After reading the May 26 Page 1 article “USDA asks meat industry to expand Listeria testing” and other recent articles, I have realized that there is an increasing concern among citizens regarding the safety of the meat that they consume. I find this very silly. Waiting for a solution to uncontaminated meat that comes from factory farms is like looking for a solution to safe heroin. The solution: Go vegetarian.
One may say, “What about protein deficiency?” Protein deficiency might exist in the vegetarian who eats potato chips for meals, but any person who looks into their diet intelligently will find out that it is easy to get the required 50 grams of protein needed daily.
On the contrary meat-eaters most likely get too much protein. The average meat-eating diet also includes too much saturated fat and cholesterol.
Although I will agree that deficiency is not healthy, neither is excess. When was the last time you heard of one’s death caused by protein deficiency? How about excess, i.e. heart attack? Meat-linked diseases cause 60 percent of American deaths.
Not only does a meat-eating diet affect one’s health, it also affects our environment. Cattle consume 70 percent of all U.S. grain.
The majority of the animals consumed in the U.S. do not come from farms like the ones that parents show their kids, where the animals have smiles on their faces. Quite the contrary. The majority of animals now are kept in filthy stalls in dimly lighted factory farms where they are unable to turn around. Animals have intrinsic value, and when one realizes that pigs have more intelligence than a pet dog, there is no reason to pet one and slaughter another.
You want to teach your child a lesson in peace, teach them to respect life and go vegetarian. A vegetarian and vegan diet is great for the environment, for the animals, for your physical health, for your conscience and for your spirit.
