Page 44 - Spring2008

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Parkinson’s disease with the consumption of fruit and fruit juices. Men materials and hydraulic brake fl uid for airplanes.
who consumed one or more servings of fruit or fruit drinks per day were The membrane that vibrates in your telephone
twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s as those who consumed less fruit. contains beef gelatin. So to avoid hypocrisy, veg-
Commentators proposed either high levels of pesticides or natural nerve etarians need to also refrain from using anything
toxins called isoquinolones that occur in fruit as the cause. Salicylates are made of plastic, talking on the telephone, fl ying
another component of fruit that can lead to problems. So even the consump- in airplanes, letting their kids use crayons, and
tion of “healthy” fruit is not necessarily safe. living or working in modern buildings.
The ancestors of modern vegetarians would
8. YOU’LL MAKE A STRONG POLITICAL STATEMENT: not have survived without using animal products
It’s a wonderful thing to be able to finish a delicious meal, knowing like fur to keep warm, leather to make footwear,

that no beings have suffered to make it. belts, straps and shelter, and bones for tools. In
Not a single bite of food reaches our mouths that has not involved the fact, the entire interactive network of life on
killing of animals. By some estimates, at least 300 animals per acre—in- earth, from the jellyfish to the judge, is based

cluding mice, rats, moles, groundhogs and birds—are killed for the pro- on the sacrifice of animals and the use of animal
duction of vegetable and grain foods, often in gruesome ways. Only one foods. There’s no escape from dependence on
animal per acre is killed for the production of grass-fed beef and no animal slaughtered animals, not even for really good
is killed for the production of grass-fed milk until the end of the life of the vegan folks who feel wonderful about themselves

dairy cow. as they finish their vegan meal.
And what about the human beings, especially growing human beings,

who are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and their concomitant health 9. YOUR MEALS WILL TASTE
problems as a consequence of a vegetarian diet? Or does only animal suf- DELICIOUS:
fering count? Vegetables are endlessly interesting to cook
Of course, we should all work for the elimination of confi nement and a joy to eat. It’s an ever-changing parade of
animal facilities, which do cause a great deal of suffering in our animals, fl avors and colors and textures and tastes.
not to mention desecration of the environment. This will be more readily To make processed vegetarian foods “taste
accomplished by the millions of meat eaters opting for grass-fed animal delicious,” manufacturers load them up with
foods than by the smaller numbers of vegetarians boycotting meat. MSG and artifi cial flavors that imitate the taste

Vegetarians wishing to make a political statement should strive of meat. If you are cooking from scratch, it is
for consistency. Cows are slaughtered not only to put steak on the table, diffi cult to satisfy all the taste buds with dishes
but to obtain components used in soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, plastics, lacking animal foods. The umami taste is de-
pharmaceuticals, waxes (as in candles and crayons), modern building signed to be satisfi ed with animal foods.

PRODUCTS THAT COME FROM COWS

Not only the steak on your plate, but
a myriad of other products come from
slaughtered cows, including
components used in the manufacture
of cosmetics, plastics, waxes (in crayons
and candles), soaps, cleansers,
shampoos, modern building materials
and hydraulic brake fluid for airplanes.
The membrane that vibrates to make
a telephone work is made from beef
gelatin. Epinephrine, a widely used
drug for asthma and allergic reactions,
is made from beef adrenal glands.

44 Wise Traditions SPRING 2008