The Gazette

Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: News

Improve Your Health

If animal cruelty doesn't bother you, consider the affect meat intake has on your body. There are numerous health concerns that have come to light regarding the nutritional value of meat.

We often think of meat as our only source of protein, but this is really not true. Beans such as soy beans and lentils, raw vegetables such as spinach and lettuce, nuts and seeds such as peanuts and sunflower seeds, and whole grains in breads and pastas are all sources of protein. Meat, while high in protein, is also high in fat. For example, turkey legs (which are often served at the concession stand on our campus) contain more than 700 milligrams of cholesterol and 1,600 calories, 40 percent of which comes from fat. An excess of cholesterol and fat in your diet can lead to heart disease, which is the number one health problem in the United States today. Cancer is another risk meat-eaters may face as a result of their diet. Researchers at The University of Hawaii conducted a study on the relationship between processed meats and pancreatic cancer. They found that people who regularly eat sausages, hot dogs, cold cuts and other processed meat products are 67 percent more likely to develop the disease. A study by the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that people who eat 3 ounces of meat a day are 30 to 40 percent more likely to develop colon cancer. According to the ACS, the best way to prevent cancer is to eat a diet rich in vegetables. A study published in the respected scientific journal Epidemiology found that vegetarians are 25 to 50 percent less likely to suffer from cancer, even if they smoke cigarettes.

Reduce Your Negative Impact on the Earth

The process of factory farming is also incredibly destructive to the environment. The production of meat requires a huge amount of energy and resources. It is estimated by the Smithsonian Institution that seven football fields worth of land is bulldozed every minute to make room for farm animals and the crops they eat. Animals raised for food consume half the total water consumed in the United States, and according to the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, factory farms produce billions of pounds of animal waste every day, which finds its way into our water. Air pollution, which leads to global warming, also results from factory farming. A 2006 United Nation's report revealed that more pollution was caused by raising animals for food than by all the cars and trucks in the world. PETA states that one vegetarian saves 100 animals and an acre of trees every year.

With so many reasons not to eat meat, the question becomes why do we eat it in the first place? Is it because that's what we've been taught to do our entire lives, or is it just because we like it? Either way, when you consider all the damage that is done by eating meat, it seems impossible to find a good reason not to go vegetarian.

For more information on vegetarianism and a free vegetarian start-up kit, visit www.goveg.com. For vegetarian recipes and nutrition information, visit www.vrg.org. To learn more about animal cruely, visit www.peta.org.

Famous Vegetarians

Michael Jackson
Andre 3000
John Salley
Forest Whitaker
Alicia Silverstone
Erykah Badu
Nelly
Russell Simmons
Pamela Anderson
Omar Epps
RZA (of Wu-Tang Clan)
Prodigy (of Mobb Deep)
Brandy
The Roots
Prince
Coretta Scott King
Samuel L. Jackson
Sade
KRS-One

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