| So I think I’m ready to come out of the closet completely as a vegetarian. I hadn’t really been talking about it much because I didn’t know if it was going to stick or not. And, I’m still only 19, so who the heck knows what might happen. I was a vegetarian for almost two years before, mostly because my brother was. I’ve been flirting with it again sense I was a senior in high school, and started doing some serious discussing and research last summer. I stopped eating meat totally in early September, and I don’t think I’ll go back. I’m not meaning for this post to sound preachy. I’ve never told anyone they were dumb or wrong for choosing their own lifestyle. I, simply, ask people for their reasons for continuing to eat meat if they ask me for my reasons for abstaining. They usually don’t have any other than “protein” for a few, and “it tastes good” for most others. I’m simply putting this out there in hopes that, if we ever have this conversation, or if you have it with another vegetarian or vegan, you won’t be able to dismiss them as many have dismissed me sense I made this decision only 4 months ago. If you’re on the fence about cutting meat out of your diet, or if you think I’m a big ol’ dumby for doing this I’d ask you to consider not just the inhumane treatment of animals and all that stuff that we normally hear, but think about my main reason for choosing this lifestyle: global consciousness. I’ve read several books and articles about all this stuff, (check Jane Goodall’s “Harvest of Hope” or “Diet for a Small Planet” by Frances Moore Lappé.) However, one of the most compelling accounts actually comes from the forward of a Veggie cook book my mom gave me. “Presently, in the U.S., we feed most of our grains and legumes to livestock, to produce meat. To produce one pound of meat protein, a cow is fed at least sixteen pounds of non-meat protein from sources like corn and beans, most of which could be eaten (and enjoyed) just as well by human beings. The amount of protein wasted in this manner each year—this is for meat consumed entirely within the United States—is equal to ninety percent of the world’s yearly protein deficit. In personal terms, that meant that if significant numbers of people like us would change their eating habits, adequate protein could conceivably be put within the reach of everyone in the world, for a fraction of the coast of meat. What a privilege to be able to give such gift!” That’s book is slightly dated, but modern statistics are close, if not worse. Other reasons: Look them up on the Net if you must. “It's no secret that compared to average meat-eaters, vegetarians generally live longer, are less likely to be overweight, suffer far fewer incidences of cancer and heart disease, and have more energy. These facts have been consistently borne out by decades of scientific research. The largest epidemiological study ever conducted (the China-Oxford-Cornell study) concluded that those eating the amount of animal foods in a typical American diet have seventeen times the death rate from heart disease, and, for women, five times the rate of breast cancer, than those who get 5% or less of their protein from animal foods.” “Modern agricultural methods mean that animals are raised in cramped confinement operations instead of the pastures from childhood picture books -- a practice known as factory farming. Chickens are crammed into cages with no free space, and are debeaked to keep them from pecking each other to death. Animals are pumped full of various powerful drugs to kill diseases resulting from filthy living conditions, and to make them grow or produce faster than nature intended. When cows and chickens stop producing as much milk and eggs as the younger animals, they're unceremoniously slaughtered and made into low-grade meat (fast food and pet food).” That’s it really. QUOTE: “This book is dedicated to a glossy black calf on his way to the slaughterhouse many years ago, whose eyes met those of someone who could understand their appeal and inspire us, and thousands of other like us, to give the gift of life.” ~Laurel’s Kitchen |
