I was not a born vegetarian but destiny has turned me into one. "Seven" Years hence after turning vegetarian I can firmly recommend people to follow me. Being from a normal middle class non-orthodox Indian family, half of the people in my family used to and are still non-vegetarians. I do not not oppose them because fooding habits are purely sole discretion of the type of lifestyle that one wants to live. It should be an individual decision always.
My Nani Maa used to stop my Maa from preparing anything 'non-vegetarian' on either of my or bhaiya's birthday party. She had a strong logic behind the suggestion that to celebrate the birthdays of your child , how can you sacrifice someone Else's child? Nani maa was an ardent vaishnav devotee and henceforth she was a vegetarian from her birth. Although, My Nanaji was a Non-vegetarian and was also a part of many hunting expedition in old times. I can remember those lavish stuffed horns and faces of Deer/musk deers/barahsingha and tanned skins as well on the walls of my maternal old home. Although gradually everything vanished. They had a separate cook to prepare non-veg delicacies, while nani maa never indulged in them. She had an entirely different set of kitchen recipes, which according to my Maa were more dainty.
Talking about me, I always felt guilty after consuming any such thing, but it takes a lot of will, guts, power and strength to break the already running path, in absence of which , I ate them.Papa was a non-veg lover as well. Then, as soon as I gained a little sanity, I opposed. My health conditions started partnering my cause. The moment I had any non-veg food, 30 minutes after that, I had strong stomach ache and vomiting tendency. It was clear that I was turning allergic. I tested it by having fish, mutton, eggs consecutively on 3 days, with similar effect every day. hence it was proved and the door was opened for me to quit! No religious or moral sentiments attached, only thing that used to bother me was the guilt! Henceforth, my life after that has been sans guilt in this field! Everywhere I went, people appreciated my will power. Parents left eating non-veg immediately after me . Living a simple life is not so easy but nothing is impossible as well! :)
Word "vegetarian" is derived from the Latin word "vegetare" which means "to enliven". anthropologists believe that the diet of prehistoric man consisted of nuts, fruits, plants and probably some insects. Scientists have established that early man originated in a warm climate where growing plants was easier than hunting. In the Stone Age, man started eating meat, but he ate far less of it than many of today's non-vegetarians do. It was during the last ice age when fruits, nuts and vegetables were unavailable that early humans had to start eating animal flesh in order to survive.
My Nani Maa used to stop my Maa from preparing anything 'non-vegetarian' on either of my or bhaiya's birthday party. She had a strong logic behind the suggestion that to celebrate the birthdays of your child , how can you sacrifice someone Else's child? Nani maa was an ardent vaishnav devotee and henceforth she was a vegetarian from her birth. Although, My Nanaji was a Non-vegetarian and was also a part of many hunting expedition in old times. I can remember those lavish stuffed horns and faces of Deer/musk deers/barahsingha and tanned skins as well on the walls of my maternal old home. Although gradually everything vanished. They had a separate cook to prepare non-veg delicacies, while nani maa never indulged in them. She had an entirely different set of kitchen recipes, which according to my Maa were more dainty.
Talking about me, I always felt guilty after consuming any such thing, but it takes a lot of will, guts, power and strength to break the already running path, in absence of which , I ate them.Papa was a non-veg lover as well. Then, as soon as I gained a little sanity, I opposed. My health conditions started partnering my cause. The moment I had any non-veg food, 30 minutes after that, I had strong stomach ache and vomiting tendency. It was clear that I was turning allergic. I tested it by having fish, mutton, eggs consecutively on 3 days, with similar effect every day. hence it was proved and the door was opened for me to quit! No religious or moral sentiments attached, only thing that used to bother me was the guilt! Henceforth, my life after that has been sans guilt in this field! Everywhere I went, people appreciated my will power. Parents left eating non-veg immediately after me . Living a simple life is not so easy but nothing is impossible as well! :)
Word "vegetarian" is derived from the Latin word "vegetare" which means "to enliven". anthropologists believe that the diet of prehistoric man consisted of nuts, fruits, plants and probably some insects. Scientists have established that early man originated in a warm climate where growing plants was easier than hunting. In the Stone Age, man started eating meat, but he ate far less of it than many of today's non-vegetarians do. It was during the last ice age when fruits, nuts and vegetables were unavailable that early humans had to start eating animal flesh in order to survive.
Throughout history, many individuals and groups of people realized the importance of the vegetarian diet for spiritual development and also for health reasons. Thus they became vegetarians. Many great Greek scholars including Plato, Socrates and Pythagoras supported a vegetarian diet. In India, all sages and saints preached the importance of vegetarianism . It is clear that meat has not been a component of the food of all human beings since prehistoric times.
The myths that meat has a monopoly on protein and that large amounts of protein are needed for energy and strength, has led to the inclusion of excessive amount of flesh and eggs in the Western diet. People are unaware of the fact that their bodies need smaller amounts of protein than the amount supplied by non-vegetarian sources. Most flesh -eating people eat about two times as much protein as their bodies can use. Although inadequate amounts of protein cause loss of energy, the body can not utilize excessive amount of protein, rather, excess protein is converted into nitrogenous wastes that burden the kidneys. The primary source of energy for the body is carbohydrates. It is only as a last resort that proteins are used for energy production in the body. While being digested most protein breaks down into amino acids which are used by the body for growth and tissue replacement. There are twenty-two essential amino acids. All but eight of the essential amino acids can be synthesized by the body itself. The eight essential amino acids exist in abundance in vegetarian foods such as dairy products, grains, beans and nuts. Ounce for ounce, cheese, nuts,lentils, for instance, have more protein than hamburger, pork or steak. People who eat meat, do get all amino acids but they also gain a lot of fat. Lapp has suggested the following common complementary natural protein combinations of vegetarian foods:
1. Grain (rice, corn, wheat, barley,etc.) + legumes (peas, beans, and lentils)
2. Grains + milk products
3. Seeds (sesame or sunflower) + legumes
When foods are combined in proper proportions, as much as 50 percent more of the protein is absorbed by the body, compared to same foods eaten separately.
In addition to protein, vegetarian food is a good source of other essential nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Many studies have revealed that a high-fat diet is not good for health, whether the fat is derived from animals or from vegetable sources.
Meat has a high concentration of saturated fat. Eggs are rich in cholesterol. These cause heart disease and brain stroke. During World War II, when many Europeans were forced to eat less fat and cholesterol and fewer calories, the rate of heart disease fell dramatically. High-fat, low-fiber content of non-vegetarian diet causes many diseases including cancer of colon and rectum, brain, lungs, liver, etc.
A large number of potentially harmful chemicals are present in meat. The animals are fed tranquilizers, hormones, antibiotics and 2700 other drugs. Some of these are present in meat as well. Certain preservatives are also potentially harmful. In spite of all possible precautions and government regulations and inspections, some diseased animals are also slaughtered. In spite of these facts, in Western countries, especially in America, people consider eating meat, in general, and beef in particular, a status symbol. The problems in producing and preserving non-vegetarian food are much more serious than those in producing and preserving grains, vegetables and fruits.
Vegetarian diet is less expensive than non-vegetarian diet. The fact is that for every 16 pounds of grain and soy fed to meat animals, only one pound of meat is obtained. Comparatively, 16 pounds of grain and soy contain 21 times more calories and eight times more protein but only three times more fat than a pound of meat. This implies that vegetarianism is the answer to the colossal problems of population growth and world hunger.
Many great men like Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw and Mahatma Gandhi, were originally vegetarians or adopted a vegetarian diet. Many famous personalities of today, Richard Wagner, the swimmers Morray and Johnny Weismuller, Australian weight lifter A. Anderson, basketball player Bill Walton, Amitabh Bachchan etc., are vegetarian.
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