Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
>
>>>>>> The Meat-Free Life: Five Reasons to be a Vegetarian and
>>>>>> Ten Reasons Against Eating Meat
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hinduism Today Magazine
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There are more than a few Hindus today who guiltily
>>>>>> abandoned the vegetarian ways of their own parents and
>>>>>> grandparents when they decided to be “secular” and
>>>>>> “modern.” But our ancient seers had it right when they
>>>>>> advocated living without killing animals for food. Today
>>>>>> vegetarianism is a worldwide movement with adherents
>>>>>> among all religions, daily gaining converts through one
>>>>>> or more of the five basic reasons to adhere to a meatless
>>>>>> diet: dharm, karm, consciousness, health and
>>>>>> environment. Each is explored in the following pages,
>>>>>> which conclude with an examination of the harmful effects
>>>>>> of eating meat.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Continues he
>>>>>>
http://hinduismtoday.com/modules/wfd...?cid=30&lid=69
>>>>>>
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/pdf_dow..._Chapter43.pdf
>>>>>
>>>>> The Beef Diet: Prescription for Disaster
>>>>>
>>>>> By Neal D. Barnard
>>>>> President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
>>>>> Washington, DC
>>>>>
>>>>> Imagine if two jumbo jets collided over a major city and,
>>>>> in the resulting fireball, 4,000 people died -- it would
>>>>> be a national tragedy -- one of the worst accidents ever.
>>>>> People would demand that airlines and the government made
>>>>> sure nothing like that could ever happen again.
>>>>>
>>>>> A tragedy of this proportion happened the day before
>>>>> yesterday. It happened yesterday, too. It will happen
>>>>> again today and tomorrow. Every single day in the United
>>>>> States, 4,000 lives are taken by heart attacks and almost
>>>>> nothing is being done about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> For years now, we have known of the role diet plays in
>>>>> health, yet unhealthy diets are still promoted by the
>>>>> government, livestock industries, advertisers, and even
>>>>> doctors. Healthy diets must be presented and encouraged
>>>>> by these groups if America's health care crisis is going
>>>>> to be solved.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dietary changes are worth making. Two of the three
>>>>> leading killers of Americans are heart disease and
>>>>> stroke. Both are linked to "hardening of the arteries" --
>>>>> arteriosclerosis -- which, in turn, is largely caused by
>>>>> high-fat, cholesterol-laden diets. As we all know, animal
>>>>> flesh, and beef in particular, is a major source of
>>>>> cholesterol and saturated fat.
>>>>>
>>>>> The enormous toll of these diseases is taken one patient
>>>>> at a time, as doctors finally give up trying to
>>>>> resuscitate yet another heart that is damaged beyond
>>>>> hope. The toll is also felt in the national pocketbook.
>>>>> Coronary bypasses and expensive diagnostic tests are now
>>>>> the budget-breaking routine in every city in America.
>>>>>
>>>>> Many other diseases also have their roots in our daily
>>>>> meals. Breast cancer, which has reached epidemic
>>>>> proportions, killing one woman every twelve minutes, is
>>>>> clearly related to diet. The same connections have been
>>>>> drawn between diet and cancers of the colon and prostate.
>>>>> In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, some
>>>>> 80 percent of cancer deaths are attributable to smoking,
>>>>> diet, and other identifiable and controllable factors.
>>>>> Foods rich in fat and oils increase our cancer risk.
>>>>> About 40 percent of all the calories we eat comes from
>>>>> the fat in meats, poultry, fish, dairy products, fried
>>>>> foods and vegetable oils. These fats stimulate the over-
>>>>> production of hormones which encourage cancer and promote
>>>>> the development of carcinogens in the digestive tract.
>>>>>
>>>>> Not only are beef and other meats high in cholesterol and
>>>>> saturated fats, but they are also low in some vital
>>>>> vitamins and minerals, and they contain zero fiber.
>>>>> Recently there has been enormous scientific attention
>>>>> given to the role beta-carotene and other vitamins and
>>>>> minerals play in blocking cancer growth. Whole grains,
>>>>> fruits, legumes, and vegetables are full of vitamins and
>>>>> minerals. And plant foods have fiber -- a substance
>>>>> completely lacking in beef and other meats. We have long
>>>>> known that fiber helps eliminate many common
>>>>> gastrointestinal problems such as constipation; however,
>>>>> evidence shows that it also is protective against a wide
>>>>> variety of diseases ranging from colon cancer to
>>>>> diabetes, and from gallstones to appendicitis. It also
>>>>> binds with carcinogenic substances, bile, and excess
>>>>> hormones which would otherwise rest in the digestive
>>>>> tract, and moves them out of the body.
>>>>>
>>>>> As one studies the diets of people around the world, one
>>>>> thing becomes clear: as people give up traditional diets
>>>>> that are low in fats, high in fiber, and predominantly
>>>>> plant-based in favor of beef and other meats, the
>>>>> incidence of diseases such as cancer, heart disease,
>>>>> diabetes, and kidney disease rises. At the same time,
>>>>> life expectancy and quality of life decline. In recent
>>>>> years, Japan has been the target of American beef and
>>>>> tobacco promotional campaigns that seem to be some sort
>>>>> of Pearl Harbor revenge program. Members of the higher
>>>>> socioeconomic strata, who are adopting Westernized diets,
>>>>> have much higher rates of breast, colon, and prostate
>>>>> cancer and heart disease than their counterparts who eat
>>>>> less (or no) meat.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Beyond Beef campaign is encouraging people to make
>>>>> this simple change -- to step away from beef. It is a
>>>>> move that is good for you, for others, for animals, and
>>>>> for the environment. So live a little; try some new
>>>>> cuisine; experiment with traditional and ethnic foods. It
>>>>> could well help you live a lot healthier longer.
>>>>>
>>>>> - Dr. Neal Barnard is President of The Physicians
>>>>> Committee For Responsible Medicine, a nationwide group of
>>>>> physicians that promotes preventive medicine and
>>>>> addresses controversies in modern medicine. In April
>>>>> 1991, he and three other doctors unveiled a proposal to
>>>>> replace the old Four Food Groups concept initiated in
>>>>> 1956.
>>>>>
>>>>> In his book, "The Power of Your Plate," Dr. Barnard
>>>>> documents the scientific evidence supporting a low-fat,
>>>>> vegetarian diet as the most potent regimen to reduce risk
>>>>> of heart disease, cancer, weight problems and food-borne
>>>>> illness. Aside from serving as a practicing physician on
>>>>> the faculty of the George Washington School of Medicine,
>>>>> he is also an Associate Director for Behavioral Studies
>>>>> at the Institute for Disease Prevention.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dr. Barnard is a director of Behavioral Studies at the
>>>>> Institute for Disease Prevention at George Washington
>>>>> University.
>>>>
>>>> The Beef-Colon Cancer Link
>>>>
>>>> Excerpt
>>>>
>>>> Now a spate of new studies are connecting red meat
>>>> consumption to colon cancer, the number two cause of
>>>> cancer in the United States. Over 100,000 cases of colon
>>>> cancer are diagnosed each year, and over 50,000 died of
>>>> the disease in 1990 alone.
>>>>
>>>> In a six-year study of 88,751 women from the ages of 30
>>>> to 59 years old, the largest study ever conducted on
>>>> colon cancer and diet, researchers found that women who
>>>> ate red meat every day are "two and a half times more
>>>> likely to have colon cancer than women who ate meat
>>>> sparingly or not at all."
>>>>
>>>> Dr Walter Willett, of the Brigham and Women's Hospital of
>>>> Boston, the director of the study, said of the findings:
>>>> "If you step back and look at the data, the optimum
>>>> amount of red meat you eat should be zero."
>>>>
>>>> In the beef-eating cultures of the Western world, the
>>>> incidence of colon cancer is up to ten times the rate of
>>>> non-beef-eating cultures of Asia and the developing
>>>> world.
>>>>
>>>> - Kolata, Gina, "Animal Fat is Tied to Colon Cancer" New
>>>> York Times, December 13, 1990
>>>>
>>>> - Willet, Walter C., et al, "Relationship of Meat, Fat
>>>> and Fiber Intake to the Risk of Colon Cancer in
>>>> Prospective Study Among Women" New England Journal of
>>>> Medicine, 333:24 (1990), pg. 1664
>>>>
>>>> - Rifkin, Jeremy, "Beyond Beef," Dutton, 1992, pg. 172
>>>
>>> 'A vegetarian diet can prevent 97% of our coronary
>>> occlusions.'
>>>
>>> - 'Diet and Stress in Vascular Disease,' Journal Of The
>>> American Medical Association, Vol. 176, No. 9, June 3,
>>> 1961, pg 806.
>>
>> High IQ link to being vegetarian
>>
>> [Caption] Vegetarianism has been linked to better heart
>> health
>>
>> BBC
>> Friday, December 15, 2006
>>
>> Intelligent children are more likely to become vegetarians
>> later in life, a study says.
>>
>> A Southampton University team found those who were
>> vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on
>> average at the age of 10.
>>
>> Researchers said it could explain why people with higher IQ
>> were healthier as a vegetarian diet was linked to lower
>> heart disease and obesity rates.
>>
>> The study of 8,179 was reported in the British Medical
>> Journal.
>>
>> Twenty years after the IQ tests were carried out in 1970,
>> 366 of the participants said they were vegetarian -
>> although more than 100 reported eating either fish or
>> chicken.
>>
>> Men who were vegetarian had an IQ score of 106, compared
>> with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female vegetarians
>> averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians.
>>
>> "We've always known that vegetarianism is an
>> intelligent, compassionate choice benefiting animals,
>> people and the environment"
>> - Liz O'Neill, of The Vegetarian Society
>>
>> There was no difference in IQ score between strict
>> vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian but who
>> reported eating fish or chicken.
>>
>> Researchers said the findings were partly related to better
>> education and higher occupational social class, but it
>> remained statistically significant after adjusting for
>> these factors.
>>
>> Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher
>> occupational social class and to have higher academic or
>> vocational qualifications than non-vegetarians.
>>
>> However, these differences were not reflected in their
>> annual income, which was similar to that of non-
>> vegetarians.
>>
>> Lead researcher Catharine Gale said: "The finding that
>> children with greater intelligence are more likely to
>> report being vegetarian as adults, together with the
>> evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on
>> heart health, may help to explain why higher IQ in
>> childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of
>> coronary heart disease in adult life."
>>
>> Intelligence
>>
>> However, she added the link may be merely an example of
>> many other lifestyle preferences that might be expected to
>> vary with intelligence, such as choice of newspaper, but
>> which may or may not have implications for health.
>>
>> Liz O'Neill, of the Vegetarian Society, said: "We've always
>> known that vegetarianism is an intelligent, compassionate
>> choice benefiting animals, people and the environment.
>>
>> "Now we've got the scientific evidence to prove it. Maybe
>> that explains why many meat-reducers are keen to call
>> themselves vegetarians when even they must know that
>> vegetarians don't eat chicken, turkey or fish."
>>
>> But Dr Frankie Phillips, of the British Dietetic
>> Association, said: "It is like the chicken and the egg. Do
>> people become vegetarian because they have a very high IQ
>> or is it just that they tend to be more aware of health
>> issues?"
>>
>> More at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6180753.stm
>>
>> Visit:
http://www.pcrm.org
>
> Eating Meat Wastes Our Resources
>
> When it comes to resource and energy wastage, meat
> products are a class by themselves.
>
> Scientists compute the energy costs of foods by the value
> of the raw materials consumed in the production of that
> food. Frances Moore Lappe reports:
>
> A detailed 1978 study sponsored by the Department of
> Interior and Commerce produced startling figures showing
> that the value of raw materials consumed to produce food
> from livestock is greater than the value of all oil, gas,
> and coal consumed in this country.
>
> The same study revealed the equally startling fact that
> the production of meats, dairy products and eggs accounts
> for one-third of the total amount of all raw materials
> used for all purposes in the United States.
>
> In contrast, growing grains, vegetables and fruits for
> direct human consumprion is a model of efficiency, using
> less than 5% the raw material consumption as does the
> production of meat.
>
> Another way scientists compute the energy costs of
> various foods is to assess the amount of fossil fuel
> needed to produce them. An American scientist, David
> Pimental, calculates that if the whole world were to eat
> according to wasteful U.S. agricultural practices, the
> planet's entire petroleum reserves would be exhausted in
> 13 years.
>
> - "Raw Materials in the United States Economy 1900-1977"
> Technical paper 47, Vivian Spencer, U.S. Department of
> Commerce, Bureau of Mines, pg 3
>
> - Lappe, F.M., "Diet For A Small Planet" Ballantine
> Books, New York, 1982, Tenth Anniversary Edition
>
> - Robbins, John, "Diet For A New America" Stillpoint
> Publishing, Walpole, N.H., 1987
>
> - Reid, J.T., "Comparative Efficiency of Animals in the
> Conversion of Feedstuffs to Human Foods" Confinement,
> April 1976, pg. 23
>
> - Hur, Robin and Fields, David; "How Meat Robs America
> of its Energy," Vegetarian Times, April 1985

PLANT FOOD MANY TIMES MORE EFFICIENT THAN MEAT

Agricultural engineers at Ohio State University compared
the energy costs of producing poultry, pork an other
meats with the energy costs of producing soybeans, corn
and other plant foods.

They found that even the *least* efficient plant food is
nearly *ten times* as efficient as the *most* energy
efficient animal food.

Even the best of animal enterprises examined returns only
34.5% of the investment of fossil energy to us in food
energy, whereas the poorest of the five crop enterprises
examined returns 328%.

- Roller, W.L. et al, "Energy Costs of Intensive
Livestock Production," American Society of Agricultural
Engineers, June 1975, St. Joseph, Michigan, paper number
75-4042, table 7, page 14.

Source - "Diet for A New America" by John Robbins,
Stillpoint Publishing, 1987.

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj