Introduction
It is very difficult to say whether all human beings should be vegetarians or non vegetarians. However there is no strong case to conclusively prove either of the beliefs. Most studies have so far suggested that humans are primarily omnivorous, meaning that humans tend to eat what ever is available. As vegetarians humans can only eat fruits and certain varieties of leaves but not everything that grows. The human intestine is not designed to digest so many of the different plants. On the contrary a human being if left to fend for himself in remote areas such as jungles and mountains will be able to survive by eating meat, but will not be able to survive on plants as it would be difficult to identify as which is fit for human consumption. Non vegetarians argue that we as humans have the traces of canine teeth which none of the herbivorous living beings have. All animals that only eat plants are known to have stomachs that allow them to ruminate while humans do not have this facility thus indicating that we were made to become non vegetarians. It is thus clear that there is no authentic opinion about either of the eating habits and ultimately the choice boils down to individual preferences which are primarily guided by health and social concerns.
Main body
Although I never make attempts to canvas in support of vegetarianism but I have been fully convinced that in the world that we live in today, and in keeping with our body adaptability as related to our lifestyle, it is better to adopt vegetarianism as the primary dietary habit. With me it is not that I am a strict vegetarian and that I will not touch meat, but as a lifestyle choice I prefer to remain a vegetarian as far as possible. I have made the decision in favor of vegetarianism due to the large number of advantages that result from eating such food especially in view of the dormant physical environment that we live in today. I also supplement my vegetarian eating habits with a routing that is physically active and includes regular exercise and work outs.
Vegetarianism has distinct advantages in regard to nutrition, spirituality and morality. Nutrition does not result effectively amongst meat eaters since the digestive system is not able to substantially break down the acids and cholesterol as present in non vegetarian food. Medical experts have proved that the incidence of colon cancer amongst meat eaters is much higher since there is lower evacuation and slower putrefaction of the remnants of meat in the colon. Vegetarians are known to be totally free from such illnesses. Once an animal is killed its oils and flesh become unhealthy in terms of getting putrefied. Contrary to the belief that meat is a great source of proteins, the quality of the protein in meat products is considered to be very poor since there is lack of proper combination of amino acids which are the main elements in building proteins. It has been amply proved that more and better quality of proteins is found in Soya beans and tofu than in meat products.
It is well known that meat takes a longer time to digest and can remain in the intestines for up to four days, the effect of which can be seen if we leave a piece of meat in the sun for four days. During the time the meat is in the intestines it waits for a passage while it continues to cause harm to the digestive system by way of the uric acid that it contains and the constant fermentation that results within the intestine which is extremely harmful in the long run. This is the main cause of colon related illnesses.
The presence of meat in the intestines provides ground for the breeding of several undesired orgasms which cannot be overcome by the friendly bacteria which are supposed to cater to the development needs of a healthy body. Meat products provide a much greater amount of proteins than required by the human body and it is common medical knowledge that excess presence of proteins in the body will prove to be dangerous by way of the uric acid attacking the kidneys and destroying its cells called nephrons, thus resulting in the disease nephritis which ultimately renders the kidneys to become function less.
In contrast, vegetarians feel much lighter and better after they eat since there is lesser formation of protein digestive substances (keytones) when vegetarian proteins are digested. With the eating of excessive meat, more of ketones are formed which makes the person to have a nauseating feeling that reduces the desire to eat further until the adverse effect is diminished. Further complications result in the occurrence of acidosis which is the high level of acidic blood in the body resulting from higher levels of blood ketone in the system.
Lions and tigers eat meat and it serves them well because their digestive systems are acid based in having intestines that are only five feet in length and which are straight unlike the human intestines which are twenty feet long and are twisted and turned in layers within a small compact area. Such an intestine design does not facilitate proper digestion of meat in the human body. More disturbing is the fact that the meat of animals is sometimes found to have some cancerous growth which is just removed by the butchers and the remaining parts are sent to be sold for human consumptions. There is possibly no check to stop such practices thus proving to be health risks that meat eaters run in consuming such meat.
Meat is much costlier than vegetables and upon removing it from one’s diet a whole new world of eating habits is opened up. In fact lesser time is taken in cooking vegetarian food; it costs almost half as compared to meat and there is a wide array of continental, Spanish, French, Indian and Chinese styles of vegetarian food to choose from which are more nutritious than non vegetarian food. Meat products do not allow one to have a wide variety of foods as compared to vegetarian food and one need to be creative and to have the knack to enjoy the vast variety of seeds, nuts, wheat, legumes and beans to realize the utility of this variety. There is a choice in having cereals, vegetables, lentils and several other roots and beans to supplement the vegetarian diets which prove to be of better vitality to the human body. Cooking vegetarian food does not require any special technique as required in most non vegetarian food items which take a longer time and do not prove to be as nutritious.
It is known that more vegetarians are spiritually inclined which caters very well for human existence. Spirituality entails that we move away from meat eating habits towards vegetarianism so that one is led towards higher levels of self. Vegetarianism ensures a cool temperament, and reduces aggressive attitudes which are believed to be the prime reason for an unfulfilled life. Animal instincts are known to become stronger every time a person eats meat. When an animal is being killed to be consumed as meat it undergoes intense fear which is engulfed within its cells and which in turn is consumed by humans as meat. This invariably has adverse impact on the human psyche in bringing about some effect in behavior. Spiritual people are known to have an aura around them, the course for which is set by of the vegetarian diet that forms their life style and food habits. Conversely the animal aura is adopted when one consumes meat products.
There is a moral aspect attached to eating meat in that one must consider the moral responsibility and the karma associated with the killing of animals. This is irrespective of the fact that every body has his or her own concepts in life as far as food habits are concerned; at the same time one must consider the impact that is being created on the body, mind and soul in consuming what we consume. The body and mind are essentially made by what we eat, which further makes way for our thinking pattern and attitudes, which further make us to behave in our own specific styles. Our actions and behavior decide the results that we get in life which determine the levels of happiness that we have. Hence there is a strong linkage between eating habits and happiness. It does appear to be far fetched, but then all the good things in life come only upon making constructive changes within ourselves.
Conclusion
Vegetarianism can solve the world food crisis because almost half the world production of corn is fed to animals in order that they grow healthy to be ultimately butchered to be eaten as good quality meat by humans. Given that about forty thousand people die every day due to starvation, it would do well for the same corn and other agricultural produce to be fed to the children and others that die of food shortage. Although appearing to be almost impossible, there would be an end to the adverse situation if people become vegetarians and transfer these resources for human consumption. There would be an improvement in environmental conditions since more land is used in rearing animals for human consumption than what is used for agriculture. It is also known that nitrogen emitted by animal manure causes acid rain in many parts of the world thus polluting drinking water used by humans. The lesser the animals, the lesser will be the incidents of such rain.
Works Cited
Abhinabha Tangerman, Benefits and Advantages of Vegetarianism, Web.
Bernard G. Prusak, All we can eat? Thinking about vegetarianism, (2007), Thomson Gale Information Sheet, Vegetarian Society, Web.
Rejecting meat ‘keeps weight low’, (2006), BBC News Vegetarianism in a Nutshell, Web.