Post date: Nov 16, 2012 11:57:30 AM
Most animals who kill for food could not survive if they did not do so. That is not the case for us. We are better off not eating meat. Also we do not look to other animals for standards in other areas, so why should we in this case?
Both the U.S Department of Agriculture and the American Dietetic Association have endorsed vegetarian diets. Studies have also shown that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than meat-eaters and that meat-eaters are almost twice as likely to die of heart disease, 60 percent more likely to die of cancer, and 30 percent more likely to die of other disease. The consumption of meat and dairy products has been conclusively linked with diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, clogged arteries, obesity, asthma, and impotence as well.
It's unrealistic to expect that everyone will stop eating animal overnight. As the demand for meat decreases the number of animals b bred will decrease. Farmers will stop breeding so many animals and will turn to other types of agriculture. When there are fewer of these animals, they will be able to live more natural lives.
In many countries the problem is too much protein, not too little. Most Americans get about seven times as much protein as they need. You can get plenty of protein from whole wheat bread, oatmeal, beans, corn, peas - Even mushrooms or broccoli. Almost every food contains protein. Unless you eat a great deal of junk food, it's almost impossible to eat as many calories as you need for good health without getting enough protein. By contrast, too much protein is the major cause of osteoporosis and contributes to kidney failure and other diseases of affluence.
In order for a cow to produce milk, she must have a calf. "Dairy cows" are impregnated every year in order to keep up a steady supply of milk. In the natural order of things, the cow's calf would drink her milk(eliminating her "need to be milked by humans"). But dairy cow's babies are taken away within a day or two of birth so that humans can have the milk nature intended for calves. Female dairy calves may be slaughtered immediately or raised to become future dairy cows. Male dairy calves are confined for 16 weeks in tiny veal crates too small for them even to turn around in. The current high demand for dairy products requires that cows to be pushed beyond their natural limits, genetically engineered and fed growth hormoned in order to produce huge quantities of milk. Even the few farmers who chooose not to raise animals intensively must both eliminate the calf(who would otherwise drink the milk) and eventually send the mother off to slaughter after her milk production wanes.