{"id":13336,"date":"2011-07-11T12:00:24","date_gmt":"2011-07-11T11:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=13336"},"modified":"2011-07-06T13:36:13","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T12:36:13","slug":"the-3-reasons-to-give-up-meat-and-1-not-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2011\/07\/the-3-reasons-to-give-up-meat-and-1-not-to\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Reasons To Give Up Meat (And 1 Not To)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The 3 reasons to be vegetarian<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not talking about:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&gt; Vegetarians who take it literally \u2013 eating nothing but vegetables.<\/li>\n<li>&gt; Lazy vegetarians, who eat pizza for dinner, left over pizza for breakfast, and pasta with a jar of tomato sauce for lunch. They\u2019re not real vegetarians. They\u2019re just pretending, and it won\u2019t last.<\/li>\n<li>&gt; Self-righteous moralizing goody-goodies who like to make other people feel bad by making themselves feel better; trying to convert them to become as self righteous as they are. That\u2019s not what it\u2019s about. They just didn\u2019t grow up yet. They will.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The real vegetarians are people who know what I\u2019m talking about\u2026they eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses, grains, seaweeds\u2026and whatever other yummy stuff they can get their hands on (okay, apart from meat \u2013 more on that later). They also recognize that in order to really feel their best, some spiritual practice is required. So as well as eating a balanced diet, they live a balanced life: striving always for the proper mix of material and spiritual aspiration.<\/p>\n<p>So, <em>three<\/em> reasons you should either pat yourself on the back for keeping it real, or consider changing to a healthier, more sustainable, and ethical way of eating:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Your Health<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t care what anyone says. Yes, you\u2019ll find doctors who disagree with me on this, but I wouldn\u2019t pay much attention: doctors, despite their many years of\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">brainwashing<\/span> (oops, did I say that out loud?) education often haven\u2019t got much of a clue about\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/benralston.blogspot.com\/2010\/06\/what-is-health.html\"  target=\"_blank\">what health is<\/a>. They\u2019re too busy fixing problems.<\/p>\n<p>Being vegetarian is much better for your health than eating a diet that includes animal products.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than asking doctors for unbiased truth, you\u2019re better off asking insurance salesmen. I know that might sound funny but I\u2019m very serious (as always): there\u2019s a lot of money in insurance. That means that they get things right. So ask your insurance company \u2013 do they give better premiums for people who are vegetarian? Often they do \u2013 why? Because they know that there is less chance you\u2019ll get heart disease or cancer (two of the biggest causes of premature death?) if you\u2019re vegetarian. They know that as a vegetarian, you\u2019re more likely to live longer, and they\u2019re less likely to pay out. Yup, it comes down to simple economics.<\/p>\n<p>So, why is it\u00a0<em>healthier<\/em> to be vegetarian?<\/p>\n<p>Why do we eat? Primarily for energy. That energy comes from the sun. All energy comes from the sun, in one way or another. (Even oil, when you think about it, is bottled sunlight \u2013 sunlight that fell to the earth millions of years ago and was fossilized and buried for a long time, but sunlight nonetheless!)<\/p>\n<p>When you eat a plant-based diet, you are getting that sunlight directly:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plant absorbs the sun\u2019s energy<\/li>\n<li>Photosynthesis occurs<\/li>\n<li>You eat the plant, and<\/li>\n<li>Bingo! You absorb the energy and feel goood!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When you eat a meat-based diet, you are getting second hand sunlight:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plant absorbs sunlight<\/li>\n<li>Photosynthesis occurs<\/li>\n<li>Cow eats plant<\/li>\n<li>Digests plant and<\/li>\n<li>Gets sunlight directly<\/li>\n<li>Then you eat the cow, and<\/li>\n<li>Get a little of that sunlight, but let\u2019s face it, not much.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To digest that meat takes a lot of work for little energetic reward. It\u2019s not worth it!<\/p>\n<p>Health (as I said in the article linked to above) is not just about avoiding sickness. It\u2019s about\u00a0<em>feeling fantastic<\/em>. Yes, there are many people who eat meat and avoid sickness, there\u2019s no disputing that. However, I believe that generally, it\u2019s possible to feel more fantastic eating a vegetarian diet than it is eating meat. The reason being simply that your body will be lighter \u2013 yes, most likely in terms of weight, but also and more importantly in terms of\u00a0<em>photons<\/em>. Your body actually\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.livescience.com\/health\/090722-body-glow.html\"  target=\"_blank\">contains light<\/a>. You are light. That\u2019s why we eat sunlight and drink water. That\u2019s what we are.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Yes\u2019, I hear you say, \u2018but we\u2019re also meat\u2019. Well, sure, but do you want to feed the dense, gross, material aspect of yourself, or the subtle, light, spiritual aspect of yourself. That\u2019s what it comes down to on the issue of health, and I know what I choose.<\/p>\n<p>You are what you eat. The reason it\u2019s a clich\u00e9 is because it\u2019s true \u2013 every culture has an equivalent saying. However, and please pay close attention to this: it\u2019s not just\u00a0<em>your body<\/em> that IS what you eat. It\u2019s every aspect of you. What you eat is reflected in your thoughts, your desires, your senses, your emotions, your deeper feelings\u2026 every aspect of your consciousness. YOU ARE what you eat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. The Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our environment is\u2026 messed up. (I\u2019m trying to give up swearing. It\u2019s tough sometimes. This is one of those times).<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018What has the environment got to do with meat<\/em>\u2019 you might ask? Well, a lot.<\/p>\n<p>As Ramesh Bjonnes pointed out in his\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.elephantjournal.com\/2010\/07\/peta-eat-carrots-not-cows-and-save-the-planet-from-global-warming\/\" >recent article<\/a> on the connection between meat consumption and global warming, the meat industry is now considered by many to be the leading contributor to global warming; more so \u201cthan all forms of transportation combined\u201d!\u00a0<em>Wow<\/em>. Or as they say here in Slovenia, land of forested hill-top churches and castles and bees:\u00a0<em>Uau<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Meat is not economically viable: it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh.<\/li>\n<li>A huge amount of land is required to graze livestock and grow the grain necessary to feed that.That land could be put to much better use.Not to mention the issues of soil erosion, desertification, and threat to indigenous species that are implicit with overgrazing. Or the rain-forests that have been cut down to make space for that land\u2026<\/li>\n<li>The meat industry pollutes massively. The VAST amount of water necessary for the rearing of animals and\u00a0 growing their feed, gets polluted; the land gets polluted (from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feedcrops, and sediments from eroded pastures.);\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eutrophication\"  target=\"_blank\">eutrophication<\/a> occurs.<\/li>\n<li>The meat industry is responsible for biodiversity loss on the planet. Care much about the thousands of species that are becoming extinct every year?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>3. The Animals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are about 6 billion of us humans on the planet. Each year in the U.S. alone (not counting China, or Europe, or anywhere else \u2013 just the U.S.) around ten\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Long_and_short_scales\"  target=\"_blank\">billion<\/a> animals are slaughtered (source: Wikipedia). I believe this may be a very conservative estimate \u2013 I\u2019ve seen estimates of up to 40 billion. Nevertheless, if you think of this on a global scale, and then factor in the fish: you realize that the meat industry is actually responsible for the slaughter of many, many times more beings than there are people on the planet. Each year it starts all over again. How many animals and fish is that in my \/ your lifetime? I dread to think, but if you want you can do the math.<\/p>\n<p>However, that\u2019s only one side to the story: how a being lives is more important than how it dies. How do the vast majority of these animals live: in squalor and without dignity. Think of the worst Nazi concentrion camp, and you\u2019re halfway there.<\/p>\n<p>I have no quarrel with killing an animal for food. Try telling the Inuit that they shouldn\u2019t eat fish, or the indigenous people of Tibet that it\u2019s cruel to eat Yak \u2013 they\u2019ll laugh long and loud.<\/p>\n<p>But what a difference there is between killing an animal with respect and dignity, out of necessity, and \u2018growing\u2019 animals industrially with no basic rights (fresh air, clean water, a little space) in order to slaughter them in a manner that is at best cruel, but usually amounts to torture.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists tell us that everything is energy. What happens to the energy of suffering, pain, and indignity caused by our meat industry? Because you know, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted to another form. What happens to that energy I wonder?\u00a0What happens to it\u2026?<\/p>\n<p>****<\/p>\n<p>Well, I\u2019ve listed 3 good reasons to give up eating meat. For the sake of balanced and unbiased journalism, let\u2019s at this point ask: \u2018what are the reasons for eating meat?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s only one good argument that I\u2019ve heard for eating meat: it tastes good. It\u2019s a great reason, because it\u2019s honest. To many people, it does indeed taste good. I myself must admit to occasional cravings.<\/p>\n<p>However, if we\u2019re really truthful with ourselves, we see that in no way can a meat-based diet be justified; in the light of the environmental, economic, ethical, and health crises that we are living through today, giving up meat is quite simply one of the smartest, and best choices you can make.<\/p>\n<p>_____________________<\/p>\n<p><em>Ben Ralston is an advanced Sivananda Yoga teacher, and Reference Point Therapist\/healer. He also trains Reference Point Therapy practitioners. Ben says: &#8220;All is consciousness. Nothing else exists&#8230; your body, your emotions, your thoughts: all are expressions of your true essence &#8211; consciousness. When you realize that (through direct experience) life becomes a great deal simpler and more joyful.&#8221; Connect with Ben on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Ben-Ralston\/110865828967001?ref=sgm\" >Facebook<\/a>, find out more about his unique retreats at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/premcenter.si\/\" >Prem Center<\/a>, and find more of his writing about yoga, healing, holistic health, and personal empowerment on his blog <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/benralston.blogspot.com\/\" >Grounded Spirituality<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.elephantjournal.com\/2010\/08\/the-3-reasons-to-give-up-meat-and-1-not-to\/\" >Go to Original \u2013 elephantjournal.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The real vegetarians are people who know what I\u2019m talking about\u2026they eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses, grains, seaweeds\u2026and whatever other yummy stuff they can get their hands on (okay, apart from meat \u2013 more on that later). They also recognize that in order to really feel their best, some spiritual practice is required. So as well as eating a balanced diet, they live a balanced life: striving always for the proper mix of material and spiritual aspiration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[170],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-animal-rights-vegetarianism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13336\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}