Mengapa Vegetarian???

MENGAPA HARUS VEGETARIAN?

Ada beberapa alasan orang memilih cara dan pola Hidup ber-vegetaris atau vegetarian!


Kami mengutip dan menterjemahkan dari Sumber Ilmiah tentang alasan memilih hidup Ber-Vegetarian:
Copyright 1996 CSPI. Reprinted/Adapted from Nutrition Action Healthletter (1875 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 300, Washington DC 20009-5728. $24.00 for 10 issues.)

10 Alasan Mengapa Vegetarian:
Bonnie Liebman(Originally in English)

Bukti telah di temukan bahwa makanan yang paling sehat adalah terkandung di dalam tumbuh-tumbuhan (sayuran, buah-buahan dan biji-bijian) dan beberapa juga di temulan pada hewan (daging, ikan, telur) khususnya yang mengandung lemak tinggi. Diet yang hanya mengkomsumsi buah-buahan dan sayuran memegang peranan utama di dalam menurunkan resiko dari penyakit dan kematian, " kata Walter Willet, Kepala departemen Nutrisi dari Universitas Harvard.

Berikut ini Alasan memilih hidup Vegetarian:

1. Kangker (cancer)
Para ahli menyatakan bahwa buah-buahan dan sayur-sayuran adalah elemen utama untuk melindungi tubuh dari penyakit Kangker, "kata Tim Byers" seorang Profesor dari Universitas Colorado The scientific base is very strong suggesting that fruits and vegetables are protective elements for all gastrointestinal cancers and all smoking-related cancers," says Tim Byers, professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. That includes cancers of the lung, colon, stomach, mouth, larynx, esophagus and bladder. And a recent study found that lycopene - a carotenoid in tomatoes and tomato sauce - may protect against prostate cancer.

It's not clear how fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. It could be their phytochemicals - things like carotenoids, vitamins C and E, selenium, indoles, flavonoids, phenols and limonene.
There is also evidence that high-fibre grains like wheat bran can reduce cancer risk. "Fibre has a beneficial effect in preventing colon cancer," says David Jenkins, a fibre expert at the University of Toronto. And pasta, rice and other grains can replace the animal foods - red meat, in particular - that may increase the risks of some cancers.
"Men who eat red meat as a main dish five or more times a week have four times the risk of colon cancer of men who eat red meats less than once a month," says Edward Giovannucci of Harvard Medical School. Heavy red-meat eaters were also twice as likely to get prostate cancer in his study of 50,000 male health professionals.

That's just one study. Looking at others, says Lawrence Kushi of the University of Minnesota, "the evidence is quite consistent that red meat is associated with a higher risk of colon - possibly prostate - cancer".
But even lean red meat seems to increase the risk of colon cancer. "It could be the carcinogens created when meat is cooked or meat's highly available iron, or something else in meat," speculates Willett.

2. Heart disease
A plant-based diet with lots of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of heart disease. For the last 20 years, heart experts have emphasised cutting saturated fat and cholesterol intake, but plants may protect the heart in other ways. Among them:
* Soluble Fibre: "To reduce your risk of heart disease, you may want to eat more beans, peas, oats, and barley," says Jenkins, because their "sticky" soluble fibre seems to help lower blood cholesterol.
* Folic Acid: "The evidence that folic acid reduces the risk of heart disease is pretty strong," says Willet. Folic acid, a B-vitamin, lowers blood levels of a harmful amino acid called homocysteine. "And fruits and vegetables are a major source of folic acid," he adds.
* Antioxidants: a growing body of evidence suggests that LDL ("bad") cholesterol damages arteries only when it has been oxidised (combined with oxygen). That's why researchers believe that antioxidants like vitamin E may protect the heart. And many of the phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables are antioxidants.
* Squeezing Out Saturates: if you eat lots of plant foods, there's simply less room for the saturated animal fats that clog arteries.

3. Stroke
There's a lot of evidence showing that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for reducing the risk of stroke," says Willet. For example, in a 20-year study of 832 middle-aged men, the risk of stroke was 22 per cent lower for every three servings of fruits and vegetables the men ate each day. Again, no one's sure if it's the potassium, magnesium, fibre or other components of fruits and vegetables that prevent arteries from clogging in the brain.

4. Diverticulosis & Constipation
High-fibre grains - especially wheat bran - can help prevent constipation. That's not trivial in a country like the US that spends millions a year on laxatives.
Diverticulosis is also common. About 30 to 40 per cent of people over 50 have it, though most have no symptoms. Others experience bleeding, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, pain, or diverticulitis (that's when the pouches - or diverticula - that form in the walls of the colon get inflamed).

"In our studies, it's clear that fibre both from bran and from fruits and vegetables is protective," says Willet. Men who ate the least fibre (13 grams or less a day) were almost twice as likely to get diverticulosis as men who ate the most fibre (at least 32 grams of fibre a day).

5. Other diseases
Plant-rich diets may prevent other illnesses:
* Macular Degeneration: a carotenoid called lutein - which is found mostly in leafy greens - may help prevent the deterioration of the retina that causes blindness in older people. "In our study, people who ate spinach or collard greens two to four times a week had half the estimated risk of macular degeneration compared with those who ate them less than once a month," says Johanna Seddon of Harvard Medical School.

* Neural Tube Defects: folic acid supplements can reduce the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube birth defects. Folic acid from foods (mostly fruits and vegetables) may also cut the risk.

* Diabetes: "We found a lower risk of adult-onset diabetes in people who ate more whole grains," says Willet.

6. Safer food
Some of the deadliest food-borne illnesses enter the body via animal foods. "Ground beef is the most likely source of E. Coli 0157:H7. Poultry carry Salmonella and Campylobacter, and the consumption of raw shellfish has caused infection with Vibrio vulnificus," says David Swerdlow of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

Any raw food - including fruits or vegetables - can carry harmful bacteria. "For example, recent outbreaks of Salmonella have been associated with cantaloupe, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts," says Swerdlow. But meat, seafood and poultry are the most likely culprits in food-borne illness.

7. The environment
"Our eating habits have a tremendous effect on the planet," says Jenkins. "Eating animals wouldn't harm the environment if it were done on a much smaller scale," explains Alan Durning, Director of North-west Environment Watch in Seattle.
"Modern meat production involves intensive use - and often misuse - of grain, water, energy and grazing areas," says Durning. He cites the following examples:
* Water pollution: the manure and sewage from stockyards, chicken factories, and other feeding facilities can pollute water supplies.

* Air pollution: thirty million tons of methane - a gas that contributes to global warning - comes from manure in sewage ponds or heaps.

* Soil erosion: nearly 40 per cent of the world's - and more than 70 per cent of US - grain production is fed to livestock. For each pound of meat, poultry, eggs and milk we produce, farm fields lose about five pounds of topsoil.

* Water depletion: an estimated half of the grain and hay that's fed to beef cattle is grown on irrigated land. It takes about 390 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef.

* Energy Use: it takes almost ten times more energy to produce and transport livestock than vegetables.

* Overgrazing: about 10 per cent of the arid West of the US has been turned into a desert by livestock. But some of that land couldn't be used for much else. "That's why my argument isn't for vegetarianism, but for people to reduce the consumption of animal products," maintains Durning.

8. Cost
Sure, you can spend $7.99 a pound on mesclun or other gourmet foods. But from squash to sweet potatoes, most plants are a downright bargain. And the lower price of plants shows up when you eat out. On Chinese, Indian, and most other restaurant menus, the vegetarian selections are usually cheaper than the meat, seafood and poultry.

9. Animal welfare
It's unpleasant to think about, but before we slaughter them, the animals we eat are often raised and transported under inhumane conditions.

10. Taste
The number-one reason for eating a plant-rich diet is that it tastes good. The five vegetables that Americans eat most are French fries, tomatoes (mostly as sauce or ketchup), onions, iceberg lettuce, and other potatoes.

But if most Americans shrink the meat, seafood and poultry on their dinner plates, they - or many of their favourite restaurants - wouldn't know what to replace them with. You have to go to ethnic restaurants to get interesting plant-based dishes. It's no coincidence that ethnic restaurants know how to make vegetable dishes taste good. "Fortunately, there's a wealth of experience around the world because almost all traditional diets are plant-based," says Willet.
Yet many Italian, Mexican and other ethnic restaurants have become so Americanised that their vegetables have been largely replaced by meat and cheese. And that's a shame.

In Asian and Mediterranean cuisines, cooking fruits and vegetables is an art form. The Italians don't put tremendous amounts of meat and cheese on pizza, for example. I had a thin-crust pizza at a traditional restaurant recently with no cheese - just fresh basil, tomatoes and garlic. It was totally wonderful.


BAHAYANYA MAKAN DAGING

Banyak alasan penting mengapa kita harus memilih tidak makan daging, bukan alasan emosional atau sentimental, tetapi merupakan alasan-alasan meyakinkan dan ilmiah. Bila alasan-alasan itu dipikirkan secara mendalam tentulah mulai saat ini juga kita akan beralih kepada makanan vegetaris.

Bangsa Eskimo, hiduo sebagain besar dari daging dan lemak dan cepat sekali menjadi tua, panjang usia rata-rata 27,5 tahun. bangsa Krigis, suatu bangsa Nomad di Rusia Timur sebagian besar makanannya terdiri dari daging, cepat menjadi tua dan cepat pula mati, jarang usia mereka melampaui 40 tahun. Sebaliknya penelitian yang di lakukan oleh para antropologi terhadap suku-suku bangsa yang tidak memakan daging, meiliki kesehatan cemerlang, daya tahan, dan umur panjang, dinikmati misalnya oleh suku-suku bangsa Hunza di Pakistan, suku bangsa Otonomi di Mexico dan penduduk asli barat daya Amerika.

PENYEBAB PEMAKAN DAGING LEBIH BANYAK MENDERITA SUATU PENYAKIT DAN LEBIH CEPAT MATI1 Proses Peracunan
Sesaat sebelum binatang itu di sembelih, biokimia binatang yang ketakutan itu mengalami perubahan. Produksi racun di paksakan keluar mengalir di seluruh tubuh, dengan demikian racun rasa sakit menyebar keseluruh daging.

Sekarang sudah jelas diketahui bahwa emosi mengakibatkan perubahan sangat besar pada susuanan biokimia tubuh, khususnya perubahan hormon pada darah. Badan kita menjadi sakit ketika sangat marah atau takut. Demikian juga binatang itu, akan mengalami perubahan biokimia dalam situasi berbahaya. Kadar hormon di dalam darah binatang khususnya hormon Adrenalin, berubah dengan pesat ketika binatang itu melihat binatang lain menderita dan mati disekitar dirinya dan mereka berontak sekuat tenaga namun sia-sia untuk mendapatkan kebebasan. Sejumlah besar hormon itu tetap melekat pada daging dan meracuni sel-sel tubuh manusia yang memakannya, juga dapat mengganggu pikiran. Menurut Institut di Amerika, daging binatang itu penuh dengan darah beracun dan yang lain terbuang karena produksi.
2 Proses Pembusukan
Segera setelah binatang itu dibunuh, protein di dalam jaringan tubuhnya mengumpul, dan enzym penghancur dibebaskan (disebarkan). Ini tidak seperti tumbuh-tumbuhan yang memiliki dinding sel yang tebal dan system peredaran yang sederhana. Segera terbentuk zat pembusuk yang disebut Ptomaines , karena Ptomaines yang terbebas segera telah mati, daging binatang, ikan dan telur segera mengurai dan membusuk. Sampai pada ketika binatang yang dipotong itu diangkut kedalam ruang pendingin , pada waktu itu mengalami masa pematangan, lebih-lebih daging itu masih harus diangkut dari rumah potong, dibeli oleh pembeli, dibawa pulang, disimpan, disiapkan dan dimakan, disini dapat di bayangkan sampai berapa jauh proses pembusukan itu berlangsung.

Daging lambat sekali perjalanannya di dalam sistim pencernaan manusia, lebih-lebih karena sistem pencernaan manusia itu memang tidak diciptakan untuk mencerna daging. Daging itu memerlukan waktu 5 hari untuk bisa keluar seluruhnya dari dalam badan sementara makanan vegetarian hanya memerlukan waktu 1,5 hari. Selama waktu itu, produk-produk yang menyebabkan penyakit yaitu hal dari pembusukan daging terus menerus bersinggungan dengan alat-alat pencernaan. Kebiasaan memakan daging dengan karakteristik pembusukan-nya yang menghasilkan zat-zat racun itu akan dapat dalam waktu relatif singkat menghancurkan sistem pencernaan kita itu sebelum waktunya.

Daging mentah yang terus menerus mengalami pembusukan dapat mencemari tangan tukang masak dan mencemari semua yang lain yang disentuh olehnya. Para petugas kesehatan masyarakat di Inggris, setelah tersebar keracunan makanan yang bersumber dari rumah penjagalan, memperingatkan kepada ibu rumah tangga agar memperlakukan daging mentah dari sudut pandangan higienisnya, seperti memperlakukan kotoran sapi; sering bakteri beracun tidak dimusnahkan wlau dengan memasaknya, terutama apabila dagingnya itu di masak setengah matang, dipanggang atau sekedar di panasi, semua ini merupakan sumber infeksi yang sangat berbahaya.
3 Pembuangan yang Buruk
Karena sistim pencernaan kita tidak dirancang untuk mencerna daging, maka sebagai akibatnya proses pembuangan pemakan daging ini tidak sempurna. Daging itu merupakan makanan yang hampir tidak berserat, dan makanan sedemikian itu memiliki kekurangan sebagai berikut; ia bergerak lambat sekali di sepanjang sistem pencernaan manusia (empat kali lebih lambat daripada biji-bijian dan sayur-sayuran) sehingga memakan daging itu mengakibatkan sembelit kronis sangat biasa di temukan pada pemakan daging.

Penelitian yang baru-baru ini dilakukan jelas menunjukkan bahwa pola pembuangan yang sempurna hanya dapat diberikan oleh makanan vegetarir, sayur mayur, padi-padian dan buah-buahan, mempertahankan kelembaban dan menggumpal untuk memudahkan pembuangan. Orang-orang vegetarian mendapatkan serat makanan sewajarnya dari makanan yang dimakan sehari-hari dan mendapatkan keuntungan karena memakan makanan tersebut ini mempunyai sifat melindungi dari berbagai penyakit. Menurut penelitian yang dilakukan, serat alamiah itu diperkirakan dapat mencegah penyakit appendicities, diverticulitis, kanker lambung, penyakit jantung dan kegemukan


TOKOH VEGETARIAN DUNIA?

Berikut ini adalah nama-nama orang besar dunia dari Ilmuan, Filsafat dan Rohaniawan yang memegang teguh prisip vegetarin dalam hidupnya. Mereka melakukannya karena sangat menghargai semua ciptaan yang ada di bumi ini sehingga menolak memakan makanan yang berasal dari ikan, daging, telur dan unsur hewani lainnya:Ilmuan & Filsafat Dunia
Albert Einstein
Aristoteles
Arthur Schopenhauer
Buddha
Pangeran Tolstoy
Confucius
Mahatma Gandhi
Cicero
Pythagoras
Musa
Diogenes Percy bysshe Shelley
Plato Leonardo da vinci
Nietzsche Socrates
Laotze Zoroaster
Homer Plutarch
Henry David Thoreau Percy bysshe Shelley
St. Francis dari Assisi Charles Darwin
Francois Voltaire Sir Isaac Newton
George bernard Shaw Milton

Bila anda mengetahui nama lainnya yang belum ada di daftar di atas silahkan hubungi kami di : info@vegetarianhouse.info