Vegetarianism and non-Vegetarianism is not a new debate. People are always very much concerned about what they should eat.
They have made traditions and occasions for eating and know surely what to eat. Different culture and civilizations have various traditions (may be religious or non-religious) but one question always comes first what to eat. In hotels and restaurants menus are present to select the food you want to eat. In parties, marriage ceremonies etc. menu has an important place to give opportunity everybody to choose the items to eat. A person may be vegetarian or not, but he must explore the advantages and disadvantages of the foods he used to eat in everyday life.
The case for vegetarianism is usually erected upon one of three foundations: religious convictions, prudential considerations, or philosophical contentions. Among the latter, utilitarian arguments, rights-based arguments, and sociopolitical arguments are the kinds generally found.
There is no nutrient necessary for optimal human functioning which can not be obtained from plant food. Animal foods are higher in fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats. Plants do not contain cholesterol. Meat is deficient in carbohydrates, particularly the starches which are so essential to proper health. Except for the b-complex, meat is largely deficient in vitamins. Being higher on the food chain, animal foods contain far higher concentrations of agricultural chemicals than plant foods, including pesticides, herbicides, etc.
There are over 20,000 different drugs, including sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drugs that are given to livestock animals. These drugs are consumed when animal foods are consumed. The dangers herein, in secondary consumption of antibiotics, are well documented. There are a host of bacteria and viruses, some quite dangerous, that are common to animals. Micro-organisms are present in plant foods too, but their number and danger to human health is by no means comparable to that of those in meat.
Plant foods last longer than animal foods. Meat eating increases the risk of heart disease. The correlation is an epidemiological fact. Of all the natural cancer prevention substances found: vitamin C, B-17, hydroquinone, beta carotene, NDGA, - none has been found to be animal derived. Yet most meats, when cooked, produce an array of benzenes and other carcinogenic compounds. Cancer is infinitely easier to prevent than cure. Soybeans contain protease inhibitor, a powerful anticancer compound. You won''t find it in useful quantities in animal based food. The correlation between meat consumption and a wide range of degenerative diseases is well founded and includes Osteoporosis, Kidney Stones and Gallstones, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis and Gum disease.
These are just a small sample of the evidence that there is a trend toward vegetarian diets. It is a common observation that, whereas 20 or 30 years ago vegetarians were often asked how they got enough protein and other questions that indicated strong doubts about the health effects of vegetarian diets, today many non-vegetarians are on the defensive and volunteer that they have cut back on their consumption of meat, that they no longer eat red meat, and similar statements.
When grains & legumes are used more efficiently, our precious topsoil is automatically made more efficient in its use. We use less agricultural resources to provide for the same number of people. Tropical forests in Brazil and other tropic regions are destroyed daily, in part, to create more acreage to raise livestock. By not supporting the meat industry, a demand could be produced directly to pillage these irreplaceable treasures of nature. Since the forest land "filters" our air supply and contains botanical sources for new medicines, this destruction is irreversible.
Decaying animal parts, whether in a freezer case or served in restaurants can ver be as aesthetically pleasing to the senses as the same foods made from wholesome vegetable sources. Only habit can allow one not to perceive this: a change in diet makes this self evident. Some of the negative effects of animal-based diets are already being felt. Over fishing has caused the collapse of many prime fishing areas. Overgrazing by cattle threatens to convert range land into desert. Widespread irrigation to grow feed crops for farm animals (70 percent of the grain produced in the United States is fed to animals destined for slaughter) depletes aquifers.
In summary, animal-based agriculture is very irrational from health, ecological, and resource consumption perspectives, and the high health and ecological costs will put a drag on the economy that can have very negative effects on markets and investments. In the final analysis, economic and health issues are economic issues.
How the above stated arguments and facts can change one''s opinion - whether to become a vegetarian or remain non-vegetarian is a matter of personal opinion but what I have learned that balance and moderation is necessary in what you want to eat and how much you want to eat. At the end of this paper, I have come to know lot of new things and facts.
The only difficulty I have from above arguments that how to prevent myself from the disadvantages / diseases associated from meat foods and what precautions should I have to remain safe. My philosophy is first you look at food and then ask your wisdom to take it or not? If answer (your inner thought) is yes eat it whether it is meat or vegetable or fruit. This is the lesson of nature, the best teacher of humans.