By Amarjit Singh Buttar
IT would be interesting and instructive to consider some common objectives by meat-eaters against vegetarian diet. For example, as man has canine teeth, are these not meant for flesh eating? The fact is that they are not canine but opine and are also found in frugivorous ape and have no more to do with meat eating. The words of Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson F.RS., remain true: “Man being a non-flesh eating animal, it follows that he is disobeying the laws of his body when he eats flesh meat. Statistics show that during the last SO years, the British people have doubled the use of flesh meat as food and alongside with this, we have the question of physical degeneracy”. The mortality from cancer is increasing by leaps and bounds and an operation for appendicitis will be quite fashionable.
- How do Icelanders fare?
It is notable that where we find the diet almost exclusively of animal food as in Iceland, diseases such as scurvy and leprosy are quite common.
- Why do the carnivore thrive?
The difference is that the liver of carnivorous animals is able to destroy 1015 times as much uric acid as the liver of man owing to the fact that their liver is much larger and much more active receiving a greater blood supply.
- Is not meat more nourishing?
Meat contains only 20% of protein against 25.7 per cent in lentils and 23.7 per cent in Almonds. Much protein is not needed by the system a maximum of 23 ounces of protein daily is sufficient.
- Does not a large part of the world eat and practically live on meat?
Large parts of the World (exception insignificant minority of Sikhs who are religiously forbidden to do so) indulge in smoking and meat eating. Yet the Surgeon General has indicated that smoking is injurious to health and causes cancer. It is a European custom to hold “balls” when their wives generally embrace and dance with men who are not their husbands which is very bad we should not imbibe their vices. Flesh eating is also one of these vices and causes the instinct of several vices, wars and blood shed more prominently developed in flesh eating countries.
- If all men stopped eating meat, will it be possible to supply vegetables in all parts of the world?
It is calculated by Sir W.E. Cooper that the area of land required to supply one man with flesh is quite sufficient to supply 15 men with vegetable food. For, 12 acres are required (for grazing cows) to feed a man with beef alone but on potatoes alone he can live on the produce of one tenth of an acre. At the rate of 3,000 calories per day, it will cost in London about 20 times as much to live on meat as to live on cereals. Hence economy of land, space and money as well as considerations of health and strength is in favor of vegetarian diet.
- What about countries where there is no possibility of any vegetation?
There is not a single country inhabited by man where there is no possibility of any vegetation. According to Dr. Kellog, “The natives of Australia living exclusively on animal diet are the meanest class of human beings. This is due to the fact that flesh diet is lacking in sugars and starches and some important mineral salts”, (Rational of Vegetarians p.6).
(TO BE CONCLUDED)
Article extracted from this publication >> January 29, 1988
