Introduction to Vegetarianism
Who is a vegetarian?
A vegetarian is one who does not eat meat, poultry and fish. According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients required by man. It can, not only be sumptuous, but very healthy and wholesome as well. Fruits, vegetables, generous helpings of well-prepared leafy greens, grain products, nuts, seeds and legumes and lentils can give you everything you need for a healthy meal. You can do without sweets and fatty foods.
Had God ever intended man to be a non-vegetarian, He would have created him with fangs instead of teeth; and claws instead of nails. Whereas all other creations of God – animals, birds and nature herself (oceans, rivers, mountains, trees, flowers, etc.) retained their pristine qualities and continue to exist as they ought to; it is only man, who, endowed with the additional sixth sense, is defying and defiling the sacred tenets of nature. In order to overcome the difficulty in tearing the meat on his table, man invented cutlery – knife and fork. A toothpick, wrapped elaborately in a tissue has become an integral part of laying a table in any restaurant. Even in homes, people keep a stock of toothpicks. If your teeth were meant for meat eating, you would not need the toothpick
Is it not an irony, that while almost every species in the animal kingdom is facing extinction because of human indiscretion, vanity and greed, we call them ‘wild life’? They do not hunt us; we hunt them!
Vegan Anatomy
As mentioned earlier, man’s anatomy is made to be a vegetarian. Apart from the neatly set dentures and manicured nails, man’s intestines are much smaller in length than those of carnivores. Non-vegetarian foods take much longer to digest. Man has a three-meal daily regimen, whereas a tiger or a lion can go without food for days and even weeks. The meat, which the animal eats, stays longer in its digestive tract. Nature has provided it that way. Man, with a lighter bowel lining, is not equipped to eat animal food.
The myth – animal evidence
To say that vegetarian food does not contain the requisite nutrients required for the sustenance of the system is a myth that explodes right in the faces of those who profess this theory. The evidence to the contrary is in the animal kingdom itself.
Despite the existence of carnivores, the animal kingdom has many species, which are totally herbivorous (vegetarian). In fact, the herbivores are amongst the strongest and tamest of all forest life.
The mighty elephant, which can outlast the aggressive and ferocious lion, the tough hippopotamus, the armoured rhino, the sky scraping giraffe, the powerful bison, the enduring horse, the dainty deer and our very own evolutionary cousins, the gorillas and the chimpanzees are pure vegetarians. Cows and buffaloes which provide us with (the unadulterated nutrient) – milk – are vegetarians.