Every day thousand of birds die in the scald tank that follows the bleed-out chamber. An increasing number of our rivers and streams are being polluted by waste runoff from factory farms and feedlots. Every year, millions of unmarketable hens are disposed of by dumping which contaminates soil, or by incineration, which results in air pollution. Twenty vegetarians can be fed on the amount of land needed to feed one person consuming a meat-based diet. According to the American Dietetic Association studies have shown that vegetarians and vegans have a lower risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes milletus, gallstones, heart disease, hypertension, kidney stones, obesity, osteoporosis, and stroke.
Vegans are generally closer to their ideal weight.
People who consume a diverse, plant-based diet, rich in whole grains, vegetables and fruits are by far healthier than those who eat high on the food chain are. All requirements can be obtained through non-animal sources. Plant foods contain no cholesterol, whereas meat, eggs, and dairy products contain large amounts of cholesterol, saturated fats, and concentrated protein, all harmful substances. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, a vegetarian diet can prevent 97 percent of coronary occlusions. Dean Ornish, M.D., a well-known cardiologist from Harvard proved that heart disease can be halted and even reversed by prescribing a vegetarian diet and regular exercise.