lundi, septembre 18
have been thinking of going vegan lately, though it will be hard. won't immediately eliminate ALL non-vegan things but i will try slowly. even wool and leather (unless it's that pair of chanel boots from the devil wears prada haha). going to search for this book skinny bitch by kim barnouin. apparently it's quite good, it "espouses a healthful lifestyle that eliminates meat and dairy foods, promotes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and encourages women to get excited about feeling clean and pure and energised". also i found some vegetarian support sites which are good too. my reason for going vegetarian is because i believe that is the way nature meant us to be, and also because of the deplorable state of animals. actually i wanted to go to sleep now because i am very tired but i will do a short summary on why you should go vegetarian. and for those who didn't know, i didn't each vegetables at all until one or two years ago.
reasons to go vegetarian!
1. health. a good vegetarian diet can promote longevity, vitality, improved immuned systom, weight control and a healthier heart, liver and kidneys. for example, atherosclerosis (hardening/narrowing of arteries), which contributes to heart disease and stroke, is a gradual build-up of plaque caused by a diet high in saturated fat and high cholesterol to which meat consumption is a major factor in.
2. nutrition.
plant foods
- contrain absolutely zero cholesterol
- generally low in total fat content
- low in saturated fats (except coconut and palm oil)
- only source of fibre (important to colon health)
- appeal to our taste buds (haha this is subjective but it is rather cleansing for the palate)
- full of vitality and important enzymes, especially when raw
- contain antioxidants, which protect against free radical damage and thus chronic diseases such as cancer, heart and liver disease
- only source of phytochemicals, such as soy isoflavones and carotenoids, which protect against aging and various diseases
- best food source of folates, which are important in protecting against birth defects and heart disease
animal foods
- contain absolutely zero fibre
- generally high in cholesterol, even lean meat
- generally high in fats, especially saturated fats
- mostly unpalatable without seasoning or cooking
- contain carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds, especially when grilled or cooked at high temperatures
- account for >95% of food poisoning cases
- may contain toxins from the foods fed to animals, including antibiotics given to animals and the toxins animals secrete during imprisonment, mistreatment and slaughter
3. our body. are humans herbivores? while this is a complex issue, there is some hard evidence. our nails are flattened, and unlike carnivores, we don't have sharp pointed teeth. both humans and herbivores have carbohydrate digestive enzymes in our saliva, while carnivores and omnivores do not. carnivores and omnivores have a colon that is short, simple and smooth, and have stomach acidity less than pH 1 with food in stomach; humans, like herbivores, have a very long, complex and sacculated colon and stomach acidity is around pH 4-5 with food in stomach. our long intestine length is designed for a high fibre diet. meat does not digest well in such an environment and often turns toxic, contributing to colon cancer. carnivores enjoy the act of savaging and the scent of blood; humans usually cannot tolerate sounds and cries of animals being killed and sight of bloody is usually disturbing more than inducing hunger.
4. compassion. needless to say, today's animal farming is cruel. to enable farm animals to survive harsh conditions and to promote unnatural growth, they are often injected with antibiotics and growth hormones. chicks are debeaked, pigs castrated, teeth cut, tails docked and all these without anaesthesia. i will elaborate on this another time because i feel so much for this! it has been one concern of mine since i was nine.
5. environment. it takes 10 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of beef. more than 80% of corn and 95% of oats grow in the US are fed to livestock, not hungry people. it takes more than 25000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of beef. it takes 200 times more water to make a pound of beef than a pound of potatoes. huge amounts of forest have been cleared to grow crops to feed livestock. the meat industry is the single greatest polluter or our waters. in the US, animals raised for food produce many times more excrement than the ENTIRE human population. livestock agriculture accounts for almost 40% of nitrogen and 35% of phosphorous that pollute US waters. methane-emitting livestock contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect, which leads to global warming. 78 calories worth of fossil fuel is needed to get 1 calorie of protein from beef, while it takes only 2 calories of fossil fuel to get 1 calorie of protein from plant food. large amounts of energy are wasted on running equipment, shipping animals to slaughter and so on.
6. a vegetarian diet can meet ALL our nutritional needs. contrary to popular misconception, it is virtually impossible to be deficient in protein on a vegetarian diet as good sources of protein include soya products, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds. also meat-eaters who overeat protein have a high chance of developing kidney problems, and also animal protein increases calcium losses. most meat-eaters who try to build up on calcium will find themselves in a rut as protein blocks the absorption of calcium. calcium deficiency leads to brittle bones and osteoporosis.
reasons to go vegetarian!
1. health. a good vegetarian diet can promote longevity, vitality, improved immuned systom, weight control and a healthier heart, liver and kidneys. for example, atherosclerosis (hardening/narrowing of arteries), which contributes to heart disease and stroke, is a gradual build-up of plaque caused by a diet high in saturated fat and high cholesterol to which meat consumption is a major factor in.
2. nutrition.
plant foods
- contrain absolutely zero cholesterol
- generally low in total fat content
- low in saturated fats (except coconut and palm oil)
- only source of fibre (important to colon health)
- appeal to our taste buds (haha this is subjective but it is rather cleansing for the palate)
- full of vitality and important enzymes, especially when raw
- contain antioxidants, which protect against free radical damage and thus chronic diseases such as cancer, heart and liver disease
- only source of phytochemicals, such as soy isoflavones and carotenoids, which protect against aging and various diseases
- best food source of folates, which are important in protecting against birth defects and heart disease
animal foods
- contain absolutely zero fibre
- generally high in cholesterol, even lean meat
- generally high in fats, especially saturated fats
- mostly unpalatable without seasoning or cooking
- contain carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds, especially when grilled or cooked at high temperatures
- account for >95% of food poisoning cases
- may contain toxins from the foods fed to animals, including antibiotics given to animals and the toxins animals secrete during imprisonment, mistreatment and slaughter
3. our body. are humans herbivores? while this is a complex issue, there is some hard evidence. our nails are flattened, and unlike carnivores, we don't have sharp pointed teeth. both humans and herbivores have carbohydrate digestive enzymes in our saliva, while carnivores and omnivores do not. carnivores and omnivores have a colon that is short, simple and smooth, and have stomach acidity less than pH 1 with food in stomach; humans, like herbivores, have a very long, complex and sacculated colon and stomach acidity is around pH 4-5 with food in stomach. our long intestine length is designed for a high fibre diet. meat does not digest well in such an environment and often turns toxic, contributing to colon cancer. carnivores enjoy the act of savaging and the scent of blood; humans usually cannot tolerate sounds and cries of animals being killed and sight of bloody is usually disturbing more than inducing hunger.
4. compassion. needless to say, today's animal farming is cruel. to enable farm animals to survive harsh conditions and to promote unnatural growth, they are often injected with antibiotics and growth hormones. chicks are debeaked, pigs castrated, teeth cut, tails docked and all these without anaesthesia. i will elaborate on this another time because i feel so much for this! it has been one concern of mine since i was nine.
5. environment. it takes 10 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of beef. more than 80% of corn and 95% of oats grow in the US are fed to livestock, not hungry people. it takes more than 25000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of beef. it takes 200 times more water to make a pound of beef than a pound of potatoes. huge amounts of forest have been cleared to grow crops to feed livestock. the meat industry is the single greatest polluter or our waters. in the US, animals raised for food produce many times more excrement than the ENTIRE human population. livestock agriculture accounts for almost 40% of nitrogen and 35% of phosphorous that pollute US waters. methane-emitting livestock contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect, which leads to global warming. 78 calories worth of fossil fuel is needed to get 1 calorie of protein from beef, while it takes only 2 calories of fossil fuel to get 1 calorie of protein from plant food. large amounts of energy are wasted on running equipment, shipping animals to slaughter and so on.
6. a vegetarian diet can meet ALL our nutritional needs. contrary to popular misconception, it is virtually impossible to be deficient in protein on a vegetarian diet as good sources of protein include soya products, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds. also meat-eaters who overeat protein have a high chance of developing kidney problems, and also animal protein increases calcium losses. most meat-eaters who try to build up on calcium will find themselves in a rut as protein blocks the absorption of calcium. calcium deficiency leads to brittle bones and osteoporosis.
vendredi, septembre 15
today i went to the supermarket with the sole purpose of buying tea. i spent about twenty bucks and came home for an hour plus before i realised i didn't buy my tea! wtfishcake haha. anyway elephants are speshul creatures. i saw the news yesterday about this elephant which can speak eight korean words! so clever. they are also the only mammals that cannot jump and besides humans, they are the only animals which can be taught to stand on their heads.
ok updating for updates sake. i'll put a picture i like.
also.. don't drink diet coke or pop. firstly aspartame (artificial) sweetener is bad for you and diet stuff is so acidic that if you drink one serving of it, you need 37 cups of water to balance your pH.
ok super tired bye world.
ok updating for updates sake. i'll put a picture i like.
also.. don't drink diet coke or pop. firstly aspartame (artificial) sweetener is bad for you and diet stuff is so acidic that if you drink one serving of it, you need 37 cups of water to balance your pH.
ok super tired bye world.
samedi, septembre 2
hohum. novelty is still taking me away from this place. but i will not bear to live this blog alone for now. so a little insight into life nowadays: study, eat, sleep, slack. today was very tiring. i slept super little and woke up damn early and was very unproductive and had to go for naomin' surprise birthday party. thankfully it went well and was quite fun. i stuffed myself with food but what else is new. to everyone taking As.. continue surfing the net hahaha because i need other people to be slacker than me. ok no, please study. but seriously i am screwed for prelims and i don't know what to do. i will rest well tonight so that tomorrow will be a better day.
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