Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat, red meat, poultry, seafood and the flesh of any other animal; it may also include abstention from by-products of animal slaughter. A vegetarian diet is derived from plants, with or without eggs or dairy.

Information is provided regarding Vegetarianism and Veganism.

Interview with Billy (2011)

Question: Regarding the eating of meat: Do we have to eat meat? What about animal products?

Billy:
Regarding meat it is like this: the human being is an omnivore, just as the pig is an omnivore. And the human being, as a rule, draws the substances that he really needs from animal products, provided he is not allergic to it or if there are no other troubles. There are people who are not able to tolerate it, just as there are people who are not able to tolerate bread, or milk etc., or no fruits or no vegetables. But basically the human being is designed to eat meat. And it is the law of nature that animals must be killed in order for the human being to have meat. Exactly the same is happening out in nature. Based on natural law it is a proper thing if the human being eats meat, in the same way that various predators and other animals –even vegetarian animals like some species of apes– eat meat. Therefore, this is all right. And what vegetarianism and veganism concerns: those are simply human lines of thought that are taken, in part because no animals shall be killed, or because they don’t want to have meat because animals must be killed etc. But fundamentally, the human being is a carnivore, and eating meat is a part of it. Veganism and vegetarianism are personal attitudes and have nothing to do with the natural-creational laws. With respect to the nourishment of human beings, the natural-creational laws are interpreted that we are carnivores, which includes eating meat.

In FIGU Bulletin 9 the following is explained.

Terrestrial scientists are increasingly confirming information and explanations provided by the Pleiadians/ Plejarans regarding the fact that an exclusively vegetarian diet is detrimental to the health of humans. A related newspaper clipping follows:

Babies of vegetarians have vitamin deficiencies

An infant's health suffers when the child's mother lives only on a vegetarian diet. This one-sided form of nutrition leads to serious developmental disorders in babies, a study by the Tübingen University Clinic for Children revealed. Results of tests performed on five infants, whose mothers were strict vegetarians, revealed that the babies suffered from vitamin B12 and other deficiencies. The babies also had severe growth disorders and anaemia.

Additionally in Contact Report 154 the following is explained during a separate conversation about the dangers of leaked radioactive radiation in air in the context of food, lung cancer and smoking.

Quetzal:
52. That is of correctness, both your words about the concerns about food, nuclear use, and radioactivity, as well as the fact that criminal machinations are pursued, in order to make smoking pleasure primarily responsible for humanity's scourge of cancer through the use of false propaganda.
53. Smoking pleasure is truly only to blame for this epidemic to a lesser extent, and such has been the case for a long time because the actual damages of smoking are of a different nature, such as in the areas of nerve damage and the asthmatizing of the respiratory organs, etc, as well as the impairment of blood circulation through deposits in the bloodstreams, etc.
54. But all these phenomena of smoking pleasure are even lower, relatively seen, than the damages of the bodies and organs of human beings and their necessary physical developments, etc. by widespread vegetarianism as well as by the criminal pollutions and contaminations of foods and substances of vital importance of all kinds and the air, but also by released radioactivity.

Billy:
Then vegetarianism should be more harmful to human beings than an average amount of smoking?

Quetzal:
55. That is of very important correctness, but this shouldn't suggest that this means an animation for smoking pleasure.
56. Smoking is harmful in every case, but often less harmful than other wrong actions and lifestyles.

Health benefits and risks

Most people's thoughts surrounding "risky behaviour" are focused on actions related to drugs, driving and sex. But the foods we eat every day can be risky too, especially if we choose to take on a new dietary regimen without doing enough research first. If we consider that nutrient deficiencies can cause a whole host of negative side effects that can range from weight gain to a decline in brain function. While the new "trend" may be to go meat-free. Weighing the pros and cons up carefully before deciding to change your diet is very important.

From eating more nutritious food and lowering the risk of cancer in this way, the vegetarian lifestyle offers many advantages over a meat-based diet. Countless studies have shown that a well-planned, nutritious, plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, as well as with longer life expectancy. For these reasons people automatically associate a vegetarian or vegan diet with health, but in reality, eliminating meat from the diet is not a ticket to good health. In fact, it's just as easy to be an unhealthy vegetarian as it is to be an unhealthy omnivore. The real benefits are seen when meat and/or dairy are replaced with more fruits, vegetables, beans, and nutritiously-dense foods.

Health Benefits

• 1. Lower risk of lung and colorectal cancer. A diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and fiber can help reduce the risk of lung disease and related illnesses. A high childhood dairy intake has been associated with an elevated risk of colorectal cancer in adulthood.

• 2. Prevention of Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common with the rise of obesity around the world, and vegetarian diets may even prevent it by including complex carbohydrates and fibre that help the body manage insulin more efficiently.

• 3. Healthy skin. Diets rich in water-based and plant foods are a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins-ideal for healthier skin every season.

• 4. Chemical-free food. Meat-based diets take in animal cells and fats, along with chemicals and by products used on the animals during processing. This can include chemicals sprayed on the dead animal, preservatives, and other unnatural ingredients used for packaging and mass distribution.

• 5. Hormone-free eating. Fruits, and vegetables are never injected with growth hormones and other chemicals that may harm the human body.

• 6. Increased energy. With the body spending less time digesting animal protein, an energy boost is an expected side effect.

• 7. Lower blood pressure. Vegan and vegetarian diets can be naturally low in fat and sodium, helping reduce blood pressure and improve circulation instead.

• 8. Improved digestion. Plant-based foods and fresh fruits are rich in fibre, improving the digestion and elimination process. High fibre diets have also been linked to preventing certain types of cancer.

• 9. Lowered risk of diabetes. Steady blood sugar is easily achieved with a nutritions vegetarian diet, and the cycle of blood sugar peaks and crashes is almost eliminated without the meat and unhealthy carbohydrate combinations.

• 10. Lower shopping bills. By shopping the perimeter of the food market and stocking up on high-fibre, highly nutritious food, vegetarians can eliminate almost 25% of their food budgets without pounds of meat on the bill. In some cases this balances out if the vegetarian shopper chooses to buy premium vegetarian brands and gourmet ingredients, but average costs do tend to be much lower per trip.

• 11. Toxin-free food. Some studies suggest that when animals experience fear, the adrenaline rush causes a release of epinephrine, steroids, and other stress hormones into the bloodstream. These are then ingested by the meat eater, presenting a range of toxins that can accumulate in the blood.

• 12. Low or no saturated fat. Vegetarian menus typically use all-natural oils and cooking methods to enhance flavour. This is free of unhealthy saturated fat which can lead to a variety of heart problems and cardiovascular disease.

• 13. Appreciation for simple flavours. After eliminating meat from the diet, it becomes much easier to differentiate flavours and get a real taste for fruits and vegetables. Palettes can become much more sensitive to different flavours, textures, and combinations.

• 14. Healthy cholesterol levels. Without unhealthy meat and fat sources in the diet, cholesterol levels of vegetarians can be considerably lower and easily fall into a healthy range.

• 15. Lower risk of cancer. With a diet rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals and vitamins, vegetarians naturally lower their risk of cancer and other diseases. Meat eaters, especially those that indulge in fatty meats are at a much higher risk of cancer.

• 16. Legume intake has been associated with a moderate reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.

Health Risks

To obtain a nutritionally adequate diet, the consumer must first have an appropriate knowledge of what constitutes a nutritionally adequate diet. Secondly, accessibility and availability of certain foodstuffs and foods fortified with key nutrients that are otherwise lacking in the diet is important. This accessibility will vary greatly, depending on the geographic region of the world, because different countries have different fortification laws. The following section deals with nutrients of concern in the vegan diet.

• 1. Calcium and Bone health depends on more than just protein and calcium intakes. Research has shown that bone health is also influenced by nutrients such as vitamin D, vitamin K, potassium, and magnesium and by foods such as soy and fruit and vegetables. The higher risk of bone fracture seen in vegans appears to be a consequence of a lower mean calcium intake. No difference was observed between the fracture rates of the vegans who consumed >525 mg calcium/d and the omnivore fracture rates

• 2. n–3 Polyunsaturated fat. Diets that do not include fish, eggs, or sea vegetables (seaweeds) generally lack the long-chain n–3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which are important for cardiovascular health as well as eye and brain functions. The plant-based n–3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n−3) can be converted into EPA and DHA, albeit with a fairly low efficiency (62, 63). Compared with nonvegetarians, vegetarians, and especially vegans, tend to have lower blood concentrations of EPA and DHA (64). However, vegans can obtain DHA from microalgae supplements containing DHA, as well as from foods fortified with DHA. However, EPA can be obtained from the retroconversion of DHA in the body. The oil from brown algae (kelp) has also been identified as a good source of EPA.

• 3. Vitamin D deficiency. In the EPIC-Oxford study, vegans had the lowest mean intake of vitamin D (0.88 μg/d), a value one-fourth the mean intake of omnivores. For a vegan, vitamin D status depends on both sun exposure and the intake of vitamin D-fortified foods. Those living in areas of the world without fortified foods would need to consume a vitamin D supplement. Living at high latitudes can also affect one's vitamin D status, because sun exposure in that region is inadequate for several months of the year. Those who are dark skinned, elderly, who extensively cover their body with clothing for cultural reasons, and who commonly use sun protection are at an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. Another matter of concern for vegans is that vitamin D2, the form of vitamin D acceptable to vegans, is substantially less bioavailable than the animal-derived vitamin D3.

• 4. Heme iron absorption is substantially higher than non-heme iron from plant foods. However, haemoglobin concentrations and the risk of iron deficiency anaemia are similar for vegans compared with omnivores and other vegetarians (70). Vegans often consume large amounts of vitamin C–rich foods that markedly improve the absorption of the nonheme iron. Serum ferritin concentrations are lower in some vegans, whereas the mean values tend to be similar to the mean values of other vegetarians but lower than the mean value for omnivores (71). The physiologic significance of low serum ferritin concentrations is uncertain at this time.

• 5. Vitamin B-12. Compared with ovo-lacto vegetarians and omnivores, vegans typically have lower plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations, higher prevalence of vitamin B-12 deficiency, and higher concentrations of plasma homocysteine. Elevated homocysteine has been considered a risk factor for CVD and osteoporotic bone fractures. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can produce abnormal neurological and psychiatric symptoms that include ataxia, psychoses, Paresthesia, disorientation, dementia, mood and motor disturbances, and difficulty with concentration. In addition, children may experience apathy and failure to thrive, and macrocytic anaemia is a common feature at all ages.

• 6. Zinc deficiency. Phytates, a common component of grains, seeds, and legumes, binds zinc and thereby decreases its bio-availability. However, a sensitive marker to measure zinc status in humans has not been well established, and the effects of marginal zinc intakes are poorly understood. Although vegans have lower zinc intake than omnivores, they do not differ from the non-vegetarians in functional Immunocompetence as assessed by natural killer cell cytotoxic activity. It appears however that there may be facilitators of zinc absorption and compensatory mechanisms to help vegetarians adapt to a lower intake of zinc.

• 7. The Dangers of Soy

Further Research Needed.

Further Reading

• Vegans and Vegetarians
• The Dangers of Soy
• Interview with Billy (2011)
• Contact Report 153, Vegetarians and Smoking.
• FIGU Bulletin 5 'Crazies never die out', mentions vegetarian food.
• Contact Report 517, Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.
• [Radiation-induced cancer]

References

• FIGU Bulletin 9
• Contact Report 154