Man in the food chain

Isn’t man born a carnivore? If everybody turns vegetarian, would there be sufficient grains left in the world?

Food habits are a private part of one’s life and hence it is a private subject matter for everyone. However, when some private subjects lead to harm to health, nature or environment, it certainly calls for some restrictions. The opposition to tobacco, cigarettes, intoxicating drinks and such other vices comes from these considerations even from people who do not have a religious outlook.

A human being was created to be a herbivore (vegetarian) only. For a human being non-vegetarian food is opposed to nature. None of the aspect of a human life should be opposed to nature. There is a lot of difference between the body structure of a vegetarian and non-vegetarian being. Bodies of vegetarian beings and bodies of non-vegetarian beings are created differently. The structure of a human body is similar to the bodies of other vegetarian creatures. What does this indicate? If a comparison is made it would be clear that a human being is by nature vegetarian.

1. The teeth of carnivores are very sharp: Their paws have sharp nails. The chewing teeth of herbivores are flat and they do not have sharp nails in their claws.

2. The jaws of carnivores move only up and down whereas the jaws of herbivores move in all four directions i.e. up and down and sideways.

3. The carnivores have rough tongue and they drink water with their tongue. The tongue of herbivores is smooth and they drink water with their lips.

4. The intestines of carnivores are as long as their body length. However, the intestines of herbivores are almost four times the height of their body.

5. Carnivores have very large liver and kidney. Herbivores have comparatively smaller liver and kidney.

6. The quantum of hydrochloric acid in the digestive system of carnivores is almost ten times that of herbivores.’

7. The saliva of carnivores is highly acidic. ‘The saliva of herbivores contains a chemical called tylin which helps in digestion of carbohydrates.

8. Carnivores have a low level of P.H. in their blood and itis acidic. Herbivores have a higher level of P.H. and their blood is alkaline.

9. The sense of smell of carnivores is very much strong compared to that of herbivores.

10. The eyes of carnivores flash during night and they have strong night vision whereas the herbivores are able to see only during day light.

11. The voice of carnivores is very rough and frightening. The herbivores have sweet and smooth voice.

12. The carnivores are blind for seven days after they are born. They gain vision only after a week. The herbivores are able to see from the moment they are born.

The above comparison makes it clear that the bodies of human beings resemble the bodies of herbivores. It also proves that human beings, by nature, are vegetarians. Non-vegetarianism does not suit their body.

The teeth, claws, nails and jaws of carnivores are suitable for non-vegetarianism. If non-vegetarian food remains in the intestine for a long time it putrefies and gives birth to fatal diseases. Hence it needs to be thrown out of the body immediately. That is why the intestine of carnivores are short. If human beings with long intestines consume non- vegetarian foods such foods putrefies in the intestine and leads to many incurable diseases.

Animals never flout natural rules. A cow or a buffalo will go hungry even for days together but will not eat meat. Human beings need to learn the respect for nature’s rule from animals. A human heart, throbbing with fine emotions and feelings, can persuade a person not to eat non-vegetarian food. However, even on intellectual level it is unscientific to consume a food which is not suited to the constitution of one’s body.

Dr. Allen of Jeans Hopkin’s University has proved with microscopic analysis of a human teeth that human beings are basically herbivores. No one would express distaste upon seeing fruits or vegetables or groceries stacked in shops. However, when he sees the hanging carcasses of slaughtered animals in a non-vegetarian shop, he would feel hatred at such a scene. This feeling of hatred is a strong proof of the vegetarian nature of humans.

Nobody would feel hatred upon the sight of one’s food. If one sees the heap of chappatis or the pot of vegetables, or rice, sweets or farsan, he would not have any negative feeling.

Query: These days crores of people eat non-vegetarian food, eggs, sea food etc. Crores of people go hungry or are half fed. Despite this, the vegetarians get food grain at very costly rates. If everybody turns vegetarian, from where sufficient food grain would come to feed all?

Explanation: Supposing the daily average food grain intake of an individual is 250 gms then the monthly requirement will be 7.5 to 8 kgs and yearly requirement will be 96 kgs. Let us round it off to 100 kg. If one individual needs 100 kg food grains in a year, 125 crore individuals (irrespective of their age — though infants and young children will not need 250 gms every day) comprising the population of the entire country would need 12.5 crore tons of food grains. This calculation presumes that no one relies on non-vegetarian food, no one goes hungry or no one undertakes fast for religious or other purposes. 12.5 Crore tons of food grains would be enough to fully feed the entire population. The annual food grain production of the country is approx. 30 crore tons. Thus, we produce more than double of our requirement of food grains annually.

Due to improper and insufficient arrangements for storage and distribution of food grains, thousands and lakhs of tons of food grains go waste. A large chunk of food grains gets diverted as poultry feed. In Western countries animals are reared for slaughter to obtain meat. An animal needs to be fed 7 to 15 kg of food grain to generate one kg. of meat in its body mass.

Feeding grass to a milch animal produces milk in its body, whereas for obtaining meat, mutton or beef food grains are required to be fed to an animal. Lured by huge profits in meat export trade, the meat exporters’ rear and slaughter more and more animals and food grains find their way to such animals. This makes food grains out of the reach of commonm.an.

Let us have another analysis. From 16 kgs of food grains which are fed to animals to obtain one kgs of meat, 64 vegetarians can be fed (based on average requirement of 250 gms.) On the other hand, one kgs of meat can feed just four persons.

Thus, the ratio of food grain utilization between a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian works out to 1:16. In other words, one non-vegetarian snatches away the food grains of 16 vegetarians.

An in-depth analysis for finding out real reasons of food grain shortage is required. Let us consider some more factual information. To grow one kgs of wheat approx. 210 litres of water is required. On the other hand, for one kgs of meat more than 20000 litres of water is required (for obtaining one kg. of meat an animal is required to be fed 8 to 16 kgs of food grain. Consider the water requirement for growing this quantity of food grain. Add to this the drinking water required to be provided for the animal. Add further the water requirement for washing animals’ body and the slaughter house machinery, floor, drainages in slaughter houses etc. etc.).

If a person realizes how exploitative is non-vegetarianism and how dangerous it is for health and environment, any sensitive person will not go for non-vegetarianism.

A book titled ‘A Diet for New America’ written by an American author John Robbins may be recommended to an educated but unprejudiced non-vegetarian person who is prepared to consider arguments with an open mind. After publication of this book there was a virtual wave against non-vegetarianism in America.

A person cannot be a non-vegetarian unless he is totally insensitive. If there is a small cut on a finger from a knife while mending vegetables for cooking and a person cries in pain, he should definitely be able to understand what an animal undergoes when its throat is slit under a sharp knife. A sensitive person will never be able to swallow even a single morsel of non-vegetarian food. One fact which is visible is that an animal is dead and then only its meat is consumed by someone. The invisible fact is that a person becomes like lifeless (devoid of all humane and fine feelings) and then only consumes meat.

A famous Gujarati litterateur, Shri Gunwant Shah has written somewhere that if slaughter houses were to have transparent walls, hardly anyone would eat meat. The famous British philosopher George Bernard Shaw reacted rather tersely against non-vegetarianism, saying, “Is the human stomach a graveyard for dead animals?”

The above thoughts are enough for people with simple hearts. In fact, compassion can flourish only if non-vegetarianism decreases. Somebody has very correctly said, “As long as the blood of animals will continue to be served on the food plates, human blood will continue to flow on this planet”.

The arguments against non-vegetarianism are possibly more easily palatable than meat!