Meatless diet is healthier, better for the environment

In this age of spiraling gas prices, environmental degradation, and diminishing resources an easy way to lessen the impact to your pocket book, the planet, and to your personal health is in the transition to a vegetarian diet.

A November 2006 U.N. report found that 18 percent of global warming emissions come from raising animals for food. That's about 40 percent more than all forms of transportation combined (13 percent). The world's cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people — more than the entire human population on Earth. About 20 percent of the world's population could be fed with the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. cattle alone. America's farm animals produce 130 times the waste produced by the human population.

Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters. People following a plant-based diet have 2.5 times fewer cardiac events such as heart attacks. Meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans and are on average 10 to 20 pounds heavier.

Mahatma Gandhi said that "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." The raising of animals for meat involves unimaginable cruelty and suffering.  If the atrocities inflicted on chickens, cows and pigs were to happen to cats and dogs most people would be outraged.

Being vegetarian for even one or two days a week would be of immense benefit to you and to our world.

STEPHEN AUGUSTINE

Sandpoint