'Food For Peace
The Health Argument
'
by Rambhoru devi dasi

Coronary disease:
"Ninety to ninety-seven percent of heart disease, the cause of more than one half of the deaths in the United States, could be prevented by a vegetarian diet." 1961 Journal of the American Medical Association.

"...The main cause of heart disease and high blood pressure is the deposition of cholesterol on the inner walls of the blood-vessels. Eggs are the main source of cholesterol. followed by meat and milk-fats. The consumption of 100 grams of eggs per day amounts an intake of 2 to 2 1/2 times more than the needed. - Medical Basis of Vegetarian Nutrition.

"...in well-documented population studies using standard methods of diet and coronary disease assessment... evidence suggest that a high-saturated-fat diet is an essential factor for a high incidence of coronary heart disease." - American Heart Association

Cancer and tumors:
"Eggs, animals, fish and birds also suffer from disease like cancer and tumors etc. and it is well known that they are not properly investigated medically before they are slaughtered for food. Any disease not evident on their exterior goes unnoticed and its germs and viruses enter the body of the meat eater..." - Gopinath Aggarval, Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian: Choose Yourself.

Colon cancer:
"Evidence of the unsuitability of the human intestinal tract for digestion of flesh is the relationship, established by numerous studies, between colon cancer and meat-eating." - Michael J. Hill, M.D., Metabolic Epidemiology of Dietary Factors in Large Bowel Cancer.

"In Australia, which leads in meat consumption, and where the average yearly consumption of beef is 130 kgs. per person, the occurrence of intestinal cancer is maximum." - Role of Vegetarian Diet in Health and Disease.

Toxemia:
"...Consumption of meat and eggs destroys the body's capability for fighting toxins in the blood stream. The body becomes unable to defend itself even from minor disease. Many American and British doctors have described eggs as a poison for human beings." - Anda Zahar Hi Zahar

Epilepsy:
"The main cause of epilepsy is infected meat and unwashed vegetables." - Medical Basis of Vegetarian Nutrition

Rheumatoid arthritis, gout:
"Flesh food increase the amount of uric acid in the blood. Deposits of this acid on the joints causes rheumatoid arthritis, gout and other types of arthritis. It has been observed that discontinuation of meat, eggs, tea, coffee, etc. brings relief to the patients suffering from these disease." - Medical Basis of Vegetarian Nutrition.

Arteriosclerosis:
"Arteriosclerosis is the swelling of arteries which is caused by excess polyunsaturated fats, cholesterol and calories in our food. Flesh food and eggs are rich in these factors while vegetarian foods have very little of them. Their presence is almost negligible in fruits an vegetables. The result is that vegetarians avoid falling victims of arteriosclerosis." - Medical Basis of Vegetarian Nutrition.

Inherited diseases:
"Research conducted at the State University of New York, Buffalo, brought to light the fact that more than 47,000 children born in America every year suffer from various inherited diseases because of the consumption of flesh food by their parents. These children can never grow up to be healthy adults." - Ahimsa Sandesh, June, 1989

Food poisoning:
"According to Health Education Council 90% of all deaths are due to food poisoning caused by meat eating." - Food for a Future.

"In America alone, more than 40,000 cases are reported every year in which people suffer from illnesses caused by eating disease-infected eggs and meat." - Ahimsa Sandesh, June, 1989.

Diabetes:
"Dr. Andrew Gold, in his book Diabetes: Its' causes and treatment has advised to take vegetarian food only." - Role of Vegetarian Diet in Health and Disease.

Constipation:
"American doctors say that vegetarians have greater inherent resistance to diseases as compared to meat eaters. Non-vegetarians are generally prone to constipation which is an automatic breeder of illness..." - Ahimsa Sandesh, June, 1989.

Mental Disorder:
"Two researches from Gwalior, Dr. Jasraj Singh and Mr. C. K. Dawas, made a study covering 400 convicts in the Gwalior jail. They found that out of 250 non-vegetarian prisoners, 85% were hot headed and of quarrelsome nature, whereas out of remaining 150 vegetarian prisoners, 90% were cool headed and jovial nature." - Gopinath Aggarval, Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian: Choose Yourself.

"The functioning of the mind is affected by food. There are certain kinds of food that supply the correct material for the activating of the mental process. Generally speaking, the mind works best on a mild diet, without meat, and containing fresh vitamins and inorganic constituents rich in calcium phosphates. It requires an immense amount of nourishment, highly specialized and containing substances secreted by the endocrine organs of the body, which must, therefore, be in a generally healthy condition." - E. R. Rost O. B.E., M. R. C. S., L.R.C.P., The Nature of Consciousness.

AND ON THE OTHER SIDE

Long life:
"In a study conducted on the persons of Hunza Tribe of aged 90-110 years, it has been revealed that their long life and sound health is due to their being vegetarian" - Ahimsa Sandesh, June, 1989.

Good Health:
"Grains and other vegetables, with the help of milk, cheese, and butter, or oil, where butter is not to be had, afford the most plentiful, the most wholesome, the most nourishing, and the most invigorating diet. Decency nowhere requires that any man should eat butcher's meat." - Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations.

Youthfulness:
Once someone asked George Bernard Shaw how it was that he looked so youthful. Shaw retorted. "I look my age. It is the other people who look older than they are. What can you expect from people who eat corpses?"

Strength and well-being:
"A diet consisting of any staple grain with milk, milk products and leafy vegetables contains not only the right kind and amount of protein but everything else the body needs foe health, strength and well-being." - Sir Robert McCarrison

Purity and Happiness:
"I ardently believe that the vegetarian movement is the bottom and basis of all other movement towards Purity, Freedom, Justice and Happiness. I consider the vegetarian movement to be the most important movement of our age. I see in it the beginning of true civilization." - Dr. Anna Kingsford

No Over-Weight Problems:
"No physiologist would dispute with those who maintain that men ought to have a vegetable diet." - Dr. Spencer Thompson

Infinitely preferable:
"That it is easily possible to sustain life on the products of the vegetable kingdom needs no demonstration for physiologist, even if a majority of the human race were not constantly engaged in demonstrating it, and my researches show not only that it is possible, but that it is infinitely preferable in every way." - Alexander Haig, M.D., F.R.C.P.