Vegetarianism Human Diet Fast Facts
Informative facts on Vegetarianism
By Nature man is a vegetarian. A simple study of anatomy shows that man's organs are more like those of herbivore than the carnivore. Man's dental structure, for example, is made up of sharp incisors for cutting leaves and stems, flat molars for grinding grains and vegetables, and only a few short, dull canines for tearing meat.
Man's digestive system is also distinct from that of carnivorous animals have very short bowels - three times the length of their body - to facilitate rapid excretion of decomposing flesh. Man's bowels, however, are twelve times the length of his body and are designed for the slow digestion of vegetables and fruits. Also, carnivores' stomachs contain ten times as much hydrochloric acid as is found in those of man and no carnivorous animals.
Government health statistics show that the nations with the highest rates (the most common type is cancer of the colon) are the nations with the highest meat consumption. Dr. John Berg of the National Cancer Institute reported at the American Cancer Society Conference that meat eating is closely related to incidence of cancer of the colon and rectum.
Unlike plants, which have a rigid cell wall and a simple circulatory system, animal cells die very rapidly once the circulation of blood is cut off. As soon as life ceases, the animal proteins coagulate, and decomposing enzymes are released. Animal flesh naturally turns a sickly gray green color after a day or so, and the meat industry tries to prevent this by adding nitrates and other preservatives. Most meat products are one or two weeks old when eaten, and putrefaction and bacterial growth start immediately after death. The semi decomposed animal flesh then lies in the colon where further putrefaction takes place and the result is that the intestinal tract wears out prematurely.
Heart disease is also related to meat eating. The June 3, 1961 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association says, "A vegetarian diet can prevent 90 percent of our thromboembolic disease and 97 percent of our coronary occlusions."
MYTH - Meat contains more protein than any other food. FACT - Meat contains about 25 percent protein, ranking along with beans, nuts and cheese.
MYTH - Eating lots of meat is the only way to get enough protein. FACT - The "average" American actually eats almost twice the protein that one's body can use. Thus most Americans could completely eliminate animal flesh from their diets and still get 58 grams (the recommended daily allowance is 40 grams) from the protein-rich vegetarian foods they are already eating.
MYTH - Meat is the sole source for certain essential vitamins and minerals. FACT - Except for Vitamin B12, vegetable sources can provide all of the Vitamis and minerals we need. Meat is not the sole source of Vitamin B12 - it is also found in dairy products.
MYTH - Vegetable diets are dull. FACT - Just compare. There are basically 5 different kinds of meat and poultry, but there are 50 different kinds of commonly eaten vegetables, 24 different kinds of peas, beans and lentils, 20 different fruits, 12 different nuts, and 9 different grains. The highest variety of flavor of texture and of color obviously lie in the plant world, though your average American restaurant would give you no clue to this fact.