Chapter 2
Vegetarianism & Animal Welfare
Many vegetarians are such not just because they realize it is healthy, but for the case of animal welfare as well. For many people, being a vegetarian is a part of a moral and ethical decision to not eat animal products. Throughout the many centuries we have domesticated animals, we have come to believe that we are superior to them. We use animals for a wide variety of uses other than food including clothing, shoes, belts and coats. They have also been used for scientific experiments, although many companies are trying to move away from this type of testing.
PETA
PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. This is an organization that is devoted to changing the mindset of people when it comes to animals. They are against using animals for anything from food to clothing and they are particularly against trapping for fur.
PETA is extremely passionate for their cause, almost to an extent of being outrageous. However, their cause is noble in that they believe animals have rights and deserve that their best interests be taken into consideration. They seek to have people realize that animals can suffer and that they have an interest in leading their own lives as animals. They believe that as a society we need to re-evaluate our place on earth and where we fit in with the other animal inhabitants of the world.
Animals & Growth Hormones
In an effort to produce more animals at an increased rate for human consumption, many animals have been treated with growth hormones so that they can be raised and slaughtered at an expedited rate. At the same time this leads us to consider how these animals are raised and treated for this purpose.
The fact of the matter is that if many people saw how many of these animals were raised, they would become vegetarians on the spot. For example, egg- laying chickens are often raised with six to a cage. Each chicken only receives about 67 square inches of space. These chickens are also generally treated with growth hormones as well as antibiotics to increase growth rate and decrease disease. Free-range and certified organic chickens may receive more spacious conditions and are not fed hormones or antibiotics.
This brings us to another point. After you handle chickens it is suggested that you use bleach to clean the surfaces so that you remove bacteria. Also, chicken must be cooked at certain temperatures and for a certain period of time to ensure that you will not catch any food-borne illnesses. It does not seem wise to eat anything that has to be handled with such care.
From chickens, you can easily move into how cattle are treated. First you must consider dairy cattle. Dairy cattle are often given hormones that stimulate their reproductive processes so that it continues to produce milk. A cow will only produce milk after she has given birth. They often live in cramped conditions and as soon as they calve, male calves are sent to become veal while females are raised to produce milk. The hormones that the cows receive cause the cow to produce ten times more milk than they would ordinarily. At the same time, they are hooked up to electric pumps, which cause irritation to the cow’s udders.
After a certain age, we really don’t need to consume milk. At the same time, we are not designed to drink cow milk, but human milk. We don’t milk pregnant women do we? Just like our bodies were not designed to eat milk, we were not designed to drink cow milk and digest those proteins either. You can receive just as much and more calcium from green, leafy vegetables.
Many people, even by those people who eat meat regularly, have viewed the veal industry negatively. The veal industry is cruel no matter who you are and how you look at it. The calves are taken from their mothers after they are about one day old. They are then kept in pens that prevent them from moving so that their muscle tissue stays soft and tender. The calves are then fed a liquid, often containing beer, that is deficient in iron and fiber. This causes anemia in the animal and produces the pale meat. At about 20 weeks, the calf is then slaughtered.
Turkeys are also produced in an inhumane manner. The consumption of turkey has become very popular over the past few decades and it is eaten for more than just holidays. Turkeys are more aggressive birds so they are kept in a confined and dark area to discourage their aggressive behavior. They are then overfed until their legs cannot support the weight of their body. This is because Americans want the largest turkey breast they can get for their holiday celebrations. Naturally and wildly, a turkey may live up to 10 years. These turkeys are slaughtered at 2 years of age. They also suffer from foot and leg deformities, heat stress and starvation. Approximately 2.7 million turkeys die each year due to the abnormal stress and disease of this process.
Many religions do not eat pork for their various reasons and some meat- consuming people don’t care for it either. Pigs are raised in similar unsanitary conditions. In fact, many farmers and workers on pig farms have died from breathing in the methane gas that is produced from the immense amount of waste that pigs produce at pig farms. Pigs are also overfed and kept in crates.
They have a limited range of movement that does not suit their natural behaviors. They may also be fed growth hormones and antibiotics. Pigs have natural rooting behaviors and the captivity they live in does not allow them to live naturally.
Seafood and shellfish can be a part of a healthy diet. Fish contain a lot of nutrients that we don’t get from other meats. It contains a high-quality protein, essential nutrients, omega-3 fatty acids and it is low in saturated fat. However, eating fish has its harms as well. Fish often contain mercury. These levels are not usually bad enough to hurt us, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women, especially pregnant women, and young children to avoid certain types of fish and shellfish. This is because some fish have high levels of mercury that are not safe for these people to eat. Eliminating fish from your diet is usually the last step in going towards a complete vegetarian diet.