Did you know that...
"In recent years, the health benefits of meat as a regular part of the human diet have come into question. In a large-scale study, the consumption of red meat over a lifetime was found to raise the risk of cancer by 20 to 60 percent, while causing adverse mutations in DNA.[4] In particular, red meat and processed meat were found to be associated with higher risk of cancers of the lung, esophagus, liver, and colon, among others.[4] Animal fat is one of the only dietary sources of saturated fat,[5] which has been linked to various health problems. The saturated fat found in meat has been associated with significantly raised risks of colon cancer,[6][7] breast cancer,[8][9] osteoporosis,[10][11][12] and prostate cancer,[13] although some evidence suggests that risks of prostate cancer are unrelated to meat consumption.[14]
Meat has been linked to increased risk of heart disease[15] and diabetes,[16] with the risks of heart disease being three times greater for 45-64 year old men who eat meat daily, versus those who are vegetarian, according to one survey.[17] A large-scale study in 2008 also found that eating two or more servings of meat a day increases the risk of suffering from excessive fat around the waist, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure by 25 percent compared to those who had two servings of meat a week or less.[18][16] One famous study, the Nurses' Health Study, followed about 100,000 female nurses and their eating habits. Nurses who ate the largest amount of animal fat were twice as likely to develop colon cancer as the nurses who ate the least amount of animal fat."
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat)When you eat meat you may be consuming hormones, drugs and other chemicals that have been fed to the animals before they were killed. No one knows precisely what effect eating the hormones in meat is likely to have on your health, but the risk is there. Some farmers use tranquillisers to keep animals calm, some routinely use antibiotics so that their animals do not develop infections.
When you eat meat you are, inevitably, eating those drugs.
Becoming healthier isn't the only reason for going vegetarian.
Many of those who stop eating meat do so for moral and ethical reasons too.
Please watch the video below from http://meat.org/ and meet your meat!
*** Please be warned that it is a rather disturbing video ***
Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days!
So...the question I am sure you are wondering is.... "what about protein?"
It is actually a myth that people who didn't eat meat would be short of protein.
And it is equally untrue that if you don't eat meat your diet will be deficient in essential vitamins or minerals.
Protein Sources-
Protein in Legumes: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas
GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice
VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini
PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon
PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)
If you are a vegetarian that eats Eggs and Milk also known as a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian, than you can get protein from milk and eggs too.
To keep healthy eat raw foods whenever you can (because vitamins are easily destroyed by cooking) and use as little water as possible when boiling vegetables in order to avoid losing water soluble vitamins B and C. Steam or stir fry vegetables if you can instead of boiling them.
Remember that keeping food hot - or reheating it - can destroy vitamins, try to eat fruit and vegetables in their skins (because vitamins are often stored just below the skin) You can get the iron, calcium, zinc and other essential minerals that your body needs by eating dark green, leafy vegetables, nuts, pulses, sunflower seeds and dried fruits.
It is never too late to stop eating meat.
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