Health Promotion, the Vegetarian Way
The word "Vegetarian" was coined by the
Vegetarian Society of the United
Kingdom in about 1847. The word does not
come from vegetable as is generally assumed: It is a derivation of the Latin
word ‘vegetari‘ which means to enliven.
The practice of vegetarianism, however, goes far back
in history. Many noted philosophers and religious teachers urged their
followers to avoid a flesh diet. Brahminism, Jainism, Zoraostrianism and
Buddhism acknowledged the sacredness of life and the need to live without causing
suffering; so did many of the early Christians. There are various types of
vegetarians. "Vegans" are the strictest vegetarians who eat only plant
foods and exclude all animal by-products such as eggs, milk, cheese, curd,
butter, ghee and even honey. There are "lacto vegetarians" who eat
plant foods as well as dairy products and "lacto-avo vegetarians" who
eat eggs besides plant foods and dairy products. There are even fish-eating
vegetarians. The common factor among them is that they do not eat the flesh of warm-blooded
animals. Meat seems to have assumed an exaggerated importance nutritionally. It
is generally mistakenly believed that nutritional deficiencies, especially of
proteins and vitamin B12 and poor health may result if animal foods are
eliminated. Studies however, have indicated to health problems or deficiency
diseases for those on a vegetarian diet. Of the 22 amino acids-the essential
components of proteins - needed by the body for its normal functioning, only
nine need be supplied by the diet as the body synthesizes the remaining 13. The
body can use 100 per cent of this protein if all ten amino acids are in ideal
proportions. If, however, one or more of the essential amino acids are present
in less than the ideal amount, the value of the entire protein is reduced in
the same proportions. On a quality rating scale of 1 to 100, egg protein is 95,
milk is 82, meat and poultry are 67, fish 80, grains are between 50 and 70, and
legumes, nuts and seeds are between 40 and 60. The so-called protein deficiency
in a vegetarian diet is in fact more imaginary than real as the contribution of the protein value of the green
vegetables has been ignored and the true
protein requirement is less than that assumed. Green vegetable protein is as
high in quality as milk protein and thus makes a very valuable contribution to
the vegetarian’s protein nutrition. The high quality of protein balances the lower
quality of other vegetarian proteins such as nuts and beans. The recommended
daily allowance of 70 value proteins is 44 grams per day for women and 56 for
men. Researchers have now discovered that the actual protein requirement is
much less, being 15 grams per day of 100 value protein or 21.5 grams of 70
value protein or 30 grams of 50 value protein. A wholesome vegetarian diet can,
therefore, easily meet the body’s protein needs. Moreover, it is possible to
combine two low-value plant proteins to get a protein of higher quality. Thus,
wheat which has a deficiency in the amino-acid lysine but an abundance of sulfur
containing amino-acids can be combined with beans which have the opposite
enrichment combination. Taken together, they complement each other to form a
complete protein. As regards the adequacy of B12 nutrition,
laco-avo vegetarians and lacto-vegetarians should not feel concerned on this
score, as the B12 needs can be easily supplied by dairy products and eggs.
A quarter liter of milk or 100 grams of cheese, or 1 egg per day will supply
the recommended daily allowance. This vitamin once eaten is stored in the
liver. Vegans, however, do not get this vitamin in their food, yet reliable
scientific studies have found no evidence of B12 deficiency
diseases. It is therefore, presumed that this vitamin can be synthesized in the
body.
Auto-Intoxication
Most diseases of the human body are caused by
auto-intoxication or self-poisoning. The flesh of animals increases the burden
of the organs of elimination and overloads the system with animal waste matter
and poisons. Chemical analysis has proved that uric acid and other uremic
poisons contained in the animal body are almost identical to caffeine, there
and nicotine, the poisonous stimulating principles of coffee, tea and tobacco.
This explains why meat stimulates the animal passions and creates a craving for
liquor, tobacco and other stronger stimulants. Excessive uric acid resulting
from meat-eating also causes diseases such as rheumatism, Bright’s disease, kidney
stones, gout and gall stones. Meat proteins cause putrefaction twice as rapidly
as do vegetable proteins. The morbid matter of the dead animal body is foreign
and uncongenial to the excretory organs of man. It is much harder for them to
eliminate the waste matter of an animal carcass than that of the human body.
Moreover, the formation of ptomains or corpse poisons begins immediately after
the death of the animal and meat and poultry are usually kept in cold storage
for many days and even months before they reach the kitchen. Another powerful
influence tends to poison the flesh of slaughtered animals. As is well known, emotions
of worry, fear and anger actually poison blood and tissues. Imagine the
excitable condition of animals after many days of travel, closely packed in
shaking vehicles - hungry, thirsty, scared en-route to the slaughter-houses.
Many die even before the end of their journey. Others are driven half dead with
fear and exhaustion to the slaughter pans, their instinctive fear of death
augmented by the sight and odour of the blood shambles. Flesh is often a
carrier of disease germs. Diseases of many kinds are on the increase in the animals,
making flesh foods more and more unsafe. People are continually eating flesh
that may contain tuberculosis and cancerous germs. Often animals are taken to
the market and sold for food when they are so diseased that their owners do not
wish to keep them any longer. And some of the processes of fattening them to
increase their weight and consequently their market value, produce disease.
Shut away from light and pure air, breathing the atmosphere of filthy stables,
perhaps fattening on decaying foods, the entire body now becomes contaminated
with foul matter.
Benefits of Vegetarianism
A vegetarian diet can have many nutritional benefits,
if it is rich in fruits and vegetables, and contains moderate amounts of seeds,
nuts, whole grains and legumes. One of the main benefits of a proper vegetarian
diet is its low caloric content in relation to the bulk supplied, which helps maintain
ideal weight. Another benefit of the vegetarian diet is the much
lower intake of fat, if dairy products, seeds and nuts are eaten sparingly.
This accounts for lower serum cholesterol levels found in vegetarians, which
considerably reduces the risk of developing heart diseases and breast and colon
cancer. A third nutritional advantage of the vegetarian diet is its high fibre
content. Fibre, being indigestible, increases the bulk of the faces, keeps them
soft and makes them easy to expel.
One study has indicated that lacto-avo vegetarians
consume twice as much and vagans four times as much fibre as non-vegetarians.
High fibre intake has been associated with decreased risks of diseases of the
colon, appendicitis, cancer of the colon and rectum, hiatus hernia, piles and
varicose veins. McCarrison, one of the greatest authorities on food, has
outlined a perfect diet. According to him, "a
perfectly constituted diet is one in which the principal ingredients are milk,
milk products, any whole cereal grain or mixture of cereal grains, green leafy vegetables
and fruits. These are the protective foods. They make good the defects of other
constituents of the diet, protect the body against infection and disease of
various kinds, and their use in sufficient quantity ensures physical
efficiency."
Vegetarianism is thus a system based on scientific
principles and has proved adequate for the best nutrition free from the poisons
and bacteria of diseased animals. It is the best diet for man’s optimum,
physical, mental and spiritual development.
Source: www.healthlibrary.com through
www.scribd.com
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