What Vegetarians Should Know

By: Nancy Jerominski (View Profile)

The Asian cultures don’t (and never have) consume large amounts of soy, nor have they thrived on it; they know soy can’t be digested unless it is fermented. It was used as a last ditch protein source during times of famine. Soy products, like miso and tempeh are utilized as condiments in small amounts. A single glass of soy milk has powerful estrogen-like chemicals equivalent to five birth control pills. Think about that! Unless it is specifically labeled as “certified organic”, conventionally farmed soy is a GMO commodity often crossed with the Brazil nut to increase the protein value (which, by the way, the body can’t utilize because soy can’t be digested). Any parent with a child who is allergic to nuts might find that little snippet a bit alarming.

How much fuel and water, which are finite resources, would be pillaged raising all that genetically modified soy, wheat and corn? What about the resultant emissions? How many small animals, birds and bugs are scared witless, then left to suffer and die when those fields are plowed under? How fertile would our topsoil be? Plants have a life force too. How do they feel when we rip them out of the ground by their roots? Would that feel like our hair being torn out? Do they scream?

And if robust longevity is what you are seeking by embracing vegetarianism, consider this:

“It is usually claimed that meat-eating peoples have a short life span, but the Aborigines of Australia, who traditionally eat a diet rich in animal products, are known for their longevity (at least before colonization by Europeans). Within Aboriginal society, there is a special caste of the elderly. Obviously, if no old people existed, no such group would have existed. In his book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration”, Dr. Price has numerous photographs of elderly native peoples from around the world. Explorers such as Vilhjalmur Stefansson reported great longevity among the Inuit (again, before colonization).

Similarly, the Russians of the Caucasus Mountains live to great ages on a diet of fatty pork and whole raw milk products. The Hunzas, also known for their robust health and longevity, eat substantial portions of goat’s milk which has a higher saturated fat content than cow’s milk. In contrast, the largely vegetarian Hindus of southern India have the shortest life-spans in the world, partly because of a lack of food, but also because of a distinct lack of animal protein in their diet” (3)

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posted: 10.08.2007
Amanda Coggin
I stopped eating red meat when I was 17, I just lost the taste for it. I stopped eating chicken and turkey when I stopped trusting the source from which it came. It helped that I traveled and lived in Asia for two years, where being a vegetarian is more the norm. I continue to eat fish/seafood here and there, because when I was full veg, I found I just didn't have the energy level I needed, so I put fish back in my diet as a protein source. Since I have stopped eating "meat," I feel lighter and my frame is healthier. I have to stay on top of getting enough protein, and I bend the rules when I'm traveling in the third world and my veggie options are limited (and I can see the chickens running around that I would eat), but feel very happy to be somewhat vegetarian. It's best to listen to your body and feel what it's saying to you about this.
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