Vegetarianism is a Necessary Lifestyle Choice to Lead a Perfectly Ethical Life

1) There is no nutrient in meat that cannot be found in a vegetarian diet. No one can deny this. 2) There is no disease where eating meat is required for the treatment or cure of the disease. 3) Therefore, eating meat is absolutely unnecessary. 4) Eating meat causes death to other animals, obviously. And, despite attempts to make slaughter "humane", whether it be "kosher", "halal" or otherwise, it quite probably, or even certainly, causes stress and pain as well. 5) Therefore, eating meat is immoral and unethical. And abhorrently selfish, since the person who eats meat does so only for the hedonistic and temporary satisfaction of his taste buds. Especially when there are so many vegetarian and tasteful alternatives (from meatless and healthful soy products to traditional Indian dishes). 6) There is more than enough cruelty in the world as it is; there is no need to add to it, unnecessarily. The Hunger Argument Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20,000,000 Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100,000,000 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 he 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: 260,000,000 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 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% Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15% Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45% Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90% 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% The Natural Resources Argument Uses 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 U.S. Navy 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 misconception: 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?) Sources... http://www.ethicalvegetarian.com...