PETA advocate a vegan diet. Animals exist for their own reasons, and have their own interests. Just because they are of a different species doesn’t mean that we have the right profit off of their bodily functions. The dairy and egg industries profit off of the exploitation of animals.
LET US EXPLORE THE
COMMON MORAL VALUES OF VEGETARIANISM
123 WE WANT TO SAVE ANIMAL LIVES
WE WANT TO SAVE OUR HOME PLANET
WE WANT TO BE HEALTHY
VEGETARIAN MORALITY DIFFERS AROUND THE WORLD The psychological reasons for vegetarianism are more nuanced than has been previously theorized. The reasons people choose to avoid meat vary greatly across cultures, and researchers should be cautious about assuming that similar thought processes are at work even though people might arrive at the same dietary outcomes. In particular, researchers suggest that animal and environment welfare are the main drivers of vegetarianism in Western cultures, while in other places like India, the idea of spiritual contamination and respect for tradition are core concerns. In addition, the wider belief systems associated with vegetarians in Europe and North America compared to their omnivorous counterparts, such as lack of respect for right-wing political views, and strong pro-ecological views, may not apply to Indian vegetarians, driven by different morals and cultural norms.
According to a new study published in the journal Appetite. They say, “In Western cultural contexts, vegetarians and omnivores have been shown to view meat in very different terms. Although omnivores usually have positive explicit attitudes towards meat, associating it with luxury, good taste, and social status, vegetarians in the UK, Canada and Germany tend to associate meat with cruelty, killing, disgust and poor health and research with Irish and Dutch populations reveals that for many vegetarians, these negative associations are also present on the implicit level. The researchers found that Indian vegetarians endorsed the idea of ‘authority’ much more than Western vegetarians, with the notion defined as ‘Showing respect for authority, fulfilling the duties of one’s role, and respecting the traditions of society’ “.
1
st
WE WANT TO SAVE ANIMAL LIVES
Save animals from dying of shock whilst being transported to slaughterhouses.
PREVENT CRUELTY
Chickens can keep their beaks & feathers. Cows can keep their sensitive horns that are usually removed without any anesthetics or pain killers; and pigs no longer need to be caged in crowded spaces and tasered.
SAVE THE LIVES OF DAIRY COWS that are killed killed at two or three years old because they are not as productive.
SAVE THE WILDLIFE BY SAVING THE RAINFOREST
SAVE BABY-EGG LAYING MALE CHICKS AND MALE DAIRY CALVES that are killed because they are claimed to be not useful.
Rainforest’s land, larger than the size of South America, has been destroyed for livestock production. Becoming a vegetarian, you save an estimate of 198 animals every year.
nd 1lb meat = 168 showers
WE WANT TO SAVE OUR HOME PLANET 50% of the worlds water used goes to animal agriculture
1lb wheat= 2 showers
Vegetarianism can save 6 months worth of water for every one pound of meat that is not eaten.
50%
51%
51% of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions comes from animal agriculture.
HERE IS THE BIGGER PICTURE THOUGH
40%
40% of the worlds grain is fed to livestock that can save starving countries and people around the world. If everyone in the US went vegetarian we could feed 800 million people just with the grain currently fed to livestock.
IF GREENHOUSE GASES WERE LIKE HELIUM THAT IS ENOUGH BALLOONS TO LIFT A 1.5 TON CAR. Save 60,000 balloons worth of greenhouse gases from being released into the environment every year. THATS RIDICULOUS!
3
rd
WE WANT TO BE HEALTHY Save yourself from having a stroke. A vegetarian diet reverses Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) that leads to strokes and heart attacks.
SAVE YOURSELF...SOS Vegetarians are 40% less likely to get any form of cancer.
1 in 5 vegetarians get cancer
1 in 3 meat eaters get cancer
SAVE YEARS ON YOUR LIFE Vegetarians live an average of 6-10 years longer than their meat eating friends.
SAVE YOURSELF FROM OBESITY AND OBESITY RELATED DISEASES
Vegetarians are 1/9 as likely to be obese and find it easier to maintain a healthy weight.
250 200
Cholestrol Levels of vegetarians and Meat Eaters SAFETY ZONE
150
SAVE YOURSELF FROM HEART DISEASE
100 50 0
Vegetarians
Meat Eaters
Your risk of a heart attack is virtually ZERO below 150
NO ONES PERFECT, SO
HERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS OF A MORAL VEGETARIAN
ANIMALS SURVIVE. THEY DON’T HAVE RIGHTS. A stronger argument is made by people who maintain that animals have rights. In particular, it has been argued that animals have a right to life. So, even if animals are killed painlessly and raised for food in humane ways, it is wrong to kill them. The question is, of course, whether animals do have a right to life. This would not necessarily mean that animals have no rights. Presumably most animals - even infants - would have the right not to suffer. Some vegetarians have argued that it is impossible for one to maintain without absurdity that animals have a right not to suffer pain and yet have no right to life. For it is argued that since every animal will suffer at least once in its life, we have a duty to kill all animals painlessly to prevent this future suffering from happening. To avoid this absurd consequence, it is said, we must admit that animals do have a right to life. However, the absurd consequence would follow only if preventing animals from suffering was the only or at least the overriding factor to be considered.
VEGETARIANS EAT MICRO ORGANISMS. THAT’S A LIVING THING... What is forbidden meat? Most moral vegetarians list fish and fowl as animals one should not eat. But what about micro-organisms? Vegan vegetarians who eat only vegetables, fruits and nuts do not completely remove all microorganisms from their food, even with repeated cleaning. Has the vegetarian who eats micro-organisms along with their salad sinned against his own principles? Vegetarians may attempt to justify the eating of micro-organisms in their different ways. It may be argued that only animals who can feel pain are not to be eaten. Since it is unlikely that micro-organisms can feel pain, the vegetarian can eat them without scruples. But this suggestion has a peculiar implication. If beef cattle who could not feel pain were developed, then it would be permissible to eat them. The ability to feel pain is not an obviously plausible way of morally distinguishing micro-organisms from other organisms.
ALL COMES DOWN
TO THE CONCLUSION
It is to my understanding that most vegetarians or vegans
eat the way they do mainly for the environment or because they don’t like the idea of killing or mistreating animals. Those principles are very noble, but I’ll explain why they often don’t make any sense if you think about the bigger picture. I wish I had this kind of information before jumping on a raw food diet of only fruits, vegetables and nuts a couple of years ago and greatly compromising my health. The first big point I’d like to make is that I’m totally against animal cruelty and I think that the Paleo diet principles align very well with happy and well treated animals. Eating animals that have been well treated, well fed and let free to graze on pastures all day long will be healthier and will also be better for your health because the fat content will be much higher in Omega-3. You will get the best quality protein without the traces of hormones and antibiotics of GMO raised animals. Who are we as a species, after all, to decide that we should break the natural food-chain? Nature works this way, so we shouldn’t try to mess with the natural order of things. Unfortunately, in order for one living
organism to live, another has to die. It’s the natural circle of life and death. Vegetarians and vegans have to get the bulk of their calories from other sources than meat and often end up eating larger portions of soy, wheat or other grain based products including tofu, soy milk, bread and pasta. Those products can be toxic and lead to a high carbohydrate load which could lead to chronically high insulin levels, weight gain and diabetes in the long run. Of course, many vegetarians will instead lose weight, but my understanding is that they miss some highly bio-available meat protein. A lot of the nutrients available in much greater quantity in meat, such as copper and iron, in a form that’s easily absorbed. Our digestive system is short and can’t digest cellulose and a more efficient digestive system is probably what gave us the chance to develop the bigger brain we enjoy today. Eating more nutrient-dense foods like meat and animal fat leaves more energy for other processes to happen. Most herbivores have to eat slowly all day long and have a digestive system to digest cellulose by a fermentation process. This job often requires more than one stomach. Comparatively, most carnivores can eat more infrequently and will stay
well fed for a much longer period of time after eating, This is a good thing because they can survive for a couple of days if they don’t make any kills for a while. Furthermore, is the fact that what’s destroying the environment more than anything right now are our industrial farming practices and especially the big mono-cultures like wheat, corn and soy. Agriculture is the industry that consumes the most oil if you think about all the machinery used and food transportation needed. Therefore, the importance of eating locally produced meat and locally grown vegetables and fruits, when available, is huge. One great thing is that most meat produced naturally will come from local farmers either from your local butcher, your farmer’s market or directly from the farm if you choose to buy in bulk. The big advantage of this last option is that you’ll get the best quality and environmentally friendly meat for much cheaper per pound then grocery bought meat. So regardless of whether someone is a meat eater or not, neither is sustainable for our planet. Unless we were to all magically stop growing everything at once, which is high close to impossible in this generation.
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