Plant-Based Diets: An Overview of Options for Optimal Health

The common question surrounding plant-based diets concerns the source of protein. Although food calories also consist of carbohydrates and fats, protein is typically considered the most essential of the three groups. In fact, Americans have long been dogmatic in their regard for the quality and quantity of this nutrient since its discovery in 1839.

Protein is made up of amino acids -– the “building blocks” with which our bodies construct and repair tissue. Among the twenty or so different amino acids are at least eight which are considered essential because they must be obtained from foods.

Animal sources –- especially beef –- are commonly thought to be the most efficient means of obtaining the nutrient since they provide “quality” proteins similar to human flesh and contain all of the essential amino acids. In the recent past it was believed that each daily meal should include complete proteins –- containing all the amino acids, and even though science has since disproved this notion, the misconception persists. This has led to an over consumption of animal protein in most western diets and the mistaken belief that plants are an inferior source of the coveted nutrient.

Protein is responsible for tissue development. Growing infants, among all humans, have the highest requirement of the nutrient. Approximately 6% of the calories in mother’s milk come from protein, which adequately meets the infant’s needs (1). A wealth of research indicates that more than 10% of calories from protein –- especially when the bulk of it is from animal sources –- leads to many chronic illnesses, including cancer. On average, Americans consume more than this amount, yet a collective fear of not getting enough “quality” protein persists.

Virtually all plant food provides protein, in addition to their other health benefits. In his essential book The China Study, T. Colin Campbell, PhD. discloses undisputed evidence that plant protein is the healthiest source of this nutrient.

With heart disease, cancer and diabetes on the rise many individuals have discovered the health benefits and wisdom of a plant-based diet. As they seek healthier lifestyles however, they may be confused by conflicting information and surprised by the various options to the Standard American Diet.

The Plant-Based Diet Spectrum

Among the many plant-based diets that have helped individuals reverse chronic illness and disease are the macrobiotic; natural foods; fruitarian; raw foods; vegetarian; vegan, raw vegan and low-fat raw vegan diets. This report will not give space to any of the calorie reducing, nutritionally unsound fad diets such as the Atkins and the South Beach.

Knowledge of the various plant-based diets’ basic aspects is necessary before deciding which is best for one’s health and healing. Further individual research and application is the only way to determine which diet will be most feasibly incorporated into one’s lifestyle.

Macrobiotic

Whole grains, green leafy vegetables and root vegetables –- primarily locally grown –-
are the bases of the macrobiotic diet. Soybean products and other beans are consumed often, if not daily. Among the occasional foods are fruit; seeds and nuts; fermented condiments; sea vegetables, and fish which are typically consumed two or three times per week. Beef, poultry, dairy products, sugar and processed foods are avoided.

Macrobiotic meals are combined with the principals of balance in mind, with consideration of season, climate, gender and the general health of the individual. Natural foods are preferred over refined foods, and light foods are favored over heavy foods that drain the body of energy.

This low-fat, high fiber diet involves careful planning and provides many health benefits, at least in the short term. Opponents suggest that the diet is too restrictive and results in nutritional deficiencies over time. While there are numerous accounts of healing from cancer by following a macrobiotic diet, several long-term practitioners, teachers and authors espousing the lifestyle have ironically succumbed to the disease (2).

Natural Foods

A diet that includes fresh fruits, vegetables and other whole foods while eliminating or severely restricting processed foods is considered a natural foods diet. Refined grains; sugar; table salt; carbonated beverages; hydrogenated oils; chemical additives, and food coloring are considered harmful to the body and are generally avoided. Healthier choices include whole grains; honey; herbal teas; olive oil; sea salt and culinary herbs and spices. Wild or ocean-caught fish as well as pasture-fed beef and poultry are preferred over the factory-farmed varieties.

Clearly, a natural foods diet provides superior nourishment than the Standard American Diet and is useful for health maintenance and disease prevention; however, it is not considered a cleansing diet. When optimal health is the goal, or if a life-threatening disease occurs, a more restrictive diet may be necessary to allow the body to cleanse and heal itself.

Fruitarian

The original human diet seems likely to have been one consisting solely of fruits, and this concept is the basis of the fruitarian philosophy. Fruitarians maintain a diet of whole raw fruits, including the non-sweet varieties such as cucumbers, tomatoes and avocados, and embrace this diet and lifestyle as the most natural to our existence. Unlike other natural food sources, fruit is harvested without killing the plant and is therefore considered by the fruitarian to be the most sustainable, natural and humane diet.

The purist consumes only raw fruit and believes that the consumption of nuts, seeds and grains are unnatural, although some fruitarians include small amounts of these foods in their diets. A fruitarian diet is extremely cleansing and useful for short-term detoxification; however, existing solely on fruit for the long-term may be difficult and detrimental to health as some practitioners eventually experience severe food cravings and unpleasant symptoms signaling nutritional deficiencies.

Vegetarian and Vegan

Many individuals opt for a vegetarian or vegan diet due to health, concern for animals and the environment, and/or philosophical reasons. A vegetarian diet excludes all animal flesh but does not restrict animal by-products. For instance, a lacto-ovo vegetarian eats dairy and eggs while refraining from meat. A vegan diet on the other hand excludes all animal products, including honey. There are no restrictions from any of the other food groups, nor are their limitations on the method of food preparation. Food may be raw, cooked, whole or processed.

Simply eliminating meat, fish and animal by-products does not necessarily ensure good health; in fact, many vegetarians regularly consume a high-fat, highly processed diet of refined grains, sugar, coffee, alcohol and other empty calorie foods. However, the vegetarian and vegan diet is conducive to good health when it consists of a wide variety of natural foods. According to the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada “appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases”.

Vegetarians run the risk of developing a vitamin B-12 deficiency since plant foods don’t provide adequate amounts of this essential nutrient. Among its many functions B-12 is responsible for growth in children, a healthy nervous system, and the formation of red blood cells. Prolonged deficiencies may lead to anemia and neurological damage.

Spirulina and sea vegetables are thought to contain B-12, yet studies show that these food sources actually contain a form that is structurally similar to B-12 (a B-12 analog), which is not utilized by the body and may in fact compete with the vitamin for absorption (3).

Vitamin B-12 is made by microorganisms in the soil, (as well as in animal intestines), and research indicates that plants will absorb the vitamin if grown in healthy organic soil containing a concentration of B-12 (4). Nevertheless, to avoid the possible risk of a deficiency, vegetarians and vegans should have their levels checked periodically and supplement with a sublingual form of methylcobalamin, if necessary.

Raw Foods

Any diet that excludes cooked animal or plant food is considered a raw foods diet. Cooking food at high temperatures reduces its nutrient value and destroys enzymes that would otherwise aid the body in the digestion and absorption of food. Common practices among raw foodists include warming, drying, and dehydrating food up to approximately 115 degrees Fahrenheit as this low heat will not compromise enzyme activity. Countless studies have revealed that cooking food produces toxic by-products, and once consumed, the body reacts by generating white blood cells to attack the foreign debris.

Raw Vegan Diets

In 1878, Louis Pasteur published his “germ theory of disease” which led to the widespread fear of germs and the popular belief that all foods must be cooked to protect health (1). Diets that once contained very little cooked food and an abundance of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables were switched to a predominance of cooked food. Today the concept of a high raw diet is foreign to most people, although it continues to regain popularity and credibility as its advocates and practitioners increase globally and exponentially.

A raw food diet may contain fish, eggs, unpasteurized milk and other raw animal products; however, a raw vegan shuns all animal flesh and by-products in favor of raw fruits, vegetables, (including seaweeds), sprouts, juices, herbs, nuts, seeds and their unprocessed oils.

Raw vegan preparations often include dehydrated and fermented foods. Fat content can be extremely high on a raw vegan diet when nuts, seeds, avocados and oils comprise the largest percentage of calorie intake.

80-10-10 Raw Diet

The low-fat raw vegan diet known as the 80-10-10 diet is thoroughly explained in the book by the same name, written by Dr. Douglas Graham. The numbers refer to the recommended ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the diet. Graham, who has followed this lifestyle for nearly thirty years, asserts that a minimum of 80% of total caloric intake should come from carbohydrates, a maximum of 10% from protein and up to 10% from fat. The concept may seem radical and unacceptable to many but it nevertheless takes the raw vegan diet to the next level of health.

With science to back him up Graham makes a convincing case for a diet of whole, fresh, ripe, raw and unprocessed fruit, tender greens, and small amounts of nuts and seeds, as the most natural to our anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. If left to fend for ourselves in nature with our bare hands and without the convenience of stoves, utensils, refrigeration and other modern devices we would seek out and thrive on this dietary model.

Fruit sugar provides energy to cells within a matter of minutes as long as there is a relatively small amount of fat in the diet. Without excess fat to slow it down, the natural sugar travels easily from the digestive tract through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream where it then makes its way to nourish cells.

Fats on the other hand take twelve to twenty-four hours to finally reach the cells. An excess consumption causes the bloodstream to remain congested with fat which in turn slows sugar from reaching the cells. The resultant elevated blood sugar contributes to candida, diabetes and many other illnesses.

Excess dietary fat (more than 10% of total caloric intake), not natural sugar, is the offender as it holds up digestion and adversely affects blood sugar levels. According to Graham, high fat intake “contributes not peripherally, but directly and causally to all the misleadingly named ‘blood-sugar metabolic disorders.’

Graham maintains that fruit is the most nutritionally-complete food and should be the basis of a healthy diet. Vegetable fruits (cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.) and tender greens are also cleansing and alkalizing, and are an important component of the 80-10-10 diet as well.

Transition

For most people addicted to the Standard American Diet the transition to any one of the healing diets may be difficult. Instead of eliminating foods it may be easier to initially begin adding raw vegetables and fruits to one’s daily diet. This may take a period of several days or weeks, but once this has become habit some of the health-damaging foods may be easier to release. The next level might be a natural foods diet before attempting a further restrictive cleansing diet. The strategy is to follow an incremental path to the optimum dietary lifestyle, regardless of how long it takes.

Many chronically ill individuals have made their transitions literally overnight in an effort to end their suffering or save their lives. These individuals endured the symptoms of detoxification until finally arriving at renewed health, and many have subsequently published their remarkable accounts of healing. Among the scores of noteworthy testimonies are The Raw Family: A True Story of Awakening by Victoria, Igor, Sergei and Valya Boutenko, (http://rawfamily.com/index) , A Way Out by Matthew Grace, (http://www.matthewgrace.com) , and Dying to Get Well by Shelly Keck-Borsits (http://www.rawandjuicy.com) .

Transitioning to a plant-based diet for optimum health is a lifestyle adjustment rather than a temporary phase, and determining the best option is an individual investigation that takes time. We tend to eat for reasons having less to do with nutrition and more to do with comfort, emotional attachment and tradition, and it’s been said that changing one’s diet is more difficult than changing religions. Nevertheless, once the addictive and highly processed foods are eliminated and the restorative powers of healing foods are realized it becomes easier and more desirable to stay the course.

References:
1. Graham, Dr. Douglas N.: The 80-10-10- Diet. Key Largo, FL: FoodnSport Press,
pp. 100; pg. 106; pg. 54, 2006
2. (http://macrobiotics.co.uk/foodlist.htm)
3. (www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html)
4.Campbell, PhD., T. Colin and Campbell II,Thomas M.: The China Study. Dallas, Texas: Benbella Books, pg. 232. 2006

By: www.naturalnews.com

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A Look at the Different Types of Vegetarian Meats

Meat can be considered as being a vital part of the main daily meal. While meat lovers will not have a problem with this inclusion into their meal, others may. To counter this problem you can find different types of vegetarian meats.

These meatless meats have the same looks and in some instances the same taste as the actual meats themselves. These vegetarian meats are however made entirely from foods that are vegetarian in origin.

If you are looking for the different types of vegetarian meats that are available you will find that the internet is a good source of information. Here you will find the names of different vegetarian meats. You can also find the places where you can buy the vegetarian meats that your meals need.

As you look at the different recipes that are available for a vegetarian diet you will notice that some recipes call for vegetarian meats. These meats that you can find are basically vegetables that have been turned into a form of “meat”. Additionally you will see that these meats are provided with flavorings that mimic the taste of real meats like beef, chicken, lamb, pork, lobster, shrimps, crab meat, fish and even turkey.

The main type of vegetarian meats that you will find will include tempeh and soy meat. In addition to these you will find that many vegetarian meals have some form of tofu given as part of the ingredients. These are not the only vegetables that you will be able to use in your vegetarian meals.

Besides these vegetarian meats you can use different types of mushrooms to provide you with an interesting meat dish. The mushrooms that you will find to be of great meaty taste are ones like Portobello mushrooms, porcini mushrooms and even black Shitake mushrooms.

While mushrooms may be firm favorites with some people it can not stop the craving that you may have for meat. To this end you can see about eating vegetarian meats like tofurky which is the alternative to turkey meat. This form of vegetarian meat is made by roasting tofu until it is golden brown. This “meat” is then stuffed with herbs and spices which will provide you with meaty taste that you want.

For lovers of meats the variety of vegetarian meats that you will find has the answer that you are looking for. The great thing about eating these various meatless meats is that you will find that your intake of calories and unwanted fats is greatly decreased. The benefits to your health are increased while at the same time you have a choice of great tasting foods which include a range of vegetarian meats.

Resource: Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and Reporting on Vegetarian Cooking for Years. For More Information on Vegetarian Meats, Visit His Site at VEGETARIAN MEATS
www.netveggie.com

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Vegetarians, Vegans, Flexitarians, & Others:

Vegetarians can eat fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and may or may not eat (non-meat) animal products, such as eggs, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and honey; vegetarians do not eat any meat, poultry, fish, or other animals. (The term vegetarian was coined at the first meeting of the Vegetarian Society in England in 1847. Contrary to a popular misconception, the word vegetarian was not chosen because a vegetarian diet includes vegetables as a major component; the term vegetarian is derived from the Latin word ‘vegetus’, which means lively or full of life.) This type of vegetarian is technically a lacto-ovo vegetarian, implying the inclusion of dairy and eggs.

Vegans—pronounced VEE-gun, with an emphasis on the first syllable of the long “e”, or ē, followed by a hard “g”, the word was coined by Donald Watson in 1944, when he formed the Vegan Society in England—go farther by only eating plant-derived foods, thereby avoiding all food (and often other products, such as leather, fur, feathers, silk, and even wool) that are derived from animals. The aim for vegans is to avoid all forms of exploitation of animals, whether for food or otherwise. (The word vegan was derived from the word vegetarian by taking the first three letters (veg-) and the last two letters (-an) to show, as Watson explained, that “veganism starts with vegetarianism and carries it through to its logical conclusion”.)

Accidental vegetarians or involuntary vegetarians are those who don’t eat animals because it is too expensive, not available, or for some other external reason that prevents them from doing so.

A macrobiotic diet consists mostly of whole grains, beans, sea and other vegetables, and certain other plant foods in balance; fruitarians (or fructarians) only eat the fruit of plants; rawists only eat raw food (or food not heated above 116 F / 46.7 C) and are often, but not always, vegan (anapsology takes raw even further); freegans only eat discarded or found food (freeganism is a combination of free and veganism); carnivores eat meat; and omnivores eat everything.

“Flexitarians” are mostly vegetarian, but occasionally eat animals, especially fish though also other animals; pescetarians are otherwise vegetarians who also eat fish. Some flexitarians only avoid “red” meat (i.e., meat from mammals, such as beef, pork, lamb, etc.), yet regularly eat poultry and/or fish. Flexitarians and pescatarians are sometimes referred to as semi-vegetarians. Flexitarians (coined in the early 1990s) are generally more concerned with their own health than with animals or the environment.

Perhaps a “flexegan” (or “vegetegan”) would be one who is vegetarian and mostly vegan, but not exclusively, or one who is vegetarian and also avoids certain (non-meat) animal products, but not others.

Vegetarianism has a long, rich history. It has been consciously practiced in and around India, based on ahimsa (non-violence), for at least thousands of years, as well as in and around China and elsewhere. In Europe, vegetarians were often called Pythagoreans, as Pythagoras and his followers abstained from eating meat about 2,500 years ago in ancient Greece.

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"Pure Vegetarian and Vegan Living"

Finding a simple guide for vegan living can be a complicated matter because there are still not a lot of people that understand or relate to your way of life. This means that finding pure vegetarian or vegan food for your lifestyle can be even more complicated because the world does not revolve around healthy living decisions or great portion sizes. We all know about the fast food restaurants with their burgers that may or may not actually have come from an animal and the unfortunate way in which many fried chicken places treat their chickens. Whether we are making a stand or not, eating healthy is often tricky business. Vegan living does not need to be this way.

Vegan living, instead, should be about choices and finding the right vegetarian and vegan food options for your lifestyle choice. You should be able to live in a world that celebrates and enables all lifestyle decisions and, as long as you aren’t pushing your views on others, you should always have an avenue in which to do this. Remember that as a vegan you have made a choice that you believe to be ethical, however it is not a shared ethical viewpoint and vegan living can represent that in a very realistic way as you look for the right dietary and cooking ideas for your own palette.

Making Sound Recipe And Cooking Decisions

For those that are not familiar, there is actually a difference between a vegan and a vegetarian. For one thing, vegans do not eat or touch any products that were created with an animal’s involvement. Gone are those monkey-created computers that come strangely out of the jungles and gone are
any foods or drinks that were created using any animal products. Vegans, as a part of any good vegan living component, always look for another way to experience the product without using an animal’s parts or labour to do so. Making healthy choices based on this can sometimes create small challenges.

Based on this philosophy, cooking and finding recipes often takes a little bit of hunting if you are a vegan living in the world of the carnivore; it can often create complications for meal choices that you may never have experienced before. For this reason, you need to ensure that you stick by your vegan living principles to the fullest and help encourage other vegans to find ways to cook their food and experience some tasty recipe options in the same way. Life should be about enjoyment, regardless of what dietary and lifestyle decisions you have made, and you should be able to find a way to enjoy life within it.

author : Rebecca

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Starting Vegetarian Easy Tips

When I try to find some topic for this "Vegetarian is the best choice" blog, I found an article for friends who want to try to be a vegetarian. I took it because I think this is a good vegetarian tips. It just like my own way that i practiced when I tried to be a vegetarian about 8 years ago ^_^ , you can read this article below and I hope it useful for you too...

“Announcing: The Top 9 Easy Steps to Take When Starting A Veg Diet!”
Here's How To Get Started On The Way Towards Better Health and Vegetarianism . .

1.Start your transition by dropping junk foods, white sugar, and all meats, including fish and poultry.

2.Find others who are already vegetarian who can guide and support you during your shift e.g. veg forums, meet-ups and societies in your area.

3.Read books on vegetarianism and veganism. Or contact your state’s Vegan and Vegetarian Society who would be happy to send you a Veg Starter pack.

4.Try out recipes that substitute plant-based alternatives into your old favorite dishes. (e.g. veggie burgers, veggie sausages, veggie fish cakes, tofu or veggie pies and soy products). Hint: Convenience foods cut out cooking time. Natural food stores stock many such things for you to choose from.

5.Eat less and less meat and dairy (if you couldn’t give-up all meats at once, gradually delete them from your diet over a week or so), and eat more and more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Eat large salad every day (hint: make your salads as colorful as a rainbow for maximum nutrient content, with plenty of dark leafy greens.

6.Replace meat and dairy with a wide variety of organically grown whole grains like breads, beans, rice, nuts, pasta and cereals.

7.Don’t worry about protein. There is protein in all whole foods. Humans need only 8% dietary protein - that percent amount is found in an orange!

8.Get regular exercise, fresh air, and plenty of clean filtered water. Enjoy your journey, soon you will have more energy, a cleaner body, better skin, plus you'll feel much healthier and lighter, too!

9.Join the veg community, and educate yourself more about animal and cruelty free living. Here’s a good place to start

Thanks to Rebecca the founder of http://www.VeganSecrets.com

Good tips is't it??
If you feel you have some "Natural Calling" or may be for "Body Calling" ...hi..don't be negative thinking. ;) I mean "health reason", you can try to practice it and please don't give up no matter what, just remember your first desire and put some enthusiasm for this. Once again... nothing is the best choice for your live except "Vegetarian, vegetarian and VEGETARIAN!
By the way, u can sharing about you too... or may be another tips?? (",) or you have your own vegetarian experience?? just put some comment in this blog ... see ya for another post...

Ps : I'm so sorry if my english isn't good becuse I live in a country that english is not the primary language...

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Ahimsa, animal rights and spirituality

Ahimsa, or ‘Dynamic Compassion’ is a principle of non-harming and non-violence. Human behavior that violates this ethical principle is seen, not only as morally wrong, but also as its original perspective as negative karma that reverts back onto the person responsible for the harm or violence done.

Possibly the most famous exponent this century was Mahatma Gandhi who was profoundly influenced by and propagated the Jain doctrine of Ahimsa. The first Jain spiritual father lived between 599 and 527 BC. He exhorted his followers to “regard every living being as thyself and hurt no one.” It was this statement that Gandhi acknowledged as pivotal to human ethics and it led him to adopt the principle of the harmless life. Ahimsa says that we have no right to inflict suffering and death onto another living creature and, that if harmlessness were the keynote of our lives, then this would do more to produce harmonious conditions than any other discipline.

Throughout the industrial revolution, the Western world is increasingly institutionalized violence towards both human and non-human species. Intensive agricultural practice (factory farming), in terms of the large number of sentient beings involved, is probably the most glaring example. For decades there has been an ongoing campaign for the abolition of battery egg production because of the cruelty to the caged hens. These animals have been deprived o their most fundamental needs such as soil and grass and are exposed to artificial light to deceive them into laying more eggs that they would do under natural conditions. Kept in these conditions the birds become aggressive because of their increased requirements for food and water and the interruption of their natural pecking order. Heat build-up in egg factories further aggravates this situation. The hens are de- beaked without the use of painkillers and unwanted male chicks are simply disposed of by gassing or suffocation.

Anyone concerned about the welfare of animals must often feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of negativity that assaults their sensibility on a daily basis. It is precisely at these times of disillusionment where corruption, inhumanity and chaos is ever evident that Gandhi’s influence should ring true. He did not treat every setback as an occasion to give up. He repeatedly emphasized that a person is only defeated when he/she ceases to struggle. He himself returned time and time again with new vigor into the fray.

The ultimate goal is to make the principle of Ahimsa permeate the whole of our society. This involves not only following a healthy vegetarian diet but also treating all beings with empathy and kindness in recognition of the fact that their sentience in the final analysis is no different to our own. One of the most basic laws of ecology is that every living thing exists for a reason forming part of a greater whole. For the student of Ahimsa, the concept of the environment and the earth as one body closely resonates with every aspect of reverence for life.

Our lack of understanding and the pain we directly or indirectly cause animals reflects a deep spiritual disorder in the collective psyche of our species. In the West we have been conditioned to think that big is better than small, that strong is better than weak, that fast is better than slow and that physical strength is greater than moral or spiritual strength. Gandhi wrote that, “Ahimsa is the highest duty. Even if we cannot practice it in full, we must try to understand its spirit and refrain as far as humanly possible from violence.” Perhaps inner strength requires that we endure being branded as ‘emotional’ or ‘irrational’ when we are motivated by our sense of compassion.

A major hurdle to overcome is not so much our lack of care but rather our ignorance of the plight of the animals. Fifty years ago things were very different. The farm’s trade was ‘animal husbandry’, their duty being to provide care. With factory farming animal husbandry has given way to animal science to the detriment of animal welfare. Today’s farm animals are kept in extremely over-crowded conditions and deliberately keep as immobile as possible. Applied science has found an artificial way to hasten a broiler chicken’s growth to such an extent that the vast majority of them have trouble walking or are crippled by not being able to bear their own body weight. Newborn calves are separated from their mothers and many dairy cows rest no more than three months between pregnancies. After their calf-bearing years are over, they are slaughtered to provide cheap hamburger meat. In intensive piggeries, sows sleep on bare concrete and it is not uncommon for them to be kept in small crates for their entire lives.

The challenge of Ahimsa is enormous. It encourages an active inner state of being rather than merely a passive state of refraining from violence. The intention to hurt another living being is apprehensible to the principles of Ahimsa for it is in this absence of conscious integration of compassion that we currently find ourselves. We acknowledge this situation intellectually yet we are sufficiently culturally desensitized to ignore it, allowing it to continue by default. Early peoples recognized the individual specialness of animals. They transformed our lives with their kinship, antics and even their sense of humor. These humans were at peace with the animals and spoke their language. Animals formed their totems, became their familiars and their teachers. It is that lost instinctive tie to the rhythms and patters of nature that Ahimsa exhorts us to regain.

One philosopher that has not ignored the subject of the treatment of animals is E.F. Schumacher. He observed that “there have been no sages or holy men/women in our or anybody’s history who were cruel to animals or who looked upon them as nothing but utilities and innumerable are the legends and stories which link sanctity as well as happiness with a loving kindness towards these creatures.” Modern visionaries can trace the beginning of the beef industry to the loss of the sense of the sacredness of ourselves, of others, of animals and of the earth. This loss mirrors itself as the callous and cruel exercise of power over other creatures more helpless than ourselves. There is no compassion in a science, philosophy or doctrine that ignores our interdependence with other species.

Compassion suffers miserably at the hands of big business. Per Singer’s excellent book, Animal Liberation, established that we already hold the high moral ground as our cause is just. Ahimsa training requires that we confront our indifference and lack of moral courage and acknowledge that animals have a silent dignity all of their own that we have violated.

Cornering the linchpin of our own ignorance is not an easy task. When the mystic Gurdjieff arrived in the West at the turn of the century with his message that “Man is asleep. Man is a machine”, he was misunderstood. Fortunately, as we approach the new millennium, we are more willing to reassess our values. Vegetarianism and Ahimsa are rapidly becoming a rational and ethical requirement for modern day living.

Perhaps, however, the last work should go to the animals, but since they do not speak our language they must rely on us to speak for them.

We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creatures through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, we greatly err. For the animals shall not be measure by man. In a world older and more complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings. They are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth. – Henry Beston

Picture Title : Gandhi
Source: Claudette Vaughan, New Vegetarian and Natural Health, Summer 1998/9

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Vegetarian Statistics

Many nonvegetarians and some vegetarians alike question whether being a vegetarian really makes any difference at all. Some bring up blurry ethical situations to make it impossible to see a vegetarian lifestyle as ethical.

If you are a prospective vegetarian for ethical reasons, but aren't sure whether or not a vegetarian lifestyle is truly a more ethical choice, here are some statistics from EarthSave to help you make your choice (for or against):

1. Over 1.3 billion human beings could be fed each year from the grain and soybeans that go to livestock in the United States.

This means that the entire population of the United States could be fed (without losing any nutritional value) and there would still be enough food left over to feed one billion people.

In a world where millions of people die each year of starvation, that type of food excess and inefficiency could be considered unethical.

2. Livestock in the US produces roughly 30 times more excrement than human beings. While humans in the US have complex sewage systems to collect and treat human waste, there are no such systems on feedlots. As a result, most of this waste leeches into water.

This means that large-scale, massive production and slaughter of animals is not only unethical, but it also causes serious environmental degradation.

3. It takes 7.5 pounds of protein feed to create 1 pound of consumable hog protein; and it takes 5 pounds of protein feed to create 1 pound of consumable chicken protein. Close to 90% of protein from wheat and beans is lost to feed cycling.

This means that an enormous amount of resources are dedicated to producing wheat and soy just for the purpose of feeding it to animals, which will be slaughtered as "a source of protein"--even though they only provide about 1/5 of the amount they consume.

Not only can the production of meat be considered an injustice against animals, but it can also be considered an injustice against human beings, as well as the environment in general.

Source : Brucefriedrich.org 2007

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Addition information

The following books are highly recommended for their revealing analysis of all aspects of vegetarianism and how it relates to health, the environment and animal rights :

• Higher Taste Cookbook - Iskcon BBT
• Living Without Cruelty Mark Gold (Green Print)
• Food for a Future Jon Wynne-Tyson (Centaur Press)
• The Silent Ark Juliet Gellatley
• Diet For a New America John Robbins (Stillpoint Publishing)
• Why You Don’t Need Meat Peter Cox (Bloomsbury)
• Animal Factories Jim Mason and Peter Singer (Crown Publishers)
• Your Heart, Your Planet
• Harvey Diamond (Pythagorean Press)

Some Recommended Cookbooks :

• Great Vegetarian Dishes Kurma dasa BBT
• Higher Taste Cookbook - Iskcon BBT
• Eat More, Weigh Less Dean Ornish
• Food for Life Neal Barnard
• Squirrel’s Cookbook No.1 & No.2
• PassionATE ­ Pure Vegetarian Cuisine
• Christine Lehmann
• The Cookbook for People Who Love Animals
• Gentle World
• The Vegan Health Plan Amanda Sweet
• The Moosewood Cookbook Mollie Katzen
• The Vegan Kitchen Mate David Horton
• Vegetarian Cookery Rose Elliot
• Sarah Brown’s Vegetarian Cookbook Sarah Brown
• The Very Best of Vegetarian Cooking Janet Hunt
• Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking Rose Elliot
• First Steps in Vegetarian Cooking Kathy SilkFor children and babies
• The Vegetarian Baby Sharon Yntema
• Vegetarian Children Sharon Yntema
• Rose Elliot’s Vegetarian Mother and Baby Book

Famous Vegetarians:

Pythagoras, Plutarch, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tolstoy, Shelley, George Bernard Shaw, Gandhi, Thoreau, Bob Dylan, Joanna Lumley, George Harrison, Paul and Linda McCartney, Michael Jackson, Martina Navratilova, Hayley Mills, William Shatner, Sir Mark Oliphant, Cliff Young, Peter Singer, Bob Barker, Spike Milligan, Nigel Hawthorne, Annie Besant, Anthony Robbins, Peter Sumner, Chrissie Hynde, Tim McCartney-Snape, Peter Brock, Lynda Stoner, Johnny Weissmuller (the first Tarzan), Julie Christie, Morissey (The Smiths), Marty Feldman, Murray Rose, Paavo Nurmi (9 Olympic medals), Andreas Cahling (body building champion), Dave Scott (6-time Ironman Triathlon winner), k.d.lang, Belinda Carlisle, Edwin Moses, Sean Hughes, Bryan Adams, Dennis Weaver, Woody Harrelson, Killer Kowalski (champion wrestler), Alicia Silverstone, Annalise Braakensiek, Vanessa Amorosi, Greg Chappell, Jerry Seinfeld, Uri Geller, Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin, James Cromwell, Radha Mitchell, Daniel Johns (silverchair), Susie Porter, Joaquin Phoenix, Josef Brown, Daniel Jones (Savage Garden).

Source: www.salagram.net

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