People choose to pursue a meatless diet for many reasons.
The diets range from vegetarian to vegan, based on health concerns or ethical issues.
Choosing a vegan diet foods is a personal decision that only you can make for yourself.
By educating yourself about the benefits, you will make a more informed decision.
There are many variations on these diets, with different levels of strictness.
Everyone can easily find guidelines for diet and lifestyle that suit them.
Health Reasons to Follow a Meatless Diet
Reducing the amount of animal products in your diet can improve your health in the short and long run.
Heart disease, strokes, and cancer are just a few diseases linked to consumption of animal products.
For one, animal products often contain more toxins than plant sources.
Toxins are stored in the bodies of animals, in fat.
Factory farmed animals are exposed to even higher levels of toxins than free-range animals, since they are dosed with high amounts of antibiotics to prevent disease.
Choosing vegan diet foods removes a significant amount of toxins and saturated, artery clogging fat from your diet.
Luckily, some of the best scientists and researchers are starting to study the benefits of avoiding meat.
Related Post : Do humans need to eat meat
Consumption of animal products have been closely linked to cancer, as shown in this riveting presentation by T. Colin Campbell, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University.[1]
I highly recommend everyone watch this video, a summary of his popular book “The China Study”
Should Humans Eat a Meatless Diet?
There are stark differences between the human body and the body of animals that consume meat as a significant source of calories.
Take a look at the facts…
- Claws and Teeth
Meat eaters have very sharp teeth and claws for hunting their prey and tearing through hides and flesh. Humans have flattened nails like herbivorous animals, who have flattened nails or blunt hooves. Humans are not naturally equipped with tools for hunting. - Shape of Intestines
Our intestines are 10 to 12 times the length of our body. The intestines of meat eaters are 3 to 6 times the length. Our intestines are predisposed to fermenting foods with long transit time, while meat eaters are not. - Stomach Acid
Our stomach has a ph of 4 or 5 with food in it, the same as herbivores and less acidic than carnivores or omnivores with a ph of 1. - Saliva
Our saliva has carbohydrate digesting enzymes. So does the saliva of herbivores but the saliva of omnivores and carnivores do not. It certainly seems that fruit and veggies are our ideal food. - Jaw Movement
Our jaw moves side to side in a grinding motion, carnivores have minimal side to side motion. - Mouth Opening vs. Head Size
Humans have a small mouth opening to head size ratio compared to animals who eat meat. - Thermostasis
Humans cool themselves with perspiration unlike hyperventilation, the way in which meat eaters cool themselves.
Ethical Reasons to Give Up Meat
Some people make the change to a meatless diet purely or partially for the animal’s benefit.
Ethical vegans and vegetarians make up a large percentage of those on a meatless diet.
Many people would do it even if there were no health benefits, like vegetarian weight loss.
It is common knowledge that factory farming conditions are deplorable.
Many animals never see the light of day.
Their lives are spent in torture, in cages without enough room to turn around.
Cannibalism between the animals occurs daily, and they are pumped antibiotics to prevent the spread of disease.
If you consume factory farm eggs and dairy, production relies on those same animals which are slaughtered for meat.
The animals still go through the same pain and suffering as if you consumed the flesh itself.
If you eat factory farmed animal products, you honestly may as well eat the animals themselves.
The only way to avoid supporting the meat and dairy industry is by purchasing vegan diet foods, or purchasing animal-friendly, free range products.
Learning about the difference between vegan and vegetarian diets might help you decide.
To learn more about the conditions of animals in factory farms watch this documentary “Earthlings,” narrated by vegan actor Joaquin Pheonix.
If you are interested in pursuing a meatless diet plan, it is certainly possible.
With the resources available to you on this site, you have the information about vegan diet foods and support you need.
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