Carnivores, No More!

“You are not getting enough protein,” my grandmother says, as she stares down at what is on my plate for dinner. Usually my meal consists of a lot of vegetables, nuts, beans, and some type of grain. For many people, there is something missing. There is no dead animal sitting in its own juices waiting to finally continue on with the food chain. Because I have decided to save animals as well as choose a healthier lifestyle, she critiques my dinner complaining that I am suffering without meat.

The “common knowledge” is that you get all your protein from meat. Meat is necessary in our lives to sustain homeostasis. As a matter of fact, that so called “common knowledge” is false. We’ve been told growing up what to eat so we can grow up to be big and strong, but meat doesn't have to be involved. Too much protein from animals can actually impair kidneys, leach calcium, zinc, vitamin B, iron, and magnesium from our bodies. But that's not the half of it, an overload of animal protein could possibly cause osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Its proven in many studies and documentaries that cultures who eat a meal focused more on plants live healthier and longer lives, than all the fellow meat-loving Americans. The daily protein intake can range from 18-60 grams depending on the individual, but those grams can be found in many other places besides what is being killed in the slaughter-house. For example the ground, as in plants, vegetables to be specific. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids. There are twenty of them, eleven of which our bodies produce, and the other nine found in food. These essential amino acids combine to produce proteins which make muscle. The nine missing from our bodies can be found in meat, yes, but also in vegetables. Therefore, if you eat fruits, veggies, and unsaturated fats such as raw nuts or avocados, you’re set to go. Vegetables,beans, and nuts also do not have feelings. On the other hand, cows, pigs, and chickens have hearts that beat and eyes that can see around them. Yes that’s right, people tend to forget that their juicy cheeseburger was once grazing in a field and eating grass, but that's the best case scenario. Its often that animals who get served for dinner, are being fed chemicals and other unnatural substances we do not want to be taking in. When these innocent animals go through the slaughtering process, they are shoved into crowded crates where they take them to be killed one after another. For cows, they cover the others while one is being killed so they can’t see and stay calm, but usually they know what their near-ending future holds. For some reason, humans think we have a right to kill other living animals that are defenseless. We do not need meat and the truth is finally coming out. So all in all vegetarianism isn’t so bad after all, once the facts are set straight. Get protein and a healthy lifestyle without harming the lives of others.