Monday May 28, 2007, 8:03 pm
Imagine the health benefits, too!

Monday May 28, 2007, 11:24 pm
I think everybody knows the benefits for the environment of being a veggie, but people still are to busy thinking what they are going to miss on the short term and not what they are gaining on the long term; a better world for all living creatures.

Monday May 28, 2007, 11:26 pm
For us AND the planet,Johanna!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 8:45 am
Noted. Thanks, Pam!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 11:17 am
You GO, GIRL!! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!! And what GREAT NEWS for your FIRST STORY!!!!! THANKS, PAM
Barb xxxx

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 11:39 am
This is so amazing that a government is acknowledging this and investigating veganism's potential!!! Yay!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 12:15 pm
Thank you!!
It's no secret that a diet rich in animal fats is no good for our health. Moreover, feeding upon the suffering of another sentient being is not right.
This is just great news!!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 12:37 pm
Great news! Thanks Pam

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 2:29 pm
I'm for the plan. Cows look like such gentle creatures.

I've never been to the UK, but from what I've seen, they love to consume beef, as do many countries. How do you stop them? What happens to all the cows - and the ranchers? Here in the southwest US, ranchers rule the day. They have a lot of the state politicians in their pockets.

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 3:07 pm
This isn't a bad idea. BUT, there is always that but for controversial people, but "this is going to limit out rights" says the media and population. This would be a great idea if other poeple didn't use it for money. The meat sellers will definitely oppose this, so will people who like their meat. If this does come to happen though, people are going to riot, "There is a conspiracy! They are not letting us have free will, blah blah blah." You know the stories some will make up and say.

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 4:18 pm
No question all governments ought make veganism official government policy. Only question would be how far to go in passing substantive laws outlawing omnivorism.

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 4:35 pm
Great! I can think of no better way to keep people eating meat than having the government telling them they should go veggy! It is time to overthrow the Nanny State and let people go back to living their own lives!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 4:52 pm
I've been vegetarian for 19 years - best decision I've ever made and I will go on the record SUPPORTING legislated vegetarianism for the planet. So tired of selfish humans and their destruction, and people hiding behind excuses of *their* rights and *their* culture to justify ruining the planet. NO MORE !!!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 5:10 pm
Good work Pam! Since participating on this site, I have found it very disturbing to eat meat. Bye-Bye meat!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 6:23 pm
I FEEL THE SAME AS KAREN. I'VE ALREADY MANAGED NOT TO EAT MEAT. THE BAD THING IS WHEN WE EAT AT SOMEBODY ELSE"S PLACE. ANY SUGGESTION? THANKS FOR SPREADING THIS SUBJECT AND BRINGING THIS DISCUSSION TO LIGHT. IT HELPS ALOT!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 7:30 pm
Pam, I appreciate your efforts in bringing this article to our attention. I feel that folks should at least consider reducing their meat consumption. I wish the whole world world go veggie, but I know that is unrealistic. I was reading one comment on the article page and the person remarked, "If eating meat was good enough for my ancestors, it is good enough for me". and I thought to myself, isn't it silly how some people won't even face the truth. Veggie lifestyle is best for us and the planet! big hugs to you Pam!

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 7:56 pm
'secret plan' makes it sound as if it's an insidious plan that needs to be implemented in secret because it is bad and therefore can't be implemented honestly. i think articles should carry titles that are not misleading, or suggestive of something that isn't there.

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 9:52 pm
well i don`t necesarily approve this plan ,i do eat meat ocasionally when i can afford it ,i grow what i can and have to go to the food bank often .if everyone became a veggie ,then we would only be adding to the already problemeatic farming in many countries.if we did away with animals then they would produce more artificial fertilizers using more fossil fuels to do so .as most are made from petrol and natural gas.this will lead to more runoff and polution as well as killing the fish .there is already starvation in alot of countries and with the push for ethanol as fuel this will only make things worse for vegi production . if everyone planted a victory garden like was done in WW11 this would help .if you want to go veggi then by all means do so . blessings to all

Tuesday May 29, 2007, 9:58 pm
Whats wrong with a good burger now and then? I love all foods. I think this is to much of a restricions on freedom to do to our selves that we want. Sorry, a "leaked email" come on....

I am way more for this.
Others include putting windmills on rooftops, driving electric cars and banning plastic bags.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 12:13 am
I see nothing wrong with a governmental policy advocating meat abstention. Governments often take policy stands aimed at improving the health of citizens. Most governments do not approve of smoking, meat consumption is just another health and environmental concern. There is no good reason to ingest the flesh of another species besides sheer habit or meat lust. I am a 55-year vegetarian and at age 61, am extremely youthful and healthier than most people half my age. I am an ethical vegetarian, animals in the barbaric meat industry suffer terribly. It's selfish to contribute to that suffering.

Walt, I agree about private gardens. I also grow much of our own food and would not even think of using animal fertilizers or any from a chemical source. I use selected compost and grow lovely, large, healthy vegetables.

Leonor, when invited to someone's home for dinner, there is always plenty to eat. Simply choose the side dishes, breads, appetizers and desserts. If offered a plate of deceased animal, just quietly state that you do not eat meat. Intelligent people think nothing of it, do not try to press the issue and actually admire your conviction. Before long, those with whom you are close or visit often will make other provisions when you are there.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 12:48 am
Thanks Pam - noted!!

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 2:31 am
For me this is very welcome news! Many people are too selfish and have no interest in understanding the cruelty of meat and dairy production and the harm done to our Earth...... if they wont go half way to considering the facts, then I wholeheartedly endorse a little 'gentle' (hee-hee) guidance by the government. I had to laugh at the comment on the website about asbos for people spotted eating a pork pie! lol

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 3:30 am
Eliza - just as a matter of curiosity - what's an asbos?

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 6:52 am
This will be a great benefit to humans and the mother earth but the main problem is the corporation industrials

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 8:17 am
Great post Pam. It takes 9kgs of grain to produce 1kg of steak apparently.Nine kgs of grain will feed a lot more people than 1kg of steak.It also takes huges amounts of water to produce that 1 kg of steak. The reason there is a methane problem from ruminants is because greedy people are breeding them up and keeping such large herds.The grain that feeds these animals would more than adequately feed the starving masses.In the old days people had their own everything so there was the right amount and little or no waste.Now we have a few people mass producing everything so there is massive wastage,probably enough just from USA, UK and Australia to feed the rest of the world. We really need to revise our very bad and wasteful habits.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:00 am
On a slightly different note...I don't think many people's unwillingness to switch over to a 100% veg diet has to do with not wanting to comprehend the abuse and cruelty that goes on. For some, it has to do with not really having the information or guidance to switch over to a veg diet while being diabetics or suffering from deficiencies, which does not really allow them to consume a whole veg diet as easily as others. For others, it may be that the amount of produce that they can actually buy may not be in good quality or there may not be enough of a variation to survive on a strictly veg diet. Others just can't afford it, and when it comes down to it choose the frozen chicken pack with 100 for 2.99 over the 5 euro strawberries, etc. We have to remember that many people still have ideas of a veg diet being extremely unhealthy, so it will take time to switch over or to even have more people consider it...

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:12 am
You are either health concious and environmentally concious or you are not. Dido Julia on people's misperception of how healthy vegan diet is, my hubby still says everytime I get the sniffles or a hang nail, if you ate meat you would be better. I have a thin waste he needs work LOL. Yet it does not seem to register with him.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:19 am
i am a veggie for at least 25 years, if not more and i would never touch meat, eggs etc, ever again, it stinks and i think it is a very good idea, saves a lot of lives and maybe the animals will be treated better too, because if nobody buys meat, nobody will sell it either and the bible of greed will get a bit thinner too. i love animals and would never eat them, irks!!!

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:31 am
How humans are not physically created to eat meat
http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg3.htm

Although some historians and anthropologists say that man is historically omnivorous, our anatomical equipment ­ teeth, jaws, and digestive system ­ favors a fleshless diet. The American Dietetic Association notes that "most of mankind for most of human history has lived on vegetarian or near-vegetarian diets."



And much of the world still lives that way. Even on most industrialized countries, the love affair with meat is less than a hundred years old. It started with the refrigerator car and the twentieth-century consumer society. But even with the twentieth century, man's body hasn't adapted to eating meat. The prominent Swedish scientist Karl von Linne states, "Man's structure, external and internal, compared with that of the other animals, shows that fruit and succulent vegetables constitute his natural food." The chart below compares the anatomy of man with that of carnivorous and herbivorous animals.



When you look at the comparison between herbivores and humans, we compare much more closely to herbivores than meat eating animals. Humans are clearly not designed to digest and ingest meat.



Meat-eaters: have claws

Herbivores: no claws

Humans: no claws



Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue

Herbivores: perspire through skin pores

Humans: perspire through skin pores



Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding

Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding



Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly

Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.



Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat

Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater

Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater



Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.

Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits

Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits



Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains

Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

Based on a chart by A.D. Andrews, Fit Food for Men, (Chicago: American Hygiene Society, 1970)





Clearly if humans were meant to eat meat we wouldn't have so many crucial ingestive/digestive similarities with animals that are herbivores.



Many people ask me, "If we weren't supposed to eat meat than why do we?". It is because we are conditioned to eat meat. Also, the ADA (American Dietetic Association) tells us that "most of mankind for most of human history has lived on a vegetarian or Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.



A popular statement that meat eaters say is; "In the wild, animals kill other animals for food. It's nature." First of all, we are not in the wild. Secondly, we can easily live without eating meat and killing, not to mention we'd be healthier. And finally, as I have already shown, we weren't meant to eat meat. Meat and seafood putrefies within 4 hours after consumption and the remnants cling to the walls of the stomach and intestines for 3-4 days or longer than if a person is constipated. Furthermore, the reaction of saliva in humans is more alkaline, whereas in the case of flesh-eating or preying animals, it is clearly acidic. The alkaline saliva does not act properly on meat.



The final point I would like to make on how we as humans were not meant to eat meat is this. All omnivorous and carnivorous animals eat their meat raw. When a lion kills an herbivore for food, it tears right into the stomach area to eat the organs that are filled with blood (nutrients). While eating the stomach, liver, intestine, etc., the lion laps the blood in the process of eating the dead animals flesh. Even bears that are omnivores eat salmon raw. However, eating raw or bloody meat disgust us as humans. Therefore, we must cook it and season it to buffer the taste of flesh.



If a deer is burned in a forest fire, a carnivorous animal will NOT eat its flesh. Even circus lions have to be feed raw meat so that they will not starve to death. If humans were truly meant to eat meat, then we would eat all of our meat raw and bloody. The thought of eating such meat makes one’s stomach turn. This is my point on how we as humans are conditioned to believe that animal flesh is good for us and that we were meant to consume it for survival and health purposes. If we are true carnivores or omnivores, cooking our meat and seasoning it with salt, ketchup, or tabasco sauce would disguise and we as humans would refuse to eat our meat in this form.



Overall advantages of vegetarianism
You can indeed reap a lot of benefits by being a vegetarian and people have become more aware of the health benefits of being a vegetarian. Animal rights issues is only one of the reasons why people decide to go on a vegetarian diet. People are beginning to care more about the environment. However, the main reason why people go on vegetarian diet is because of health benefits.



Meat is not good for you as it clogs your thinking. This is especially true if you eat red meat; white meat has less fat compared to red meat. Excessive intake of fats into your body can result in having a high level of cholesterol. If you think that not eating meat is going to make you look scrawny or unhealthy please think again. Just imagine that cows, goats, gorillas, elephants, rhinoceroses and so on are all vegetarians (herbivores) but look at how tough these animals are, not to mention their life span which is longer compared to the carnivores (meat eating animals).



If you look at the chicken and vulture (carnivores), these animals eat just about everything and notice how unhealthy these animals look. The Chinese believe that the chi or life force in your body is less when you consume meat and so do the Indians with their ancient yogic principles, their life force was called prana.



The great Tai Chi masters of China were adept at preserving their chi, even if some of the masters were not vegetarians, they still had a balanced diet. It has now been scientifically proven that a balanced vegetarian diet is better compared to a diet that is taken with meat.



There are a lot of misconceptions about being a vegetarian; protein is one of the main topics of debate as a lot of people think that you can only get protein from meat. Vegetarians get a lot of protein, if they eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. What vegetarians don't get is the excess protein of traditional American diet, excess that leads to kidney overload and mineral deficiency diseases.



A lot of people also think that a vegetarian diet is not a balanced diet. Vegetarian diets have a proportion of three macronutrients, which are complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Vegetarian food sources (plants) tend to be higher sources of most micronutrients. Another myth that needs to be clarified is the so-called lack of calcium among vegetarians. Many vegetables, especially green, leafy ones, have a good supply of calcium. The truth is that vegetarians suffer less from osteoporosis (a deficiency of calcium that leads to weak bones).



It is not my intention to force people to become vegetarians. However, vegetarianism is my answer to complete health and wholeness. The three issues to consider in regard to vegetarianism are: spiritual, mental, and physical (nutritional).



The spiritually aspiring person attempts to work on his/her self. The purpose of spiritual growth is to move away from the animal nature into the more human nature that God intended for us to have. Meat eating inhibits this. Again, the same science that sometimes attempts to ignore the existence of a force higher than man also has proved, in the laboratory, that aggression levels are much higher in meat eaters than non-meat eaters! The animal instincts become more powerful every time you eat meat. Another spiritual aspect of being a meat eater is when one must question the necessity and the method as well as the karma of killing animals. However, everyone has their own mores which they must determine for themselves. It is not the purpose of my dissertation to force a specific moral behavior on anyone. Most spiritual people believe auras. Kirilian photography shows us that a force field remains around dead or amputated tissue. You adopt that animal aura when you eat a dead animal. Fruits and vegetables have a higher vibrational aura than animal products. Is it not personal evolution that the spiritual candidate is interested in? If so, meat eating is urgently prohibited.



“You are what you eat”, is a slogan that I love to use to show the mental aspect of vegetarianism. When animals are slaughtered, fear and aggression enzymes are shot into their cells from their glands and other organs, just as in humans, and are part of the dead carcass that goes on to the food store. They remain in the meat until the consumer ingests those same enzymes, which are molecularly very similar to those found in humans. Fruits and vegetables do not have emotions; therefore, when they are picked they do not release any emotions cells prior to digestion. The enzymes within fruits and vegetables supply the body with sufficient nutrients that will always uphold a healthy state of mind.



Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients; the very thing the body needs to live a long disease and pain free life. The same cannot be said for meat. Nutritionally, the alkaline-based digestive system of humans will not properly break down substantial acid substances, the greatest of which is meat.



Colon cancer is rampant! This is caused by the slow evacuation and the putrefaction in the colon of the remains of meat. Lifelong vegetarians never suffer from such an illness. Many meat eaters believe that meat is the sole source of protein. However, the quality of this protein is so poor that little of it can ever be utilized by humans because it is incomplete and lacks the correct combination of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Studies show that the average American gets five times the amount of protein needed. It is a common medical fact that excess protein is dangerous, the prime danger being that uric acid (the waste product produced in the process of digesting protein) attacks the kidneys, breaking down the kidney cells called nephrons. This condition is called nephritis; the prime cause of it is overburdening the kidneys. More usable protein is found in one tablespoon of tofu or soybeans than the average serving of meat!



Have you ever seen what happens to a piece of meat that stays in the sun for three days? Meat can stay in the warmth of the intestine for at least four days until it is digested. It does nothing but wait for passage. Often, it usually stays there for

much longer, traces remaining for up to several months. Colonic therapists always see meat passing through in people who have been vegetarians for several years, thus indicating that meat remains undigested there for a long time. Occasionally this has been documented in twenty-year vegetarians!



Some vegetarians claim they are more satisfied after they eat. The reason for this is that there are fewer ketones (protein-digestive substances) formed when vegetable protein is digested. For many, ketones cause a trace amount of nausea which one normally interprets as a decreased desire for food due to this uncomfortable and slight degree of queasiness. Although the body calls for more food, the taste buds tolerate less. This is the danger of the popular high-protein diet substances on the market. This abnormally high level of ketones is called ketosis and refers to the state of starvation that the body incurs due to the inability of the appetite to call for nutrition. Most Americans who eat the wrong

type of carbohydrates never recognize the high amount of complex carbohydrates required to overthrow this condition. Also, when the blood ketone level is too high, it results in abnormally acidic blood, called acidosis.



Tigers or lions who eat meat and grow strong on it have acid-based digestive systems. Our Hydrochloric Acid isn’t strong enough to fully digest meat. Also, their intestines are in a straight run of about five feet long, not twisted and turned, layer over layer, compacted into a small area like the human intestine, which is twenty feet long.



Meats are frozen for a long period of times. Some meat (especially poultry) is frozen up to two years. Cold temperatures do not kill all species of bacteria. Worse than this, as it is shipped and stored, most frozen meat is thawed and refrozen many times. This is almost unavoidable.



Meat eaters suffer more frequently from various types of food poisoning than vegetarian eaters, so much so that statistics show that every American has had food poisoning on at least one occasion. When you've felt ill, out-of-sorts, had

diarrhea, or were just a little sick to your stomach, no doubt you had not the slightest idea that you had been poisoned by scavengers living off the dead carcass you just ate.



Meat is costly and it is the most wasteful source of resources. When one removes meat from his or her diet, a whole new world of eating opens up. Cooking and preparing vegetarian style is no more time consuming than cooking meat. It costs less than half as much to eat vegetarian as it does to eat meat. There are excellent, nutritious, and easy to prepare vegetarian dishes that are Italian, Chinese, Indian, Mid-Eastern, French, Spanish, etc.



Additionally, one can enjoy many other foods that he has never tasted because of the meat craze. Most consumers have eaten no more than five or six varieties of beans and legumes — less than 10% of what is available and grains, including different appetizing types of wheat, nuts, and seeds. And they can be prepared very creatively!



In my opinion, there are far more benefits to becoming a vegetarian then there are becoming or staying a meat eater. Due to the fact that I was raised on meat, I have the wonderful experiences from both worlds. As a meat eater, I was constantly sick, tired, and overweight. As a vegetarian, I am healthy, full of energy, and maintaining a perfect weight. I love being a vegetarian and it shows. Because I wish the best for myself, it’s just second nature to want the best for others. From my past experience and research, going vegetarian is the best thing anyone can do for their mind, body and spirit.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:44 am
Great idea...but it should be a choice. I am glad I had the choice to make the decision to be veg.. The government(s) could have forced us not to be veg...but that would have taken our freedom of chosing. How I came to make the choice I did...was thru info that was provided thru channels like Care2, information booths, literature and the best of all real life humans who chose this lifestyle. I love freedom of choice...when I exercise my freedom...I become one with myself and with my choice.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:45 am
I think it's a great idea...but I just want to clarify one detail here...about the history of human beings eating meat, regardless of tooth structure. It was mankind's discovery of FIRE...and the cooking and eating of meat that caused our brains to evolve faster than other species. Perhaps it grew too fast for it's casing, (skull), however, leading us to dillusionally believe we are superior when in fact we may all be bordering on insanity....

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:46 am
Great point!

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:46 am
Great first story, Pam! Congradulations!

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:53 am
This stupid headline is just typical of the British tabloids! The 'Secret Plan' in this case is to make the veggie movement look ominous and what it wants is a knee jerk reaction from the meat and potatoe heads which is what they're getting judging from some of the comments. The papers get too much money from the meat and dairy advertising to promote veganism. They are also in the pockets of the pharmaceuticals who want us all to be sick so we'll buy their useless drugs.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 10:00 am
I am just learning about the benefits of vegetarianism and recently posted this at a group here. Unfortunately, I never received a conclusive response.

Maybe someone here can help me.

Can Someone Explain This To Me??? May 18, 2007 4:45 PM


Last night, I watched a film called "Our Daily Bread." First off, I need to explain to you that I am not a vegetarian, but I am trying desperately to understand its reasoning (so please bear with me -- I know I'm ignorant about the subject).


Probably, most of you have seen it . . . if not, you should -- it's quite enlightening. (It is, however, very graphic in its portrayal of animals being bred for food and their subsequent slaughter.)


When I finished it, I was faced with the question: "Well, if no one ate meat any more, or used animal hides for clothing -- what on earth would happen to those animals? I even posed the question online, but got a response that still left me wondering. (Something to the effect of: If demand were down, prices would be lower, and businesses wouldn't be so eager to harvest and treat animals inhumanely just to make a profit.)


What would happen to all the animals????


If no one ate pork or beef or chicken, there would be little use for them. (There really is no land in this country any more that they could freely graze on -- it's all owned by someone.)


Would they eventually become extinct?


I am very serious about this -- so please don't think I'm some sorta sarcastic interloper. But this has been bugging the crap outta me!


Respectfully submitted,

*C*

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 10:24 am
It is hard to say what would happen to all the animals if people stopped consuming them. Depends on the incentives people were given. What do people do to animals that they have no use for? They usually kill them or keep them as pets. For example, there is a species of monkey that just made it to Puerto Rico on its own (after a hurricane dislodged some trees that they used to get to PR on) from a near-by island and according to everyone are ruining agricultural crops, so what are they doing? They are shooting them or poisoning them. If we focus all our resources on crops, i don't believe it would stop the killing of animals. As soon as one starts feeding on the crops they will be seen as a pest and killed off.or because of the need for land to harvest and make more profit, they would probably end up landless and faced with extinction because of habitat loss (number one on the list of why things go extinct or become endangered now a days)..isn't that what usually happens to a species that human see as competition or of no value? I don't mean to sound harsh...

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 10:51 am

No, I'm with you on that one. That was what was bothering me. I came to my own conclusion that there would ALWAYS be a group of people who would continue to eat meat, so the industry would continue, but just not to the degree it's at now. Prices would skyrocket, but at least the inhumane conditions and wholesale slaughter would be minimized.

After watching "Earthlings," I was disgusted with the specieism of human beings.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 10:54 am
.
No time to read all the comments right now.

Just wanted to note it. Congratulations on your first post, Pam! Thank you for your efforts.

Unfortunately, this "leaked" story the article speaks of is just the kind of thing the Corporate Meat & Dairy Industries will have a field day with - since it threatens THEIR DIRTY PROFITS - earned on horrific cruelty to billions of animals every day! Be very clear, THIS is the uphill battle worth fighting! Believe me, your health, the health of the planet, and most importantly, the freedom from suffering for ALL animals depends on Veganism winning this battle!
.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 2:22 pm
Yuck! You guys sound like a bunch of fundamentalist Christians. "You are either health conscious and environmentally conscious or you are not." What a load of bull!!!!!! Sounds the same as "you either accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior or you are going to hell." FYI, I am VERY environmentally conscious in not having a car by choice, recycling all I can, using less energy etc. I am not one bit health conscious nor do I care to be. As a spiritual person I believe that the main purpose of the earth plane is to learn the lessons you came here for. Deliberately trying to eak out every last minute is like deliberately trying to flunk 12th grade so you will never have to leave high school. I am not a huge meat eater but I can't stand to call myself vegetarian because of people like yourselves who want to impose your beliefs on others. You are you own worst enemy as well, because people do not want to be FORCED into anything. All it will do is make some people resist the idea the global warming is real because they will find veganism too extreme. It is a selfish mistake to exploit this huge potential crisis for your own ideology!!!!!! Ugh!!!!!!

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 5:57 pm
.
I'm not sure who you're objecting to, Gravitas. But I don't object to ANY efforts to improve our environment and stop cruelty to animals. Do some research.
.

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 7:58 pm
It states: "The potential benefit of a vegan diet in terms of climate impact could be very significant."
Go veg!!!!

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 8:21 pm
Thank you! Noted!

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 8:50 pm
Some people seem a little too emotional about this. Nobody said they were going to force anyone to be vegan or vegetarian, just that it would be beneficial to the environment and that they were considering encouraging it. Encouraging, not mandating.
Also, being mindful of one's health is not the same, Gravitas, as "trying to eak out every last minute" of life; knowing what to eat, how to breathe, how to move, and otherwise how to treat your body properly allow people to treat the world and other people better than they would otherwise be able to. It's about quality of life, not quantity.
Also, I'm fairly sure that by the time fire was discovered around 1,000,000 BCE the evolution of the human brain was mostly complete. Not entirely complete, but the ancestors of man had brain masses fairly close to our own at that point, so it seems like evolution of the brain from that point would most likely be mainly wiring, not size, and I don't see how consuming meat would improve that. If anything, those who had fire would be more likely to survive only because they had a larger variety of possible food sources than those without. If you have sources that say otherwise I'd definitely be interested, though. I don't claim to be an expert about this stuff, just interested in it, and I've read a few books about the evolution of the brain, so if I'm off base or confused I apologize..

Wednesday May 30, 2007, 9:03 pm

Such a positive post. As a seriously-considering-it wannabe vegetarian, I appreciate all the information I've gotten here

In today's increasingly controlling environment in this country -- and with the fact that major pharaceutical companies, oil refineries, meat providers and other mega-bucks industries have basically "bought" this government -- I seriously doubt there will be any restrictions soon coming regarding the consumption of meat.

More likely, the prevention of dissemination of information will be next to go. So, enjoy this board while you can.

Pam, thank you for posting this. And most everyone else, thanks for your knowledge and support of this important issue.

Thursday May 31, 2007, 8:27 am
It is OK everyone, to post "whatever" on Care2 and the like. That is why it is here for. You read, you comment, you research if you like...and learn a thing or two. Right or wrong, belive it or not, information is a gift. It is up to each of us to research what is said...and go from there. As for my decision for being a "VEG HEAD" was just that, my choice. I read everything I could get my hands on...pro or con...and I made a decision. I have to admit though...it was the killing of animals, that sealed my choice. But none the less the other benefits of going veg...is my health has improved, and I just feel better all around. Becoming a "Veg Head" was a good decision for me!

Thursday May 31, 2007, 8:39 am
Thank you Pam.

Thursday May 31, 2007, 3:14 pm
thats great but we need our protein

Thursday May 31, 2007, 4:16 pm
Soy = protein
Vegetables=protein
Beans=protein

Friday June 1, 2007, 3:40 am
I give the following prayer for questions "What would happen to all animals that are now living to be eaten by humans?" as takrn from Brenda Shoss KInship Circle (2005)
My prayer tonight is for all who lie down in chains and cages. Alone and afraid on
a concrete floor. Soundless screams behind the clang of metal. Locked in rooms
most will never see. I feel their fear arise in my soul Ancient yet new... A primal flame burning against the walls of my heart. I want to scream an endless note, Loud and true: Clubbed. Dismembered. . Gassed. Beaten. Burned. Electrocuted. Abandoned. Poisoned. Skinned. Shot. Caged. Shackled.
Murdered. And with my eyes, they will be seen. With my voice, they will be heard. With my hands, they will know comfort. With my action,
they will be free. Dear God, fill their oppressors with mercy and empathy. Dear God, instill compassion where there is apathy. Replace horror with grace. Bloodshed with healing. Restore all humans and animals to their natural place.
Liberate all humans and animals from greed, violence and hate. So that tonight and evermore, ALL may lie down to sleep unchained uncaged free. AMEN

Friday June 1, 2007, 6:21 pm
. . . first Noted story and good news too! Way to go . . . .

Saturday June 2, 2007, 6:14 pm
Hooray !!!!! Thanks, Pam.

Friday June 8, 2007, 11:56 pm
Great stuff.Thanks Pam