Re: Chris needs Some Meat for health. But you haven't tried raw meat as part of your diet yet. Sashimi is a good start. Even Don Quixote eats raw sashimi.

The Hindu do consume dairy...

RE: 5 reasons

>>"# Conservation of Fossil fuel. It takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of beef protein; 35 calories for 1 calorie of pork; 22 calories for 1 of poultry; but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel for 1 calorie of soybeans. By eating plant foods instead of animal foods, I help conserve our non-renewable sources of energy."<<

Calories are a poor measure of food value - nutrient density is a far better measure.

In addition... how much fossil fuel did the production of *meat* take in the 1850's? This is a recent man-made phenomenon\problem that could be reversed easily enough.

>>"# Water Conservation. It takes 3 to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein. As a vegetarian I contribute to water conservation."<<

This is also a man-made production problem\issue created through commercialization... the water use would fall dramatically if we took a step backwards.

>>"# Efficient use of grains. It takes up to 16 pounds of soybeans and grains to produce 1 lb. of beef and 3 to 6 lbs. to produce 1 lb of turkey & egg. By eating grain foods directly, I make the food supply more efficient & that contributes to the environment."<<

Also a man-made problem issue - would be resolved putting the animals out to pasture and letting them feed on their intended foods. Again - taking a step backwards would resolve this issue as well. Not to mention perhaps reduce the amount of Genetically-Modified-Organisms planted...

>>"# Soil conservation. When grains & legumes are used more efficiently, our precious topsoil is automatically made more efficient in its use. We use less agricultural resources to provide for the same number of people."<<

See answer above - it also applies here. In addition, rotation of land use would deal with this issue... the animals grazing and fertilizing land for a season or two before permitting it to lie fallow for a seventh. Again, a man-created issue\problem.

>>"# Saving our forests. Tropical forests in Brazil and other tropic regions are destroyed daily, in part, to create more acreage to raise livestock. By not supporting the meat industry, I directly reduce the demand to pillage these irreplaceable treasures of nature. Since the forest land "filters" our air supply and contains botanical sources for new medicines, this destruction is irreversible."<<

This is also a man-made issue\problem which there is no need for... greed drives this. Again, a step back would minimize the need here... one thing to keep in mind is vast areas of forest were chopped down in the Americas during colonization... this is nothing new... we are now recognizing it as an issue and pointing fingers when we have already got *ours*... so to speak. Either way, it was not in our best interests.

RE: quotes - we could bat quotes back and forth all day in a tennis match and still have more in our arsenal... :-) one man's opinion or thought does not speak for everyone... I do not care who the individual is.

>>"The point I was making Grz about grazing animals meeting their protein needs from plant-life, was just an example of not having to eat meat to meet protein needs.

If you would like to illustrate your sources that these animals graze on worms, insects and such I would be obliged."<<

There are sources available... however, this is common sense... you know these insects and worms live in the grasses and lay their eggs on them. How could they not ingest these?

In addition, grazing animals have quite a different metabolic process in order to create needed proteins from raw materials than man does. This is another apples and oranges thing that does not straight across apply to man...

An individuals food consumption decreases as food quality increases - even among vegetarians :-)

Nice discussion...

grz-

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