Vegetarianism as a lifestyle

The life of any creature is sacred and unjustified killing is a grave breach of the laws of Nature. All the plants and animals in the choice of food is followed only his instinct, but a man of his advanced state of consciousness when choosing foods should be guided by higher principles.

The word "vegetarian" was popularized in 1842 by the founders of the "British Vegetarian Society," it comes from the Latin vegetus, which means "strong, healthy, fresh, vigorous," as in the phrase homo vegetus, which means the spiritual and physical growth and development. Originally, "vegetarian" meant harmonious with philosophical and moral point of view life, not a way of eating.

Vegetarianism - is an important step on the road to perfect society, and those who will reflect on its benefits, will be on a par with the likes of Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Plutarch, Leonardo da Vinci, John Milton, Sir Isaac Hyuton, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Lamartine, Percy Shelley, Billy, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, Rabindranath Tagore and Albert Einstein.

Benefits of Vegetarianism:

1. health

2. economy

3. ethics

4. Law of Action

5. History of Consciousness

1. Health

Consumption of meat increases the chances of cancer and heart disease sosudityh (atherosclerosis, etc.). Switching to a vegetarian diet in 90-97% of cases, prevents the development of heart disease. [Journal of the American Medical Association 176: 134-5, 1961]

After alcohol and tobacco consumption of meat is a leading cause of death in Western Europe, USA, Australia. [Inter-Society Comission for Heart Disease Resources. Primary prevention of the arteriosclerotic diseases. Circulation 42: A53-95, December 1970]

One reason for meats is that human digestive tract is not designed to digest meat. Carnivorous animals have relatively short intestines (three times longer than the body), that allows to excrete rapidly degraded and release toxins meat. In herbivores intestine six times longer than the body, as plant food decomposes more slowly than meat. Man, like herbivores, have a long intestine, so when he eats meat, toxins produced in the body that prevent the kidneys and contribute to the development of arthritis, rheumatism, gout and even cancer. In addition, the meat is treated with chemicals. As soon as the animals were killed, its carcass begins to decompose in a few days becomes a gray-green color. This prevents the meat processing plants ha nitrites and other substances that are carcinogenic. Also in food animals intended for slaughter, also add a lot of chemicals.

People can prevent many cancers, reducing the consumption of meat and eat more vegetables and grains. [American Academy of Sciences. Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer, National Research Consul, National Academy Press, Wash., June 1982]

Standard questions: Is it not natural for humans to eat meat? Is body does not need animal protein? The correct answer is no. Anatomical structure - teeth, jaws, and digestive system - better able to eat vegetarian food. American Dietetic Association notes that "the vast majority of people throughout the history of humanity fed predominantly vegetarian and vegan food." Most of the world follows this up to now. In developed countries, the habit spread to the meat no more than a hundred years ago, after the refrigerator. However, even in the XX-th century, the human body has not adapted to digest meat.

Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus spent "a comparative analysis of the external and internal structure of the human body and animals," which proves that natural food for humans are fruits and vegetables.

The data in the table A.D.Endryusa from "Food for Human Use (Chicago, American Hygienic Society, 1970)

Carnivorous Herbivore Man

no pores on the skin, the body is cooled through the language of many pores on the skin, sweating, many pores on the skin, sweating

sharp incisors for tearing meat cutters blunt blunt cutters

immature salivary glands pre digesting well-developed salivary glands prior to digesting well-developed salivary glands prior to digestion

acidic saliva without ptyalin alkaline saliva with ptyalin to digest grains and fruits alkaline saliva with ptyalin to digest grains and fruits

no flat back teeth for chewing has flat back teeth for chewing has flat back teeth for chewing

strong hydrochloric acid in the stomach to digest animal hydrochloric acid in the stomach 10 times in carnivores slabeechem hydrochloric acid in the stomach 10 times slabeechem in carnivores

length of the gastrointestinal tract only 3 times body bolshn for rapidly excreted rotting meat length of the gastrointestinal tract is 6-10 times greater than the length of the body; vegetable food decomposes more slowly than meat bowel length is 6 times larger than the length of the body

Dr. Paavo Airolo, a specialist in nutrition and natural biology, said: "Twenty years ago it was believed that a daily intake of 150 g of protein, and is now officially accepted standard reduced to 45g. Why? Through research it is known now that the body does not need lots of protein and its daily intake is 30-45g. Excessive protein intake is not only useless, but is harmful to the human body, in fact, it may cause diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. To get 45g of protein a day it is not necessary to eat meat. Full vegetarian diet consisting of cereals, legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruits, etc., it is necessary to provide you with a number of proteins. " [Dr. Paavo Airola "Health Forum", Vegetarion Times, August, 1982, p.52]

Nutritionists still believed that complete proteins (ie, containing all 8 essential amino acids not produced by the body) are found only in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Ho research at the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and the Max Planck Institute (Germany) have shown that most vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and grains are sources of proteins, which are also easy to digest and does not contain toxic substances. Eating enough of natural products eliminates the possibility of a lack of protein in the body. Do not forget that the plant world are ultimately the source of all kinds of protein. Vegetarians get protein directly from the source, and not "at second hand" as those who eat the meat of herbivores.

Excessive protein intake reduces the capacity of man. Dr. Irving Fisher of Yale University conducted a series of experiments which showed that vegetarians have twice the stamina than those who eat meat. When he is not consumed by vegetarians reduced the amount of protein by 20%, their performance increased by 33%. [Irving Fisher, "The influence of Flech Eating on Endurance", Yale Medical Journal, 13 (5); 205-21 (March 1907)]

A number of similar studies have found that well-chosen vegetarian foods contain more nutrients than meat. Research by Dr. Dzh.Yoteko and V.Kipani of Brussels University showed that vegetarians are able to work in two to three times longer that those who eat meat, and also they are three times more quickly recover their strength. [JLButtner, A Fleshless Diet: Vegetarianism as a rational dietary, Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York, 1910, p.131-2]

2. Economy

Meat - food that consumes few of the many. Dl their meat, grain, which can be used for human consumption, fed to cattle. According to the USDA, more than 90% of the grain produced America goes to feeding livestock and poultry for meat should be fed kg 16 kg of grain to livestock. [Frances Moore Lappe, Diet for a Small Planet, NYBallantine Book, 1975]

In middle-income countries the average person consumes about 200 kg of grain per year, with most going to eat. But in Europe and the U.S. consumes 1,000 kg of grain per year, of which 90% goes to feed livestock. [By Lester Brows from - Vic Sussman, The Vegetarian Alternative, Rodale Press, 1978, p.234]

These facts show that the problem of hunger is created artificially. Today, the world produces more food than is needed to feed the population, but they are meaningless spent. If you reduce the production of meat by 10%, it will release amounts of grain, enough to feed 60 million people. [Gene Mayer, a report on the U.S. Senate Committee on Nutrition and Food Strategy, Washington, DC: Febrary 1977, p.44]

Another price of meat - pollution. Drain waste water and waste disposal meat plants pollute rivers and streams more than the city sewer. For the cultivation of one kilogram of wheat requires 60 liters of water to produce 1 kg of meat consumed from 1250 to 3000 l. [Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Population, Resources, Enviroment, WHFreeman and Company, 1970, p.64]

A sample survey of the New York stores in January 1986. showed that a kilogram of beef filet costs about $ 8, while a kilogram of vegetarian products from which you can prepare nutritious meals for a family, it is worth less than $ 4. By becoming a vegetarian you will save thousands of dollars a year.

3. Ethics

According to many, the most important argument in favor of vegetarianism are the ethical considerations - the desire not to cause suffering or death of living creatures. Essay "The Ethics of vegetarianism" in the "North American Vegetarian Society" debunks the concept of so-called "humane killing of animals": "These days a lot of people comfort themselves with the thought that the animals now kill" humane "ways. Unfortunately, these ideas have nothing to do with the truth. " Slaughter animals all its life in captivity and are doomed to a painful existence, they are the result of artificial insemination, undergo castration, are stimulated by hormones, fattened unnatural food and then they are in terrible conditions were going to die. They are constantly in a state of terror, and it is passed through the meat to those who eat it. Ha slaughterhouses stun animals hammer blows, electric shock, or shots from air pistols, then hung by his feet on the conveyor belt, was still alive and cut the throats flay their skin, so they die from loss of blood. And the Convention on the conditions of treatment of domestic animals, and even laboratory rats do not apply to farm animals, which maim and kill in slaughterhouses. (Go, by the way, take a look.)

Plutarch's treatise "On the eating of flesh": "Should I ask why Pythagoras gave up meat? Personally I'm more interested in what state of mind was a man first touched lips to taste the bloody flesh and carrion, which circumstances forced him to dinner, as the Charter of decomposed carcasses and name the food that recently moaning and bleating, move and breathe ... For some reason we do not eat lions and wolves that threaten our lives, but instead kill innocent and submissive creature who can not do us any harm . the sake of a piece of meat, we deprive them of life to which they have the same rights as we do. "

We are afraid of bombs and rockets, but quietly close our eyes to the pain and horror of death, which have killed each year for human consumption 1.5 billion cows, sheep and pigs, 22.5 million birds. [FAO Production Yearbook 1984, vol.38, Statistic Series No.61. Food and Agriculture Organization of Unated Nations, Rome, p.226-47]

4. Law of Action

Action in Sanskrit called "karma." Every action has implications. Although the concept of karma is usually associated with Eastern philosophy, however many realize that the law of karma (action law, the law of cause and effect, the third law of Newton) is the same as the fundamental law of nature, like gravity and time. Our every action causes certain effects. According to the law of karma, if we cause harm or suffering to another living being, then we will suffer - this applies to every person and to society as a whole. We always pay the price for what he did and in every language there is a saying "what goes around, comes around", "a backfire, and respond," and so on.

A man eating meat, can say that he did not kill anyone, but actually, buying meat in the store or at the market, it pays the money for someone else for it committed the murder. And both bring upon themselves the consequences of karma killing. Disasters and world wars - it is also the consequences of karma, the results of the effects of actions of individuals or society.

Writings of major religions prohibit a person without having to kill other living creatures. Old Testament - Genesis (1.29), the Lord says, "I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed: to you it shall be for meat." Register new Testament - Isaiah's prophecy about the appearance of Jesus Christ: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows to refuse the evil and choose the good." Lord Buddha is known for preaching against the killing of animals and proclaimed ahimsa (not harming living things) and vegetarianism necessary conditions for spiritual perfection. Vedic philosophy and literature - the Mahabharata: "He who builds his body by eating the flesh of other creatures, condemns himself to suffering, in whatever body he was not born."

5. History of Consciousness

In addition to medical, economic, ethical, and religious karmic benefits for vegetarianism is another dimension - the spiritual. Vegetarianism promotes awareness (as well as Transcendental Meditation).