Running head: Vegetarianism: A Healthier, Happier, and
Better Way to Live
Vegetarianism: A
Healthier, Happier,
And Better Way to
Live
Jonathan R. Riddle
Southwestern
Adventist University
Vegetarianism has been around since the creation of the
world. When God first created the world, everything, including animals, ate a
vegetarian diet. God created the whole world, and after creating man, God told
Adam, in Genesis 1:29 “Behold, I have given you ever plant yielding seed that
is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You
shall have them for food.” It was only after sin that man ate animals for food.
Genesis 9:3-4 is where God gave every kind of clean animal for man to eat, that
was right after The Flood. Genesis 3:4 says “Every moving thing that lives
shall be food for you. An as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything”.
God designed humans with the original intent of them eating fruits and grains. All
the nutrients needed for a healthy happy life can be found with a vegetarian
diet. Ellen White says, in Spiritual Gifts (1864) “And He permitted that
long-lived race to eat animal food to shorten their sinful lives.” And soon
after man started to eat meat they started to shorten in size and in lifespan.
The Lord created humans, to eat fruits and grains. If He intended humans to eat
meat, He would have made it that way from the beginning.
A vegetarian is an individual who stays away from all forms of meat, including beef, fish, poultry, basically anything with a heartbeat. Most vegetarians will stay away from animal flesh but still eat animal products such as, milk, eggs, and cheese. Super Vegetarians, or Vegans, as they are called stay away from even that and will not eat any flesh meat or animal byproducts including milk, eggs, and cheese. Some vegans, won’t even eat honey because it is an animal byproduct.
A vegetarian is an individual who stays away from all forms of meat, including beef, fish, poultry, basically anything with a heartbeat. Most vegetarians will stay away from animal flesh but still eat animal products such as, milk, eggs, and cheese. Super Vegetarians, or Vegans, as they are called stay away from even that and will not eat any flesh meat or animal byproducts including milk, eggs, and cheese. Some vegans, won’t even eat honey because it is an animal byproduct.
For years, being a
vegetarian and maintaining a healthy diet was nearly impossible because of the
lack of fruits, vegetables, and grains available to the areas people lived. Today
with the availability of so many different types of foods, especially in
America, it is easy to
maintain a vegetarian diet. Britannica Encyclopedia (2012) says that
vegetarianism probably first appeared in ritual connections either as
purification or as a qualification for becoming a priest. Early in the
Mediterranean people avoided meat in accordance with the philosopher
Pythagoras. In later centuries vegetarianism diverged significantly. From India
it moved toward China and Japan, and other countries. In the 17th
and 18th centuries Europe adapted sensitivity to animal suffering,
which lead to a fleshless diet. The first vegetarian society was formed in England
in 1847 by the Bible Christian sect. Today, vegetarianism is more than a health
choice. It is a lifestyle choice. There are many famous people who are
vegetarian: Bill Clinton, Benjamin Franklin, Rosa Parks, Thomas Edison inventor
of the light bulb, Steve Jobs inventor, innovator and creator of Apple
Computers, Natalie Portman, and Pamela Anderson, and many, many more. There are
also many world religions who practice vegetarianism. Some of them include,
Buddhism, Judaism, Taoism, Islam, Jainism, Hinduism, Rastafarianism, and
Seventh-Day Adventists. Not all of these religions require vegetarianism, but
most do encourage it. Some of them like Jainism, encourage a vegetarian diet
not as much for the health factor but for the belief that it is wrong to kill
or harm any living being.
In the late 1800’s, members of the Seventh-Day Adventist
Church, including Ellen White and John Harvey Kellogg, preached on a health
message, things that medical professionals today, over one hundred years later,
are just now telling people to do. For example Ellen White says in Testimonies for the Church Vol. 7 p 134 that,
s”It would be well for us to do less cooking and to eat more fruit in its
natural state.” She also talks about a well-balanced diet, these are things
that until recently haven’t been a hard pressing issue from the health
community. Ellen White wrote a lot about the importance of a healthy diet. Not
only did she speak against meat, but she also spoke against the use of dairy
products including milk, eggs, and cheese. Ellen White says (n.d.),
“He who created man and who
understands his needs appointed Adam his food.” It was never in God’s plan for human
beings to eat meat. He created humans and He knows better than anyone what is
best for their diet.
Today many people believe that if someone follows a
vegetarian diet, that person will have multiple deficiencies, and many health
problems. However, if done correctly, following a vegetarian diet can be an
even healthier and happier way to live. There are many benefits of being a
vegetarian. There are many diseases that won’t be contract being a vegetarian. Researchers
at Brown University (n.d.) say that when a person is a vegetarian they are at a
lower risk of developing diseases such as hearth disease, colorectal, ovarian,
and breast cancers, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Meat eaters are also
at risk for Encephalopathy, salmonella, foot and mouth disease, bird flu, swine
flu and many others. The reason for this is, a vegetarian diet is typically low
in fat and high in fiber, while meat can be high in fat and low in fiber. Even
if someone were to survive one of these diseases, they would be left with a
monstrous hospital bill, something no one wants to deal with in this economy.
With a vegetarian diet there is not as much danger of
consuming too much protein. According to The 30 Day Diabetes Miracle (2008) p
59 “The China Study, the most comprehensive nutritional study ever conducted,
concluded that too much protein, not too little, is the source of our most dire
diseases, from diabetes and obesity to cancer and heat disease.” Most of the
world gets its protein from animal sources. Vegetarians can get their sources
from beans, nuts, peas, and soy products. The Berkley Wellness Letter (2009)
states, “Cut down on animal fat. It’s rich in saturated fat, which boosts blood
cholesterol levels and has other adverse health effects.” The Natural Institutes of Health (2007) states that Death from choking
is the fourth most common cause of unintentional death, and meat products were
the most commonly specified food that victims choke on. There is little to no
fiber in meat which leads to improper digestion. The result of this is
constipation. Meat can be high in fat, high fats lead to high cholesterol,
which lead to cardiac and cerebral ailments. The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle (2008)
says that each year there are about 76 million individual cases of illness due
to contaminated food, 325,000 people hospitalized annually because of food
poisoning, and 5,000 deaths as a result of food-related illness: “The
overwhelming majority of these illnesses are related to foods derived from
animal products.”
Vegetarians are healthier overall than non-vegetarians.
A good example of this is found in the Bible. The book of Daniel tells a story
of four young men, who were brought along with many others being exiled, to
Babylon. Daniel, his three friends, and many others, were chosen to serve in
his court and be trained to serve the king. They were given the finest food
from the King’s table with wine and meats. Daniel didn’t want to defile his
body so he told the guard, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us
nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance
with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in
accordance with what you see.” Daniel 1:12-13 So the guard agreed and ten days
later they looked healthier and better
nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food, so they were
allowed to eat vegetables the rest of their time there.
It is easier to maintain a healthy weight on a vegetarian
diet. When meat is taken out of the diet, there is less saturated fat which
leads to obesity and many other diseases. Obesity is a big problem in America. The
primary cause of obesity is diet. People eat food that is high is sugar and
fat. If red meat is cut out then, obesity is less of a problem. There is still
a possibility but there is less of a risk.
Vegetarians are more alert, awake, and more productive
than non-vegetarians. A man tried an
experiment to not eat meat or animal products for 30 days. According to a testimony
from www.rapititude.com (2011) “Everything
seemed to require less effort and I had very little mental resistance to the
prospect of doing things.” Part of this man’s experiment was to try meat at the
end of the experiment and he said it always left him feeling drained. Ellen
White says in Gospel Workers (1892), ”It
is impossible for the brain to do its best work when the digestive
powers are abused.” The digestive system is not designed for meat, and
when meat is eaten the digestive system has to work extra hard, which can lead
to indigestion. And as Ellen White stated it’s impossible for the brain to do
its best work when the stomach.
Some studies show that
vegetarians are smarter than non-vegetarians. Psychologytoday.com (2010) shows,
in a study called National Child Development Study, conducted by the British
showed that vegetarian boys when young had a 10 point higher IQ than
non-vegetarians. It showed that vegetarian girls when young had nearly an 8
point higher than non-vegetarians.
Vegetarians are
generally happier than non-vegetarians. Rodale.com (2010) states that, 138
Seventh Day Adventist in the Southwest United States were studied and were
found to have less depression, anxiety, and mood problems, even though
vegetarian diets are low in DHA and EPA, something usually found in fish, and
are linked to mental and emotional health. Seventh Day Adventist are often
studied because the members are relatively consistent in their lifestyles. The
study was not large enough to prove that vegetarians were happier but it showed
that omega-3 fatty acids may not have as much to do with happiness as
previously thought. According to another study done by University in Illinois
and Arizona State University, www.drweil.com
(2012) vegetarians generally report better moods than omnivores.
The human body was not designed to process meat. Meat
puts a heavy load on the digestive system progressively deteriorating its
capabilities. Omnivores and carnivores are very similar in many ways. According
to The Comparative Anatomy of Eating by Mills, (2012), humans are more
biologically like herbivores than omnivores or carnivores. The small intestine
for starters is a lot smaller in a carnivore or omnivore than it is in a
human. Teeth is another good example human teeth are short and flat in humans
while omnivores and carnivores have long sharp teeth made for eating meat. The
way humans chew food is another perfect example, carnivores and omnivores don’t
chew food, they swallow food whole with some simple crushing. Herbivores and
humans alike require lots of chewing to properly digest food. There are many
other design issues that suggest humans were not intended to be
carnivores, the jaw type is expanded on humans as it is in herbivores, in
carnivores and omnivores the jaw in angled not expanded. Humans and Herbivores
have carbohydrate digestive enzymes, while omnivores have no digestive enzymes
at all. The acidity of the stomach in humans and herbivores is a pH of 4-5
while the pH of a carnivore or omnivore is a pH of 1. Because of the lower
acidity in the stomach in humans, it is harder for the stomach to break down
meat; this shows that humans were not designed to eat meat. And of course
claws, all through the animal kingdom, if a creature eats meat he has claws,
humans like herbivores have no claws. Even from a non-biblical purely
scientific standpoint humans were designed to be vegetarians.
There are some disadvantages to being vegetarianism. The
first and most widely talked about is vitamin B-12 deficiency. A vitamin B-12 deficiency
is called macrocytic anemia, which is a low red blood cell count. Vitamin B-12
is not found in plant sources it is found in meat and dairy sources. Vitamin B-12
is actually bacteria, Victor Herbert MD, (2012). states that “There is no
active vitamin B-12 in anything that grows out of the ground; storage vitamin
B-12 is found
only in animal products where it is ubiquitous and where it is ultimately
derived from bacteria.” However one can get their vitamin B-12 from milk,
cheese, eggs, and foods that have been fortified with B-12. If a vegan diet is
chosen, vitamin one can get B-12 from supplements and vitamin B-12 fortified
foods. Protein is very important as called
well. Doyle (1979) says, “About 44 percent of the solid material in the body of
a normally lean man is protein.” Many people say that humans cannot get enough
protein from a vegetarian diet. Harvard School of Health, (2012) states that
“Animal protein and vegetable protein probably have the same effect on health.
It’s the protein package that likely to make the difference.” Nuts and grain, beans,
and legumes, nut butters, meat substitutes, tofu, and other soy products are
excellent sources of protein. Some people will say that it is impossible to get
complete protein from vegetable sources; however, quinoa, a type of grain like
edible seed, is a complete protein. Another issue some people have is vitamin D
only found in animal products.
Lack of vitamin D can cause rickets in children. However
getting enough exposure to the sun will provide all the vitamin D needed as
vitamin D is absorbed through ultraviolet lights. Zinc and iron are also
concerns. The University of New Hampshire Dining Services (n.d.) says that iron
is important because it carries oxygen to the blood. Lack of Iron can cause
anemia, a condition where the body doesn’t make enough red blood cells or small
red bloods cells. Vegetarians can get iron from iron fortified breakfast
cereals, spinach, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, turnip greens,
molasses, whole wheat breads, peas, and some dried fruits.. Calcium is another
issue. A lack of calcium can cause osteoporosis, a bone demineralization,
however, according to Harvard School of Public Health (2012) says that “Good,
non-dairy sources of calcium include collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk,
baked beans, and supplements…” So even vegans can get the nutrients they need.
One danger some vegetarians face is that they believe
that by cutting out meat they will magically become healthy. That is not true.
People who choose a vegetarian diet have the opportunity to have a healthier
life, but they have to go about it in the right way. Ellen White says in Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9
(1909) “Those who, after seeing their mistakes, have courage to change their
habits, will find that the reformatory process requires a struggle and much
perseverance; but when correct tastes are once formed they will realize that
the use of the food which they formerly regarded as harmless, was slowly but
surely laying the foundation for dyspepsia and other diseases.” A vegetarian
diet can be accomplished, but it takes work. A healthy well balanced diet
according to hsph.harvard.edu (2012) should include healthy protein, found in
beans nuts, and veggie meats. Fruits, bananas, apples, oranges, etc. and whole
grains, found in whole wheat bread, or brown rice. Vegetables are also
necessary. Even oils are needed; good options are olive or canola oil. And of
course, water, any diet needs water.
If everyone on the planet changed to a strictly
vegetarian diet, cutting out all meats, and most dairy products, world hunger
could be solved. According to the Cornell University website (1997) “If all the
grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by
people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million.” Grace
(2008) states, that it takes about ten pounds of grain to make one pound of
meat. Cornell University (1997) says that about 40 percent of the United States
grain goes to feeding farm animals.
Water is another factor; Waterfootprint.org says that
the production of one Kilogram of beef or 2.2 pounds requires 15 thousand
liters of water or 3962.5 gallons. According to a chart on Robbins (2001) p 236
it takes 99.6 percent less water to produce a pound of potatoes than a pound of
beef. Gardella (1999) says, “The meat industry consumes over half of all
water used for all its purposes in the United States.” Most of the water
is used to irrigate the cattle feedlots.
The production of meat requires a lot of energy. Grace (2008) states reducing the consumption
of meat would save 1000 tons of irrigation water annually per person, for 300
million Americans, that kind of reduction would cut grain use by 30 million
tons and irrigation water use by 30 billion tons a year. Reducing that much
would significantly cut down the amount of electricity required to pump all
this water and that would result in enormous fuel savings, not to mention the machines
used to make the grains and the slaughter houses. According to The New York
Times (2008), 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of eggplant, 4 oz. of cauliflower, 8 oz.
of rice uses the equivalent of 0.0098 gallons of gasoline. A 6 oz. beef steak
uses 0.1587 gallons of gasoline, 16 times as much.
The meat industry also has a big impact on the
environment Gardella (1999) states that “The cattle industry produces vast
amounts of strain in the environment. It is energy inefficient, pollutes water,
occupies many acres of land, and deteriorates the heath of the people who abuse
its consumption.” Dailymail.co.uk (2008) States that “a herd of cows produces
more greenhouse gas in a year than a family car produces to drive 3,000 miles.”
Methane, which is what cows produce, has a great effect on the environment than
CO2 and a longer lifetime in the atmosphere. Silverman (n.d.) says, “The U.S.
Food and Agriculture Organization says that agricultural methane output could
increase by 60 percent by 2030. The New
York Times shows that vegetable and rice leaves 0.4 pound “carbon
footprint” while 6 oz. of beef leaves a 9.75 pound “footprint”
The meat industry has a big impact on the land as well.
Not only is the land the animals live and roam on used, but all the land where
grains are planted is used to feed these animals. In
order to get all that land a lot of deforestation has to happen. “According
to the United Nations report (2006), “The total area occupied by grazing is
equivalent to 26 percent of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet. In
addition, the total area dedicated to feed crop production amounts to 33
percent of totally arable land. In all, livestock production accounts for 70
percent of all agricultural land and 30 percent of the land surface of the
planet.” Ucsusa.org states “Beef makes up about 24 percent of the world’s meat
consumption, yet requires 30 million square kilometers or 11,583,064.756 square
miles of land to produce.
Vegetarianism is a healthier happier, choice than eating
meat. Eating meat causes cancers diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease
and many other conditions and diseases. God never intended on humans eating animal
flesh or even animal products, that is a result of sin. The creator of the
universe knows what is best for the human body He created, and what is best for
their health. However, just because someone chooses a vegetarian diet, that
doesn’t mean that person will be perfectly healthy, the right amounts of
nutrients are necessary, and overeating is an issue too.
Being a vegetarian not only helps a person’s health, it
helps the world around as well, less water is wasted with a vegetarian diet,
and the world is slowly running out of fresh water. Loss of water is something
life cannot afford to run out of. Every form of life, human, animal, or plant
needs water to survive. Without water nothing can survive. If meat production
was stopped or even slowed down, less land would be needed for pastures, which
means there would be less deforestation, meaning more oxygen for us to breathe.
There would be less methane gas. This would drastically cut back on the
polluted air we breathe. If the meat industry completely stopped and everyone
became a vegetarian, we could solve world hunger. All the food given to animals
could be turned into eatable food for humans, saving, money, water, energy,
land, and the air we breathe. One person choosing a healthy vegetarian diet may
not impact the world, solve world hunger, or help the environment. But it will
certainly help that one person lead a healthier, happier, more enjoyable life.
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