The following information is taken from our beloved Swamiji Chidanand Saraswatiji's book Drops of Nectar. He writes eloquently about the benefits of following a vegetarian diet. He describes not only the health benefits, but the benefits to Mother Earth as well. For more information about H. H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji , please click on the link. Spiritual benefits: one of the most important guiding principles of a moral life is ahimsa, or non-violence. There is hardly anything more violent than taking the life of another for our mere enjoyment. We live in a world where we can get all our calories, all our vitamins and minerals in other, tastier, less expensive and less violent ways. Perhaps more violent than their day of death is the numerous days of their lives. The animals raised for consumptions are raised in cramped and cruel conditions.
Ecological benefits: Vegetariansim is the only responsible choice in terms of waste and ecology. The natural resources of our planet are diminishing at terrifying rates. Consider the following facts- - - one acre of land can grow 40,000 pounds of potatoes. That same acre, can provide less than 250 pounds of beef if it is used to grow cattle-feed.
- - it takes 16 pounds of wheat to produce one pound of meat. This wheat is fed to the cows who are later killed to make beef. However, it takes only 1 pound of wheat to produce one pound of bread. So, if we used our wheat to produce bread instead of feeding cows, we could feed 16 times as many people
- - we could feed 10 billion people a year if we were all vegetarian.
- - since 1967, one acre of American forest has been destroyed every five seconds in order to become 'grazing land' for the animals that will become dinner.
- - the world's petroleum resources would last only 13 years on a meat-based diet, but 260 years on a vegetarian diet
- - the production of one pound of beef takes 2500 gallons of water. The production of one pound of bread takes 25 gallons of water.
Health benefits: a recent British study found that vegetarians had a 40% lower risk of cancer and a 20% lower risk of death from any cause than meat eaters. A health issue less frequently discussed is the antibiotics factor. The factory farm animals are loaded up with antibiotics in order to prevent the diseases that their poor treatment causes. Their surroundings are so unsanitary that the animals have a great risk of developing infections. So, antibiotics are fed to them in great quantity. When the animals are eaten, the antibiotics are also ingested.
|
