RE: Vegetarianism (fwd)

[Guest guest]

dear friends

 

i believe that the writeup attached with this letter will be of

interest to some of you. you may already be aware of it also.

since it is lengthy, i took the openion of our friend Mr.Sriram

Ranganathan before mailing it to you (it supports Mr. Sriram's

view, see below).

 

with regards

narasimha

 

------

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Thu, 22 Nov 2001 02:26:51 -0500

Sriram Ranganathan <srirangan

mknara

RE: Vegetarianism

 

Dear Sri Narasimha,

 

The more I read your note the more convinced I am that being vegetarian is

probably the best thing that could've happened in my life, and I thank God,

our tradition and my family/friends for that.

 

I'm sure many would feel the same way, and who knows - it might even help

change someone for the better! Since it is lengthy, I suggest you send it

as an attachment or provide a hyper-link.

 

Thanks & Regards,

Sriram

 

 

mknara [mknara]

Wednesday, November 21, 2001 10:55 PM

Sriram Ranganathan

Re: Vegetarianism

 

dear sir

 

you may find the attached article interesting and related to your

letter. please tell me whether it is suitable for putting it in

bhakti-list.

 

with regards

narasimha

 

 

 

----------

 

 

_______________________

 

 

This is a reprint of REALITIES 1989, which are facts excerpted from the

Pulitzer Prize nominated "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins.

Mr. Robbins is the heir of the Baskin Robbins fortune; and instead

of following in his dad's footsteps, he did some research on how the

American flesh eating diet affects everyone's lives.

 

________________________

 

Human population of United States: 243,000,000

Number of Human beings who could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten

by U. S. livestock: 1,300,000,000

Sacred food of Native Americans: Corn

Percentage of corn grown in United States eaten by human beings: 20

Percentage of corn grown in United States eaten by livestock: 80

Percentage of oats grown in United States eaten by livestock: 95

Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90

Percentage of carbohydrate wasted by cycling grain through livestock:99

Percentage of dietary fiber wasted by cycling grain through livestock:100

How frequently a child dies of starvation: Every 2 seconds

Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on 1 acre of land: 20,000

Pounds of beef that can be produced on 1 acre of land: 165

Percentage of U.S. agricultural land used to produce beef: 56

Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce 1 pound of feedlot

beef: 16

Pounds of protein fed to chickens to produce 1 pound of protein as

chicken flesh: 5 pounds

Pounds of protein fed to hogs to produce 1 pound of protein as hog

flesh: 7.5 pounds

Number of children who starve to death every day: 40,000

Number of pure vegetarians who can be fed on the amount of land needed

to feed 1 person consuming meat-based diet: 20

Number of people who will starve to death this year: 60,000,000

Number of people who could be adequately fed by the grain saved

if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 60,000,000

 

******

Historic cause of demise of many great civilizations: Topsoil depletion

Percentage of original U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75

Amount of U.S. cropland lost each year to soil erosion: 4,000,000

acres (size of Connecticut)

Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly associated with livestock

raising: 85

Number of acres of U.S. forest whcih have been cleared to create

cropland to produce a meat-centered diet: 260,000,000

How often an acre of U.S. trees disappears: Every 8 seconds

Amount of trees spared per year by each individual who switches

to a pure vegetarian diet: 1 acre

*********

A driving force behind the destruction of the tropical rainforests:

American meat habit

Amount of meat imported anually by U.S. from Costa Rica, El Salvador,

Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama:

Less than the average American housecat

Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical

rainforests and related habitats: 1000/year

*******

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the

United States: Livestock production

Quantity of water used in the production of the average cow

sufficient to: float a destroyer

Water needed to produce 1 pound of wheat: 25 gallons

Water needed to produce 1 pound of meat: 2,500 gallons

Cost of common hamburger meat if water used by meat industry was

not subsidized by U.S. taxpayers: $35/pound

Current cost for pound of protein from wheat: $1.50

Current cost for pound of protein from beefsteak: $15.40

Cost for pound of protein from beefsteak if U.S. taxpayers ceased

subsidizing meat industry's use of water: $89

Length of time world's petroleum reserves would last if all human

beings ate meat-centered diet: 13 years

Length of time world's petroleum reserves would last if all human

beings ate vegetarian diet: 260 years

Principal reason for U.S. military intervention in Persian Gulf:

Dependence on foreign oil

Barrels of oil imported daily by U.S.: 6,800,000

Percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy

expended) of most energy efficient farming of meat: 34.5%

Percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy

expended) of least energy efficient plant food: 328%

Pounds of soybeans produced by the amount of fossil fuel needed

to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef: 40

Percentage of raw materials consumed in U.S. for all purposes

presently consumed to produce current meat-centered diet: 33

Percentage of raw materials consumed in U.S. for all pruposes needed

to produce fully vegetarian diet: 2

********

Production of excrement by total U.S. human population: 12000 lb/sec

Production of excrement by U.S. Livestock: 250,000 pounds/second

Sewage systems in U.S. cities: Common

Sewage systems in U.S. feedlots: Nil

Amount of wast produced annually by U.S. livestock in confinement

operations which is not recycled: 1 billion tons

Relative concentration of feedlot wastes compared to raw domestic

sewage: Ten to several hundred times more highly concentrated

Where feedlot waste often ends up: In our water

**********

Number of U.S. medical schools: 125

Number of U.S. medical schools with a required course in nutrition: 30

Training in nutrition received during 4 years of medical school by

average U.S. physician: 2.5 hours

How frequently a heart attack strikes in U.S.: Every 25 seconds

How frequently a heart attack kills in U.S.: Every 45 seconds

Most common cause of death in U.S.: Heart attack

Risk of death from heart attack by average American man: 50%

Risk of death from heart attack by average American vegetarian man: 15%

Risk of death from heart attack by average American purely vegetarian

man: 4%

Amount you reduce your risk of heart attack by reducing your consumption

of meat, dairy products and eggs 10%: 9%

Amount you reduce your risk of heart attack by reducing your consumption

of meat, dairy products and eggs 50%: 45%

Amount you reduce your risk of heart attack by reducing your comsumption

of meat, dariy products and eggs 100%: 90%

Rise in blood cholesterol from consuming 1 egg per day: 12%

Rise in heart attack risk from 12% rise in blood cholesterol: 24%

Meat, dairy and egg industries claim there is no reason to be concerned

about your blood cholesterol as long as it is: "normal"

Your risk of dying a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood

cholesterol is "normal": over 50%

Your risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if you do

not consume saturated fat and cholesterol: 5%

Leading sources of saturated fat and cholesterol in American diets:

Meat, dairy products and eggs

Hollywood celebrity paid by Meat Board to tout beef as "Real food

for real people": James Garner

Medical event experienced by James Garner in April, 1988:

Quintuple coronary artery bypass surgery

**********

World populations with high meat intakes who do not have correspondingly

high rates of colon cancer: None

World populations with low meat intakes who do not have correspondingly

low rates of colon cancer: None

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared

to women who eat meat less than once a week: 4 times higher

Egg Board's advertising slogan: The incredible edible egg

Photographs often accompanying the egg board's slogan:

Young women in bathing suits, emphasizing the shape of their

breasts

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat eggs daily compared

to women who eat eggs less than once a week: 3 times higher

Milk Producer's original ad campaign slogan: "Everyone needs milk."

What the Federal Trade Commission called the "Everyone needs milk"

slogan: "False, misleading and deceptive"

Milk Producer's revised campaign slogan: "Milk has something for

everybody."

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat butter and cheese

3 or more times a week compared to women who eat these foods

less than once a week: 3 times higher

Part of female chicken's body that produces eggs: Ovaries

Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more

times a week compared to women who eat eggs less than once

a week: 3 times higher

Foods males in U.S. are conditioned to think of as "manly": Animal

products

Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meats,

cheese, eggs and milk daily compared to men who eat these

foods sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times higher

*********

The Meat Board tells us: "Today's meats are low in fat."

The Meat Board shows us: A serving of beef they claim has

"only 300 calories".

The Meat Board doesn't tell us: The serving of beef they show us

is only 3 onces (half the size of an average serving of beef)

and has been surgically defatted with a scalpel.

The dairy industry tells us: Whole milk is 3.5% fat.

The dairy industry doesn't tell us: That 3.5% figure is based on wieght

and most of the wieght in milk is water.

The dairy industry doesn't want us to know: The amount of calories

as fat in whole milk is 50%.

Oscar Mayer tells us: It is a "myth" that hot dogs are fatty.

Oscar Mayer demonstrates their point favorably comparing the fattiness

of hot dogs to such low fat bastions as: Margarine, mayonaise,

salad dressing and cream cheese.

The Dairy Council tells us: Milk is nature's most perfect food.

The Dairy Council doesn't tell us: Milk is nature's most perfect food

for a baby calf, who has four stomachs, will double its weight

in 47 days, and is destined to weigh 300 pounds within a year.

The Dairy Council tells children: To grow up big and strong drink lots

of milk.

The Dairy Council occasionally tells children: The enzyme necessary

for digestion of milk is lactase.

The Dairy Council never tells children: 20% of Caucasian children

and 80% of Black children have no lactase in their intestines.

The meat, dairy and egg industries tell us: Animal products constitute

2 of the "Basic 4" food groups.

The meat, dairy and egg industries don't tell us: There were originally

12 official basic food groups, before these industries applied

enormous political pressure on behalf of their products.

The meat, dairy, and egg industries tell us: We are well-fed only with

animal products.

The meat, dairy, and egg industries don't tell us: The diseases which

are commonly prevented, consistently improved, and sometimes

cured by a low-fat vegetarian diet include:

 

Strokes Heart disease Osteoporosis

Kidney Stones Breast cancer Colon cancer

Prostate cancer Pancreatic cancer Ovarian cancer

Cervical cancer Stomach cancer Endometrial cancer

Diabetes Hypoglycemia Kidney disease

Peptic ulcers Constipation Hemorrhoids

Hiatal hernias Diverticulosis Obesity

Gallstones Hypertension Asthma

Irritable colon syndrome Salmonellosis Trichinosis

*************

Chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues in the U.S. diet supplied by

meat: 55%

Supplied by Dairy products: 23%

Supplied by vegetables: 6%

Supplied by fruits: 4%

Supplied by grains: 1%

Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT:

99%

Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant

levels of DDT: 8%

Relative pesticide contamination in breast milk of meat-eating mothers

compared to pesticide contamination in breast milk of vegetarian

mothers: 35 times as high

Percentage of male college students sterile in 1950: .5

Percentage of male college students sterile in 1978: 25

Sperm count of average American male compared to 30 years ago: Down 30%

Principle reason for sterility and sperm count reduction of U.S. males:

Chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides (including dioxin, DDT, etc.)

Percentage of hydrocarbon pesticide residues in American diet attributable

to meats, dairy products, fish and eggs: 94%

The Meat Board tells us Not to be concerned about the dioxins and other

pesticides in today's beef because: the quantities are so small

The Meat Board doesn't want us to know: How potent dioxin and other

pesticides are

The Meat Board particularly doesn't want us to know: A mere ounce of

dioxin could kill 10 million people

The USDA tells us: Our meat is inspected

The USDA doesn't tell us: Less than 1 out of every quarter million

slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues

The dye used for many years by the USDA for many years to stamp

meats "Choice", "Prime", or "U.S. No. 1 USDA": Violet dye No. 1

Current status of Violet Dye No. 1: Banned as proven carcinogen

Wingspan of average Leghorn chicken: 26 inches

Space average leghorn chicken given in egg factories: 6 inches

Number of 700 plus pound pigs confined to space the size of a twin

bed in typical factory farm: 3

Reason today's veal is so tender: Calves never allowed to take a

single step

Reason today's veal is whitish-pink: Calves force fed on anemia

producing diet

McDonald's brags: 60 Billion sold

McDonald's doesn't brag about: 50 million butchered

McDonald's clown, Ronald McDonald, tells children: Hamburgers grow in

hamburger patches and love to be eaten.

McDonald's clown, Ronald McDonald, doesn't tell children:

Hamburgers are ground up cows who've had their throats slit

by machetes or their brains bashed in by sledgehammers.

Original actor to play Ronald McDonald: Jeff Juliano

Diet now followed by Jeff Juliano: Vegetarian

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in U.S.: 500,000

Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: Slaughterhouse worker

Occupation with highest employee rate of injury in U.S.: Slaughter-

house worker

Cost to render an animal unconscious prior to slaughter with captive

bolt pistol so that process is done humanely: 1 penny

Reason given by meat industry for not utilizing captive bolt pistol:

Too expensive

***********

Percentage of total antibiotics used in U.S. fed routinely to

livestock: 55

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in

1960: 13

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in

1988: 91

Reason: Breeding of antibiotic resistant bacteria in factory farms

due to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock

Effectiveness of all "wonder-drug" antibiotics: Declining rapidly

Reason: Breeding of antibiotic resistant bacteria in factory farms

due to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock

Response by entire European Economic Community to routine feeding of

antibiotics to livestock: Ban

Response by American meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine

feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete

support

Only man to win Ironman Triathalon more than twice: Dave Scott

(6 time winner)

Food choices of Dave Scott: Vegetarian

World record holder for 24 triathalon (Swim 4.8 miles, Cycle 185 miles,

Run 52.5): Sixto Linares

Food choices of Sixto Linares: Strict vegetarian

Athlete who most totally dominated Olympic sport in track and field

history: Edwin Moses (undefeated in 8 years, 400 meter

hurdles)

Food choices of Edwin Moses: Vegetarian

Other notable vegetarian athletes:

 

* Stan Price (World record-bench press)

* Robert Sweetgall (World's premier ultra-distance walker)

* Paavo Nurmi (20 World's records in distance running, 9 Olympic

medals)

* Bill Pickering (World record - swimming English Channel)

* Murray Rose (World records - 400 and 1500 meter freestyles)

* Andreas Cahling (Winner - Mr. International body-building

championships)

* Roy Hilligan (Winner - Mr. America body-building championships)

* Pierro Verot (World's record for downhill endurance skiing)

* Estelle Gray and Cheryl Marek (World's record for cross-

country tandem cycling)

* James and Johnathon deDonato (World's record for distance

butterfly stroke swimming)

* Ridgely Abele (Winner of 8 national championships in Karate,

including U.S. Karate Association World Championships)

*******

Feel free to copy and distribute REALITIES 1989. We ask only

that you copy it in its entirety and that the reproduction

be of good quality.

 

EarthSave, P.O. Box 949, Felton, CA, 95018-0949

 

Earthsave is a non-profit, charitable organization working to

educate people as to what they can do to help create an

ecologically sustainable future.