I have never seriously thought about being vegan. Vegetarian, yes, but veganism just seemed so extreme- until I read the book. I imagine it is one of the books of scripture to vegans everywhere. Mormons convert with the BOM and Vegans covert with The Food Revolution.
The author, John Robbins(son of the Robbins from Baskin Robbins), convinced me after the first few chapters. Every chapter thereafter just reinforced to me the fact that one of the best things I can do for myself and world right now is to avoid animal products. I'll tell you why (briefly, and I don't have the book in front of me because my dad is reading it, so I'll do the best I can.)
1-Animal protein is hard on your body and is linked to cancer and diabetes.
2-Animal products today contain hormones, diseases, and are irradiated to kill bacteria.
3-The meat and dairy industries in America are corrupt, profit-driven entities who appear not to care at all for the health of Americans.
4-Animals are treated atrociously in American factory farms. (cows sometimes skinned alive, pigs kept in dark crates stacked on top of eachother their whole lives, Animals are pumped so full of growth hormones their legs can't support them, Chickens starved repeatedly so they will produce more eggs, and on and on)
5-One pound of beef requires about 5,000 gallons of water to produce.
6-Third world countries such as Brazil have converted rainforest land and land previously used to grow grain for locals into pastureland for cattle, which, being too expensive for most Brazilians, is shipped to America.
7-The oceans are being literally vacuumed clean. Fish farms cannot solve the problem.
8-If Amercans reduced their beef consumption by even 10%, it would free land for growing crops that could feed millions. (Sorry, I can't remember the exact statistic given in the book. Not that he could possible come up with an accurate statistic for that, but I figure even if he is off by several million, it is still compelling)
10-As the world's population increases, so will the hunger problem if we don't start using our land resources more wisely (in a way that will provide the most food for the most people). According to the book (published in 2001) half of Earth's landmass is pastureland for animals or used to grow food for animals intended for slaughter.
I hesitate to even post this, because I feel like I am doing such a poor job of conveying Robbins' message. You really must read the book. You can purchase it online from Amazon for about 5 dollars.
That being said, I hope no one feels like I will judge you for not reading the book, or for not joining my new religion (jk). It can be difficult to take a stand on issues without making those who disagree feel like you think you are somehow better than them. I don't, I won't, I promise. Because of that phenomenon, I hesitate to take a stand on very many issues, but this one just feels so right to me. I wish I had known earlier, and that is why I feel like I must tell the people I love about how important this book is.
Once I have my book back, I will post some more specifics from the book. I read it about two weeks ago and I have the memory of a not-elephant, so...
4 comments:
Thanks,Carrie for having the courage to tell everyone about this. I haven't been more vocal about this (I am almost-vegan)because I was too afraid to offend anyone, but I want you all to know that I feel very strongly about this as well.
I joined the vegan "religion" not too long ago and that was one of the books that convinced me to join. (some of the others are "The China Study,"by T. Colin Campbell and "Diet For a New America,"also by John Robbins.)
I decided to become vegan because it is healthy for the environment and for myself. I didn't know how atrociously factory-farmed animals were treated until I read John Robbin's books. It is depressing!
Carrie didn't mention some of the health benefits of becoming vegan. In countries that have low consumption of animal products, heart disease is virtually unknown. Although the women eat much less calcium than we do, they do not get osteoporosis. (Animal protein creates an acidic environment in our bodies, so calcium is pulled from our bones and then excreted.)Cancer rates are much lower in countries who don't eat animal foods. Campbell found that casein, a protein found in milk, promotes cancer.
I quit buying animal products after reading those books and I have had to learn some new recipes and make some adjustments, but it is not hard. The food tastes great, I feel better, and I have more energy.
It is a myth that you will not get enough protein on a vegan diet. There is plenty of protein in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. You should be more worried about getting too much protein! (too much protein in the diet causes problems!)Calcium and iron is rich in green leafy vegetables. The only nutrient you need worry about when you have a balanced and varied vegan diet is B-12 and you can get that from certain brands of nutritional/brewer's yeast, fortified soymilk, and supplements.
You can win a free vegan cookbook...check it out here: Robust Cooking: Win a Free Cookbook!
Roach, thanks for filling in some of my blanks. I am glad you mentioned more about the health benefits because I was kind of drawing a blank in that category.
You had me at #5. 5000 gallons? Beef should be illegal.
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