Vegetarianism.

Eating vegetarian food is healthier way of life. In the present era, people are getting entrapped in ailments of one or the other kind. You would rarely find a perfectly healthy person above the age of forty. There are many reasons behind this some of which are lack of proper exercise, hectic routine, pollution etc. By eating excess meat we add one more to the above list. Nutritionists have a strong opinion about the fact that vegetarian diet lowers the incidence of many diseases as follows:

1. Animal products increase one’s risk of heart diseases and stroke as saturated fatty acids and cholesterol in which products are rich are the main reason behind arterial blockages.
2. These fatty products make people more prone to certain types of colon cancer and lung cancer. Higher contents if cholesterol and fat in non vegetarian diet triggers the carcinogenic sequences whereas the fibre of veg diet exerts a protective effect.
3. Non veg diet lacks the necessary fibre content. Indigestion is the obvious result. Scientific data is strong that vegetarians suffer a lesser number of intestinal diseases.
4. Meat is considered an inferior fuel for the human body since it generates many acidic waste products when metabolized.
5. There are reports about signs of metabolic stress after a meal of animal flesh which include increase in whire blood cell count and red blood cells becoming sticky and sludging in small blood vessels.
6. High blood pressure is yet another ailment, the incidence of which is more in non vegetarians.
7. Obesity is mostly found in non vegetarians than in vegetarians. Most animal products are high in calories. The fibre content of veg diet controls overeating by exerting a satisfying effect on appetite thus preventing obesity.

A common argument given in support of non vegetarian diet is that it is richer in proteins and vitamins. No doubt, items like fish and eggs are rich sources of protein by the veg food can also cope with the needs of our body. A combination of pulses, vegetables and cereals makes a wholesome meal. Non veg food and good health are in no way synonymous to each other.

The meat industry has a crippling effect on our ecosystem. It may be a bit outstretched but it is a fact which cannot be nullified. In countries like America meat industry is a full fledges industry which is slowly depleting the natural resources.

1. Almost half of the energy used in American agriculture goes in to livestock production, the majority for meat. Supplying vegetarians with nourishment requires one third less energy on the farm.
2. In central America beef exports to the USA have played a part in the tragedy of forest destruction. Costa Rica for example was once completely covered by tropical forests holding within its confines perhaps 5% of all plant and animal species on earth. By 1983 after two decades of explosive growth in the cattle industry, just 17% of the original forest remained.
3. In USA, animal waste after it is dried, amounts to 158 million tonnes per year. There disposing the waste is a difficult task. Cattle emit methane which is dangerous greenhouse gas.

A world where everyone eats as much meat as Americans is a recipe for ecological disaster. Supporting just the world current population on an American style diet would require as much energy as the world now uses for all purposes.

When the matter is weighed on moral grounds the lever surely tilts more towards a vegetarian diet. Don’t you think it is really cruel to kill an innocent animal just to satisfy your appetite? Thousands of birds, cows and fish are slaughetered just to form an item on our menu. Even the cows who provide us with milk are not spared when they are of no commercial use. Male offsprings who are useless in the milk business face the same fate. Isnt it all very mean? A common argument is that plants also have life. But usually in the case of most fruits and vegetables the whole tree or plant is not cut to give food. Plants are a lower form of life. They do not experience pain  as deeply and extensively as animals who have brains and with which they can feel and think. It is true that life depends on life. In that case it is better to take a minimum number of lives to satisfy your hunger. Whenever you see an attractive non veg dish before you, just keep in mind that it is there as a result of another creatures death.

Thank you.