VEG EXPRESS

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What is a Vegetarian?

A vegetarian is someone living on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with or without the use of dairy products and eggs (preferably free-range). A vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, or slaughter by-products such as gelatine or animal fats.

Types of Vegtarians:

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: Eats both dairy products and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.

Lacto-vegetarian: Eats dairy products but not eggs.

Ovo-vegetarian: Eats eggs but not dairy products.

Vegan: Does not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other animal product.

Fruitarian: A type of vegan diet where very few processed or cooked foods are eaten. Consists mainly of raw fruit, grains and nuts. Fruitarians believe only plant foods that can be harvested without killing the plant should be eaten.

Macrobiotic. A diet followed for spiritual and philosophical reasons. Aims to maintain a balance between foods seen as ying (positive) or yang (negative). The diet progresses through ten levels, becoming increasingly restrictive. Not all levels are vegetarian, though each level gradually eliminates animal products. The highest levels eliminate fruit and vegetables, eventually reaching the level of a brown rice diet.

Raw- Foodists: People who only eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds that have not been heated over 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why be a Vegetarian?

* You're in good company. Vegetarian actors include Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, Dustin Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Brooke Shields, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael J. Fox, Anthony Perkins, Rosanna Arquette, Ted Danson, Richard Gere, Candace Bergen, Kim Bassinger, Woody Harelson, Mary Tyler Moore, Eric Stolz, Drerw Barrymore, and Alicia Silverstone.

Vegetarian musicians include Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain, Bryan Adams, Seal, Michael Bolton, Lenny Kravitz, Leonard Cohen, Joe Jackson, Indigo Girls, Billy Idol and Bob Dylan.

* You'll eat fewer chemicals lower on the food chain. The more chemicals an animal eats, the more you will eat. In every bite, a typical beef. Pork hotdog contains seven cancer-causing pesticides, and a quarter pound burger contains three cancer-causing substances. The primary source of nuclear radiation contamination in humans is from beef and dairy products. (Living Healthy in a Toxin World - David Steinman)

* Pesticides, industrial pollutants and sex hormones are known to cause breast cancer and to have estrogen-like effects, are stored in animal fat. These contaminants tend to accumulate in human breast fat, reaching levels thousands of times greater than in food. Obesity from fatty diets has also been known to cause breast cancer. (Dr. Samuel Epstein -The Breast Cancer Prevention Program)

* Non-vegetarians had 54 percent more prostate cancer than vegetarians in results from Adventist Morality and Health studies. Non-vegetarians had 88 percent more colon cancer than vegetarians. Non-smoking vegetarians have about half the rate of lung cancer as non-smoking non-vegetarians.

People eating meat three or more times per weeks had more than a two-fold increase in bladder cancer compared with vegetarians, and those consuming meat four or more times a week had a 66 percent higher mortality rate from ovarian cancer than vegetarians in the same study.(Brenda Davis - Becoming Vegan)

* You can get enough protein as a vegetarian. According to many nutritionists, you can consume a healthy percentage of complete protein by combining organic lentils, beans, tofu, organic whole grains, free range eggs, spinach and other plant sources. (Becoming Vegetarian -Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina)

* Minerals: Adequate amounts of iron can be found in organic broccoli, bok choy, figs, whole grain, enriched cereals, and other plants. You can get required calcium from sesame seeds, beans, tofu, wax beans, hummus, and broccoli. There is more calcium in sesame seeds and broccoli than there is in milk. And calcium in cow's milk isn't easily absorbed by people who have difficulty digesting it.

* You might lose weight by avoiding saturated fat in meat, butter and the animal fat used in baked goods, desserts and fried foods.

* You won't miss red meat. The veggie-meat substitutes and chicken clones made into patties, nuggets, ground round and steak available in health food store delis, frozen food and produce sections have a great meat-like texture and taste. They have far fewer calories than the "real thing" too.

* You save money at restaurants. Most menus offer vegetarian selections or chefs will oblige to prepare a vegetarian meal, and they're usually less expensive than their meatier counterparts. And many restaurants now feature innovative, organic ingredients in salads now at reasonable prices.

* Nutritional value. Flesh foods are essentially protein and saturated fat. Plant foods are protein, unsaturated (essential) fat, nutrient-rich carbohydrates and life-saving enzymes.

* Flesh foods are acid forming in the body, have no fiber, contain cholesterol, have naturally occurring toxic waste and cause unhealthy putrefaction bacteria in our intestines (which may contribute to indigestion, illness and disease)

* Plant foods are alkali-forming in the body, contain abundant fiber, have no naturally occurring toxic waste, little or no cholesterol and they don't putrefy as readily because they are much easier to digest. (Living Vegetarian website: www.jtcwd.com/vegie)

* Our instincts are carnivorous. Most humans would not be able to kill an animal. They have to cook and disguise it so that it bears no resemblance to its original state. Unlike carnivorous animals, we do not naturally salivate at the sight of raw meat (though we do for raw fruit).

* Human physiology. Meat eaters have claws, no pores on the skin so they perspire through the tongue, and pointed front teeth to tear raw flesh. Plant eaters perspire through pores on the skin (since they are searching for food during hot hours, not hunting at sunrise/sunset or under cover of darkness as meat eaters do) and flat back molars to grind food.
Meat eaters have very strong hydrochloric acid in the stomach to digest animal muscle whereas plant eaters have well developed salivary glands needed to digest plants and grains and stomach acid 20 times weaker than meat eaters. Meat eaters have an intestinal tract only three times their body length so rapidly decaying meat in the stomach can pass out of the body quickly. Plant eaters' intestinal tract is several times their body length since plant foods don't decay as quickly. (Living Vegetarian - jtcwd.com/vegie)

* Carnivores have an almost unlimited capacity to handle saturated fat and cholesterol, according to Dr. William Collins, NY Maim Onedes Medical Center. However, when plant-eating test animals were given a small daily dose of animal fat, they developed clogged arteries and disease. (Mad Cow? - ED)

* historically, it's intelligent to be vegetarian. Vegetarians throughout history include Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Albert Schweitzer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Ford, William Wordsworth, George Bernard Shaw, and Martin Luther.

* If everyone in North America reduced their animal food consumption by just 10 percent, the grain we would save from animal feed could be used to feed all of the hungry throughout the world (Earth Save)

* Poultry operations alone use 96.5 billion gallons of water annually in the US, enough to meet all water needs of 4.5 million North Americans.

* A rancher doesn't eat meat. EarthSave International president Howard Lyman was formerly a fourth generation cattle rancher who is now a vegetarian activist and author of the book, "Mad Cowboy: plain truth from the cattle rancher who won't eat meat".

* Since Tina Poitras, six-time Canadian champion and two-time Olympic champion, became vegetarian after the 1996 Olympic Games, she has shaved a minute off of her racing time. (National Living Today). Vegetarian Dave Scott, considered on of the world's top triathlelets, has a degree in exercise physiology and says athletes in rigorous training don't require animal protein. Canadian Ironman triathlete and vegan Brendan Brazier agrees.

* Lethal microscopic organisms feed on animal waste. One such microorganism called Pfiesteria pesticide is a powerful nerve poison causing lesions, fatigue and asthma. At a Chesapeake Bay estuary in summer 2001, Pfiesteria killed tens of thousands of fish and sickened dozens of people. Scientists believe the 658, 000 tons of manure from 600 million chickens raised around the Bay is the culprit (EarthSave)

* Eastern cultures live longer and they eat meat substitutes. Unprocessed soy beans are a good source of protein, essential fat, and may decrease bone degeneration and stimulate bone health. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that soy effectively lowers high cholesterol levels. A University of Toronto research study concluded that eating soy daily could reduce the risk of heart disease. The isoflavones it contains have been reported to neutralize cancer-causing properties of estrogen in women.

* In Milford, Utah, population 1, 164, Circle Four Farms raises 600, 000 hogs. The operation generates as much waste as a city of 1.8 million people. There are two million residents in all of Utah. In 1996 this farm waited six weeks to notify the State of a spill in the area of 80, 000 gallons of hog waste and chemicals. (EarthSave)

* A Pulitzer Prize winning expose states Imagine a city as big as New York on North Carolina's Coastal plain. Double it. Imagine the city has no sewage treatment plant and all of the waste is flushed into open pits and sprayed onto fields. Turn the humans into hogs and it has already happened." (Raleigh's News and Observer)

* The Gulf of Mexico's infamous Dead Zone is a lifeless expanse of coastal water the size of Connecticut caused by fertilizers and livestock waste pouring into the Mississippi River and the resulting algae blooms. (EarthSave)

* Animals are considered units genetically manipulated to accelerate maximum yield. Factory farm turkeys are now so top heavy that they can hardly stand, and pigs are too long to support their own weight. Dairy cows are continuously impregnated to keep milk flowing. They spend most of their lives chained to milk stalls, reduced to milking machines. (Canadian Federation of Humane Societies)

* Inhumanity of man. Factory farms put thousands of animals in one building with no fresh air and sunshine. During heat waves, severe trauma and death are widespread when barn temperatures soar. In Canada, on average, four laying hens are confined to a cage 16 by 18 inches, unable to walk, forage or nest. Resulting stress leads to aggression so beaks are amputated, causing long term pain. Overcrowding on trucks causes thousands of crippled animals that are often dragged from the truck by rope. "The final hours for too many animals are unspeakably painful." (Toronto Vegetarian Association)

* approximately 30 percent of slaughtered chicken and fish is contaminated with salmonella. It sickens between 6.5 and 8 million people each year in the US (EarthSave). E.coli, salmonella and campylobacter bacteria causing food poisoning in restaurants are usually from animal products that are not cooked properly, have been sitting too long before being served, or are not fresh (such as raw egg used in some desserts and sauces)

* Live longer than past generations of farmers. Calgary veterinarian Society president Valerie Fitch states, "When both of my parents got cancer when I was young, I became very interested in the adverse effects of farm animal chemicals, particularly after hearing lectures by environmentalist John Robins." Those working with chemicals have hundreds of times higher exposure and greater risks.

Why do people become vegetarian?

Moral Reasons Nobody would argue that animals don't feel pain, fear or enjoyment. This gives them the basic right to be treated in ways that respect their own personal value, just as humans are. This includes the right to live, not to be slaughtered or treated unjustly.

Political Reasons Another argument is that there is so much famine in the world, and rearing cattle to be slaughtered is a waste of resources - including their feed, and the land for them to graze upon. It would be a far more economical use of resources for humans to eat the grain and use the land to grow more. If the west reduced their meat consumption by just ten percent, it would free up enough grazing land to grow food for up to 40 million people.

Religious Reasons Vegetarianism was probably first practiced in connection with religious purification rituals. The idea of a fleshless diet for normal use arose in India and eastern Mediterranean lands around 1000 BC. Hindu and Buddhist sects consider all animal life sacred and teach that human beings should avoid harming animals. Some Jewish and Christian groups followed the principles of vegetarianism and considered eating flesh gluttonous, cruel, and wasteful. In the Roman Catholic church, Trappist monks have practiced vegetarianism since 1666. Among Protestants, the Seventh-day Adventists observe strict vegetarian guidelines.

Click here for more information about Christianity

Click here for more information about Buddhism

Reasons against becoming Vegetarian People who are against becoming Vegetarian tend to have three main reasons why they should not or can not become Vegetarian. The are: 1) Humans are naturally omnivorous which is true, but there is no need to eat animals. Humans are naturally violent, but most are not, or try not to be. 2) Vegetarians are anaemic. Which doesn't have to be true if you keep a balanced diet and take regular vitamin supplements. 3) "I'd miss my meat too much". Apart from the reasons stated above, people will miss meat to begin with, but after a week or so, most will wonder how they ever ate it in the first place.

Will I get sick?

Vegetarians can develop defficiency in vitamins B12, B2, and D. B12 is only present in animal products. Reduced levels of B12 can cause anemia and degenerative changes in the central nervous system. Vegetarians must get vitamin B12 from either a vitamin supplement or soy milk. Or they can just be sure to eat broccoli, asparagus, and almonds.

Calcium, iron, and zinc, are all major minerals. It's difficult to get calcium without consuming dairy products. Mustard greens, broccoli, and fortified tofu contain calcium but substances in some vegetables, such as oxalic acid, usually decrease the absorption of calcium.

There are nine essential amino acids that act as a building block for protein. No single plant contains all these acids, except for soy beans. It is important for a vegetarain to eat a wide variety of protein-rich foods, such as nuts, legumes, and seeds, to avoid loss of these amino acids.

I personally take GNC Ultra Mega® Multivitamin once a day.
So I don't have to worry about not getting enough vitamins.

If your not taking vitamins... You're probally going to get sick.

For more info on this supplement click here

Vegetarians

Vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry, or fish. Vegetarians build their diets around a wide variety of plant foods, including grains (such as rice, barley, and oats), grain-based foods (such as bread, pasta, and cereals), legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Soy foods such as tofu, soy milk, and soy-based meat substitutes play an important role in many vegetarian diets. In addition, cheese and milk made from rice, almonds, and soybeans are prominent in some vegetarian diets. Lacto-ovo vegetarians consume dairy foods and eggs. Vegans are vegetarians who do not eat any animal products, including dairy products, eggs, and honey. Why do people follow this diet?

People choose vegetarian diets for a variety of reasons. Many choose them to improve their health or to decrease the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. Others go vegetarian due to concerns about world hunger and the environment, because large-scale production of animal foods uses land that could otherwise be used to grow plant-based foods, and is a major cause of deforestation and soil erosion worldwide. Still others are concerned about the presence of antibiotics, hormones, pesticide residues or disease-causing agents (as with mad cow disease) that may be present in meat. Some vegetarians object to inhumane practices of modern-day animal farming, so their reasons for being vegetarian are largely ethical. Some vegetarians believe that humans are not physiologically suited to meat eating; humans have more in common with herbivorous animals than with carnivorous animals in terms of the structure and function of the digestive tract. Finally, some people choose vegetarianism in an attempt to live more simply and economically, and in closer harmony with the way most of the world’s population eats.

What do the advocates say?

It is well documented that vegetarians are healthier than people who eat meat. In some cases, vegans have better health than lacto-ovo vegetarians. Although many vegetarians also exercise and avoid smoking, evidence indicates that their good health is largely due to diet. One study of 30,000 people in California compared vegetarians and meat eaters who, aside from their dietary differences, had very similar lifestyles and health practices. The vegetarians were less likely to be obese, or to have high blood pressure, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or colon cancer. They were also less likely to die from heart disease. In fact, the vegetarians were healthier even than people who ate meat only occasionally. Even when vegetarians were fatter than meat eaters, the vegetarians had lower cholesterol levels.

Vegetarians have lower blood pressure even when they eat the same amount of salt as meat eaters and exercise less. Researchers have known since the beginning of the 1900s that feeding meat to vegetarians causes their blood pressure to rise.

Many studies show that vegetarians have less colon cancer than meat eaters. The composition of bacterial flora in the colon differs between vegetarians and people who eat meat in ways that could possibly affect cancer risk.

Many factors in vegetarian diets contribute to the better health of vegetarians. These factors include:

* Vegetarians consume two to three times as much fiber as do meat-eaters. This may help to reduce cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and protect against colon cancer.
* Vegetarians consume more antioxidants, which are found in a wide variety of plant foods. Antioxidants protect cells from oxygen-induced damage and reduce the risk for heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and other diseases.
* Vegetarians consume more phytochemicals than do meat eaters, special compounds found in plants. Many phytochemicals have a wide range of protective effects in the human body. They help to detoxify carcinogens, stimulate the immune system, regulate cell growth (which helps to fight cancer), and reduce some of the harmful effects of excessive exposure to hormones.
* Vegetarians eat more isoflavones than do meat eaters. These compounds, found mostly in soy foods, are another type of phytochemical. Research shows that isoflavones may reduce the risk for prostate cancer and may improve bone health.
* Vegetarians consume much less saturated fat and cholesterol than do meat eaters. This helps to explain why they have significantly lower levels of blood cholesterol. One study showed that blood cholesterol levels were 14% lower in lacto-ovo vegetarians and 35% lower in vegans compared to meat-eaters. Lower intakes of saturated fat reduce the risk for heart disease and possibly for diabetes and cancer.
* Vegetarians do not consume heme iron, a type of iron found in meat that may increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.
* Vegetarians do not eat red meat, which has been linked to increased cancer risk in many studies. Red meat consumption stimulates the production of mutation-causing compounds in the colon and is linked to increased damage to DNA.

What do the critics say?

Critics of vegetarianism claim that people who choose this diet will have to “balance incomplete proteins” to synthesize complete protein in the body. Proteins that come from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grain products are only “incomplete” in the sense that they do not provide all nine essential amino acids (protein building blocks) at a single meal; thus, according to critics, a vegetarian (and especially a vegan) must be careful to consume appropriate quantities of complementary proteins each day to ensure that he or she is getting enough dietary protein.

Contrary to this popular belief, inadequate protein intake is rarely a concern for vegetarians. Better understanding of protein nutrition shows that, for adults, it is not necessary to consume special combinations of foods to meet requirements for the right balance of amino acids. Many plant foods, such as grains and legumes, provide protein. Soy foods and dairy products are particularly rich in high-quality protein. Protein needs are easily met when vegetarians consume a variety of plant foods and eat enough food to meet calorie needs.

Critics also point out that there is no way to get vitamin B12 via food except through animal products. Tempeh and other fermented soy products do not contain consistent enough quantities of B12 to meet the body’s requirements. Vegetarians must therefore eat B12-fortified foods or take vitamin supplements on a daily basis to prevent a deficiency.

Some critics fault vegetarian, and particularly vegan, diets for not providing sufficient calcium. In truth, most people, not just vegetarians, eat less than optimal amounts of calcium. Dairy products are a good source of dietary calcium, but they are not the only source. Green leafy vegetables and tofu are also good sources, and are usually eaten in large quantities by vegetarians. Vegans—who eat no animal products—are the most likely to suffer from calcium deficiency. Many Americans—vegetarians and meat eaters alike—could benefit from taking a calcium supplement.

Vegetarians eat less iron than non-vegetarians, and the iron they eat is somewhat less absorbable. As a result, vegetarians are more likely to have reduced iron stores. However, iron deficiency is not usually caused by a lack of iron in the diet alone; an underlying cause—such as iron loss in menstrual blood—often exists. Although iron is found in a variety of different foods, its availability to the body (bioavailability) varies significantly. This is determined by whether it is found in the form of heme and non-heme iron. Heme iron is found only in meat, fish, and poultry. It is absorbed much more readily than non-heme iron found primarily in fruits, vegetables, dried beans, nuts, and grain products, such as bread and iron-fortified breakfast cereals. Including a source of vitamin C at each meal improves absorption of vegetarian-source iron.

Strict vegans may become iodine deficient if they do not consume enough iodine, readily available in iodized salt.

Very few foods are good sources of vitamin D, which is why milk is fortified with it. Vegetarians who do not consume milk should be sure to get 20 to 30 minutes of sun exposure every day since this promotes the synthesis of vitamin D in the body. People who live in cloudy, smoggy, or northern areas, and people who do not leave their residences, need foods fortified with vitamin D. These fortified foods include breakfast cereals and some brands of soy milk and rice milk. Since people with dark skin make vitamin D less efficiently, they may also need supplemental sources of vitamin D or increased sun exposure.

I personally take GNC Ultra Mega® Multivitamin once a day.
So I don't have to worry about not getting enough vitamins.

If your not taking vitamins... You're probally going to get sick.

For more info on this supplement click here

(I know I have this on the page twice.
It's to emphasize a point.)

Lets throw some names out there.

Vegetarians in entertainment:
Alicia Silverstone
Brad Pitt
Pamela Anderson
Bob Marley
Paul & Linda McCartney

Scientist Vegetarians:
Albert Einstein
Charles Darwin
Issac Newton
Thomas Edison

Vegetarians from politics & history:
Ghandi
Tony Benn

See more here

Know your facts!

* Twenty-thousand pounds of potatoes can be grown on one acre of land, but only 165 pounds of beef can be produced in the same space.
* Rainforests, vital to earth's oxygen supply, are being destroyed at an alarming rate - the top cause is the raising of animals for food.
* Forty-five percent of the total land in this country is used to raise animals for food or crops to feed these animals.
* A carnivorous diet requires 4200 gallons of water per day; a vegetarian one, 300 gallons per day.
* Of the 20 million tons of plant protein given to raise cows only 2 million tons of protein are used. That means 18 tons of plant protein are wasted! The 20 million tons of plant protein could have reduced 90% of the world's yearly protein deficit for humans.
* Being a vegetarian would alleviate human starvation and in return there would be an increase in growth of wild animals without additonal sufferings on humans or any other animals.
* By choosing the vegetarian or vegan alternative, the land used originally for farm animals would feed more people off of plant protein.
* Plants yield 10 times more protein per acre than meat.
* Chickens are raised in crowded, unnatural enviroments. There are usually 3,000 or more in one pen. The birds are not able to move about freely or even spread their wings due to the over crowding. They use "nests" made out of metal and they are bred by unnatural means.
* In order for hens to lay mass amounts of eggs, artificial light is on 17 hours a day. Each hen averages about 300 eggs per year. Once a hen's egg prodution declines they are slaughtered. Most hens live an average of 5 to 6 years.
* Veal calfs are raised in cages on an anemic diet. The cages are so small that the calves cannot stand or even move in order to clean themselves. The veal calves are kept in the dark most of their lives within the cages. They are subjected to a cruel and horrid death.
* More than 7 billion animals die yearly for human consumption.
* Cows contribute to global warming otherwise known as the "greenhouse effect" due to the amount of fossil fuels it takes to maintain a meat diet. It takes three times more fuel than it does to produce a vegetarian diet.
* Most food animals are killed by the process of Kosher slaughter. Kosher slaughter involves hanging an animal particullarly a cow or pig by its hooves. The animal's neck is cut without any kind of anethesia. The animal hangs and bleeds to death.
* 260 million acres of forest in the United States have been cleared in order to maintain a meat- centered diet.
* 55 square feet of rainforest is destroyed in order to produce one quarter of a pound of rainforest beef.
* 1,000 rainforest species become extinct every year because people destroy the rainforest for cattle grazing.
* A man who eats meat has a 50% greater chance of dying from a heart attack. A man who does not eat meat only has a 15% chance of dying from a heart attack.
* Women who eat eggs 3 times or more a week have a risk 3 times higher of developing ovarian cancer than those women who consume eggs less than once a week.
* Women who consume meat on a daily basis has 3.8 times the risk of developing breast cancer than women who eat meat less than once a week.

MORE TO COME

How to Win an Argument With a Meat Eater:
Brought to you by vegsource.com

The Hunger Argument

Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16

The Environmental Argument

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million
Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds
Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year

The Cancer Argument

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times
For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.

The Cholesterol Argument

Number of U.S. medical schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man's risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl
Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent

The Natural Resources Argument

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000
Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78
To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2
Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33
Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2

The Antibiotic Argument

Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument

Common belief: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection
Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues
Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99
Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8
Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher
Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level

The Ethical Argument

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 660,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker

The Survival Argument

Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner)
Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian
Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex(Where is he today?)

Dairy Substitutes

Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
Soy Garden Natural Buttery Spread
Tofutti Soy-Cheese Slices
Organic Soy Delicious Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Tofutti Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
Soyco—Soymage Vegan Grated Parmesan
WholeSoy Creamy Cultured Soy Yogurt
WhiteWave—Silk Chocolate Soymilk
Tofutti—Better Than Cream Cheese
Smart Balance 37% Light Buttery Spread
Follow Your Heart—Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative

Beef Substitutes

Gardenburger Flame Grilled Burgers
Boca Original Vegan Burgers
Morningstar Farms—Better ’n Burgers Veggie Burgers
Morningstar Farms—Grillers Burger Style Recipe Crumbles
Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Steak Strips
Nate’s Meatless Meatballs
Now & Zen—Unsteak

Pork Substitutes

Lightlife—Smart Bacon
Lightlife—Gimme Lean Sausage Style
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Breakfast Links
Yves Veggie—Canadian Veggie Bacon
Lightlife—Smart Deli Country Ham Style
Gardenburger Meatless Riblets
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Hot ’n’ Spicy Veggie Chili Dogs

Chicken and Turkey Substitutes

Gardenburger Flame Grilled Chik’n
Gardenburger Buffalo Chik’n Wings
Worthington Chic-Ketts
Nate’s Chicken Style Nuggets
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Chick’n Burgers
Tofurky Deli Slices
Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Turkey Slices
Boca Chik’n Patties
Boca Chik’n Nuggets
Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips

Seafood Substitutes

Vegieworld.com—Vegetarian Lobster Balls
Vegieworld.com—Vegetarian Salmon
Natural Touch—Tuno
Soy Caviar

AND THERES SO MUCH MORE!

Thats just a taste of the subsitutes out there!