Some People Refuse To See Fact

By : Lauren Woods

How come even when you present people with fact about the vegan lifestyle, people don't believe? It is so frustrating! I don't push it in anyone's face, because I'm fresh as a vegetarian and still learning myself- but the more I learn, the more I want to share.

All those years I was drinking milk I was feeling so good about it... I just can't see how myself, and so many people remainignorant about nutrition.

http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/

The milk myth has spread around the world based on the flawed belief that this protein and calcium-rich drink is essential to support good overall health and bone health in particular at any age. It is easy to understand that the confusion about milk’s imaginary benefits stems from the fact that it contains calcium – around 300 mg per cup.

But many scientific studies have shown an assortment of detrimental health effects directly linked to milk consumption. And the most surprising link is that not only do we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. What an irony this is!

Here’s how it happens. Like all animal protein, milk acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction. You see, calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer and the biggest storage of calcium in the body is – you guessed it… in the bones. So the very same calcium that our bones need to stay strong is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk. Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body via the urine, so that the surprising net result after this is an actual calcium deficit.

Knowing this, you’ll understand why statistics show that countries with the lowest consumption of dairy products also have the lowest fracture incidence in their population (there’s more on this later).

Source: Vegetarian Friend

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction II

Myth 5: Certain combinations of foods have to be eaten at the same meal to get the right amino acids (the building blocks of protein).

FACT: There is no need to combine foods at meals to get right proteins in the diet. If one follows the recommended amounts and number of servings of the Vegetarian Food Pyramid, one will be getting adequate amounts of the protein..

Myth 6: All vegetarian diets are low in fat.

FACT: Vegetarian diets may or may not be low in fat. It all depends upon the choices one makes. Some high fat foods commonly used by vegetarians are avocadoes, olives and olive oil, nuts, nut and soy based milk type beverages and seeds. These fats are moderate to low in saturated fats. They can also choose cheese, egg yolks and cream which are foods high in saturated fat.

Myth 7: Vegetarian diets are dull and boring.

FACT: A diet can become boring when one eats the same foods every day. With the abundance of foods to choose from and the variety of ways to prepare them, a diet without meat need not be either dull or boring.

Myth 8: Vegetarian diets can cure cancer and heart disease.

FACT: Because most lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets are nutritionally sound, higher in fiber, lower in cholesterol and contain more fruits and vegetables, this diet pattern can reduce a person's risk of many cancers and certain types of heart disease. However, even vegetarians must follow all the precautions physicians prescribe for decreasing the risk of these diseases.

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction Part I

Source: http://www.sdada.org/plant.htm

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction I

In our meat and potatoes or hamburger and fries American diet, there is often concerned about the health of those who eat mostly plant-based foods.  The following will help separate the fiction from the facts.

Myth 1: All plant-based diets are about the same.

FACT: No. Vegetarians who eat milk or eggs are called "lacto-ovo-vegetarians".  Those who eat no animal products are called "vegans", or strict or total vegetarians.  There are many variations of these two main types of plant-based diets.

When someone declares himself/herself a "vegetarian" it is best to ask the person exactly which foods are eaten and which are avoided.  Most likely, the person is a"lacto-ovo-vegetarian".

Myth 2: There are very few vegetarians.

FACT: Recently it is estimated that about 10% of the USA is vegetarian.  Restaurants report that about 27% of the customers want a vegetarian option when they order.

Myth 3: A diet without meat is nutritionally deficient.

FACT: All vegetarian diets can provide all the essential nutrients to a person choosing from an abundant food supply.  However, as a diet becomes more restrictive, it may be more difficult to get all the necessary nutrients.  Following the guidelines outlined in the Vegetarian Food Pyramid provides most nutrients in adequate supply. Remember that the adequacy of any diet depends on the variety and the amount of foods that are included.  Consult a registered dietitian for accurate diet instruction.

The nutrients of greatest concern in the vegan or macrobiotic-type diets are vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc.  Nutrient needs are greatest during periods of growth.

Myth 4: One can't possibly get enough protein without meat and/or milk and eggs.

FACT: It is difficult not to get enough protein if one eats sufficient amounts and variety of food to maintain a healthful body weight. All foods, except sugar and oil, contain some protein. Plant-based diets get protein from legumes (dried peas and beans), seeds, nuts, whole grains, and for the lacto-ovo-vegetarian, also from milk and eggs.

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction Part II

Source: http://www.sdada.org/plant.htm

Be Vegetarian to Save Our Environment

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect

Primary cause of greenhouse effect:carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels

Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more

Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date:75

Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85

Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million

Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds

Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75

Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet

Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses:1,000 per year

Source = "Diet For A New America" by John Robbins

Be Vegetarian to Save the World from Hunger

Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million

Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million

Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people:20

Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock:80

Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95

Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90

How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds

Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000

Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250

Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56

Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16

So, why don’t you choose to be a vegetarian and save the world from hunger? Be Vegetarian and save the world from hunger!

Source = "Diet For A New America" by John Robbins

Eating Meat = Eating up Land

A human population expected to grow by 3 billion, a shift in developing countries to eating more meat, and global consumption on track to double in 40 years point to the mother of all food crises down the road. How much food we grow is not just limited by the amount of available land but meat-eaters need far more space than vegetarians. A Bangladeshi family living off rice, beans, vegetables and fruit may live on an acre of land or less, while the average American, who consumes around 270 pounds of meat a year, needs 20 times that.

Nearly 30% of the available ice-free surface area of the planet is now used by livestock, or for growing food for those animals. One billion people go hungry every day, but livestock now consumes the majority of the world's crops. A Cornell University study in 1997 found that around 13m hectares of land in the US were used to grow vegetables, rice, fruit, potatoes and beans, but 302m were used for livestock. The problem is that farm animals are inefficient converters of food to flesh. Broiler chickens are the best, needing around 3.4kg to produce 1kg of flesh, but pigs need 8.4kg for that kilo.

Other academics have calculated that if the grain fed to animals in western countries were consumed directly by people instead of animals, we could feed at least twice as many people – and possibly far more – as we do now.

To make matters worse, our hunger to eat animals has led to overstocking of fragile lands and massive soil erosion and desertification. Overgrazing, from the down lands of southern England to the uplands of Ethiopia and mountains of Nepal, causes great loss of fertility, as well as flooding.

Vegetarian Diet Could Make You Happier And Less Stressed, Study Shows

By Elizabeth Nolan Brown, for Blisstree.com

Omnivores, take note: Embracing a vegetarian diet could make you happier and less stressed, according to new research published in Nutrition Journal.

The reason comes down to fatty acids: Diets that include meat and fish are higher in arachidonic acid (AA), an animal source of omega-6 fatty acids. Much of the meat Americans eat today is quite high in AA: The average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid profile of modern grain-fed meat is 5 times higher than grass-fed meat, like our ancestors ate. And previous research has shown high levels of AA can cause mood-disturbing brain changes.

High-fish diets also mean higher levels of long-chain, or omega-3 fatty acids, like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both EPA and DHA combat the negative effects of AA. High dietary levels of omega-3 fatty acids are linked to better brain health, better mood and a host of other health benefits. Most health experts recommend an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of about 4:1.

In theory, then, frequent fish eaters should have be protected against the damaging effects of AA because of their higher intake of omega-3 acids. But an earlier study found omnivores reported significantly worse moods than vegetarians, despite higher intakes of EPA and DHA.

In this follow-up study, 39 meat-eating participants were assigned to one of three diets. A control group ate meat, fish or poultry daily; a second group ate fish 3-4 times weekly but no meat; and a third group ate strictly vegetarian. After two weeks, mood scores were unchanged for the fish- and meat-eating groups, but vegetarians reported significantly better moods and less stress.

“Restricting meat, fish, and poultry improved … short-term mood state in modern omnivores,” the researchers concluded.

After two weeks on a vegetarian diet, participants had “negligible amounts” of EPA, DHA and AA in their bodies. Fatty acid levels in the control group were unchanged. Participants in the fish eating group showed 95 to 100% higher levels of EPA and DHA fatty acids—but their omega-6 to omega-3 ratios were still heavily skewed toward omega-6′s.

To work plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids (called ALA) into your diet, try chia seeds, hemp seed, cauliflower and purslane.

Source : Huffington Post

Facts about Livestock Production and Global Warming

Do We Need to Eat Animal Products for Optimum Health?

Most of us, including myself, grew up with families and in a society in which the eating of certain animals was completely normal, it was just "the way things are", it was "natural" and "necessary". These beliefs are backed by constant advertising assuring us that foods like hamburgers, bacon and chicken "nuggets" are copacetic, and that we need to eat the flesh of cows, pigs, fish and chickens in order to get the protein we need, along with drink the milk of cows to get calcium for "strong bones".

Most of us are also not violent creatures, never intentionally hurting or oppressing other people, and we actually have a tendency to show compassion for others, despite the lack of encouragement for such behavior by this current socioeconomic system, that corrupts human nature to fit a for-profit, money-dependent "dog-eat-dog" worldview.

Speaking of dog-eat-dog, or cannibalism, most humans would find the idea of eating another human extremely grotesque, and why is that? Common answers would probably include: "It's not natural", "It's unethical" and "It's completely unnecessary." Interestingly, these are the same answers given by many people, now including myself, as to why they have stopped eating animal products. "But that's totally different", you may immediately object. And in the past, I would have agreed with you. Yet now I know that the daily massive violence towards other animals that are sentient, have emotions, suffer and feel pain, is really no different from eating another human, from an ethical perspective. If you don't need to kill another sentient creature for your survival, does how many legs it has, or how smart it is have any ethical relevance? No. If it did, then we would find no objection to enslaving and murdering the mentally handicapped. All that is relevant is that they can suffer, feel pain and they want to live. The ethical imperative is to respect the right to life and freedom from violence, of other sentient creatures. To love your dog or cat but pay for people to enslave and murder pigs, chickens and cows so you can eat them is a moral contradiction. In most people's minds this contradiction is "resolved" by the belief, which again has been force-fed to humanity, like a force-fed goose that will become foie-gras, that eating animal products is needed for optimum health. Now how can that be if there are vegan Olympic athlete champions, vegan body builder champions and Ultimate Fighting champions? How can someone (Dave Scott) become an Ironman competition world-champion 6 years in a row on a vegan diet if it is somehow deficient in nutrients? Certainly these individuals have bodies in optimum health don't they?

I know it's troubling to contemplate the idea that you've been misled for most of your life and duped into participating in daily cruelty and violence that harms your health and the environment, not to mention the possible karmic consequences. But we should seek the ideal of truth, even though as Jesus said in the Gospel of Thomas, "When they find, they will be disturbed." Because after the disturbance comes greater freedom; as he also said "The truth will set you free." The truth about animal slavery, exploitation and murder can set us free from its dire health, environmental and possible spiritual consequences.It's well-worth facing the facts, without getting defensive about your past actions, and just begin the process of eliminating animal products from your diet.

"But where do I get my protein?" you may still be wondering. If you are, then you are probably only considering 2 sources of protein in your mind: flesh and cow's milk; 2 sources. Yet there are many more than 2 sources of protein in a plant-based diet! You can easily get all the protein your body needs from the large variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Also you can get protein from broccoli, potatoes and spinach, among other vegetables. I could still go on, but I'm sure you get the point. So there is in fact many more sources of protein in a plant-based diet than in a meat/dairy based diet (and the same goes for calcium), yet this fact is often overlooked due to constant conditioning by advertising and by the pressures of social and inter-personal normalization.

There is in fact nothing lacking whatsoever in a balanced vegan diet. "But wait! What about Vitamin B12?" B12 is produced by "good" bacteria which have usually been found in the soil and on plants and every herbivore in nature would gets its supply of B12 from consuming these bacteria on the plants they eat. However today there is often not enough of this good bacteria due to modern agricultural methods and through very thorough cleaning, so we have to find other sources, like the many B12 fortified foods/beverages, or Kombucha & Sea Vegetables, or by taking a supplement. Very easy. Again there is NO nutrient that you must get from enslaved, tortured and murdered animals, NONE.

Human physiology clearly matches that of herbivores, and the ingestion of animal products is directly linked to the leading cause of death, heart disease; plant foods contain zero cholesterol and minimal saturated fat. When considering the physiological characteristics of herbivores, and how we have those same characteristics (intestine length, jaw structure, etc.) it is also good to consider the absurdity of the claim (that may still be impressed on your subconscious via conditioning) that you need to eat meat to be strong. If champion Olympians and body-builders aren't enough to convince you otherwise, how about a rhinoceros? Or a horse? Do you associate such animals with weakness? Aren't they in fact immensely muscular and powerful when in good health? And guess what, they're herbivores too. Henry David Thoreau put it this way:

"One farmer says to me, "You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make the bones with", and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying himself with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle." -"Walden"

Not only are there more of the needed nutrients we need available in a solely plant-based diet, they are also much, much healthier than animal-derived sources. Dairy protein for example, known as casein, has been directly linked to cancer growth. And, revealing the advertising deceptions by the cruel dairy industry, the countries that have the highest intake of dairy products also have the highest rate of osteoporosis; this is because the calcium in dairy products goes mostly unabsorbed by humans, since dairy becomes acidic in our bodies (it's meant for calves, not humans!) which naturally leach out calcium from our bones in order to re-balance our pH level. Also there have been countless examples of people suffering from Diabetes who became completely cured by simply adopting a balanced vegan diet. I could go on with examples of the health benefits but these should be enough to open your eyes and start to do more research yourself.

If we collectively wake up to the fact that we've been deceived into committing daily acts of violence, if we "eat the apple of the knowledge of good and evil" (which by the way, the idea of having such knowledge as being the cause of "the fall of Man" is another great deception), we can truly start progressing back towards Eden, or a better, healthier, more sustainable and less violent world. The first step towards progress/evolution is clearly seeing what's keeping one in a deplorable state; we must use our conscience and common sense and reject beliefs/propaganda that are false, immoral and are degrading humanity physically, mentally and spiritually. So if you have compassion for other sentient beings, and are not too stubborn to face the facts, then you'll find transitioning to a vegan diet easy and one of the best choices you've ever made.

Source : OpEdNews.com

How Humans are not Physically Created to Eat Meat

Although some historians and anthropologists say that man is historically omnivorous, our anatomical equipment ­ teeth, jaws, and digestive system favors a fleshless diet. The American Dietetic Association notes that "most of mankind for most of human history has lived on vegetarian or near-vegetarian diets."

And much of the world still lives that way. Even on most industrialized countries, the love affair with meat is less than a hundred years old. It started with the refrigerator car and the twentieth-century consumer society. But even with the twentieth century, man's body hasn't adapted to eating meat. The prominent Swedish scientist Karl von Linne states, "Man's structure, external and internal, compared with that of the other animals, shows that fruit and succulent vegetables constitute his natural food." The chart below compares the anatomy of man with that of carnivorous and herbivorous animals.

When you look at the comparison between herbivores and humans, we compare much more closely to herbivores than meat eating animals. Humans are clearly not designed to digest and ingest meat.

Meat-eaters: have claws
Herbivores: no claws
Humans: no claws

Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue
Herbivores: perspire through skin pores
Humans: perspire through skin pores

Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding
Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding
Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly
Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.
Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat
Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater
Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater

Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.
Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits
Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits

Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

Based on a chart by A.D. Andrews, Fit Food for Men, (Chicago: American Hygiene Society, 1970)

Clearly if humans were meant to eat meat we wouldn't have so many crucial ingestive/digestive similarities with animals that are herbivores.

Many people ask me, "If we weren't supposed to eat meat than why do we?". It is because we are conditioned to eat meat. Also, the ADA (American Dietetic Association) tells us that "most of mankind for most of human history has lived on a vegetarian or Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet."

A popular statement that meat eaters say is; "In the wild, animals kill other animals for food. It's a part of nature." First of all, we are not in the wild. Secondly, we can easily live without eating meat and killing. We all would be healthier this way. Finally, as I have already shown, we weren't meant to eat meat. Meat putrefies within 4 hours after consumption and the remnants cling to the walls of the intestines for 14-21 days. If a person is suffering from constipation the rotting meat can stay in the intestines for months or years. Furthermore, the saliva in humans is more alkaline, whereas in the case of flesh-eating or preying animals, it is clearly acidic. The alkaline saliva does not act properly on meat.

The final point I would like to make on how we as humans were not meant to eat meat is this; all omnivorous and carnivorous animals eat their meat raw. When a lion kills an herbivore for food, it tears right into the stomach area to eat the organs that are filled with blood (nutrients). While eating the stomach, liver, intestine, etc., the lion laps the blood in the process of eating the dead animal's flesh. Even bears that are omnivores eat salmon raw. However, eating raw bloody meat disgust us as humans. This is why we must cook it and season it to buffer the taste of the flesh.

If a deer is burned in a forest fire a carnivorous animal will NOT eat its flesh. Even circus lions have to be feed raw meat so that they will not starve to death. If humans were truly meant to eat meat then we would eat all of our meat raw and bloody. The thought of eating such meat makes one’s stomach turn. This is my point on how we as humans are conditioned to believe that animal flesh is good for us and that we were meant to consume it for survival and health purposes. If we are true carnivores or omnivores we would eat animal flesh raw and bloody. Cooking our meat and seasoning it with salt, ketchup, mayo, mustard or tabasco sauce disguise the awful taste of flesh. This is the only way we as humans would eat meat because we refuse to eat it raw and bloody like real carnivores.

Overall advantages of vegetarianism

You can reap a lot of benefits by being a vegetarian and people have become more aware of the health benefits of being a vegetarian. Animal rights issues is only one of the reasons why people decide to go on a vegetarian diet. People are beginning to care more about the environment. However, the main reason why most people go on vegetarian diet is due to the health benefits.

Meat is not good for you as it clogs your thinking. This is especially true if you eat red meat; white meat has less fat compared to red meat. Excessive intake of fats into your body can result in having a high level of cholesterol. If you think that not eating meat is going to make you look scrawny or unhealthy please think again. Just imagine that cows, goats, gorillas, elephants, rhinoceroses and so on are all vegetarians (herbivores) but look at how tough these animals are. They also have a longer life span compared to the carnivores (meat eating animals).

If you look at the chicken and vulture (carnivores), these animals eat just about everything and notice how unhealthy these animals look. The Chinese believe that the chi or life force in your body is less when you consume meat and so do the Indians with their ancient yogic principles [their life force was called prana].

The great Tai Chi masters of China were adept at preserving their chi. Even though some of the masters were not vegetarians they still had a balanced diet. It has now been scientifically proven that a balanced vegetarian diet is better compared to a diet that is taken with meat.

There are a lot of misconceptions about being a vegetarian; protein is one of the main topics of debate as a lot of people think that you can only get protein from meat. Vegetarians get a lot of protein when they eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. What vegetarians don't get is the excess protein of the traditional American diet. This type of diet leads to liver toxicity, kidney overload and mineral deficiency diseases.

A lot of people also think that a vegetarian diet is not a balanced diet. Vegetarian diets have a proportion of three macro nutrients which are complex carbohydrates, protein and fat. Vegetarian food sources (plants) tend to be higher sources of most micro nutrients. Another myth that needs to be clarified is the so-called lack of calcium among vegetarians. Many vegetables especially green leafy ones have a good supply of calcium. The truth is that vegetarians suffer less from osteoporosis (a deficiency of calcium that leads to weak bones).

It is not my intention to force people to become vegetarians. However, vegetarianism is my answer to complete health and wellness. The three issues to consider in regard to vegetarianism are: spiritual, mental and physical (nutritional).

The spiritually aspiring person attempts to work on his/her self. The purpose of spiritual growth is to move away from the animal nature into the more human nature that God intended for us to have. Meat eating inhibits this. The same science that attempts to ignore the existence of a force higher than man also proved that aggression levels are much higher in meat eaters than non-meat eaters! The animal instincts become more powerful every time you eat meat. Another spiritual aspect of being a meat eater is when one must question the necessity and method of killing animals. However, everyone has their own morals to which they must determine for themselves. It is not the purpose of my dissertation to force a specific moral behavior on anyone. Most spiritual people believe in auras. Kirilian photography shows us that a force field still remains around dead or amputated flesh. You adopt that animal aura when you eat it's dead flesh. Fruits and vegetables have a higher vibration al aura than animal products.

“You are what you eat”, is a slogan that I love to use to show the mental aspect of vegetarianism. When animals are slaughtered, fear and aggression enzymes are shot into their muscle tissue. They remain in the meat until the consumer ingests the flesh and adapts the same emotions. Fruits and vegetables do not have emotions; therefore, when they are picked they do not release any emotional cells prior to digestion. The enzymes within fruits and vegetables supply the body with sufficient nutrients that will always uphold a healthy state of mind.

Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients; the very thing the body needs to live a long disease and pain free life. The same cannot be said for meat. Nutritionally, the alkaline-based digestive system of humans will not properly break down substantial acid substances of meat.

Colon cancer is rampant! This is caused by the slow evacuation and putrefaction of meat in the colon. Lifelong vegetarians never suffer from such an illness. Many meat eaters believe that meat is the sole source of protein. However, the quality of this protein is so poor that little of it can ever be utilized by humans. This is due to its incomplete combination of amino acids [the building blocks of protein]. Studies show that the average American gets five times the amount of protein needed. It is a common medical fact that excess protein is dangerous. The prime danger of excess meat consumption is uric acid (the waste product produced in the process of digesting protein). Uric acid attacks the kidneys and breaks down the kidney cells called nephrons. This condition is called nephritis; the prime cause of it is overburdening the kidneys. More usable protein is found in one tablespoon of tofu or soybeans than the average serving of meat!

Have you ever seen what happens to a piece of meat that stays in the sun for three days? Meat can stay in the warmth of the intestine for at least four to five days until it is digested. It does nothing but wait for passage. Often, it usually stays there for much longer. Medical doctors have found traces of undigested meat remaining in the colon for up to several months. Colonic therapists always see meat passing through people who have been vegetarians for several years, thus indicating that meat remains undigested there for a long time. Occasionally this has been documented in twenty-year vegetarians!

Some vegetarians claim they are more satisfied after they eat. The reason for this is that there are fewer ketones (protein-digestive substances) formed when vegetable protein is digested. For many, ketones cause a trace amount of nausea which one normally interprets as a decreased desire for food due to this uncomfortable and slight degree of queasiness. Although the body calls for more food, the taste buds tolerate less. This is the danger of the popular high-protein diet substances on the market. This abnormally high level of ketones is called ketosis and refers to the state of starvation that the body incurs due to the inability of the appetite to call for nutrition. Most Americans who eat the wrong type of carbohydrates never recognize the high amount of complex carbohydrates required to overthrow this condition. Keep in mind that when the blood ketone level are too high it results in abnormally acidic blood called acidosis.

Tigers or lions who eat meat have an acid-based digestive systems. Our Hydrochloric Acid isn’t strong enough to fully digest meat. Also, their intestines measures about five feet long, not twisted and turned, layer over layer, compacted into a small area like the human intestine [which is twenty feet long].

Meats are frozen for a long period of times. Some meats (especially poultry) are frozen up to two years. Cold temperatures do not kill all species of bacteria. Worse than this, as it is shipped and stored, most frozen meat is thawed and refrozen many times. This is almost unavoidable.

Meat eaters suffer more frequently from various types of food poisoning than vegetarian. Statistics show that every American has had food poisoning at least once. When you've felt ill, had diarrhea or were just a little sick to your stomach, no doubt you had not the slightest idea that you had been poisoned by scavengers living off the dead carcass you just ate.

Meat is costly and it is the most wasteful source of resources. When one removes meat from his or her diet a whole new world of eating opens up. Cooking and preparing vegetarian style is no more time consuming than cooking meat. It costs less than half as much to eat vegetarian as it does to eat meat. There are excellent, nutritious, and easy to prepare vegetarian dishes that are Italian, Chinese, Indian, Mid-Eastern, French, Spanish, etc.

Additionally, one can enjoy many other foods that he or she has never tasted because of the meat craze. Most consumers have eaten no more than five or six varieties of beans and legumes. This is less than 10% of what is available.

In my opinion, there are far more benefits to becoming a vegetarian then there are staying a meat eater. Due to the fact that I was raised on meat, I have experienced both worlds. As a meat eater I was constantly sick, tired, and overweight. As a vegetarian, I am healthy, full of energy and maintaining a perfect weight. I love being a vegetarian and it shows. Because I wish the best for myself, it’s just second nature to want the best for others. From my past experience and research, going vegetarian is the best thing anyone can do for their mind, body and spirit.

Source : Celestial Healing Wellness Center

Are Humans Designed to Eat Meat?

By Milton Mills, MD

Recognizing Truth

The major causes of disease and death in western countries are chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and cancers. These diseases have been linked to diets high in meat and animal fat, and low in fruits, vegetables, unprocessed carbohydrates and fiber. Extensive research data have led many nutrition authorities to conclude that westerners should make major changes in their diet and lifestyle to promote better health and reduce risk factors for chronic disease. In effect, current consensus guidelines encourage Americans and other westerners to adopt a diet based more on plant rather than animal foods. Why should this be?

Standard western nutritional dogma "classifies" human beings as omnivores. The statement "humans are omnivores" has been repeated so often that it has acquired the patina of received truth. But like a patina, the "truth" inherent in this statement is only microns deep.

While it may be true that most humans are "behavioral" omnivores (that is, they choose to include meat in their diet) this behavioral fact says nothing about whether including meat in our diet is an appropriate choice from an anatomic, physiologic and heath perspective. What is surprising is that despite abundant evidence showing that large amounts of meat and other animal foods in one's diet leads to all types of chronic diseases, and that varied plant-based diets promote better heath, the idea that humans are supposed to be omnivores has rarely been challenged or critically examined by the scientific community. Thus, although national health policy guidelines clearly direct us away from animal foods and towards a plant-based diet, many in the scientific community remain oblivious to what is being implied. That implication is that humans are not omnivores inasmuch as increasing amounts of animal foods in the diet promote increasing levels of chronic disease.

Clearly, it is difficult to arrive at or recognize "the answer" if one never asks the appropriate question.

A Question of Design

Animals who eat meat and those who eat plants face very different issues when dinner time arrives. Plants, because they are sedentary, encase their tissues in tough fibrous coverings for support and protection, and thus require a large amount of digestive processing to extract nutritional value from them. By contrast, "meat" (in the form of live animals) usually does not want to be eaten and is, therefore, recalcitrant, combative and uncooperative - it tends to run away.

Accordingly, plant eaters (herbivores) are optimized for foraging, batch feeding and prolonged digestion, whereas meat eaters (carnivores/omnivores) are designed for predation and the consumption of huge, infrequent meals.

Meat eaters are all equipped for short bursts of extreme speed that allows them to ambush and/or run down prey. Their limbs have been lightened to allow for fast running and their paws have been modified into compact clubs armed with claws.

When tackling struggling prey, the most vulnerable parts of their anatomy - the abdomen and gonads - are shielded behind the muscular armored chest. Their incisors have been reduced to short pointed pegs, while their canines are huge sharp elongated daggers used for ripping and killing. Their jaw joint is on the same plane as their cheek teeth, and there is no horizontal side-to-side motion of the lower jaw.

This makes their jaws very stable and allows them to operate like a pair of shears. Their molars are sharp, jagged and blade-shaped. The upper molars vertically slide past the lower molars in a slicing motion when the jaw is closed. These animals do not chew their food. Instead, they slice off huge chunks of meat and swallow them whole. They do not have digestive enzymes in their saliva since flesh-digesting enzymes released in the unprotected mouth would quickly destroy the oral cavity.

Their strongly acidic stomachs are huge storage vats that account for 60-70% of the total capacity of their GI tracts. Meat has no fiber and is, therefore, easily digested. Thus, their small intestines are very short (only 3-6 times their body length) and are optimized for protein and fat absorption. Their large intestines are short straight and smooth and designed for evacuation purposes only.

What about "By-design" Omnivores?

The one design concession "by-design" omnivores such as bears and raccoons have made to plant eating is that one or more pairs of their molars have modified from sharp blades to flattened grinding surfaces.

This allows them to crush and swallow a limited amount and range of plant foods such as fruits, berries, roots and tubers. However, they otherwise retain the typical carnivore tooth design and jaw mechanics, and their short small intestines do not allow them to adequately handle large amounts of plant fiber. Hence, a true natural omnivore is a carnivore that has been minimally modified to eat a limited range of soft, pulpy plant foods, but is still equipped to run down, kill, dismember and consume prey.

I Herd That!

Large mammalian herbivores tend to be social animals living in large herds/communities/cities. Because they must cover significant distances looking for and gathering plant foods, their limbs are modified for prolonged energy-efficient standing and walking. Instead of claws, their nails are blunt and used for digging and peeling. They have muscular lips, a small mouth opening and well-developed cheek muscles.

This creates a "walled-in" oral cavity that facilitates the crushing and grinding action of chewing. The jaw joint is above the plane of the cheek teeth and the lower is "L-shaped" causing the upper molars to come to rest on top of the lower molars when the jaw is closed. This allows the jaw to function like a nut cracker rather than a pair of shears.

The upper molars cannot vertically slide past the lower molars. But because the lower jaw has a pronounced horizontal side-to-side motion, the upper and lower molars horizontally slide across one another creating the grinding action of chewing. Accordingly, the molars are not sharp and blade-shaped, but are squared, flat-topped and abut one another forming extended grinding surfaces. The incisors are broad, flattened and spade-shaped and used for cropping and peeling. The canines may be absent, as in cows and sheep; shortened and reduced, as in horses and humans; or dagger-like and used for defense, as in hippos and some primates. Herbivores also usually have carbohydrate digesting enzymes in their saliva that begins the process of digestion while food is still in the mouth. In fact, the purpose of chewing (including chewing the cud) is to mix food with digestive enzymes to facilitate the process of digestion.

Plant tissues contain large amounts of fibrous material. The end result is that plant foods require extensive processing to extract their nutritional content. Because of this, herbivores consume smaller, more frequent meals, and tend to have much longer and, in some cases, much more elaborate digestive tracts than their meat-eating counterparts.

In a typical herbivore, the stomach holds less than 30% of the total capacity of the GI tract. On the other hand, the small intestine is extremely long and is usually more than 10-12 times the body length and has an unlimited capacity for carbohydrate absorption. The large intestine or colon is also relatively long and complex and frequently has a pouched appearance.

Here's Looking at You

In every respect, humans show the anatomic and physiologic features typical of an herbivore. A full and complete discussion of these features is well beyond the scope of this short article. What follows is a random sampling of facts.

Upright posture leaves the human abdomen, ovaries and testes completely exposed and, potentially, fatally vulnerable. Whereas standing and walking are very energy-efficient for humans, running is not.

We are extremely slow runners and have very poor stamina. We have a carbohydrate-digesting enzyme in our saliva called salivary amylase.

The human esophagus does not handle poorly chewed food very well. Over 90% of the people who choke to death each year choke on meat.

Human body length (head to tail bone) is typically 2.5 to 3 feet. Thus, at >25-30 feet in length, the human small intestine is clearly designed for digesting plant material.

Only herbivores have an appendix. No matter how much fat and cholesterol you feed carnivores like dogs and cats, they NEVER develop coronary artery disease.

In places where people eat a high fiber, whole food diet, appendicitis and diverticulosis are unknown.

Studies in western countries have shown that on average, vegetarians have smarter children, suffer significantly lower rates of chronic disease, obesity and dementia, and live longer than their meat-eating counterparts.

So, to answer the question posed by the title of this piece: NO, we are NOT designed to eat meat!

And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food." - Genesis 1:29

Source : Mid-Hudson Vegetarian Society

Does Eating Meat Make YOU Manly?

Be a Virile Vegan!

Does eating the actin and myosin protein filaments which comprise muscle make men more manly?

Said another way-Does eating meat make your more of a man?

I have been a vegan for about 15 years and I can't tell you how many times I have heard the argument that you can't be a "real man" unless you eat meat. Somehow, consuming flesh increases ones masculinity. Tough guys are "meat and potatoes" men. They eat steak and barbecue things.

Since the mythology of manhood includes the consumption of cooked critters many men are reluctant to forego feasting on flesh in favor of a vegan diet.

After all, giving up meat will make you less of a man.

But what makes a man, a man?

Testosterone.A Prostate GlandA Penis. (But not just a penis, the ability to get an erection.)

Testosterone:

Testosterone is a steroid hormone and it:

• Is important for normal skeletal development
• Regulates libido-your sex drive
• Influences muscle mass
• Is required for normal sperm development

If meat makes you manly why do vegans have more testosterone?

That's right, virile vegans!

Meat munching males have 13 percent less testosterone than vegans. (Allen NE. Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men. Br J Cancer. 2000 Jul;83(1):95-7.)

This is because meat eaters constantly expose themselves to female hormones in the meat and milk they eat. By forgoing flesh you can be a virile vegan.

The Prostate Gland:

The function of the prostate is to store and secrete an alkaline, milky white fluid that makes up 25-30% of ejaculate volume. The prostatic fluid gives sperm better motility, longer survival and protects the genetic material (DNA) in the sperm.

Men who live in the United States have the highest rates of prostate cancer, while men who live in South America, Central America, Africa, and Asia all have much lower rates prostate cancer.

What accounts for the difference? Diet of course. The most common dietary culprit implicated in raising prostate cancer risk is a high fat diet, particularly a diet high in saturated animal fats.

Cut out the animal fat and be a virile vegan!

The Penis:

The fully erect penis is the ultimate symbol of masculinity.

Erection is achieved when the penis becomes engorged with blood.

According to the National Institutes of Health in 2002, an estimated 15 million to 30 million men in the United States experience chronic erectile dysfunction. They can't get it up. They have been emasculated.

In the majority of these cases impotence is caused by narrowing of the blood vessels in the penis. When the arteries and veins to the penis clog up, you can't get it up. Blood vessels clog up from all the saturated fat and cholesterol in cooked carcasses you consume. This narrowing of blood vessels is called cardiovascular disease. If you can't get it up you are a prime candidate for a deadly heart attack.

If the measure of a man is his enormous erection, meat eaters are miniscule.

Vegans rarely, if ever, develop cardiovascular disease. Vegans rarely, if ever become impotent. Virile Vegans!

A Question For You

Are you so emotionally attached to the current cultural concept of what makes a man, a man that you will ignore the facts, or are you man enough to take meat off your menu?

Do you have the "huevos" to go against what society says, to be a cultural revolutionary, to be a virile vegan?

Be Vegan, Be Virile!

Source : Vibrant Vegan

How Free Is “Free-Range”?

“Just because it says free-range does not mean that it is welfare-friendly.”
—Dr. Charles Olentine, editor of Egg Industry magazine, an industry trade journal(1)

As concern grows over the way the meat, egg, and dairy industries treat the animals we eat, so does the number of animal products labeled “free-range.” What does this mean? Do “free-range” chickens, pigs, turkeys, and cows receive humane treatment? Are they slaughtered in less violent ways? While “free-range” practices may be less inhumane than the horrors animals are forced to endure on conventional factory farms, they are still very far from cruelty-free.

“Free-Range” Eggs

There is no inspection system for companies that label their eggs “free-range.”

The popular myth that “free-range” egg-laying hens enjoy fresh grass, bask in the sunlight, scratch the earth, sit on their nests, and engage in other natural habits is often just that: a myth. In many commercial “free-range” egg farms, hens are crowded inside windowless sheds with little more than a single, narrow exit leading to an enclosure, too small to accommodate all of the birds at once.

Both battery cage and “free-range” egg hatcheries kill all male chicks shortly after birth. Since male chicks cannot lay eggs and are different breeds than those chickens raised for meat, they are of no use to the egg industry. Standard killing methods, even among “free-range” producers, include grinding male chicks alive or throwing them into trash bags and leaving them to suffocate.

Whether kept in sheds or cages, laying hens—who can naturally live more than ten years—are considered “spent” when they are just one or two years old and their productivity wanes. Rather than being retired, “free-range” hens are slaughtered to make room for another shed of birds.

With no federal regulations overseeing the use of animal welfare claims on egg cartons, misleading or exaggerated claims are rampant. Consumers may be deceived by phrases such as “animal-friendly” or “naturally-raised,” which can be found on cartons of eggs from caged hens. Read about COK’s truth in labeling campaign urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require the full disclosure of production methods on eggs cartons sold nationwide.

“Free-Range” Broiler Chickens

Birds raised for meat ("broilers") may be considered "free-range" if they have U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified access to the outdoors. No other criteria-environmental quality, the size of the outdoor area, the number of birds confined in a single shed, or the indoor or outdoor space allotted per animal-are considered in applying the label. As with "free-range" laying hens, many "free-range" broilers live in a facility with only one small opening at the end of a large shed, permitting only a few birds to go outside at any given time.

Even Richard Lobb, spokesperson for the National Chicken Council admits, "Even in a free-range type of style of production, you're basically going to find most of them inside the grow out facility."(2)

According to The Washington Post Magazine, in the case of birds, the term "free-range" "doesn't really tell you anything about the [animal's] quality of life, nor does it even assure that the animal actually goes outdoors."(3)

Aside from the birds' actual living conditions, there is no prohibition in "free-range" poultry farming against using breeds of chickens and turkeys who have been selectively bred for fast growth and high feed conversion.

In the 1950s, it took 84 days to raise a five-pound chicken. Due to selective breeding and growth-promoting drugs, it now takes only 45 days.(4) Such fast growth causes chickens to suffer from a number of chronic health problems, including leg disorders and heart disease.(5) According to one study, 90 percent of broilers had detectable leg problems, while 26 percent suffered chronic pain as a result of bone disease.(6) Two researchers in The Veterinary Record report, "We consider that birds might have been bred to grow so fast that they are on the verge of structural collapse."(7) Industry journal Feedstuffs reports, "[B]roilers now grow so rapidly that the heart and lungs are not developed well enough to support the remainder of the body, resulting in congestive heart failure and tremendous death losses."(8)

Whether labeled "free-range" or not, if the birds used by agribusiness are the standard "broiler" chicken of today, buying these products involves an enormous amount of animal suffering.

And, as with factory-farmed birds raised for their meat, "free-range" chickens and turkeys may undergo the same grueling and sometimes fatal transport to slaughterhouses when reaching market weight. Workers gather these birds up to four at a time, carrying them upside down by their legs before throwing them into crates on multi-tiered trucks without protection from the heat or cold and without access to food or water. "Free-range" birds end up at the same slaughterhouses as factory-farmed birds, where they are hung upside down, have their throats slit, and bleed to death, often while still fully conscious.

“Free-Range” Cows, Sheep, and Pigs

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), "free-range" beef, pork, and other non-poultry products are loosely defined as coming from animals who ate grass and lived on a range. No other criteria-such as the size of the range or the amount of space given to each animal-are required before beef, lamb, and pork can be called "free-range." "Free-range" and "free-roaming" facilities are rarely inspected or verified to be in compliance with these two criteria. The USDA relies "upon producer testimonials to support the accuracy of these claims."(9)

Even when "free-range" cows, sheep, and pigs are allowed to live outdoors, they are still subjected to excruciating mutilations without painkiller or analgesic, such as castration, branding, dehorning, tail-docking, and tooth-grinding. Once they are fattened to market weight, they are trucked to slaughterhouses. They are denied food, water, and adequate protection from extreme temperatures once in the vehicles, and many die during the trip. These cows, sheep, and pigs are still slaughtered in the same violent ways as factory-farmed animals: They are pushed through narrow chutes, hung upside down on conveyor belts, and have their throats slit; some are dismembered while still fully conscious.

Is a Truly Free-Range World Possible?

The U.S. animal agribusiness industry currently confines and slaughters more than ten billion land animals each year, the overwhelming majority of whom live intensively confined on factory farms where many cannot even turn around or fully stretch their limbs. Would it be possible to raise ten billion animals without intensive confinement? Probably not.

If intensive confinement operations were banned, it's highly unlikely producers could supply an entire nation of 300 million meat-, egg-, and dairy consumers with enough animal products to sustain the typical American diet. So, without even considering the ethical problems inherent in raising and slaughtering animals for food, from a practical perspective, completely humane farming and slaughtering methods aren't possible.

The Bottom Line

Granted, living in cramped conditions is better than living in even more cramped conditions. Laying hens who have 67 square inches of space per bird likely suffer less than those who have only 50, and giving even 10 out of 10,000 turkeys access to sunlight and the outdoors is better than denying all of them such basic needs. But, clearly, commercial "free-range" farming is not the answer to ending animal abuse.

Doing the Right Thing

The animals killed so we can have chicken breasts, milk, and omelets feel pain and experience joy just like the dogs and cats we pamper. And, like dogs and cats, they want to live free from torture and suffering. By choosing vegetarian foods, we can improve their lives and our own. Indeed, eating meat, eggs, and dairy products is not necessary for our survival and. In fact, even the country's leading nutrition organization, the American Dietetic Association, states that "appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."(10)

Since we have no need for meat, eggs, and dairy products, why support animal cruelty by purchasing those products? Becoming vegetarian, rather than looking for less inhumane animal products, is the most ethical decision to make.

Citations:

1. Olentine, Charles. "Welfare and the Egg Industry: The Best Defense Is an Offense," Egg Industry, October 2002, p. 24.
2. Quoted from interview with CNN news piece which aired on July 25, 2004. Transcript available at http://www.cok.net/feat/cnn.php.
3. Perl, Peter. "The Truth About Turkeys," The Washington Post Magazine, November 5, 1995.
4. Duncan IJH, "Welfare Problems of Meat-Type Chickens," Farmed Animal Well-Being Conference at the University of California-Davis, June 28-29, 2001; personal correspondence with Stephen Pretanik, director of Science and Technology, National Chicken Council, Washington, D.C., January 14, 2004.
5. Leeson S, Diaz G, and Summers JD, Poultry Metabolic Disorders and Mycotoxins (Guelph, Canada: University Books, 1995); Julian RJ, "Rapid Growth Problems: Ascites and Skeletal Deformities in Broilers," Poultry Science 77 (1998): 1773-80.
6. Kestin SC, Knowles TG, Tinch AE, and Gregory NG, "Prevalence of Leg Weakness in Broiler Chickens and Its Relationship with Genotype," The Veterinary Record 131 (1992): 190-4.
7. Wise D and Jennings A, "Dyschondroplasia in Domestic Poultry," The Veterinary Record 91 (1972): 285-6.
8. Martin D, "Researcher Studying Growth-Induced Diseases in Broilers," Feedstuffs, May 26, 1997.
9. Donovan, Michael E. Official U.S. Department of Agriculture/Food Safety and Inspection Service letter, April 11, 1996.
10. "Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets," Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2003, volume 103, pp. 748-765. Available at http://www.eatright.org/Public/GovernmentAffairs/17084.cfm

Source : Compassion Over Killing

Proven: Vegetarians Live Longer

The battle has long been waged, and will certainly continue in spite of this study. Are humans designed/evolved to eat everything and at risk of malnutrition as vegetarians? Or is vegetarianism the healthy and ethical choice? The most impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum). The study's shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50%! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30% reduction in mortality. Long-term Study of Vegetarians The participants of the the German Cancer Research Center study included 60 vegans (no animal products consumed), 1165 vegetarians (eating eggs, milk but no meat) with the remainder described as "moderate" vegetarians who occasionally ate fish or meat. The health of these study participants was compared with the average German population. Living longer seems not to be exclusively related to eating meat, though, as the results for moderate vegetarians was not statistically different from those for vegan or strict vegetarian diets.

To the argument that it is not vegetarianism but a general interest in a healthier lifestyle which leads to such notable results, scientists reply with evidence that the majority of vegetarians do not cite health reasons for their lifestyle, but make their choice based on ethical commitment, environmental concerns or simply personal taste.

Vegetarians and Malnutrition Research by a team led by Professor Ibrahim Elmadfa at the University of Vienna found a much better than average intake of Vitamin C, Carotinoides, Folic acid, fiber and unsaturated fats. Where shortcomings may arise is for Vitamin B12, calcium und Vitamin D in a vegan diet. Astoundingly, however, study participants did not suffer from diseases, such as osteoporosis, typically related to inadequate intakes of these micro-nutrients.

Source : TreeHugger

Milk Comes From Grieving Mothers - Truth About Organic Dairy

Lena, a mother cow's perspective of her experience as a dairy cow.

The truth about organic dairy.

From Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative:

"Economically, it is not possible for farmers to keep retired cows on the farm.... Organically raised cows will stay a part of the herd for an average of 6-8 years verses conventionally raised cows who only average 4 years...." (PPS: this means that organically raised cows have two more years of emotional and physical suffering and two more of their newborn babies stolen from them and murdered for Veal).

"We require that the packing plants (another word for slaughterhouse) get certified before we will do business. This means that our animals must be processed (brutally slaughtered) separately with clean equipment. This also means that they cannot use chemicals or pesticides in the plant."

Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative

Consumer Relations
http://www.peacefulprairie.org/outreach/grievingMother.html

Top 10 Reasons to Go Vegan in the New Year

Many people's New Year's resolutions often include losing weight, eating better, getting healthier, and doing more to make the world a better place. You can accomplish all these goals by switching to a vegan diet, and you'll enjoy delicious, satisfying meals as well. Here are our top 10 reasons to go vegan this year:

1. SLIM DOWN AND BECOME ENERGIZED
Is shedding some extra pounds first on your list of goals for the new year? Vegans are, on average, up to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters. And unlike unhealthy fad diets, which leave you feeling tired (and usually result in gaining all the weight back eventually), going vegan is the healthy way to keep the excess fat off for good while feeling full of energy.

2. IT'S THE BEST WAY TO HELP ANIMALS
Every vegan saves more than 100 animals a year from horrible abuse. There is simply no easier way to help so many animals and prevent so much suffering than by choosing vegan foods over meat, eggs, and dairy products.

3. A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER YOU
A vegan diet is great for your health! According to the American Dietetic Association, vegans are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure than meat-eaters are. Vegans get all the nutrients they need to be healthy (e.g., plant protein, fiber, minerals, etc.) without all the nasty stuff in meat that slows you down and makes you sick, such as cholesterol and saturated animal fat.

4. VEGAN FOOD IS DELICIOUS
So you're worried that if you go vegan, you'll have to give up hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and ice cream? You won't. As the demand for vegan food skyrockets, companies are coming out with more and more delicious meat and dairy product alternatives that taste like the real thing but are much healthier and don't hurt any animals. Plus, we have a list of some of our favorite products and thousands of tasty kitchen-tested recipes to help you get started!

5. MEAT IS GROSS
It's disgusting but true: Meat is often contaminated with feces, blood, and other bodily fluids—all of which make animal products the top source of food poisoning in the United States. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested supermarket chicken flesh and found that 96 percent of Tyson chicken was contaminated with campylobacter, a dangerous bacteria that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year, resulting in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever.

6. HELP FEED THE WORLD
Eating meat doesn't just hurt animals—it hurts people too. It takes tons of crops and water to raise farmed animals. In fact, it takes up to 13 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh! All that plant food could be used much more efficiently if it were fed directly to people. The more people who go vegan, the more we can feed the hungry.

7. SAVE THE PLANET
Eating meat is one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth. It's wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the meat industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change. Adopting a vegan diet is more important than switching to a "greener" car in the fight against climate change.

8. ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE DOING IT
The list of stars who shun animal flesh is basically a "who's who" of today's hottest celebs. Joaquin Phoenix, Natalie Portman, Tobey McGuire, Shania Twain, Alicia Silverstone, Anthony Kiedis, Casey Affleck, Kristen Bell, INXS lead singer J.D. Fortune, Benji Madden, Alyssa Milano, Common, Joss Stone, Anne Hathaway, and Carrie Underwood are just a handful of famous vegans and vegetarians who regularly appear in People magazine.

9. LOOK SEXY AND BE SEXY
Vegans tend to be thinner than meat-eaters and have more energy, which is perfect for late-night romps with your special someone. (Guys: The cholesterol and saturated animal fat found in meat, eggs, and dairy products don't just clog the arteries to your heart. Over time, they impede blood flow to other vital organs as well.) Plus, what's sexier than someone who is not only mega-hot but also compassionate?

10.  PIGS ARE SMARTER THAN YOUR DOG
While most people are less familiar with pigs, chickens, fish, and cows than they are with dogs and cats, animals used for food are every bit as intelligent and able to suffer as the animals who share our homes are. Pigs can learn to play video games, and chickens are so smart that their intelligence has been compared by scientists to that of monkeys.

Source : PETA.org