as a vegetarian of 13 years, i have had to field a lot of questions on why i don't eat meat and how i get the precious meat vitamins without it. people have even pointed to my incisors and say, "you see, we're meant to be carnivores." and now on this new wacky vegan diet, people are even more curious about how we're not wasting away as little anemic waifs.
through my years of vegetarianism i have found ample health and social reasons why it's better that i don't eat meat. below, i'll do a quick down and dirty synopsis of the health and social reasons why i don't eat beef. (i'm focusing more on beef, since poultry and fish don't have a lot of the same dramatic consequences...and i do recognize that eating in moderation does improve things, but you'll see what a small quantity "moderate" is). and i'm really not going to preach at you or anything- by all means, enjoy your burger... but here's some food for thought. :)
Health:
-Pro's of eating beef: great source of iron, B12, and protein.
-Con's of eating beef: -increased risk for colon cancer, increased risk of heart disease and early death (note that vegetarians apparently live 7 yrs longer and vegans 15 yrs longer than meat-eating counterparts)
Social:
-animal cruelty (this is unpleasant. you've been warned), 22 million animals are slaughtered daily for people to eat them
-we could feed the world if we stopped putting the majority of our grain/soy into feeding the animals we eat
-lots of ground water pollution and grossness from the waste products of said animals
so that's a very brief and in-comprehensive summary of why i choose to be a vegetarian. i kind of got bored there toward the end. the internet is rife with good info and also a lot of crazy propaganda on the subject, so as you do your own research, be careful.
if you're curious about where i get the meaty vitamins as a veg, i'll tell you... Iron= beans, green leafy vegetables (note: iron is best absorbed if combined w/ foods containing Vitamin C), B12= if not vegan- dairy and eggs, if vegan- nutritional yeast and fortified products, Protein= beans, tofu, and nuts. and unlike meat, these all contain all kinds of other nutrients as well.
but...after all that, if it's the flavor of the juicy red meat you just can't live without...i can't really help you there.
:) toodles for now.
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1 comment:
don't forget that miso and chlorella (an algae) are also sources of B12.
i, too, support people eating as much meat as they desire, but i don't support the farm subsidies that make meat cheaper than fresh fruit and vegetables. this increases the social and environmental impact of eating meat -- the more meat, the more animal waste, corn/soy fields devoted to feed, energy spent transporting and processing all the feed and meat products.
let the free market determine the true cost of meat and dairy. then we'll see how important meat is to health.
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