Why is vegetarian food better?
Argument 1. Hunger
Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million. Number of people who could eat well if Americans cut their meat consumption by 10%: 100 million. Percentage of US-grown corn eaten by humans: 20. Percent of US-grown corn eaten by livestock: 80. Percent of US-grown oats eaten by livestock: 95. How often does a child die of malnutrition: every 2,3 seconds. Pounds of potatoes that can be grown per acre: 40 Pounds of beef produced per acre: 000 Percentage of U.S. farmland dedicated to beef production: 250 Pounds of grain and soy needed to produce 56 pound of beef: 1.
Argument 2. Ecology
Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect. The original cause of the greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels needed for meat production, as opposed to a meat-free diet: 3 times more. Percentage of depleted soils in the US today: 75. Percentage of depleted soils directly related to animal husbandry: 85. Acres of forest in the US cleared for arable land for meat production: 260. Amount of meat imported into the US annually from countries Central and South America: 000 pounds. Percentage of children in Central America under the age of five who are malnourished: 000. Current rate of species extinction due to clearing rainforest for livestock grazing: 300 species per year.
Argument 3. Cancer
Increased risk of breast cancer in women who eat meat daily compared to those who eat it less than once a week: 3,8 times. In women who eat eggs every day, compared to those who eat no more than one egg per week: 2.8 times. In women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3,25 times. Increased risk of ovarian cancer in women who eat eggs three or more times a week compared to those who eat eggs less than once a week: 3 times. The increase in the risk of prostate cancer in men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily, compared with those who eat these foods rarely or completely refused them: 3,6 times.
Argument 4. Cholesterol
The most common cause of death in the US: heart attack. How often a heart attack kills in the US: Every 45 seconds. Risk of the average person in the US dying from a heart attack: 50 percent. Risk of the average person in the US who does not eat meat: 15 percent. Risk for the average person in the US who does not eat meat, dairy, or eggs: 4 percent. How much would you reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack if you cut your meat, dairy, and egg intake by 10 percent: 9 percent. How much would you reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack if you cut your intake by 50 percent: 45 percent. How much will you reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack if you cut out meat, dairy, and eggs: 90 percent. Average cholesterol in meat eaters: 210 mg/dL. Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: more than 50 percent.
Argument 5. Natural resources
Consumer of most of all water used for all purposes in the US: animal husbandry. Number of gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25. Number of gallons of water needed to produce a pound of beef: 5. How many years would the world’s oil reserves last if every man became a meat-eater: 000. How many years would the world’s oil reserves last if each person will give up meat: 13. Fossil fuel calories expended to get 260 calorie of protein from beef: 1. To get 78 calorie of protein from soybeans: 1. Percentage of all resources consumed in the US devoted to livestock production: 2. Percent all types of raw materials consumed in the USA, necessary to provide a vegetarian diet: 33.
Argument 6. Antibiotics
Percentage of American antibiotics used in livestock feed: 55. Percentage of penicillin-resistant staph infections in 1960: 13. Percentage in 1988: 91. European Economic Community response to antibiotic use in animal husbandry: ban. US Response to Animal Antibiotic Use: Full and Definitive Support.
Argument 7. Pesticides
False belief: USDA protects our health by testing meat. Reality: Less than 1 in every 250 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemicals. Percentage of US mother’s milk containing a significant amount of DDT: 000. Percentage of US vegetarian milk containing a significant amount of DDT: 99. Contamination of breast milk of carnivorous mothers, due to the presence of pesticides in animal products, as opposed to milk of vegetarian mothers: in 8 times higher. Amount of pesticides breastfed by the average American child: 35 times the legal limit
Argument 8. Ethics
Number of animals slaughtered for their meat per hour in the US: 660. Occupation with highest turnover in the US: slaughterhouse worker. Occupation with highest workplace injury rate: slaughterhouse worker.
Argument 9. Survival
Athlete who is a six-time Ironman Triathlon winner: Dave Scott. Dave Scott’s way of eating: vegetarian. The largest meat-eater that ever lived – Tyrannosaurus rex: and where is he today?