Vegetarianism

A growing number of Australians are adopting alternative diets to improve their health or address ethical concerns. As a dietary choice, vegetarianism attracts interest and debate over its responses to environmental sustainability, health and animal cruelty. There are many different forms of vegetarianism (including veganism), and many reasons why people choose a vegetarian lifestyle. This book presents a range of useful information, much of it from vegetarian organisations which advocate ‘going vego’. What benefits does a vegetarian diet have over one which includes meat? How are the nutritional needs of vegetarians met, particularly among children and young people? What are the facts and myths surrounding vegetarian and vegan diets?

Chapter 1: Reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet

Chapter 2: Vegetarian diet and your health

Worksheets and activities; Glossary; Fast facts; Web links; Index

Fast facts:

• The term ‘vegetarian’ comes from vegetus, the Latin for ‘enlivened’, and has no connection, apart from a linguistic one, with vegetables.
• By following a low-fat vegetarian diet, the risk of food poisoning is decreased by 80%.
• More than 50 billion animals are systematically killed in slaughterhouses around the world each year.
• It takes 17 kg of corn, beans, grains, etc, to produce 1 kg of beef in feedlot cattle.
• 1 kg of animal protein typically takes 100 times as much water to produce as 1 kg of plant protein.
• The production of 1 kg of beef takes between 100,000 and 200,000 L of water, depending on growing conditions.
• 87% of the fresh water consumed worldwide is used for agriculture.
• The amounts of carbon dioxide emitted by 1 farm animal per year are about 4,000 kg for cattle, 400 kg for sheep and 450 kg for pigs. This compares with about 300 kg for a human being and 5,500 kg for a typical passenger car.
• In Central America, entire forests are felled or burnt to provide land for grazing cattle. Most of these cattle end up as second-quality hamburger meat for the North American junk food market.
• Production of 1 kg of fish-eating species such as shrimp, salmon, tuna or cod demands between 2-5 kg of wild-caught fish that is processed into meal and oil for feeds.
• Our digestive system resembles that of herbivores and frugivores (fruit eaters). It consists of a very long intestine allowing slow digestion of nutrients.
• The presence of vitamin C with iron in the diet will help iron absorption by up to 30%.
• Some half a million people are adopting a vegetarian lifestyle each year in the US while the number of British vegetarians is now more than 5 million.
• It is estimated that the average vegetarian saves the lives of 6 cows, 22 pigs, 30 sheep, 800 chickens, 50 turkeys, 15 ducks and half a tonne of fish.
• Depending on the type of animal it takes between 10-20 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of meat.
• A massive 92% of all land degradation in Australia is caused by animal industries.
• At least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annual emissions can be attributed to livestock and their by-products.
• Animals raised for food in Australia produce about 3 megatonnes of methane annually.
• Nearly 60% of the Australian continent is grazed by animals raised for human consumption.
• The destruction of fish populations is accelerating, with 13 of the world’s 17 major ocean fishing zones already depleted or in serious decline, and the remaining 4 fully or over exploited.
• We grow enough edible grain to provide 50% more than is required for every person in the world. Most of this edible grain is used to feed animals for meat, dairy and egg production.
• 80-95% of food energy and protein available in plants is wasted when converted to meat for human consumption.
• Studies show that vegetarians outlive their non-vegetarian counterparts by between 5-10 years.
• The life span of a commercial egg-producing hen (whether battery, barn or free range) is approximately 18 months as opposed to 10-12 years in natural conditions.
• Over 6 million pigs are slaughtered every year in Australia, with more than 98% being kept in intensive conditions for their entire lives.
• The modern dairy cow now yields around 35-50 litres of milk per day – about 10 times more milk than her calf would ever need.
• The average Australian meat-eater, in one lifetime, consumes 92 sheep, 17 beef cattle, 15 pigs, 1,171 chickens, innumerable fish and other animals.
• Vegetarians on average have lower body weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure, and lower rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, prostate cancer, and colon cancer.
• It takes more than 15 times as much energy to produce 1 kg of pork, for example, as it does to produce 1 kg of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Animal excrement and fertilisers have been blamed for some 40% of the nitrogen and 35% of the phosphorous released into our rivers, lakes and streams.
• Almost 10 times as many animals die for human con-sumption as for all other causes combined.
• 1.3 billion people could be fed with the grain and soybeans eaten by US livestock.
• All necessary nutrients – except vitamin B12 – can be obtained by those who eat a total vegetarian diet.
• A large percentage of the world’s population is deficient in the enzyme lactase, which is necessary for the digestion of milk sugar (lactose).
• In terms of water used to grow food, it takes less than 1/3 as much to feed a lacto-ovo vegetarian (one who still consumes milk and eggs) but it takes less 1/13 of the usual amount of water, to grow the food for a vegan.
• The average egg contains 213 milligrams of cholesterol, entirely in the yolk.
• Livestock production accounts for nearly 80% of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture worldwide.
• Non-vegetarians have a 54% increased risk of developing prostate cancer and an 88% increased risk of developing bowel cancer.
• A high animal protein intake has been linked with an increased risk of developing osteoporosis. Growing evid-ence suggests higher intakes of potassium, magnesium and fruit and vegetables are associated with a beneficial impact on bone strength.
• On average, a typical meat-centric Western diet contains considerably higher protein intakes than recommended which can lead to some adverse health effects.