The most common question a vegetarian to meat-eater: “How can you eat meat if it causes suffering of innocent animals?”Let’s face it.
The term “vegetarianism” appeared in 1842 in the UK, where it was founded and the first vegetarian society. And in 1908, the fashion for this trend has swept the progressive world, got the international vegetarian Union. But if you look in the distant past, it becomes clear that vegetarianism was not typical for our ancestors. For example, the divine theory of the origin of man: Adam and eve first were vegetarian and coexisted peacefully with other living creatures that inhabited the garden of Eden.
But their children are unlikely to not eat meat: it is difficult to imagine that the herd from which was taken the sacrificial lamb that brought about the contention of Cain with Abel was intended exclusively for cutting hair. If we rely on Darwinian theory, which no one has refuted, we see that the higher primates – our supposed relatives, are also not vegetarians.
Yes, the main menu consists of anthropoid gifts of flora, but they do not disdain insects, worms, bird eggs, amphibians and small rodents, of course, if able to catch them. And some monkeys, inhabitants of the African savanna, have developed the skills of hunters, so we can compete with cheetahs and hyenas. Primitive people vegetarians, of course, were not. This is evidenced by the so-called dentition of our ancestors, where the fangs are the weapons of the predators, quite clearly expressed.
Forgive us staunch vegetarians, but, perhaps, that eating meat allowed humanity to become what it is today, and not to remain a dead-end branch of evolution. Whether the first humans vegetarians, their habitat was limited to the hot climatic zone, where all year round you can find vegetarian food. But to settle over cold land man never would: it would kill the cold and lack of food. But the tribes of hunters quite successfully mastered the new lands. The dead animal skins to keep out the cold meats from hunger, and the need to improve skills and tools for hunting developed hands and mind. Later, when humanity is for the most part took up a settled lifestyle, there was a more organized social structure, began to develop culture and has some signs of vegetarianism.
Historians believe that many tribes of farmers and ranchers temporarily switched to vegetarian food during the breeding cattle and feeding calves. However, most scientists believe that this time, refraining from animal food was more of a prototype of the modern religious fasts than vegetarianism.
Subsequently, vegetarianism is closely linked to religious, moral and ethical beliefs that were previously intertwined. So, belief in the reincarnation of the ancient Indians was the spread of vegetarianism: it’s hard to eat an animal, where (and if?) inhabits the soul of your great-grandmother or cousin.
Among the prominent representatives of ancient Greece and Rome was also a lot of vegetarians. Plato, Pythagoras, Plutarch, and many other scholars believed that the rejection of meat helps to cleanse the spirit, to strengthen the body, more complete understanding of the laws of nature and unity with it. In the religions that emerged later, for example, Christianity, Buddhism, the need to avoid animal products is not so mandatory. It is dictated by two main tenets: a rejection of the killing of living beings and the humility of the flesh by refraining from the delicious and hearty food. Be that as it may, today the underpinnings of vegetarianism are slightly different.
For religious reasons (amongst Europeans) become vegetarians a few. Quite a large proportion of those who are for reasons of morality: im sorry animals, or they do not accept the killing of living beings for food. Still others, while others care not so much about animals, but about their own health, the figure or just following a particular fashion, although, in fact, it’s not at all bad.
Who to be?
If you are attracted to the idea of vegetarianism and the idea to give up meat, then you first have to choose exactly what direction you closer to vegetarianism. Let’s look at different shapes in order of increasing restrictions on diet. Pseudovesicaria give up meat, sometimes poultry, but consume other animal products, that is, have the most diverse among all vegetarian diet. With this form it is better to start those who are planning to try suitable diet without meat. In addition, pseudolegitimate good way for patients with chronic cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus of the 2nd type, because it allows to limit the dietary intake of animal fats and do not lead to a drastic change of diet. Lactovegetarians and ovovegetarians in addition to plant foods use dairy products or eggs. Those who eat both are called lactoovovegetarians. This option is also suitable for new vegetarians, people with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, gout, urolithiasis with a predominance of urate stones.
On lactoovovegetarians power, it is desirable to move the women a vegetarian in preparation for pregnancy and during carrying a child and breastfeeding. Actually vegetarians, or vegans, eat only foods of plant origin. Allocate such direction as naturism, or raw food diet. Naturists use herbal products without the use of heat treatment, some of them allow the use of boiling water for steaming cereals and grains. From the point of view of classical nutrition raw food diet is too much. Over time, the human body can certainly adapt to this diet. On the other hand, naturists run the risk of in addition to nutrients to get harmful which are present in plants, but decaying during heat treatment. Take, for example, nitrogenous compounds, actively accumulating in root crops and other vegetables even in their personal cultivation. The boiling or stewing of the same potatoes, beets, pumpkin, zucchini reduces the nitrate content by 60 – 70 % and that’s quite essential. In addition, naturists doom yourself to not the most convenient in everyday terms: you agree that the rawfoodist not always easy to find a suitable dish in a restaurant or hotel.
The pros and cons of vegetarianism
Whether vegetarians live longer or better than meat eaters? For example, what numbers are the American statistics: the risk of dying from a heart attack at the American-meat – 50 %, pseudoehedrine – 15%, vegan – 4%. The risk of breast cancer in women vegetarian in 2 – 4 times lower than in women with normal nutrition. Vegetarians, obese, diabetes, gout, atherosclerosis, hypertension and other diseases of metabolic origin, is actually lower than among meat eaters. Women-vegetarian suffer less from premenstrual syndrome, menopause easier to carry, longer retain youth and beauty. According to the same statistics, the life expectancy of vegetarians and meat-eaters are almost identical. Is better health of vegetarians with their diet? At first glance it seems that it is. In the same work, where it talks about the benefits of vegetarianism, and tell about the massive amounts of antibiotics, hormones, cholesterol, fat, chlorine compounds, pesticides and other nasties entering the human body with meat, poultry, eggs, milk.
The numbers are impressive, but make you think: why the authors do not talk about the quality of the vegetarian food? Unless the harmful substances are only in meat? The same antibiotics, pesticides, nitrates, the same chlorine and sulphur and so much more available in plant foods, not to mention its genetic modification, which is not known as a haunt future generations. So then why do vegetarians get sick less? The answer should probably be sought in the very way they live their lives. Usually (if we are not talking about hereditary vegetarianism), to the type of food people come in conscious age, and the most common cause of rejection of meat is to take care of health.
But this concern applies not only to the change of diet among vegetarians few people Smoking, abusing alcohol and, conversely, many involved in sports or simply lead an active lifestyle, regularly taking vitamin supplements or dietary supplements.
Apparently, all this together with the exclusion from the diet of animal products helps vegetarians to maintain good health. Well, vegetarianism can harm your health? Yes, and this is often faced novice. A sharp transition to a plant-based diet can cause disorder of stool, bloating, flatulence. These problems subside with time, but may be other. One of the most common problems is protein deficiency. It arises from the fact that the vegetable protein is defective in its composition and poorly absorbed by the body. Lack of protein can lead to impaired immune and reproductive systems, disorders of hematopoiesis, endocrine disruptions. The most meticulous vegans solve this problem: dismantle the amino acid composition of each plant product and looking for such combinations in which the amino acid composition closest to the composition of animal protein. Others can also recommend to eat a more varied plant products in different combinations and to focus on protein sources such as cereals, legumes, nuts and sprouted grains. Another issue affecting the majority of vegetarians, and particularly vegetarian, iron deficiency. The fact is that no matter how rich they are vegan, it is poorly digested, as it has a different, less available than in animal products, form. A more or less pronounced iron deficiency is a vegan, but it is especially dangerous for pregnant, lactating or planning pregnancy women and women with abundant menstruation.
The problem of iron deficiency, however, is also solvable. The most rich sources of this mineral are buckwheat, beans, peas, chocolate, white mushrooms, blueberries. A lot of iron in oatmeal, millet, apples, persimmon, quince, figs and nuts. Iron absorption is increased in combination with citric, ascorbic acids and fructose. Therefore, iron-rich plant foods better to eat together with bell peppers, rose hips, sea buckthorn, parsley, dill, kiwi, and citrus and fruit juices without pulp. In addition to protein and iron in vegetarian diet lacking vitamins B2, B12, A, D, calcium, zinc, copper, selenium. Therefore, the addition of vegetarian diet of vitamin-mineral complexes or specialized supplements not only justified, but necessary. Another point worth mentioning is financial. As we have seen, a vegetarian diet requires a sufficient variety and prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, the higher quality, quite comparable with the prices of meat and fish, especially in winter. To get enough plant food is more difficult than animal products, so vegetarianism will not save to allow.
