Veganism and Vegetarianism

Many non-vegans have the misconception that flesh products and dairy items such as milk are necessary to obtain sufficient protein and maintain good health. Indeed, until recently a vegetarian was viewed as an emaciated individual. If you hold these opinions, ask yourself where you got them. The answer is likely the meat and dairy industries themselves, either directly or through subsidization of public education. There is an abundance of evidence that the opposite is true: meat and dairy products are not only unnecessary to be healthy, but they often cause significant health problems to those who consume them.

A lack of protein is often the foremost concern of non-vegans. A little known fact is that most of the body's energy is derived from carbohydrates, not protein. In fact, only five to ten percent of calories consumed by an average person need be in the form of protein. This amount of protein is easily consumed as part of a vegan diet.

On the flip side, however, too much protein can cause serious health problems as well, including osteoporosis and kidney stones. It appears that an excess of protein can raise the level of uric acid in the blood stream. The result is that the body secretes calcium to restore its pH level. As this calcium is excreted from bones, osteoporosis becomes a danger. After the excreted calcium has restored the pH level, it ends up in the kidneys, sometimes forming stones and contributing to kidney disease.

Cholesterol and fat, in various forms, are essential to the human diet. At the same time, however, excessive consumption of foods that are high in cholesterol and fat (including meat, dairy, and eggs) lead directly to heart disease and arteriosclerosis. In the United States, the average man's risk of death from a heart attack is 50%. This number is 15% and 4% for vegetarians and vegans, respectively. Considering that heart attacks kill one person every 45 second in the U.S., the amount of cholesterol and fat consumed as part of a meat-based diet represents a significant health threat.

Cancer is yet another ailment that is inextricably linked to the consumption of flesh foods, particularly colon cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. The human colon is much longer than that of a typical carnivore, resembling much more closely the gastro intestinal tract of an herbivore. As the waste from consumed flesh foods makes its way through the longer human colon, more harmful byproducts are retained in the body than would naturally be absorbed by carnivores. This opens humans up to a variety of colonic diseases, as well as making them susceptible to degradation of certain steroids. This degradation is believed to result in the creation of carcinogenic substances that are then ingested into the body and catalyse cancerous growth.

There is an abundance of evidence to support the reality that an animal-based diet is harmful to your health, not to mention the ethical problems associated with consuming flesh.

F & O Alternative Pet Products	AFA Vegan Book Project
Vegetarian Resource Group	Vegan Outreach (Publishers of Why Vegan?)