From: mdk@michael.udev.cdc.com (Mike D. Kail)
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg
Subject: How To Win an Argument with a Meat Eater
Date: 21 Aug 92 16:35:56 GMT
Reply-To: mdk@michael.udev.cdc.com (Mike D. Kail)
Organization: Control Data Systems

This is a posting for another user:

    Hi --

    I have a copy of that poster mentioned, "How to Win an Argument
    With a Meat Eater".  I summarized *some* of the arguments in
    the following note I posted in a conference at my campus, then
    added a bit of my own, plus some advice for those who want
    to become vegetarian.  

    Hope this helps.  Feel free to pass on (and to edit first
    if you wish).

    I would post but I don't know how yet.  Perhaps one of you
    could do this.

    If I were writing the following with what I know now about
    vegetarianism, I'd include some advice that people who
    become vegetarians should take vitamin B12 supplements
    (yes, I've read the FAQ in rec.food.veg, but it's my understanding
    that some people switching to vegetarianism *do* have problems
    with B12 deficits, and considering that this can lead to problems
    in your nervous system, and can even be fatal, I'd rather be
    on the safe side); while vegans (esp. in winter months) may
    need to take vitamin D3 supplements.

    Note that B12 deficits often don't show up for as much as 5 or 10
    years.  I've heard of one "horror story" where it didn't show
    up for 15 years.  Being vegetarian, and neglecting B12 supplements
    and B12 fortified foods and not showing problems for years doesn't
    mean you're safe.


    Happy veggie eating :-)

    			--Andrea
    			Red_Trek@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu

                  <<< USER$DISK24:[NOTES$LIBRARY]QC.NOTE;1 >>>
                             -< The Quiet Corner >-
================================================================================
Note 36.36                       Save the Earth!                        36 of 56
GALLUJ::11ASHETTLE                                  187 lines   6-JUL-1992 15:57
                          -< Vegetarianism arguments >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I recently received a poster entitled "How to Win an Argument with a
    meat eater."  It was mailed to me from the EarthWorks group at 1400
    Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94709.  It originally comes, however, from
    EarthSave, Box 949, Fleton, CA 95018-0949.
    
    This poster has a long list of arguments for cutting meat from your
    diet.  I'll try to summarize/quote this list here.
    
    I'll skip over the "Hunger" Argument, since many people don't seem to
    be persuaded by the validity of this argument.
    
    Under the subject heading "The Environmental Argument",
    the poster claims that three times as many fossil fuels are needed
    to produce a meat-centered diet as compared to a meat-free
    (vegetarian) diet. Never mind cattle fatulation:  when you
    eat meat, you're wasting fuel energy.
    
    So far, 75% of US topsoil has been lost (says the poster); 
    85% of this loss is attributed to livestock raising.
    
    55 sq. ft. of tropical rainforest is cleared just to produce 
    one quarter-pound serving of beef.
    
    1000 species dependent on tropical rainforests for survival
    become extinct every year because so much forest land
    has been cleared "for meat grazing and other uses."
    
    Not swayed by environmentalism?  Listen to the cancer argument:
    
    * Women who eat meat daily are 3.8 times more likely
    to get breast cancer than someone who eats meat only
    once a week.  Substitute eggs for meat, and the ratio
    is 2.8 times the risk.  Eat butter and cheese 2-4 times 
    a week and you increase your risk 3.25 times.
    
    * Woman are three times more likely to die from
    ovarian cancer if they have eggs at least
    three times a week.
    
    * Men increase their chances of postate cancer
    by eating meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily.
    The risk for meat (etc.) eaters is increased
    3.6 fold.
    
    * If you cut your consumption [eating] of meat,
    dairy [milk, butter, etc] and eggs by 10%,
    you reduce your risk of getting a heart attack
    by 9%.  Cut all meat, dairies and eggs from
    your diet, and you reduce your risk by 90%.
    {note: these figures valid for men; poster
    does not mention women and heart attcks}
    
    More arguments:
    
    * If every human were to eat a meat-centered diet,
    "the world's known oil reserves would last" 13 years.
    
    * If humans stopped eating meat, our known
    oil reserves would last 260 years.
    
    
    Also, keep in mind that livestock in the US are
    fed a LOT of antibiotics, to the point
    where numerous staphlococci infections 
    (don't ask me what those are, I'm copying
    the spelling from the poster :-) ) are
    becoming increasingly resistant to
    pencillin.  The European Economic Community
    bans antibiotics precisely for this reason.
    
    Some meat may also be contaminated with
    pesticide.  Fewer than 1/250,000 animals
    are tested for toxic chemical residues.
    
    If you are a breast feeding mother, TAKE NOTE:
    eating meat increases the DDT level in your
    breast milk.  99% of meat-eating mothers have
    "significant" levels of DDT in their milk,
    but only 8% of vegetarian mothers have the same
    problem.  Eat meat, and you increase pesticide
    consumption 35 fold.
    
    
    Atheletes:  yes, you can be a vegetarian and
    still be a tough athelete.  Dave Scott, two-time
    winner of the Ironman Triathlon, is a vegetarian.
    ===============================================
    
    One argument the poster missed:  the variety argument.
    Many people don't want to become vegetarians because
    they think a vegetarian diet won't be varied enough.
    
    The fact is, a vegetarian diet is MORE varied than
    a meat-centered diet.
    
    There are only little more than half a dozen kinds of
    meat used regularly, but 20 kinds of legumes, and 
    dozens of vegetables and fruit, as well as a varity
    of grains.  Even where plain 'ol rice is concerned, there
    are many varieties, eg. brown rice, long grain rice,
    short grain rice, wild rice, rice pilaf, etc.
    
    Add some variety to your diet.  Become a vegetarian.
    
    ===================================================
    
    HOW do you become a vegetarian.
    
    No, you don't have to become one all at once.  That'd
    be really difficult, and probably frustrating as well,
    particularly if you've never tried vegetarian food before.
    
    You can become:
    
    	A pollo-vegetarian (no red meat, but poultry okay)
    	A pesco-vegetarian (No red meat or poultry, but seafood okay)
    	A ovo-vegetarian (no meat, no diaries, but eggs are okay)
    	A lacto-vegetarian (no meat or eggs, but diaries okay)
    	A lacto-ovo vegetarian (no meat, but eggs and milk okay)
    	A vegan (no meat, no dairies, no eggs)
    
    A PURE vegan also avoids leather, furs, and other products
    that involve exploitation of animals.
    
    Whatever degree of "vegetarian" you decide to become (if ever
    you decide to become any kind of vegetarian at all), you can
    start off slowly.
    
    Buy vegetarian cookbooks.  Experiment with the recipieces, and
    find a few you really like.  Start cutting your least-favorite
    meat dishes from your diet first, and substitue vegetarian
    dishes for them.  (e.g. suppose you're not really that wild
    about beef stew, and you only make it to add some variety to
    your diet.  Maybe you'll find you like vegetarian chili better
    than beef stew.  Fine.  Stop having beef stew, have vegetarian
    chili instead.  And so on)
    
    Buy an Indian cookbook.  Even if you decide you hate Indian
    food, a *good* Indian cookbook should have a good section
    or two talking about different spices and how they go
    together.  Reading it could give you some ideas of ways
    to blend spices for dishes you invent, etc.
    
    EXPERIMENT a lot!
    
    E.g., add fruits to some ordinary recipieces you have on file.
    Pineapples add an intersting flavor to standard baked beans,
    for instance.
    
    Some dishes you can play around with at will:
    
    You can make your own chili with:  kidney beans, garbanzo ("chick"
    peas), or pink beans.  These are the ones I've experimented
    with, but there are 20 kinds of legumes!  Try different legumes--
    one at a time, or two or more in combination.  Cook the beans, add
    tomatoes and chili powder (or real chilies!), then add
    your favorite veggies.  Corn works well, broccoli is okay. 
    Experiment with others.  Frozen veggies work fine.
    
    Home made baked beans can be made using pink beans, tomatoes, and
    molasses.  Experiment with other kinds of beans.
    
    Split pea soup is good with potatoes, carrots, and celery.  Try
    cumin powder in this.
    
    Try adding curry powder to your lentil soup.
    
    Mix some veggies together in white sauce made from skim milk.
    Add to pasta.  (remember, pasta does have protein too.  Indeed,
    all grains has some.  Most people consume much more protein
    than they really need.)  Or try veggies and tomatoe sauce on
    pasta.
    
    Make soup with some kind of bean(s), tomatoes, veggies, and
    pasta -- e.g. corkscrew pasta, etc.  Comb your grocery
    store carefully-- you might be missing some varities
    of pasta.
    
    You don't have to stick to rice, pasta and potatoes.  
    Have (something with beans) and some kind of bread
    on the side--bagels, French bread, pita bread, English
    muffin, etc.
    
    =============================
    
    Have fun experimenting with a diet that is healthier
    for you and the environment.


-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| Mike D. Kail                          mdk@udev.cdc.com        |
| Control Data Systems, Inc.                                    | 
| 4201 North Lexington Avenue           (612) 482-2942 (W)      |
| Arden Hills, MN  55126                (612) 781-9880 (H)      |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Fast or slow, no matter what the pace, I know I can win."    |
|  - Morceli                                                    |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg