Vegetarians Make a Difference

Here’s a little food for thought: those nuggets and chicken strips that have found a final resting place in your freezer are more dangerous than you think. Ninety percent of all chicken flesh sold to consumers is splattered with salmonella and other harmful bacteria, leaving 500 people a year dead of salmonella “flu”. You wonder, “Where does salmonella come from, anyway?” Oh yeah the feces of other dead animals. Tasty.

What people need to understand about vegetarianism is that it’s not just about animals. We’ve all heard of extremist animal rights groups touting meat eaters as the villains in the fight for animal freedom. This is not the case. Most people just don’t have enough information about what they eat.

Eating meat destroys your body and your wallet, not to mention the environment we all share. Eating cruelty free is one of the best things you can do to feel and think better. A meatless diet will help you shed those extra pounds and helps to prevent serious sicknesses like cancer and diabetes. Meat products are linked to unsightly illnesses such as prostate cancer, impotence, lactose intolerance and menstrual discomfort.

So what’s in it for you? Well, animal friendly eating is less expensive than any McFranchise meal you can order. Your grocery bills will decline, leaving you to spend your cash on more entertaining options than food.

The ecological benefits of vegetarianism are clear. The meat industry is one of the largest perpetrators of water and air pollution, soil erosion and the depletion of natural resources. Each vegetarian alone saves the lives of 83 animals a year, one acre of trees, and innumerable gallons of water. The shear amount of water and grain it takes to feed factory farmed animals is astounding. It is a telling irony that the grain fed to the world’s cattle population could plausibly end global hunger.

When you look into the eyes of your lovable family dog, or even that squirrel that’s always in the garbage, does your stomach growl? Then why, when I pass a tractor-trailer full of pigs off for slaughter on the 401, do my idiot friends drool “mmmm, bacon” from the backseat?

We need to reverse the cultural idiocy that has blindly enslaved us, and wake up to the facts about animal rights. Interesting people actually advocate this cause—not just academics—and they want your voice heard as well.

Go to www.peta2.org for information from the likes of Fat Mike, Juliette Lewis and the Beastie Boys. While you’re there order a free vegetarian starter kit and “Meet your Meat”. After watching one of PETA’s famous videos, it will be hard to cook those nuggets guilt- free. Visit the Global Action Network at www.gan.ca, and see what compassionate Canadians are doing for this cause and how you can participate. Or pick up a copy of the increasingly popular Fast Food Nation for some compelling reasons to think about your food.

We live in a society where truths are frequently withheld, where lies and propaganda are disseminated fairly easily. An educated choice is often impossible. Although it is a common belief that one person can’t make a difference, an assessment of the facts shows that vegetarianism has positive consequences.