To celebrate the opening ceremony of the olympics we ate 5 round foods:
Roasted Beets, Butternut Squash Rings, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Veggie Sausage Patties,
and Lasagna (cut with a cookie cutter). We also made fake silver medals to wear while we ate!

Reasons To Eat A Vegetarian Diet

Here are some of the common reasons people choose to be vegetarian &/or vegan today:
  • Ahimsa (Non-Violence): The fact that people do not require meat to be healthy and vibrant means that the killing of animals can be seen as causing unnecessary suffering and harm in the world.
  • Animal Rights: Unfortunately, today's industrialized food factories view animals as commercial products to be capitalized for maximum profit, rather than as living creatures with needs and emotions. This leads to horrific and saddening treatment that most of us would prefer not to acknowledge, but that is sadly real and pervasive.
  • Environmental Concerns: There are a few primary ecological concerns... The first involves the fact that it takes a phenomenally disporportionate amount of water, grain, energy, fuel, and resources to create 1 cow worth of meat (or pork, or chicken, etc). If reallocated, these resources could reach and nourish many human lives. Another aspect is that the meat and dairy industries create a stunning amount of damaging waste every day: tons of pig manure, off-flow full of hormones that alters the biology of fish for miles downstream, deforestation to create land for grazing... and so on.
  • Health: Scientists, nutritionists, and doctors are increasingly recommending a plant-based diet to maintain optimal health. Eating a diet rich in fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and oils can lead to a healthy heart, healthy cholesterol levels, high energy levels, and many more benefits.
Please visit the Vegan Outreach website for lots more specific and factual information.

Next: How I Became A Vegetarian (& Then A Vegan)
Back: Resources: Recommended Books & Magazines & Websites
Back to the Vegetarianism Page

 
Updated April 5, 2005   amey@yogawithamey.com