Cute actress Mila Kunis devours a hot dog. Humans have been eating meat since the earliest times along with grains, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. Early in the last century the amount of meat being consumed by Europeans and Americans increased dramatically, till people were eating three servings of meat in a day! From the 1970s the amount of meat consumed by westerners has been falling steadily as awareness about its health and environmental implications spreads. People also don't like eating meat for ethical reasons. But there is still a belief that animal protein is essential for a strong body.
Meat eating and health
A federal study conducted by the National Cancer Institute found that meat consumption increases your weight and risk of dying from strokes, heart disease, and cancer. It has always been known that red meat (from cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, etc) contains a lot of fat and cholesterol, therefore eating too much of it is a health risk, but the study also claims that eating excessive amounts of white meat (from chicken and fish) also has many risks. Meat also takes a long time to digest, and the longer it stays in the digestive tract depending on the amount eaten, the greater the risk of disease.
Meat contains several cancer-causing chemicals. Research has shown that all meat eaters have worms and a high incidence of parasites in their intestines. This is hardly surprising given the fact that dead flesh (cadaver) is a favorite target for microorganisms of all sorts. The new findings support a previous study published earlier this year in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which showed that eating meat boosts risk of prostate cancer by 40 Percent. And just last month, parents learned that their children had a 60% increased risk of developing leukemia if they consumed meat products, such as ham, sausages and hamburgers. (see more at Natural News)
While people are making an effort to reduce the amount of meat in their diet, some myths persist. People continue to believe that a purely vegetarian diet will leave them feeling weak and will require supplements, because meat is a major source of protein and iron. This is a myth because while protein is abundant in nuts, pulses, peas, whole grains, cheese, and tofu; iron is found in beans, whole grains, spinach, and dried fruits.
PETA activist Ashley Fruno of Canada displays the various cuts of meat on her nude body and holds a banner to protest against eating meat at a shopping mall in Bangkok, 21 March 2007(AFP/Getty Images)
The other reasons for giving up eating meat are ethical, the question of cruelty to living beings, and environmental. Eating too much meat is bad for the environment because livestock are raised by feeding them on crops and plants. These vast livestock populations emit methane gas and also consume huge amounts of water. If there were less demand of meat, this livestock population would fall, and the pressure on land would reduce.
Meat is costly, but meat-production is subsidized by US and European governments. Meat production is cruel and has been known to cause diseases like mad cow. This happens when unused parts of dead livestock are mixed into feed and given to fresh livestock to eat!
Many famous vegetarians have gone back to eating meat like Madonna, Amy Smart, and Liv Tyler. Some others are against eating meat and chicken but will happily devour fish like Olivia Wilde. Only a few are committed enough to be vegan like Jennifer Connelly. A vegan is a pure vegetarian who does not consume any product derived from animals like dairy products, eggs, or honey.
People drift back to meat eating because of their cravings for delicious meat-based foods. However there are plant-based products which can be used as meat substitutes:
Seitan, also known as wheat gluten, tastes like meat and was a staple in the diet of vegetarian Buddhist monks in China. The jackfruit is called the 'meat of vegetarians' because of it's fibrous, meat like texture; in India it is cooked as a vegetable dish called Kathal (pronounced as kut-hull) which tastes like meat. Tempeh is a cultured soybean cake. TVP, or textured vegetable protein, is another great meat substitute. Quorn is made from a mushroom and combined with egg white and vegetable flavors to help give it the taste and texture of meat.
There are also ready-to-eat treats that taste like meat: Boca Burgers, Quorn Dogs, Tofurky roast, Smart Dogs, unchicken, etc. Scientists are also working on creating synthetic meat from stem cells of pigs.
People believe that a healthy body is not possible without animal protein. This is specially the case if you are involved in some intense sport, strength training, or some other strenuous physical activity. The actor Josh Hartnett, named the world's sexiest vegetarian, was told to start eating meat by a doctor. "I was shooting a movie in Bulgaria called The Black Dahlia and I was boxing for it. I was kind of anemic because I wasn't eating very much and I was working out all the time. So I went to the doctor.....he told me, You need to eat meat."
But then we have this muscular Vegan Fighter:
His name is Mac Danzig and he competes in the tough and brutal Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournaments. Mac told PETA, "When I'm not in training, I eat Soy Delicious ice cream and vegan chocolate chip cookies like they're going out of style. There's also some awesome vegan restaurants out here in LA, like Native Foods, that have great vegan pizza. When I'm in training, I eat a lot of brown rice, tofu, oatmeal, and of course lots of vegetables and fruit."
If you're not concerned with ethics or the environment, just reduce the amount of meat in your diet for health reasons!
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