Health
and Nutrition
Studies
of human evolution have shown that our ancestors were vegetarian by
nature. The structure of the human body is not suited for eating meat.
This was demonstrated in an essay in comparative anatomy by Dr. G.S.
Huntingen of Columbia University. He pointed out that carnivores have
short, small and large intestines. Their large intestine is characteristically
very straight and smooth. In contrast, vegetarian animals have both
a long small intestine and a long large intestine. Because of the low
fiber content and high protein density of meat, the intestines do not
require a long time to absorb nutrients; thus, the intestines of carnivores
are shorter in length than those of vegetarian animals.
Humans,
like other naturally vegetarian animals, have both a long small and
large intestine. Together, our intestines are approximately twenty-eight
feet (eight and a half meters) in length. The small intestine is folded
back on itself many times, and its walls are convoluted, not smooth.
Because they are longer than those found in carnivores, the meat we
eat stays in our intestines for a longer period of time. Consequently,
the meat can putrefy and create toxins. These toxins have been implicated,
as a cause of colon cancer, and they also increase the burden on the
liver, which has the function of getting rid of toxins. This can cause
cirrhosis and even cancer of the liver.
Meat contains a lot
of urokinase protein and urea, which add to the burden on the kidneys,
and can destroy kidney function. There are fourteen grams of urokinase
protein in every pound of steak. If living cells are put into liquid
urokinase protein, their metabolic function will degenerate. Furthermore,
meat lacks cellulose or fiber, and lack of fiber can easily create constipation.
It is known that constipation can cause rectal cancer or piles.
The
cholesterol and saturated fats in flesh also create cardiovascular disorders.
Cardiovascular disorders are the number one leading cause of death in
the United States, and now in Formosa.
Cancer
is the second leading cause of death. Experiments indicate that the
burning and roasting of flesh creates a chemical element (Methylcholanthrene),
which is a powerful carcinogen. Mice given this chemical develop cancers,
such as bone tumors, cancer of the blood, cancer of the stomach et cetera.
Research
has shown that infant mice fed by a female mouse having breast cancer
will also develop cancer. When human cancer cells were injected into
animals, the animals also developed cancer. If the meat which we eat
daily comes from animals that originally have such disorders, and we
take them into our body, there is a good chance we will also get the
diseases.
Most
people assume that meat is clean and safe, that there are inspections
done at all butcheries. There are far too many cattle, pigs, poultry,
et cetera, killed for sale every day for each one to actually be examined.
It's very difficult to check whether a piece of meat has cancer in it,
let alone check every single animal. Currently, the meat industry just
cuts off the head when it has a problem, or cuts off the leg which is
diseased. Only the bad parts are removed and the rest is sold.
The
famous vegetarian, Dr. J.H. Kellogg said, "When we eat vegetarian
food, we don't have to worry about what kind of disease the food died
of. This makes a joyful meal!"
There
is yet another concern. Antibiotics as well as other drugs including
steroids and growth hormones are either added to animal feed or injected
directly into the animals. It has been reported that people eating these
animals will absorb these drugs into their bodies. There is a possibility
that antibiotics in meat are diminishing the effectiveness of antibiotics
for human use.
There are some people
who consider the vegetarian diet not sufficiently nourishing. An American
surgical expert, Dr. Miller, practiced medicine for forty years in Formosa.
He established a hospital there, where all the meals were vegetarian,
for staff members as well as the patients. He said, "The mouse
is one kind of animal which can support its life with both a vegetarian
and non-vegetarian diet. If two mice are segregated, with one eating
flesh and the other vegetarian food, we find that their growth and development
are the same, but that the vegetarian mouse lives longer and has greater
resistance to disease. Furthermore, when the two mice got sick, the
vegetarian mouse recovered quicker. He then added, "The medicine
given to us by modern science has improved greatly, but it can only
treat illnesses. Food however, can sustain our health." He pointed
out that, "Food from plants is a more direct source of nutrition
than meat. People eat animals, but the sources of nutrition for the
animals we eat is plants. The lives of most animals are short, and animals
have nearly all the diseases that mankind has. It is very likely that
the diseases of mankind come from eating the flesh of diseased animals.
So, why don't people get their nutrition directly from plants?"
Dr. Miller suggested that we only need cereals, beans and vegetables
to get all the nourishment we need to maintain good health.
Many
people have the idea that animal protein is superior to plant protein
because the former is considered a complete protein, and the latter
is incomplete. The truth is that some plant protein are complete, and
that food combining can create complete proteins out of several incomplete
protein foods.
In
March 1988 the American Dietetic Association announced that: "It
is the position of the ADA that vegetarian diets are healthful and nutritionally
adequate when appropriately planned."
It
is often falsely believed that meat-eaters are stronger than vegetarians,
but an experiment conducted by Professor Irving Fisher of Yale University
on 32 vegetarians and 15 meat-eaters showed that vegetarians had more
endurance than meat-eaters. He had people hold out their arms for as
long as possible. The outcome from the test was very clear. Among the
15 meat-eaters, only two persons could hold out their arms for fifteen
to thirty minutes. However, among the 32 vegetarians: 22 persons held
out their arms for fifteen to thirty minutes, 15 persons for over thirty
minutes, 9 persons for over one hour, 4 persons for over two hours,
and one vegetarian held his arms out for over three hours.
Many
long distance track athletes keep a vegetarian diet for the time preceding
competitions. Dr. Barbara More, an expert in vegetarian therapy, completed
a one hundred and ten mile race in twenty-seven hours and thirty minutes.
A woman of fifty-six years of age, she broke all the records held by
young men: "I want to be an example to show that people who take
a whole vegetarian diet will enjoy a strong body, a clear mind and a
purified life."
Does
the vegetarian get enough protein in his diet? The World Health Organization
recommends that 4.5% of daily calories be derived from protein. Wheat
has 17% of its calories as protein, broccoli has 45% and rice has 8%.
It is very easy to have a protein rich diet without eating meat. With
the additional benefit of avoiding the many diseases caused by high
fat diets such as heart disease and many cancers, vegetarianism is clearly
the superior choice.
The
relationship between over consumption of meat and other animal source
foods containing high levels of saturated fats, and heart disease, breast
cancer, colon cancer and strokes has been proven. Other diseases which
are often prevented and sometimes cured by a low-fat vegetarian diet
include: kidney stones, prostate cancer, diabetes, peptic ulcers, gallstones,
irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, gum disease, acne, pancreatic cancer,
stomach cancer, hypoglycemia, constipation, diverticulosis, hypertension,
osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, hemorrhoids, obesity and asthma.
There
is no greater personal health risk than eating meat, aside from smoking.
