To EAT Or ‘NOT’ To Eat - The Never-Ending Debate On Eating Meat
It’s a debate that has been going on for ages ‘is it ethical or unethical’, ‘should we or shouldn’t we’.
Tell a meat eater, “Shouldn't you give up eating meat, it’s so cruel to animals?” The stark reply you’ll get “Are you crazy, you’re saying I must give-up eating my favorite BBQ Chicken Steak, no way”
No amount of reasoning will matter to a committed non-vegetarian, “Do you know that the same nutrition you get in meat is available in vegetarian food?”
“No my friend, I read an article, which said , the nutrients you get in one well-planned non-vegetarian meal is equivalent to three vegetarian meals ” a rejoinder you’re most likely to hear from a member of the carnivorous tribe, “If you consider the nutrition value, three ounces of chicken has nearly four times more protein than Tofu” they’ll assert.
Agree or don’t agree “Nutrients found in fish and meat are more-bio-available, meaning our bodies are more adaptable in absorbing these nutrients, which help us stay healthy”, giving further weight to their pro-non-vegetarian arguments.
Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit American academic center focused on integrated health care, education, and research says “Vegetarian diets continue to increase in popularity. Reasons for following a vegetarian diet are varied but include health benefits, such as reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers”
Better Health Channel - Australia asserts, meat and poultry are great source of protein. Nutrients such as iodine, iron, zinc, vitamins, B12 in particular, and essential fatty acids are other vital take-a-ways meat provides
It cites examples, iodine for instance helps body produce thyroid hormones, iron carries oxygen around the body, zinc to keep the immune system strong, and the skin healthy, it also benefits growth, development, and reproductive health. Important B12, which is good for the nervous system is found in meat, besides Omega3 that supports heart and brain health.
If a meat eater highlights these benefits to vegans in a playful banter, they will snap back, saying, “ Elephants eat grass, bushes, fruits, twigs, tree bark, and root, they are the mightiest of animals, aren’t they strong? ”.
The veganfoundry.com, offers a valid explanation to this contention.
It states that elephants eat between 149 and 165 kg of vegetation everyday, something that they love to eat.
Elephants are herbivores it states, they are biologically structured for a diet consisting of plant materials. Their physical features, the long trunk and dentition, and their mouth are amenable to eating vegetation, typically plants, it explains.
Their digestive system it contends, isn’t built to digest something like meat, which is hard to break down. If they eat meat, they will likely fall sick, their stomachs are not fit for that kind of food, the online journal states.
Human beings are an omnivorous species, having a choice eating a diet with or without animal product, it states, humans do not have any specific adjustments in their body to eat a specific type of food, whether its plants or animals.
This option, according to the web portal is available to humans, who can choose to be ethically concerned for sentient animals, and their need to protect the environment, or look the other around.
“Ethical or non-ethical, I love my chicken wings, I’m not gonna be influenced by any pep talk on the merits or demerits of what I must or mustn't eat” a typical statement you'll hear from an avowed non-vegetarian.
Concluding, vegetarians account for only 8% of the world population, while a predominant majority is non-vegetarian.
Our dietary preferences is our personal choice, if you’re an animal lover or have environment concerns, you can follow a green-all veg diet. If you love your steaks, and have no qualms about it, perfectly fine, we are a unique human race.
