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From: jgb@linus.UUCP (Jonathan G. Bressel)
Newsgroups: net.veg
Subject: Re: Question (and an Answer)
Message-ID: <587@linus.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Jan-84 19:06:12 EST
Article-I.D.: linus.587
Posted: Wed Jan  4 19:06:12 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Jan-84 01:00:49 EST
References: <1601@utcsstat.UUCP> <3016@utcsrgv.UUCP> <1583@hplabsc.UUCP>
Organization: MITRE Corp., Bedford MA
Lines: 55

What's indented is Luigi Semenzato's original, and what's at the left-most
margin are my comments.

	I have always wondered if a totally vegetarian diet is completely
	healthy. I agree it's probably better than a very meaty and fatty
	diet, but aren't there some proteins (or other types of compunds)
	that only meat can supply?  Since homo sapiens has been eating meat
	for quite a long time, it would seem more natural to keep a little
	of it in our diets.

There are eight (it used to be thought to be eleven, but technology
progresses) essential amino acids in the production of protein in the human
body.  All of these are available in vegetable sources.  Other essential
vitamins and minerals can also be obtained from vegetable sources
(references available).  I can't argue as for what is "natural."

	>From a religious point of view, I must agree: it's not nice to kill
	any kind of animal. However, I also dislike any form of unnecessary
	violence to vegetables. They are fine forms of life. Moreover, they
	are totally incapable of defending themselves against the attacks of
	homo sapiens or other animals. The latters, at least in some
	circumstances, can attempt to run away.

Assuming we are trying to minimize the pain we cause other life forms, as it
stands now we can avoid eating animals, but to try to go much further, the
remaining choice is between eating plants and dying.  I would rather live.
I doubt anyone could effectively argue that a plant feels MORE pain than an
animal, and in fact, it's pretty obvious that it feels less (if it feels
anything at all).  Plants benefit from having their fruit eaten.  Perhaps
you could argue, however, against eating the roots of plants (e.g. potatoes,
onions, etc.).  If you feel so strongly about plants, perhaps some day we'll
be able to synthesize all our nutrients from the basic elements.  Until
then, let's stop the pain we KNOW we're causing, and then worry about the
pain we MIGHT be causing.

	It's true that meat is very expensive from an agricultural/energetic
	viewpoint. However, we are at a point in which plants are already
	too expensive. Expansion of agricultural land destroys forests,
	brings animal species to extinction, and creates lots of other
	problems.  The only long-term solution is worldwide birth control.
	If we don't practice it, the natural one will be a lot more painful
	(and it already is, in several countries).

MORE AGRICULTURAL LAND GOES INTO FEEDING THE ANIMALS WE EAT THAN THE LAND
WHICH WOULD GO TO PRODUCE THE SAME AMOUNT OF PROTEIN IN PLANT FORM.  If we
were to stop eating animals, we would need less land for agriculture. Once
again, a cow requires twenty times the plant protein for every unit of
animal protein it produces (references available).  I disagree with your
feelings about birth control, but I'm not sure my thoughts on that subject
are relevant.

					Jonathan G. Bressel
--
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