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| Here are some questions
commonly asked of vegetarians and vegetarianism |
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| Q: Can you really
get enough protein and what do you substitute for meat? |
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A: Actually, it is meat that is the substitute for more natural
vegetable foods as the vegetable kingdom is the real source
of all protein. Vegetarians simply eat their protein "direct"
instead of getting it second-hand from vegetarian animals.
Good protein sources include:
- most nuts and seeds, which are made up of about 15-30%
of mainly complete-balance protein
- legumes (peas, beans, lentils), which are made up of about
6-8% protein in their fresh state
- leafy greens, which contribute an excellent quality protein
in significant amounts, though to a lesser extent than nuts
and legumes
- for many vegetarians, dairy products and/or eggs
- wholegrains, which on average are made up of 10-12% protein
- nutritional yeast, which contains about 50% protein.
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| Q: Isn't it difficult
to plan vegetarian meals, and boring just eating spinach and
celery? |
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A: Plus a hundred other types of vegetables
and the delicious seeds and nuts, all the luscious ripe fruits,
the wholegrains, and (for most vegetarians) the variety of dairy
products - contributing to the innumerable delightful recipes
that can be made from tempting natural ingredients! "Vegetarian"
does not mean "straw-eater" or "muncher of vegetables
only". Using the great assortment of vegetarian recipe
books available, a vegetarian can be (and often is) quite the
gourmet. Many vegetarians prefer to simplify their diet but
this is by choice, not through lack of imagination or possibilities.
Vegetarian fare can be nutritious and well-balanced, attractive
and tasty, yet simple and easy to prepare. Another nice dividend
is that we are liberated from the drudgery of cleaning up greasy,
fat-soaked pans and sticky ovens. |
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| Q: Won't
the animals overrun the earth if we don't kill and eat them?
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| A: It is difficult to imagine how, considering
that virtually all the meat we use from land animals and birds
comes from pitiful domesticated or even caged creatures whom
we have specifically bred for this purpose. At a time when we
are exterminating so many species from the face of the earth
through greed and rapacious ecological ignorance and manipulation,
it should be clear that it is we - not the animals - who are
in danger of overrunning the earth. |
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| Q: Can I raise my
children as vegetarians? |
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| A: Yes, if you want to them to have the best
chance of enjoying good health and a long vigorous life. Medical
and dental studies prove that, compared with their meat-eating
counterparts, children raised on a vegetarian diet that emphasises
recommended natural wholefoods have far better teeth and much
greater freedom from so-called children's diseases as well as
from colds, allergies and problems of degenerative diseases. |
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| Q: Isn't it hypocrisy
for a vegetarian to wear furs or leather shoes? |
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A: It depends on the person's motives for
being a vegetarian. If their choice is based on healthful reasons,
then it would not be necessarily be inconsistent to wear fur
or leather. Some vegetarians may justify wearing leather on
the grounds that it is a byproduct of slaughter rather than
a prime cause of it. On the other hand, most of those who choose
to be vegetarian for ethical reasons would of course oppose
killing animals for furs as well as food. Many have chosen to
wear shoes made of natural or synthetic non-animal materials
rather than leather.
In other words, vegetarianism is not a monolithic cult; it embraces
many points of view, from the basic vegetarians (who does not
eat meat, fish and fowl) to the vegan (who uses no food, clothing,
soaps, cosmetics etc that contain any animal ingredients). |
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| Q: But don't some
experiments indicate that plants have an awareness of their
surroundings? |
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A: Wonderful, at last we are making progress
in educating the public! Vegetarians have been battling for
centuries against the cynical attitude that even animals are
unfeeling brutes. The concern with plant consciousness is in
keeping with the ancient teachings of vegetarian sages of India.
Further, scientific experiments in this field were pioneered
over half a century ago by vegetarian Dr Bose, who discovered
a rudimentary "consciousness" in plants, albeit a
greatly different type from humans and other animals.
There are obviously many varying degrees of conscious awareness
(such as - in the human - wakefulness, sleep, hypnosis). But
we need no Crescograph or Polygraph to prove that other animals
experience the same pain and emotions as we do. Most vegetarians
accept the moderate and reasonable view that plants at least
do not have a sensory nervous system or physical brain with
which to sense actual pain, whatever subtle psychic factor may
be present. As we cannot live on the sand and stones of the
world we are obliged to live by utilising the plant kingdom
- an intermediate form of life between the "dead"
mineral kingdom and the highly developed animal world of which
we are part.
Even so, almost any vegetarian food can be taken without necessarily
killing a plant. For example, we need not kill to gather ripe
fruits and nuts, berries, melons, seeds, legumes, tomatoes,
squashes, pumpkins, cucumber, okras, peppers and so many other
vegetables. Potatoes are dug from the ground after the plant
has died. We can pick a few leafy greens at a time in our own
garden, leaving the plant alive and well. Vegetables are generally
annuals, harvested at the end of their natural life.
Of course, in common commercial practice, many live plants are
turned under by the plough, many fruit trees are axed down long
before they would die of old age, and so on. At the same time,
it is far more efficient for us to eat plants directly than
to eat meat, which requires an animal to eat up to 10 times
as much vegetable food in order for us to gain the same food
value. Clearly, the question of conservation and even "kindness
to plants" can only be a strong point for vegetarianism.
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| Q: There is so much
cruelty to people, why do you waste time on animals? |
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| A: Consider this quote from historical French
poet and statesman, Lamartine: |
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| "We have not two
hearts - one for the animals, the other for humankind.
In the cruelty towards the former and the cruelty toward
the latter, there is no other difference than in the victim." |
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Can we really separate cruelty to fellow
humans, to children, to animals or to nature and the environment?
If we never learn to have compassion, pity and mercy or to seek
justice for the weak and defenceless, are we likely to act fairly
and justly towards those who are in a stronger position to defend
themselves?
All cruelty, injustice and brutality poisons and stifles the
finer nature of humanity; all kindness helps to make a better
world for all. Vegetarianism - and all that it implies - offers
immense potential benefit for animal and human alike. There
is no question of choosing between them. |
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