Questions and Answers About Vegetarianism
"Nothing will benefit health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." - Albert Einstein
"The question is not, can they reason?, Nor, can they talk?, But can they suffer?" - Jeremy Bentham
Amount of water needed to produce 1 pound of
wheat: 25 gallons
Amount of water needed to produce 1 pound of beef:
2,500 gallons
A 16-year study of 6000 vegetarians and 5000 non-vegetarians in the UK found that the vegetarians generally had lower LDL cholesterol levels and lower death rates for each of the mortality endpoints studied.
You can also use the EcoMall's searchable nationwide database to find health food stores near you.
The government agrees, it makes sense to eat organic foods to avoid certain chemicals. The Office of Children's Health Protection at the Environmental Protection Agency declares that "children are at greater risk of pesticide exposure than most adults," and goes on to warn that "pesticides may cause a range of harmful health effects," including cancer and injury to the nervous system, lungs and immune system.
"Organic farming became one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture during the 1990's, and producers, exporters, and retailers are still struggling to meet consumer demand for a wide range of organic products," the USDA said in the April issue of its "Agricultural Outlook" magazine.
Vegan foods with Highest Toxic Pesticide Residues
1. Fresh Peaches
2. Winter Squash
3. Apples
4. Pears
5. Fresh Spinach
6. Green Beans
7. Grapes
8. Celery
9. Lettuce
10. Soybeans
11. Potatoes
12. Tomatoes
13. Carrots
14. OrangesNote: Insufficient data for berries - Consumers Union
VEGETARIAN DIET MAY REDUCE HEART DISEASE AND CANCER
Vegetarians may have a lower risk of heart disease and bowel cancer than meat and fish eaters because of an acid found in fruit and vegetables, Scottish scientists said.
Like people taking low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks, vegetarians have lots of salicylic acid, aspirin's main anti-inflammatory component, in their blood.
Dr. John Paterson, a chemical pathologist at the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary in Scotland believes salicylic acid could protect vegetarians from heart disease and cancer just as it protects people taking aspirin.
"Studies have shown that if you eat fruits and vegetables you have a lower risk of heart disease, strokes, and cancer. Part of the reason to explain that lower risk could be salicylic acid," Paterson said in a telephone interview.
NEW STUDY FINDS ORGANIC IS HEALTHIER
We've all suspected it. Now, a growing body of scientificevidence is indicating that organic food is healthier thanconventional produce. Researchers from the University ofCopenhagen recently reported that organically grown producehas higher levels of nutrients when compared withconventional produce.
Specifically, the organic crops had a higher concentrationof vitamins and far more secondary metabolites, which arenaturally occurring compounds that help immunize plants fromexternal attack. Some of these metabolites are thought tolower the risk of cancer and heart disease in humans.
U.S. FINALIZES NATIONAL ORGANIC FOOD STANDARDS Secretary Glickman Announces Standards for the Production, Handling, and Processing of Organically Grown Agricultural Products
At the EcoMall, while we don't believe you have to be a vegetarian to be an environmentalist, we do believe the two are related - - both encompass the ideals of efficiency and preserving our natural resources. Apart from the crucial considerations of health and natural goodness, and respect for animal life, meat eating is both inefficient and wasteful. Many pounds of cereal must be fed to livestock to produce one pound of meat on the table; the "wasted" food is used to supply the animal with energy. As protein converters, livestock are inefficient. An acre of cereal will produce five times more protein than an acre devoted to raising animals for human consumption. The figures for legumes - ten times more - and leafy vegetables - fifteen times - are even more startling. Some individual vegetables are yet more efficient. According to Gary Null, "The ideal of eating simply so that everyone may eat, often leads people to an animal-free diet. The logic? Land is capable of supplying food for nearly fourteen times as many people when it is used to grow food for people rather than crops to feed livestock. Cows, for instance, consume approximately sixteen pounds of grain to yield just one pound of flesh! In contrast, it has been estimated that our current yield of plant foods could nourish more than double the world's population, perhaps even turning the world hunger problem around, if meat-consuming societies would curtail their meat demand and free grazing land for the more efficient purpose of growing food crops." We hope that our Eco Restaurants directory will help people all around the country explore the delicious tastes and textures of vegetarian cuisine and appreciate the many benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle!
Got Milk?
A peer-reviewed medical study, in the International Journal of Health Services, suggests that the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone, rBGH, commonly administered to dairy cows to boost milk production, may promote cancer of the breast and colon. This product has been in widespread use on dairy farms in the U.S., and consumers have been drinking milk from these cows - largely unknowingly - for several years. In addition to the cancer risk, injecting rBGH reduces a cows life expectancy and increases her risk of disease, leading to increased use of anti-biotic injections, thus leaving residues of these drugs in the milk. The milk produced by the sick cows is less healthful because mastisis results in increased secretion of white blood cells, or 'pus', into the milk."According to a recent survey, 60 percent of Americans are interested in buying organic products, which in their eyes are better for the environment and also healthier because they are not made with synthetic substances."
- New York Times
OPRAH WINFREY: MAD COW DISEASE The Shocking Transcript of the Controversial Oprah Winfrey Television Show
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