Imagine yourself being frequently bombarded by questions by family, friends and even stranger about Do you eat chicken? Do you drink milk? Do you eat fish? What about eggs? Why are you just eating vegetables instead of the delicious tendering meat?
These are questions that I heard often, and I must admit that sometimes I do get tired of answering them. The short answer is I am a vegetarian because I care. I care about preventing the suffering of innocent creatures. I care about preventing world hunger. I care about the air we breathe in, and the water that flows in rivers or streams. And I also do care about my own health. I truly honestly believe that the most important thing I, as an individual, can do for any one of these things that I care about is to only consume vegetarian food.
I am a vegetarian since I was born into this humble world due to my family and religion matters, therefore I have not tried any other means of food other then vegetables. Well I have to face the fact that I’m a vegetarian. As time passes by I soon realize that the health benefits of vegetarian are massive.
Based on my research, I have learned that majority of audiences are not keen to turn their meat diet into vegetarian diet but when the audience encounter any major sickness they will automatically insist of changing into vegetarian diet. However this is not the major concern that I wanted people to conceal. I personally wanted people to understand the true benefits of vegetarian in long term instead of using vegetarian as a scapegoat while having illness. For that reason today my speech is to persuade you to change your diet into vegetarian diet. The three benefits of a vegetarian are Health, Endurance and Avoid Toxic Food Containments.
By eating animal products, such as meat and eggs, both of these foods are the main dietary sources of cholesterol and the head source of saturated fat which is the main causes of heart disease. By not consuming these foods it will dramatically reduces the risk of heart attack by 90 % (Joan Lang, 2006). The fiber in vegetarian diets removes unnecessary cholesterol and other cancer causing agents. A 1990 Study verified by Dr. William Castelli from University Hospital in Linkoping, Sweden that vegetarians overall are 20% less prone to die from heart attack than meat eaters.
With a low fat vegetarian diet, combined with exercise, it does help to reduce blood pressure and control or remove diabetes. Having vegetarian diet can also benefit asthmatics patients. According to a 1985 year long study which is conducted by the University Hospital in Linkoping, Sweden, over 90% of asthma patients had less severe and frequent attacks while having a vegetarian diet, and it can also reduces their need for medication (Dr. John McDougall, 2004).
Over 20 years of research at Loma Linda University in California shows that men who eat meat are prone to be three times more to suffer from prostate cancer than vegetarians. According to a study made by Dr. Takeshi Hirayama of the National Cancer Research Institute of Tokyo, vegetarianism reduces the risk of breast cancer in women by 35% (Dr. Takeshi Hirayama, 2005).
Animal products are basically high in fats and always lack of fiber. This is why vegetarians avoid animal fat, the eating which will link to cancer, and vegetables are rich with fiber and vitamins that help prevent cancer. According to University of Hawaii, on average, vegetarians ate about twice as much fiber as the meat eaters. Thus vegetarians are expected to suffer much less from constipation than meat eaters.
Almost everyone in this world needs more energy; however few people make the association between exhaustion and eating meat. Majority of people mistakenly believe that eating meat is crucial that will lead to good strength and health. In fact, eating meat is significantly reduces a person’s energy and contributes towards generally poor health.
Based in scientific studies, it shows that a vegetarian diet will improve in a person’s endurance and energy. Dr Yale Professor Irving Fisher conducted a test by comparing the stamina and strength of meat eating athletes to vegetarian athletes and inactive vegetarians. The results of the test are the meat eaters had far less endurance than even to the inactive vegetarians. Another research found out that athletes who change their diet to vegetarian gradually improve their endurance about three times as much as to those who ate meat.
A vegetarian diet is the perfect source of nutrients for the human body, basically a common vegetarian diet is based on vegetables, fruits and whole grains (Dr. T. Colin Campbell, 2002) which are low in fat, a good source of fiber, and rich in vitamins and minerals which will enhance our body energy. The main factor of a balanced vegetarian diet is carbohydrates, which are the perfect foundation for maximum endurance and energy.
Majority of people does not realize that meat products contain poison and toxins. For example, there was a bacterial outbreak traced back to a Michigan Meat Processing Plant that killed nine people and sixty other people were sickened. Millions of people become sick after eating meat that is contaminated throughout the years. There are few contaminants I would like to share which is Mad Cow Disease. This disease is caused by “ cow cannibalism” (John Robbins, 2006). This is usually done by feeding dead diseased animal parts to other animals from the same species. It will cause memory loss, loss of body control and lastly death.
Secondly, parasites which are available throughout eighty five percent of all pig related products even in many species of carnivores and omnivores. Parasite is a kind of worms that lives in a human digestive system. Such as tapeworms that are contracted from eating meat. These parasite stay attached in the intestine by stealing nutrients from out digested food thus causing malnutrition.
Meat products contain the most sources of pesticides in a human diet. Almost ninety five to ninety nine percent of toxic chemical residues in the American diet come from meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs (Roberta Larson Duyff, 2006). Pesticides contain numerous kind of toxin that can cause cancer, birth defects, abortions and even death.
In a nutshell, please eat vegetables and be healthy, the evidence is overwhelming. Eating meat is bad for your health, environment and everyone. On the contrary, vegetarian diet is delicious and nutritious which is the perfect source of energy for the human body. By choosing a vegetarian diet, you can have a perfect health, and the happiness of living at peace with your family, friends and the little ones in the animal kingdom.
