Transcript Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism
What is a vegetarian?
AKA “plant based diet”, “herbivore”,
“meat-free eating”
Someone who does not eat meat (beef,
pork, lamb, goat, etc.), poultry (chicken,
duck, etc.), fish, or seafood
 3 different types of vegetarians
 Lacto vegetarian
 Ovo-vegetarian
 Lacto-ovo vegetarian – probably the most common
What is a vegan?
Someone who is does not eat anything
from an animal – meat, milk products,
and eggs … usually honey, too.
Many vegans go beyond diet, and don’t
use other animal products either (like
leather, fur, wool, silk in clothing;
products tested on animals; go to zoos,
aquariums, circuses; etc.)
# of veg*ns in Canada:
 Between 3 - 7% of Canadians are vegetarians
 1.1 million – 2.4 million people
 About 1.5% of the population is vegan
 340, 000 - 510,000 people
 According to a 2015 poll, 33% say they are
eating less meat
 Flexitarian, “VB-6 (veg before 6)”, “weekday
veg”, “Meatless Mondays”
History of Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism has been practiced by
portions of various cultures around the
world since 100 BCE
 Likely before that, but this is when there is proof
* Ancient India, Ancient Greece, Italy, and
Ethiopia are the places where there is
the most evidence of vegetarian
populations
Why do people become veg*n?
1. Religious Reasons
- Many religions lean towards,
recommend or encourage
vegetarianism – either some of the
time (on special, holy-days) or all of
the time
Some religions that lean towards
veg*nism in some way:
-
Hinduism
Buddhism
Seventh-Day Adventists
Rastafarianism (ital diet)
2. Health Reasons
-Many positive health
reasons why someone
might become a
vegetarian or vegan
-What are they?
a. Diseases that a plant-based diet
protection against........
1. Colon cancer
 3rd most common type of
cancer in Canada
Risk of C.C. decreases
the less meat and more
plants (and fibre) you
eat
2. Breast Cancer
- Canadian Cancer Society
says that breast cancer risk
decreases the more fruit and
vegetables you eat
3. High Cholesterol/ Clogged
Arteries
-Remember: our bodies
produce all the
cholesterol we need
- Animal products
constitute 99% of dietary
cholesterol
4. Weight Control
- Less chance of being overweight –
which may lower risk of other
diseases
- Plant-based foods tend to be lower
in fat in general and bad fat in
particular
- Assuming one isn’t a ‘junk food
veg*n – Oreos, potato chips, french
fries, are all veg, after all…..
Also, a healthy
vegetarian diet results
in:
 Significantly lower
rates heart disease
 Significantly lower
rates of diabetes
Why are there health benefits?
Because vegetarian diets tend to be
are:
 lower in fat, especially saturated fat
 lower/no cholesterol,
 higher in fibre,
 higher in vegetables and fruits (and all the
super beneficial anti-oxidants).
(sorry, you need to take notes on the next few slides!)
But … does it have enough
nutrients??
 Lots of people have heard stories about people who did not do
well (they were tired all the time, they were sick, their hair fell
out, etc.).
 This is most likely due to the fact that they were not eating a
diverse veg*n diet.
 “It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and
Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets
are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health
benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases…..
Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are
appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during
pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence.”
 “Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits,
including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal
protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber,
magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as
vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. …. Vegetarians have
been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from heart disease;
vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower
blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2
diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer. ”
 Of course, when eliminating a nutrient-dense protein
package (which meat is), one needs to plan a bit more.
 What are the nutrients veg*ns need to be concerned about
getting enough of?
 Use the reading and make a list
What are the nutrients veg*ns do NOT need to
be concerned about?
 (Hint: it’s the one they
always get asked about?
 Protein! No one asks about
B12, which is a real concern
– but everyone wants to
know about protein.
 Any diverse diet that is sufficient in calories (and is not
based on junk food), even if it has no beans, lentils, tofu or
nuts, will not be protein deficient – that is how abundant
protein is in plant foods.
3. Ethical Reasons
 Some become veg*n b/c
they are concerned
about animal cruelty,
exploitation and
suffering
 Don’t think animals
should be killed so that
humans can eat them –
have an ethical objection
to killing for food
Ethical veg*ns ask….
…..whether humans – those who have
a choice of foods - have the “right” to
impose their dietary preferences on
animals – esp. when it results in
suffering and death
If animals had voices we could
understand, what would they say?
Many (even those who aren’t veg*n)
have concerns over how animals are
raised on farms:
Animals are no
longer raised
outdoors on
small, peaceful
farms by family
farmers
Companies perpetuate this
image:
Today, over 90% of animals killed and
eaten in Canada are raised on factory
farms
 Do animals suffer on factory farms?
What is a “Factory Farm”?
 A facility that raises large numbers of livestock
indoors under conditions of extremely
restricted mobility
- Most animals never set a foot outdoors, or
display any of their natural behaviours
Natural chicken behaviour:
* Even the animals that are raised outdoors
are very tightly packed into one area ; babies
are separated from the mothers at birth; etc.
Veal farms:
Mother and baby cows natural
behaviour:
1. What is a Battery Cage?
 A confinement system used for
egg laying chickens
 90 per cent of Canada’s 26
million egg-laying hens are
kept in these for their entire
life (2yrs)
 They are unable to perform
natural behaviours
 Each bird has less space than a
sheet of notebook paper.
2. What is de-beaking?
 Also called ‘beak trimming’
 A process whereby part tip
of the chickens beak is
burned off
 Why is this done? B/c chickens
are stressed under the
confinement, and debeaking
reduces fighting and
cannibalism in chickens
2. What is a gestation crate?
 A metal enclosure used in pig farming
 Female pig (sow) is confined for her life (3-5
years)
 Crate is 7’ x 2’
4. In addition:
 Piglets are castrated without anesthetic
 Pigs and cows have their tails cut off / trimmed without
anesthetic
 Cows are castrated without anesthetic
 Cows are branded without anesthetic
 Cows have their horns cut off without anesthetic
 Turkeys have their toes cut off without anesthetic
 Male chickens are crushed to death – or put through a wood
chipper - at egg hatcheries (they can’t lay eggs so have no
value and need to be disposed of)
5. Concerns with slaughter:
Violations of animal welfare / Humane
Slaughter laws at slaughterhouses make
people turn away from eating meat
Ethical veg’ns believe ……
Homework:
 Read article about chicken slaughterhouse
 Go home and Google:
 “undercover slaughterhouse investigation Canada”
 “undercover factory farm investigation Canada”
 “undercover slaughterhouse investigation”
 Chose a video, watch the video, making notes
 What video? Made by who? Link?
 What do you see/witness?
 How does it make you feel?
Videos:
 Undercover investigation reveals disturbing and inhumane
treatment of factory farm animals (W5 Investigation on CTV)
- http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/undercover-investigationreveals-disturbing-and-inhumane-treatment-of-factory-farmanimals-1.1070919
 Dark Side of Dairy – Abuse on Canada’s Largest Dairy Farm http://canadadairy.mercyforanimals.org/
 Turkey Torture – turkey farm investigation in Canada http://www.turkeytorture.ca/
Environmental /Ecological
 According to the United Nations (and
other universities and governmental
organizations), eating meat, dairy and
eggs has a HUGE impact on the
environment
 Has the largest impact on climate
change of any human activity
 More of an impact on the environment
than all transportation combined
Resource Use
 In Canada, farm animals also outweigh
people by a factor of four to one.
 On a given day there are approximately
 14.6 million beef and dairy cattle,
 13 million pigs,
 8 million turkeys,
 96 million chickens, and
 30 million people alive in Canada
1. Need more land on a meatbased diet:
A meat-based diet requires 7
times more land than a plantbased diet
We could have a lot more
forests if people ate less
meat (forests = cleaner air, carbon
sequestering, homes for wildlife, etc.)
2. Water Pollution:
 According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
Industrial agriculture is among the leading causes of water
pollution in the US today.
 Most water pollution from industrial farms results from the
storage and disposal of animal waste.
 Industrial livestock farms store manure and other farm
wastes in gigantic tanks known as “lagoons” which can hold
millions of gallons of manure and urine.
 Not required to be treated as sewage like human waste is.
 These lagoons often leak and—during large storms—they
may rupture or simply overflow.
 When this happens, the environmental damage can be
devastating. Leaking lagoons also release antibiotic residues
and harmful bacteria that can leach into water supplies.
Impacts of leaking manure
lagoons:
1. Antibiotics and hormones get into ground water
2. Pathogens and harmful micro-organisms get into water (ie-E
Coli, etc.)
3. Ammonia and nitrates – which destroy aquatic life and kill
thousands or millions of fish (also likely toxic to humans,
causing death in small infants and cancers)
3. Air Pollution:
a. Mountains of Manure
 More than 335 million tons of manure are produced annually on US
farms.
 Stored for long periods of time in giant tanks/ lagoons or in huge piles,
the animal waste decomposes and pollutes the air with hundreds of
different gases.
 Hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide are the major
hazardous gases produced by decomposing manure.
 The EPA estimates that methane emissions from manure increased by
26 % in the United States between 1990 and 2004, due primarily to
larger, more concentrated dairy cow and swine facilities.
 Pig farming in one state (North Carolina) alone produces about 300
tons of ammonia each day
b. Air Pollution and Animal Feed:
 Animal feed also plays a role -- the EPA estimates that 20% of all
human-made methane production resulted from livestock
digestion, primarily cows
 Most of which are fed a low-quality grain-based feed that
their bodies were not designed to digest.
 This feed fattens animals cheaply but causes chronic indigestion
that contributes to higher methane emissions (b/c cows are farting
more!).
 Producing the vast crops required to feed animals also pollutes the
air with soil management techniques, especially the use of
synthetic fertilizers, that were responsible for 68 % of all nitrous
oxide released into the atmosphere in 2004.
c. Other Air Pollutants:
 Ammonia - causes irritation of the eyes, skin, and
respiratory tract.
 Particulate matter - causes bronchitis and asthma;
 Endotoxins, poisons produced by dying bacteria - causes
respiratory problems even in extremely low
concentrations.
 Carbon dioxide is a by-product of decomposing manure causes shortness of breath and dizziness
 Methane is a major contributor to climate change.
 According to the EPA, methane is 23 times as potent as
carbon dioxide and is the second most important contributor
to the greenhouse effect  CLIMATE CHANGE!!
Is Free Range/Grass Fed Better for
the Environment?
 No doubt that is healthier for humans – less fat, likely fewer to
no antibiotics
 Also, the animals have a better life (although they are still
subject to the same slaughterhouses and methods as other
animals in most cases).
 But when it comes to the environment, the answer is must less
clear OR convincing:
 A grain-fed cow will require three acres of land, while a grass-fed
cow requires nine acres.
 A grass-fed cow will use 35 percent more water and 30 percent
more land than a conventional, grain-fed cow.
 The fact is that grain-fed cows are simply more efficient purely
from a resource perspective.
 When it comes to greenhouse gases (GHG), grass-fed beef
again may not be better for the environment
 One study reported that each pound of grass-fed beef
produces 500 % more GHG than grain-fed. Grain-fed cows
also produce one-third the methane of grass-fed, partially
due to their shorter life span
 There is a common argument, though, that the grazing
cows help produce more grass and improve the soil, which
sequesters carbon dioxide underground.
 The validity of this argument isn’t proven / conclusive, but it
still likely doesn’t make up for the other negative impacts.
Meat and Environmental Impact:
 http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/americatonight/articles/2015/12/2/grass-fed-beef-globalwarming.html
(5 minutes)
 Cowspiracy – 15 minute clip
What do vegetarians eat?
Vegetarian Food Guide
 Some experts propose slightly different food groups for
vegetarians and vegans
 How are they different from Canada’s Food Guide?
What do vegetarians eat?
A few menu items include:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Tofu/soy is also used to make
‘faux meats’
Local Vegetarian Restaurants
there are over 50 vegetarian restaurants in the GTA!
 There are over 50 vegetarian restaurants in Toronto!
http://veggietestimonial.peta.org/psa.aspx?CID=82ba25
4f-faba-4650-90ff-e4db1db4905b
http://veggietestimonial.peta.org/psa.aspx?CID=0cdaaef
7-12c0-4f9d-b3c1-d72c3bab0d43
http://veggietestimonial.peta.org/psa.aspx?CID=1f870cb
8-aaab-4069-9821-95c1e8822337
A few famous vegetarians:
Does it have to be all or nothing? ?
Meatless Mondays, Weekday Veg – there are many
ways to make a difference – for your own health, the
future of the planet, and the lives of animals?
 Weekday Veg (Graham Hill)
http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_veg
etarian.html
 What’s Wrong With the Way We Eat? (Mark Bittman)
http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s
_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html
The end