Meatless Life: 6 Reasons to Avoid Meat

Disputes about who are more talented cooks – men or women, are not even half as common and topical as disagreements between vegetarians and their opponents about whether a person is a meat-eater by nature or not, whether it is still useful or harmful to eat, or not. eat meat, and, most importantly, what consequences the refusal of this product may have for such categories of consumers as children, pregnant women, the elderly, and athletes. Both those who cannot imagine life without a juicy cutlet, and those who have refused to eat the products of killing animals, cite various facts and evidence in favor of their beliefs, and cannot come to a consensus. Nevertheless, in recent years there have been more and more adherents of the refusal of meat, whether it is a tribute to fashion or the result of a fundamental revolution in consciousness.

A bit about the history of vegetarianism

The first mention of people who built their diet on the rejection of meat dates back to 4-5 millennium BC. The priests of ancient Egyptian temples needed to exclude meat from their diet in order to more successfully perform magical rites and communicate with deities. Perhaps this was due to the fact that many gods of Egyptian mythology had an animal or semi-animal appearance, and those who were conductors between the world of the divine and the human were afraid of incurring the wrath of the magical world. And, perhaps, the spirits of the eaten animals prevented the establishment of contact with higher powers.

In ancient Greece, a plant-based diet was also known, although the inhabitants of the first policies had more human reasons for becoming vegetarians: not accepting the killing of animals. There is nothing surprising in the fact that the people, striving for the harmony of bodily and spiritual development, became interested in this issue. Some famous personalities, such as Diogenes, Plutarch, Socrates and Plato, adhered to a plant-based diet, and in their writings analyzed and studied its benefits, based on personal experience. The legendary philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, believing in the transmigration of souls, also refused meat, and then his numerous students followed his example.

In India during the 5th-4th centuries BC, representatives of Jainism, the Vedic religion and some Buddhists adhered to the principles of a plant-based diet.

After the decline of the state of the Hellenes in Europe, the culture of vegetarianism gradually faded into oblivion, since most people did not have to sort out food especially because of poverty and disease – they ate what could be obtained or earned.

Until about the 19th century, vegetarianism was practiced quite rarely and there was no particular mass character in this matter. In the middle of the 19th century, the British “brought” from India, where the Vedic religion all this time actively promoted the rejection of killing animals and eating meat, the ideas of a plant-based diet. In 1842, for the first time the term “vegetarianism” officially appeared thanks to the “British Vegetarian Society”. Already from England, the principle of refusing meat food gradually spread to Europe and America, but today more and more vegetarians live in Asian countries – in China, India. Residents of the European continent and the United States are probably not so actively ready to give up the usual cutlets and steaks.

The main reasons for the transition to plant foods

If we analyze the most popular and common arguments of vegetarians, by which they explain their choice of food system, among them are the following reasons for refusing meat:

• religious;
• moral and ethical;
• physiological;
• medical;
• ecological;
• hygienic.

Religion and culture of non-violence as the basis of vegetarianism

The main religious trends in the world in one form or another promote the rejection of violence and the killing of all living beings. For example, Orthodox believers have about 240 fast days a year – at this time it is forbidden to eat food of animal origin. True, these are not the only restrictions, and together they are all aimed at improving the spiritual and physical well-being, detachment from the worldly and sinful. It is a kind attitude towards our smaller brothers, which is the cornerstone of many religious teachings, that becomes the reason for the transition of some people to vegetarianism, especially if a person is inclined to observe religious norms.

Moral and ethical principles against meat food

One of the main points that deeply resent not only vegetarians, but in general any people who are not indifferent to animals is the terrible, cruel conditions of detention.

Pork is the most consumed meat in the world. Accordingly, the number of farms and farms engaged in breeding and keeping pigs is growing every day. Naturally, their owners strive to make the maintenance of animals, firstly, the most economical, and secondly, one that will contribute to the maximum growth of valuable raw materials, that is, meat. Therefore, most pigs are kept in cramped cages, in which it is almost impossible to move at least a little actively – this way the animal will gain weight faster. Females allocated to increase the number of heads are constantly in the cycle of “mating – pregnancy – childbirth”, because of which their body is severely depleted, and the animal suffers. Often they are in the so-called “dry” stalls – cages without straw and bedding.

The little piglets are kept in isolation from their mother, they are fed naturally through the bars, and usually last no longer than 3-4 weeks. Then they are sent to small and cramped “dwellings” – metal cages, where they cannot actively move and play normally, and out of boredom begin to bite off each other’s tails, inflict wounds.

A very small percentage of pigs live in the open air, in full-fledged pens, with the proper level of care, mainly on farms where they are raised for personal use. Animals destined to be part of a bulk meat buying party live their short lives in tortured conditions.

This is only a small part of the terrible details, and only about pork, but this is enough to convince a person to stop eating meat food.

Physiological characteristics of the human body – a reason to refuse meat

Supporters of vegetarianism often focus on the fact that a person, given some of the nuances of the structure and development of his body, does not belong to predators and meat-eaters: he does not have sharp claws and fangs, his teeth are not very suitable for chewing coarse hard food, and his intestines are too large. length. Also given as an argument is the assertion that human saliva consists of alkali, and cannot form acid for the full breakdown of meat.

However, these conclusions are broken down by one important fact – the similarities with the organisms of herbivores in humans are even less. The teeth of herbivorous animals are specially adapted for such food: firstly, they have sharp incisors and molars with a flat surface without enamel, and secondly, teeth constantly grow during their life (after all, teeth tend to wear out from coarse vegetable “chewing gum”), and this man certainly cannot boast. The stomach of herbivores is quite large, even in relation to the carcass, often divided into several chambers, and the level of acidity in it is much lower than in humans. The intestine also does not resemble the human one – it is sometimes 15-20 times longer than the body of an animal, and in humans it is only 8 times longer.

Based on these facts, biologists classified humans as omnivores, which are equally well adapted to eating both plant and animal foods.

There are also cases when a person is able to simply stop eating meat, because he does not feel like it, he does not feel the need for it. Scientifically, such a phenomenon is being studied, but biologists have not yet been able to give a clear answer why this happens.

What does medicine say about the dangers and benefits of meat for humans

To date, not a single specialist has been able to make an unambiguous, scientifically based verdict that eating meat is absolutely harmful, or, conversely, absolutely necessary. Therefore, around this aspect of vegetarianism sharpens the most significant part of all disputes on this topic.

By the end of the 20th century, scientists were able to prove only the fact that it is possible to live without meat, that is, in fact, it was more about the dangers of excessive consumption of meat, more precisely, animal fats, than about the complete absence of animal protein in the human diet. Butter, lard, eggs, some types of meat are very rich in bad cholesterol, so cardiovascular diseases can appear from their constant use.

One of the most popular assumptions about the fact that meat eaters get cancer more often than vegetarians is also not the ultimate truth. Indeed, people who eat a plant-based diet are about 18% less likely to develop bowel cancer. However, this does not apply to other types of cancer. So, for example, vegetarians are more at risk of getting stomach problems: gastritis, ulcers, malignant tumors than those who eat meat. Animal proteins in this case act as a buffer, additional protection between acids and mucosa.

Another often voiced argument in favor of vegetarianism is that by giving up meat, you can significantly reduce weight. There is such a possibility, but it is not absolute, and may not occur at all. Some people, on the contrary, begin to gain weight because, refusing meat, they begin to lean on vegetable oils, nuts, mushrooms, legumes, that is, high-calorie foods. Therefore, here, it is more likely that one can trace the connection between losing weight or gaining weight and the principles of building a diet in general, rather than arguing that, just by giving up meat food, you will definitely be able to get rid of extra pounds.

Of course, when switching only to plant foods, certain changes begin to occur in the intestines: a significant number of saprophyte bacteria appear that are able to compensate for the lack of proteins, and the body’s resistance may slightly increase.

Children are not recommended to follow a vegetarian diet, especially during the period of active growth. Pregnant women who want to give up meat, being in an interesting position, are advised by doctors to first wait for a joyful event, and only after that introduce a taboo on meat products.

How the meat industry of the food industry affects the ecology of the planet

A detailed analysis and study of this area of ​​production presents horrific facts: it is directly related to environmental pollution, deforestation, waste, sewage and garbage. In order to equip pastures and farms for livestock, a significant amount of forest is destroyed.

The soil, which is reserved for the needs of walking and grazing, is subject to erosion due to constant trampling by hooves. The amount of manure produced by animals intended for slaughter is so significant that the planet is not able to absorb and process it. As a result, manure enters the soil, groundwater, rivers and seas, polluting them along with the rest of the garbage that man has flooded the planet. Such pollution carries a greater danger than urban sewage.

Food hygiene: how clean and healthy meat is offered to a person for consumption

Unfortunately, the quality of most meat found in stores and markets leaves much to be desired. It all starts with food – even before slaughter, animals are fed with various chemicals and mixtures, as a result of which they grow 2-3 times faster than in normal natural conditions. It is also normal practice to give animals antibiotics and hormones to prevent disease, pestilence, and loss of production.

Already processed and butchered meat is also subjected to various treatments and tricks so that it can be stored longer, absorb water and weigh more, respectively, cost more (so the consumer gets the opportunity to buy water at the price of meat).

In addition, meat products, especially if improperly processed, may contain various viruses, bacteria, parasites or their larvae.

All of the above, getting into the human body, may well cause him significant harm, especially considering that this type of meat can be consumed for a long time, accumulating its negative effect.

Life without meat is just as real as it is with it. Someone feels sorry for the animals, someone wants to improve their health and lose weight, someone really just doesn’t want to eat meat food anymore. There are many reasons for the transition to vegetarianism, some of them are severely criticized, others are close to meat-eaters. In any case, the choice to give up meat can be a conscious step towards saving your own body, soul or planet – it all depends on the angle from which the vegetarian looks at it.