Let’s Become Vegetarians

Hello everybody,

Usually the speaker is supposed to thank the audience for being present for the lecture, but instead, I am going to congratulate you for giving yourself a chance to get introduced to the amazing concept of ‘vegetarianism’! 🙂

I know all of us have heard this term before and some of us have been amused by it and some amazed by it! Let us discuss both aspects and see if we can convert one set of people shall we?

Vegetarianism is a way of living and of course, letting others live. Three main reasons to be vegetarian are for the good of animals, your health and our planet. The first seems to be the most obvious reason. You spare animals that are just as innocent as your beloved pets, but billions of these animals are slaughtered for human consumption or rather human comfort each year. These animals are factory farmed, crammed into small cages, and fed with a pesticide-laden diet. All this to pamper our taste buds.

The second is a very important point. Will our bodies be healthy if we only eat a vegetarian diet? Let us see, starting with carbohydrates, we have whole grains, legumes packed with complex carbs to supply energy and keep us moving. Next, proteins and calcium. Nuts, lentils and soya are packed with those! All of us know that fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals. So we can have a balanced diet, and guess what? No one has to die for it! 🙂 There are some rewards for this kind act, which include regular bowel movement due to high fiber, unclogged arteries reducing risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Your healthy body will also add up few more candles on your birthday cakes along with blessing from many animals!

The third reason is to protect our unique and beloved planet. Livestock farming as practiced today results in emissions responsible for global warming and climate change. The hunger problem in the world would be resolved if the grain fed to animals is fed to people. By eating a steak or a chicken, you are not only eating the meat, but also consuming the water used by the animal in its life. To give an example, just a pound of beef accounts for about 10,000 liters of water! The earth’s biodiversity is endangered by producing certain kinds of animals on a large scale. Many “ecoregions” identified by WWF are endangered due to livestock breeding, and giant US group Conservation International reckons more than half of the global “biodiversity hotspots” – which are the places considered most important for life – are now adversely affected by livestock production. Huge quantities of antibiotics are added to animal feed to enhance the growth rate of cattle. However, this develops resistant bacteria, and thus human illness treatment becomes even more difficult. A large portion of all fossil fuels produced is utilized for animal agriculture. So, you do get the point, right? Apart from being emotional about animals, we can be practical, logical for our own future on earth.

Guess what? This ‘thinking with heart and head’ approach gives us something in common with people like Albert Einstein, Gandhi, Buddha, Leonardo Da Vinci and many more!

So now the only question remains, ‘how can you NOT be a vegetarian?’

References:
1. Foer, J.S.  (2009). Eating Animals. Little, Brown and Company, NY
2. Sinclair, Upton ( 2005). The Jungle. Barnes & Noble, IL