| Some good reasons to be a vegetarian | ||
| The desire not to cause suffering, not to be involved in slaughter of innocent creatures, is the cause of the meatlessness of Buddha, of Hindus such as Mahatma Gandhi, of Susan B Anthony, Harriet Beecher Stowe, DaVinci, G B Shaw, and many others. Slaughterhouse suffering has been documented in many books such as The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and Animal Liberation by Peter Singer. Mammals do not happily give up their lives when forced. When one person decides to become vegetarian, he or she saves the lives of thousands of fishes and chickens and many mammals. | ||
| There are hundreds of millions who are vegetarian because of religious belief. The Hindus, Buddhists and Jains of the East are known to be flesh abstainers. The word Hindu is an over 20,000 year old Sanskrit word meaning away from violence. Buddha's prayer was "May all that have life be delivered from suffering." The Moslem Druses of Lebanon have long been vegetarian. It is said that Mohammed once cut a portion of his cloak away so that he would not disturb a cat sleeping on the remaining cloth. Kosher slaughter was originally intended to reduce suffering to the animal. Genesis 1:29, Behold I have given you herb yielding seed. To you it shall be for meat. Ezekiel 3 and 4: My body has never been defiled by animal flesh. Isaiah 65: The wolf shall lie down with the lamb.. they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. (many other passages of Isaiah speak of nonviolence to animals) Proverbs: The wise man is concerned for his beast. Isaiah: He that slayeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man. Daniel l: Daniel was put in prison by Nebuchadnezzar. He ate only pulses (beans) for 10 days while others ate flesh. Nebuchadnezzar noticed that he fared better than the others. Methusaleh: This longest lived of Biblical heroes is said to have been a vegetarian. (Jeremiah: The Lord offends the mind to reveal the heart) The vegetarianism of Francis of Asissi, of St. Martin de Porres, of St. John Chrysostom is written of by biographers. Vegetarian Catholic orders include the original Benedictines, Cistercians, Trappists, Franciscans whose founder believed that plants too have feelings. The meatless Friday was the last vestige of early Christian vegetarianism. | ||
| Would you like to add 7 years or longer to your life? A government study comparing the nondrinking nonsmoking Mormons to nondrinking nonsmoking vegetarian Adventists was done over many years. The Adventists lived on the average 7 years longer. The National Geographic reported that the 3 longest lived tribes in the world were centenarian vegetarians. They are the Hunzas of Tibet, the Azerbaijans of the Caucusus and the Villcabamba of Ecuador. What is the heart beat of a vegetarian? An average 20 beats per minute less than that of a nonvegetarian. The vegetarian heart pumps the same amount of blood with 20,000 fewer beats per day. What is uric acid? It is the pre-urine present in the muscle cells of animals. It is the poison which would have been excreted had the animal lived. Uric acid, like caffeine, is an oxypurin correlated to arthritic deposits, to quickened heartbeat. What is the relationship between immunity and diet? Just as having more than one sex partner places additional stress on the immune system, in the same way one must adapt to the immune system of each animal he or she eats. Leukemia is called leukosis if a chicken has it. Yet it is the same cancer. The USDA allows cancers the size of grapefruits to be cut out of cows and allows the rest of the carcass to be passed. What about food poisoning? 97% of all food poisoning fatalities, as reported in a Knight Ridder wire story, were caused by animal products. Those who eat frozen meat are trusting to proper freezing at the slaughterhouse, in transportation trucks, warehouses, grocery freezers, and at home. Thermophilic bacteria can survive temperatures of 300 degrees or more. Creiophilic bacteria can survive freezing temperatures in meat. How many diseases can be transmitted to humans from animals? As early as 1905 the USDA was saying that over 100 diseases could be contacted by humans eating the flesh or products of animals. Now the number is in the thousands. Brucellosis, trichinosis, toxoplasmosis, ptomaine poisoning, E coli bacteria are some of these. Histoplasmosis, present in bird waste, is a special health hazard near factory farms' water supply. Knock Knock Who's There? San and Ella. Sam and Ella who? Salmonella food poisoning. This St. Elsewhere line refers to a bacteria which can be contacted in restaurants or kitchens in which animal products come into contact with other food.. through human fingers, counter tops, etc. Ohio Wesleyan University has found heightened levels of salmonella bacteria in Southern Ohio near massive factory farm operations. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, MD found that within a few hours of slaughter, the colon bacteria in a carcass have multiplied into the billions per oz. Newsweek Magazine reported that had George Wallace not eaten a hamburger right before he was shot, the bullet would not have spread peritonitis throughout his system. The second cause of hepatitis is the eating of shellfish which eat unprocessed human waste dumped into the Atlantic by New York City, Baltimore, and other communities. Restaurants which throw out fruitarian coffee the afternoon it is made will keep much longer the much mor e perishable meat. Is 'fresh shrimp' an oxymoron? One case in point is the Mad Cows' Disease created by the feeding of sheep brains to cows in Commonwealth countries. Sixty Minutes did a report on the protein molecules of Mad Cows' Disease cows which are ending up in bone meal and animal feed. These proteins survive even radiation treatment. J Ritchey has spoken of the E Coli bacteria's survival in wet dish rags for several weeks. E Coli bacteria are picked up from counter tops on which animal products have been laid. Cannibals who eat humans contract a lethal disease known as Kuru. It seems that the more conscious the being, the greater the ill effect from consuming him or her. Mammals are more harmful to eat than birds.. birds more than fishes etc. What about weight? Dr. Hardinge conducted a Harvard University study and found that the average dairy vegetarian weighs 12 pounds less than the average nonvegetarian. Vegans or nondairy vegetarians weighed an average 22 pounds less. Insecticides, hormones, antibiotics What kills an insect can kill us. Since a thousand lb. cow has eaten an average 21,000 lbs of food before slaughter, there is a 21 times higher incidence of insecticide in animal flesh than in fruit. Other harmful additives include female hormones, given to animals so that they will gain water weight, which can cause gynecomastia (swelling of male breasts), breast and prostate cancer etc. There is a large bibliography on the problems of antibiotic resistance in animals which is passed onto their human consumers. The McGovern Committee, the American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, The National Cancer Inst. and others have done studies on the relationship of diet to health. The countries with the most meat consumption have the highest rates of intestinal cancer. These are Australia, Chile, Argentina, Canada, and the U.S. Countries with the highest dairy consumption have the most breast and prostate cancer. These are the Scandinavian countries, Israel, and the U.S. Countries with the highest fish consumption have the highest rates of stomach cancer. These are Korea, Japan, Norway, coastal countries. Life and Health Publishing of Maryland reported that at least two carcinogens are created by the heating of animal flesh over 300 degrees. One is malanaldehyde and one methylcholanthrene. In addition, Dr. Samuel Epstein, formerly of the Cleveland Clinic, reported before Congress on the carcinogenic properties of benzopyrene, created by charcoal broiling steak. New research indicates that one cause of cancer is enzyme exhaustion in the body. The cooking of fruits and vegetables destroys many enzymes. A tomato has one enzyme when green, a second when redgreen, and a third when red. If a tomato, as Dr. Ann Wigmore has said, is cooked and placed in a windowsill it will rot. If it is redgreen and uncooked it will ripen in the sun because of enzymes. The Wigmore Foundation on Commonwealth Ave. in Boston has had as its clients a Prime Minister's wife, former Secy of the Interior Rogers Morton, and many others, and has achieved great success in healing cancer and a host of other diseases through 100% raw or uncooked vegetarian diet. The Hippocrates Health Inst. of W. Palm Beach Fla is another institute doing raw food therapy. | ||
| Because of deforestation to provide grazing land, meat or the raising of cattle is the most destructive to the environment. Second would be dairy products, then vegetables. The only food group which helps in reforestation of the planet is fruit. Every time you eat an apple or a walnut or an avocado, you are voting for orchards. Slaughterhouses dump billions of gallons of raw sewage and urine into our waterways. The Sahara was originally caused by the destruction of trees and their replacement with grazing animals. Recent 1997 flooding in both Arkansas and Ohio is directly related to massive tree cutting both for the money the wood would bring in and to clear land for intensive poultry and pig farming. Much of the hardwood forest of Arkansas was cleared and sold to a multinational lumber corporation. Each tree which was killed would have provided a root system which could hold several hundred pounds of flooding river water. Bayard Webster of the New York Times has reported that the average tree evaporates 40 gallons of moisture into the atmosphere daily.. moisture critical to the creation of rainclouds around the world. Trees prevent both drought and flood. They are nature's air conditioners and weather stabilizers. While lumber companies claim they are creating more forest land, the thousand and three thousand year old trees of the temperate rainforest and tropical rainforest are irreplaceable. Honduras has trees whose trunk diameter covers an 11ft by 11 ft area. The U.S. Forest Service has mad e the United States a land of skinny trees, as compared to the beautiful several hundred year old oak forests protected by the United Kingdom. What is the energy ratio of meat to fruit? Dr. Don Meyers found that l pound of meat takes 80 times the production energy of a pound of fruit. Animals are fed, watered, given veterinary care, slaughtered, frozen in warehouses, on transportation trucks, in freezers at grocery stores and in homes. Then animal flesh is cooked at high temperatures. Compare this to a pear from a tree in your front yard which can grow from a casually tossed seed. | ||
| The ethical command to feed the hungry given by Jesus, by Krishna, by Buddha, by Mohammed, by Isaiah is not confined to any religious system. What is the food ratio of meat to fruit? According to Dr. Faust, former chief of the Fruit Labs of the USDA, centenarian fruit trees have dropped two tons each of free food. Fruit yields 250,000 to 400,000 lbs. of food per acre as compared to 100 to 1000 lbs. of meat. In between these two extremes are the yields of dairy (10,000 lbs per acre) and vegetables (80,000 lbs per acre). Some international relief scholars feel it is impossible to feed 5 to 6 billion people if many consume meat. It was reported to Dr. Kissinger recently that for China to double its egg production would require the grain of 15 countries. | ||
| The butyric acid in animal fat has a distinctive odor which many find unpleasant. The smell of cooking animal flesh in contrast to the fragrance of apple orchard blooms has made some 'esthetic vegetarians'. |
| Recipes | |
| Black Bean Chili Serves 12 5 cups black beans -- cooked 2 cups corn -- frozen 1 large onion 2 tablespoons raw garlic 2 cups celery -- chopped 3/4 cup tomato paste 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 cup water Cook all ingredients over covered medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add water if necessary. Nutritional Information Per Serving: Per serving: 321 Calories; 2g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 61g Carbohydrate; 162mg Sodium |
Tofu Ribs Ingredients: 1 pound firm tofu 1 cup (non salt free) soy sauce 1 cup BBQ or teriaki sauce 1 small onion (diced) 1-2 Tbsp. minced Garlic olive oil (if necessary) Directions: 1. Slice tofu into 4-6 strips lengthwise 2. Freeze the strips uncovered for about 2 hours. 3. Mix sauces, garlic, and diced onion in a square container. 4. Place the frozen strips flat in the sauce mixture and let set for 2-3 hours (not in a fridge). 5. Heat a 10" skillet with olive oil (if necessary). 6. Pan fry the strips until dark and firm. 7. Select the sauce of your choice or eat plain! Serves: 2-4 Preparation time: 1/2 Hour |
| E-Z BBQ Ingredients: 1 cup chopped onions 1 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 4 cloves garlic 1 small can tomato paste 1 Tablespoon molasses 3/4 cup ketchup water to thin the sauce 2 cups TVP, small chunk, unflavored enough vegetable bullion to cover and cook TVP hot sauce to taste Directions: make sauce by sauteing onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic til soft in some butter, margarine, olive oil, or any vegetable oil. add ketchup, tomoto paste, molasses, and water to thin the sauce, and cook for a few minutes til flavors are blended. add some hot sauce if you like. set sauce aside. Cook TVP in the vegetable bullion for a few minutes, then drain. Fry TVP in a little oil for ten minutes, add sauce, cook til bubbly, and it's ready to serve. Serves: 3 Preparation time: 30 minutes |
Delicious Citrus Shake Ingredients: One small can (or half-cup fresh) crushed pineapple half a can of juice-sweeted fruit cocktail 1/3 cup of orange juice 1/4 cup grapefruit or pineapple juice (frozen concentrate is fine) 6-7 ice cubes 2 Tablespoons water Directions: Simply combine the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. This shake is absolutely delicious....it manages to have a really creamy texture without any sort of dairy or soy product. I make them for breakfast, lunch, snacks...and it's a great way to get kids to eat fruit. Serves: 2 Preparation time: 5 minutes |
| Peach Glow Smoothie 1 serving—Dairy-free Here's a complete breakfast packed with vitamins A and C, potassium, protein and more, in one bright drink. Ingredients 1/2 cup carrot juice 6 oz. peach or orange creme soy yogurt 2 Tbs. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed In blender, combine carrot juice, yogurt and orange juice concentrate. Blend until smooth and creamy. Serve right away. Per serving: 210 cal.; 8g prot.; 2g total fat (0 sat. fat); 41g carb.; 0 chol.; 47mg sod.; 1g fiber |
White Bean Dip with Vegetable Crudites 1 - 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 C. packed basil leaves 2 T. nutritional yeast flakes 2 T. water 1 T. garlic, minced 2 T. olive oil 1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. pepper 8 oz. asparagus, stalks trimmed 8 oz. sugar snap peas, strings removed 3 C. cucumber, peeled, deseeded, and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices 2 C. carrot, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch sticks 2 C. radishes, ends trimmed 2 C. orange or yellow pepper, destemmed, deseeded, and cut into 1/2-inch strips In a food processor or blender, combine the beans, basil, nutritional yeast, water, and garlic, and blend well. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and continue to process until smooth. Transfer to a glass bowl, cover, and chill for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove asparagus from the water with a slotted spoon, immediately immerse in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and to retain the bright green color. Blanch the snap peas in the same water for 1 minute, remove with a slotted spoon, and immerse in the ice water. Remove the asparagus and snap peas from the ice water, place on a towel, and pat dry. Place the bowl of white bean pesto dip on a large platter, and alternating colors, arrange the vegetables around the bowl of dip. Serves 8 |
| Edith Bunker: Archie.. do you want eggs for breakfast? Archie: I'm not going to eat anything that was in a cow's mouth. Fix me eggs, Edith. | Winston Churchill: When I find a ladybug I ask the butler to take it outside instead of killing it. (paraphrased) | Isaiah: He that slayeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man. |
| Leonardo Da Vinci: One day the world will look upon the eating of animals as it now looks upon the eating of humans. | William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night: He is a heavy eater of beef. Methinks it doth harm to his wit. | Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theodore wrote: Since visiting the abbatoirs of S. France I have stopped eating meat. |
| Mark Braunstein: When one eats cow's tongue, who is tasting whom? | Sherry Kelley: Pray, don't spray. | Syndee Brinkman: I went snorkeling and noticed how gently the fish welcomed us into their world.. as compared to the violence with which we welcomed them into ours. I became a vegetarian. |
| Buddha: May all that have life be delivered from suffering. | Bhagavad Gita: He is closest to God who harms no living creature. |
| Vegetarian Links | ||
| VegetarianRecipe.Com | The North American Vegetarian Society | The Vegetarian Kitchen |
| Jesus Was a Vegetarian | Vegetarian Central | Vegetarian World |