Some more reasons to be vegan/vegetarian...

Some more reasons to be vegan/vegetarian...

The Hunger Argument:
Number of People worldwide who will die of starvation this year:60 million Number of people who could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced meat intake by 10%: 60 million Human beings in America: 243 million Number of people who could be fed with grain and soybeans now eaten by US livestock: 1.3 billion Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by people: 20% Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by livestock: 80% Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90% Percentage of oats grown in US eaten by livestock: 95% How frequently a child starves to death: every 2 seconds Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 20, 000 lbs Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 165 lbs Percentage of US farmland devoted to beef production: 56% Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef: 16 lbs.

The Environmental Argument:
Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect Primary cause of greenhouse effect: Carbon Dioxide from fossil fuels Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 50 times more Percentage of US topsoil lost to date: 75% Percentage of US topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85% Number of acres of US forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million acres Amount of meat US imports annually from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: 200, 000, 000 pounds Average per capita meat consumption in Costa Rica, El Salveador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: Less than eaten by average US house cat Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pounder hamburger: 55 sq. ft. Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1, 000 species extinct per year


The Cancer Argument:
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat four times a
week vs. less than once a week: 4 times
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat eggs daily vs less than once a week: 3 times Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat cheese and butter 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times Increased risk of ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times

The Natural Resources Argument:
User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the US: Livestock production Amount of water to produce a pound of wheat: 25 gallons Amount of water
to produce a pound of meat: 2, 500 gallons Cost of common hamburger if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by US taxpayer: $35/pound Current cost of pound of protein from beefsteak, if water was no longer subsidized: $89 Years the world's known oil reserves will last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13 years Years the world's known oil reserves will last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260 years Barrels of oil imported into US daily: 6.8 million Percentage of fossil fuel energy returned as food energy by most efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5percent Percentage returned as food energy from least efficient plant food: 328% Percentage of raw materials consumed by US to produce present meat-centered diet: 33%

The Cholesterol Argument:
Number of US Medical Schools: 125 Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30 Nutrition training received by average US physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours Most common cause of death in the US: Heart attack How frequently a heart attack kills in the US: Every 45 seconds Average US man's risk of death from heart attack: 50% Risk for average US man who avoids the meat-centered diet: 15% Risk for average US vegan man: 4% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 10 percent: 9% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 50 percent: 45% Amount you reduce risk by changing to a vegan diet: 90 percent Meat, dairy, and egg industries claim you should not be concerned about your blood cholesterol if it is: "normal" Your risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood cholesterol is "normal": greater than 50%

The Antibiotic Argument:
Percentage of US antibiotics fed to livestock: 55% Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13% Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1988: 91% Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Ban Response of US meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument:
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by grains: 1%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by fruits: 4%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by vegetables: 6% Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by dairy products: 23%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by meat: 55%
Pesticide contamination of breast milk from meat eating mothers vs non-meat eating: 35 times higher
What USDA tells us: Meat is inspected Percentage of slaughtered animals inspected for residues of toxic chemicals such as dioxin and DDT: less than 0.00004%

The Ethical Argument:
Number of animals killed for meat per hour in US: 500, 000 Occupation with highest turnover rate in US: Slaughterhouse Worker Occupation with the highest rate of on-the-job injury in US: Slaughterhouse Worker Cost to render animal unconscious with "captive bolt pistol": 1 cent Reason given by meat industry for not using "captive bolt pistol": Too expensive