Live Well

It happens all the time: the topic of vegetarianism and if it’s right, normal, ethical, healthy. I try not to let it get to me because you really can’t convince people or at least let them understand where you’re coming from, let alone even listen sometimes. I was trying to think of good comebacks and things to prepare if in an argument with a meat eater, and I stumbled on this page, at PurifyMind.com. I couldn’t have said it better myself, here it is:

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How to Win an Argument with a Meat Eater

The Hunger Argument:
” Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million.
” Number of people who could be adequately fed using the land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10 percent: 100 million.
” Percentage of corn grown in the United States eaten by people: 20.
” Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80.
” Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95.
” Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90.
” How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds.
” Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000.
” Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250.
” Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56.
” Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16.

The Environmental Argument
” Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect.
” Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.
” Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more.
” Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75.
” Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85.
” Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million.
” Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds.
” Percentage of Central America children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75.
” Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet.
” Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year.

The Cancer Argument
” Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times.
” For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times.
” For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times.
” Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times.
” Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs. and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.

The Cholesterol Argument
” Number of U.S. medical schools: 125.
” Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30.
” Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours.
” Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack.
” How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds.
” Average U.S. man’s risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent.
” Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent.
” Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent.
” Amount you reduce risk if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent.
” Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent.
” Average cholesterol level of people eating a meat-centered diet: 210 mg/dl.
” Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent.

The Natural Resources Argument
” User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production.
” Amount of water used in production of average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer.
” Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat : 25.
” Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000.
” Years the world’s known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13.
” Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260.
” Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78.
” To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2.
” Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining including fossil fuels) consumed by the U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33.
” Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2.

The Antibiotic Argument
” Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55.
” Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13.
” Percentage resistant in 1988: 91.
” Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban.
” Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support.

The Pesticide Argument
” Common belief: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection.
” Reality: Fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues.
” 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.
” Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher.
” Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level.

The Ethical Argument
” Number of animals killed for meat per hour in U.S.: 660,000.
” Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker.
” Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker.

The Survival Argument
” Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner).
” Food choices of Dave Scott: Vegetarian.
” Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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Usually I wouldn’t quote directly an article that long, but I really liked this one because:

• It’s clearly put and well-organized
• It has sourced information (from Earth Save organization, Box 949, Felton, California 95018-0949)
• It uses mere facts without any dissing of the meat-eaters’ lifestyle (letting the facts speak for themselves)
• It captures one’s attention

So, I hope you find some of these useful! Enjoy.

Be well,

Brian

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Here’s the link to the site again:

“How to win an argument with a meat eater” – PurifyMind.com -link-