More Than Just Eating Side Dishes
Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. ~ Albert Einstein
Before there were surgeons, health professionals or even modern-day medical doctors, the early followers of Christ figured out the importance of maintaining a vegetarian diet. You know the story. Daniel (Belteshazzar), Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were taken by the armies of King Nebuchadnezzar and assigned a diet rich in dainty food and overflowing wine. The king was looking for young people who were skillful in discernment, apt in learning knowledge, without blemish and quick to understand. Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the unhealthy food or by drinking the wine, so he requested that for ten days, he and his three friends be given a vegetarian diet and water to drink.
The rest is history. The Bible says in Daniel 1 they were “looking better” and “more robust” than all the other boys under the king’s control. In the end, the four boys proved themselves ten times smarter than all the magicians and enchanters in the entire kingdom.
If the body was created after the image of God Himself, then wouldn’t it make sense to follow the diet He packaged along with it? Students at Andrews University can enjoy a vegetarian diet for three meals a day in the new Dining Services. Salads, fresh fruit, vegetables, foods rich in protein and water are available to the student body every day because Andrews understands the relationship between eating healthy and living healthy.
The human body was not built to consume animals for food. Avoiding meat is one of the best ways to cut down fat consumption and dodge a long list of meat-related diseases including prostate cancer, diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure. Recent studies show lifelong vegetarians will visit hospitals 22 percent less often than meat eaters—and for a shorter amount of time! If that isn’t enough to keep you on a vegetarian diet, then check this out: *According to the book Conscious Eating, by author Gabriel Cousens, the average American or Canadian meat eater will consume nearly 11 cattle, one calf, three lambs and sheep, 23 hogs, 45 turkeys, 1,100 chickens and 826 pounds of fish in a lifetime. Sound appetizing?
Eating meat is not only disagreeable with the body, but it also damages the environment. Today, forests in Brazil and other tropic areas are being destroyed, in part, to obtain more farmland to raise livestock. By becoming a vegetarian, people make a direct choice to preserve nature. They’re also choosing to conserve water, considering that it takes up to15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does to produce plant protein.
What’s more, society also blames automobiles and factories for greenhouse gasses that are leading to changes in the climate. According to a recent U.N. report, however, nearly one-fifth of those emissions come from livestock—more emissions than all transportation combined! That’s right. Experts claim eating one pound of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gasses as driving an SUV 40 miles.
Here at Andrews University, students are privileged to have a selection of foods that help them keep up with a busy schedule. The vegetarian items offered on campus provide students with the opportunity to lead a healthy lifestyle and help out the environment. What’s stopping you?
For more information on how vegetarianism impacts the body and environment, check out the following links:
www.goveg.com
www.vegetarian-diet.info
www.vegsoc.org
*Visit www.books.google.com for more information and a limited preview of the book Conscious Eating.