Five reasons not to eat meat:
- Health - PCB, mercury, and other toxins are concentrated in fatty tissues of meat. Increased red meat consumption correlates with increases in certain cancers.
- Environmental - The oceans are on the verge of collapse due to over fishing. Commercial hog production uses a lot of water and run off from waste lagoons destroys surface water. Agricultural runoff from feed corn production in the Midwest causes fish kills in the Gulf.
- Moral - There is not enough meat to go around. The earth does not have enough resources to support everyone eating 3 meals of meat per day. There would be more food available for the starving if we didn't use the grain to fatten livestock.
- Ethical - Scientists believe that the state of neurological development in mature beef cattle exceeds that of a new born human baby. Killing may be excusable or justifiable if it is necessary for survival, but in today's world, it isn't necessary to kill to survive. In fact, by not eating meat one will probably survive longer and live better.
- Financial - Due to inefficiencies in the food chain, the high energy inputs required to grow meat make it expensive. Instead of feeding grains to pigs, it would be more efficient and less expensive to just eat the grains.
So, there you have it. Don't eat meat and you'll be healthier, wealthier and probably wiser, too.
