there are countless reasons to go veg. it's definitely the best way to help the animals. every second 289 animals are killed for the United States’ meat industry. that makes 17,340 in one minute, 1,040,400 in one hour, and 24,969,600 in just one day! by just becoming vegetarian, you can save at least 1000 animals in your lifetime. if you become vegan of course, you’ll be saving even more. a vegan, in case you don't know don't eat meat, dairy, eggs, or any other product coming from an animal; don’t wear leather, wool, or other materials that come from animals; don't use products which are tested on animals or that contain animal ingredients. Besides helping out animals, going veg is the best thing you can do for your health, and it's great for the environment. take responsibility for your actions and go veg! here are just a few reasons for you to think about.
reasons for PEOPLE:
If Americans reduced their meat consumption by 10% enough grain would be freed (12000 tons) to feed 60,000,000 people- the population of Great Britian.
If all Americans became vegetarian enough grain would be freed to feed 600,000,000 people- the population of India.
A child dies of starvation somewhere in the world, every 3 seconds.
reasons for LAND:
If they continue to clear American forests to raise cattle atthe present rate, in 50 years there will be none left.
From 1966-1983, 38% of the Amazon rain forest was destroyed for cattle grazing.
An inch of topsoil takes 200-1000 years to develop - yet in the USA they have lost around 1/3 of their prime topsoil in 200 years (around 7 inches) due to animal farming.
reasons for the ENVIRONMENT:
25 gallons of water is needed to make 1lb of wheat, but it takes 2500 gallons to produce 1lb of meat.
The water needed to make 10 lbs of steak is equal to an average household's
consumption of water in an entire year.
Enough petrol is used by a family of four eating beef for a year, to run a car for about 6 months.
70% of all grain is used to feed animals.
reasons for ANIMALS:
Fishers who use drift or other modern nets, kill millions of sea animals and disrupt the sea bed. Fishermens' nets kill about 10 times as many other animals as the ones they are trying to catch.
15,000,000,000 land animals are slaughtered every for food, and an unknown but
much larger number of sea animals (including thousands of dolphins caught
accidentally) are killed.
Several chickens are stuffed into battery cages together, unable
to even spread their wings and often not able to stand up. 95% of poultry suffer from injury before being killed.
Every year, millions of male chicks are gassed or pulped because they can not lay eggs, while their sisters go to the battery sheds.
Chicks are debeaked without anaesthetic so they won't hurt each other in the
unnaturally tight confines they're kept in. To us, this would be like having our
fingernails pulled out without anaesthetic.
Sows are kept crammed in stalls 1.3 x 1 metre on concrete or slatted floors, so small they
can not even turn around.
Cows naturally produce 5 litres of milk per day for their calves, but under the
systems of modern farming are made to produce 25-40 litres a day. This results
in swollen & inflamed udders, and they are soon worn out. Cows naturally live up to 20 years, but are slaughtered at 5-7 years when their milk production begins to fall.
Cows only give milk for 10 months after they have a calf, so they are routinely
artificially inseminated (or mechanically raped) to keep them pregnant and milking.
Their calves are taken away,usually at 12 hours old, for meat or export to veal
crates.
reasons for your HEALTH:
Vegetarians have a 20% lower rate of mortality from all causes (meaning they live longer
& don't get sick as often).
Vegetarians are 40% less likey to get of cancer than meat-eaters. This is thought to be because they have a higher intake of vitamins A,C & E.
Osteoporosis (due to calcium loss from bones) is mainly due to the sulphur content in
meat & casein protein in milk that cause calcium to be lost in the urine. The
countries with the highest meat & dairy consumption are those with the highest
levels of brittle bones.
Of 2,100,000 deaths in the USA in 1987, 1,500,000 were related to diet (meaning meat and/or dairy).
if you decide to go veg, good luck & stick with it. it may seem hard at first, but it gets easier, and you'll be very glad that you did. if you want to check out some more veg sites, visit the vegetarian section of my things to see page. also, check out some of the sites in the vegetarian ring below.
