Why I Don't Eat Meat

I have a few reasons for being a "strict vegetarian", meaning that I don't eat any animal products. First, as I've described above, is my health needs. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are serious enough to change a person's diet!

Those were the alerts I got from my doctor in August of 2007.
I read Dr. Barnard's book, accepted the sound logic of the diet advice (no animal products or oil, and low glycemic index foods) and three months later my diabetes was cured and my other numbers were on the happy decline.

So why not quit the diet and reintroduce meats, etc? Well, first of all I have brought back some oil (extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO), Promise Light Buttery Spread with Flax Oil, and occasional - occasional cheese. But I'll not go back to meat. For one thing, animal products are the only source of cholesterol. No animals = no cholesterol overload. Period.

In my research about my health, I began looking into reports of contamination in the meat industry. What I found is so disturbing that I cannot stomach the thought of eating a dead cow, chicken, or pig, much less the animal itself. Our meat processing industry is so very much removed from what it was just 100 years ago that the stuff in the meat market is poison to a human body. Literally. Pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and other "additives" turn a good piece of steak into a cesspool of poisons. I can't afford to do that to me any more.

Then there's the issue of eating animals at all. WAIT. Stay with me here. Yes, the Bible tells how to kill and eat certain kinds of animals. But the Bible also tells how to properly handle divorce, slavery, and warfare, none of which were in God's original plan for us. When you look back to God's original design, you see that He engineered us for a plant-based diet. Look at the original story:

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Not until after the flood, from 1 to 3 thousand years later, did God allow for animal eating. Yes, He allowed it. No, it is not a sin. BUT it is contrary to His original plan. And contrary to our bodies' needs. In the early Christian church, one way Christians were singled out in society was that they were vegans. They honored God's creation by not taking life for their own carnal desires. (They thought like this: If I gave my grandson a puppy out of love for him so he could enjoy playing with it, and found out later that he killed it and ate it, I wouldn't stop loving him, but I sure would be disappointed. And I'd be careful about what gifts I would give him later on!) It wasn't until after the middle of the first Christian century, when they Roman church began adopting so many worldly traditions into itself, that blood and flesh consumption became accepted into Christian society.

So, health, common sense, and respect for God's carefully designed animals are reasons I don't eat the pets God gave me. It's not my place to condemn you for what you choose to put into your body or your children's bodies - unless you're a dear one to me. Then I'll try to help you see the danger. And offer alternatives.

I Just Don't Understand Carnivores!

Honestly! I just can't follow some people's thinking.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a class with some friends discussing health. We had just watched a video about how important it is to guard your physical health for various reasons, including our spiritual responsibility to care for God's creation (our bodies). I and another member talked about our experiences with vegan/vegetarianism and how it had improved our health both generally and in specific areas such as blood pressure, choesterol, diabetes, energy, etc.

All agreed that this was a wise move and that taking care of ourselves is vital. They all took in the info and seemed to digest it. Discussion then moved on to our next meeting and the question was asked, so what shall we eat next time?
(Now, remember, this was mere moments after the aforementioned health discussion.)
One member chimed in: "Oh! Let's have hamburgers! I'll break out the grill!"
Choruses of agreement and sounds of hunger (groans, mmmmmms, etc) followed.

I looked at my wife and we both just shook our heads in amazement and consternation.

What is it that causes normally clear-thinking, rational, mature adults to act so ... blindly? Are they not able to withstand their blood lust, or their addiction to flesh, or their hunger for grease ... or what??? These are not bad people, Jo Donna pointed out later on the way home. In 'most all other areas they exhibit good judgment and logical reasoning skills. So how come when it comes to a clear way to both improve their health and deal more rationally with the creation of the God they all serve, they can't see past their unwise choices?

None of these folks would consider smoking because they are too smart to tempt lung cancer with tobacco. They are not heavy drinkers who risk liver disease and other physical dangers. They are monogamous in their marriages, loyal in their faith and politics, and conscientious in their community responsibilities. So why - why - why are they unable to consider for even 10 minutes giving up the ofttimes-proven-unhealthy habit of eating dead animals, especially poisonous dead animals as are found in pieces in the local markets?

I'm working on a theory that there is more behind this than many would suspect. Consider this: eating animals serves two obvious purposes: first, it is a continuous method of torture and destruction of God's carefully designed, beloved animals; second, it is a slow-but-sure method of destroying God's jewel of His creation, mankind, both physically and spiritually through the continued practice of animalistic killing plus the consumption of fear-hormone-infected animal flesh and blood.

What's the common factor? Attacking the Creator.
Now, who is hell-bent on attacking the Creator? The devil.
And, who would most delight in tricking one of God's beloved creatures into torturing and destroying others of God's design?
See where I'm going?

In the beginning, God designed a beautiful home where all His creation could live in peace together. Adam was placed in direct responsibility for the animals. His first job was to care for them and the garden. In Genesis 1:29 we were directed to eat plants, nuts, and seeds, which were designed to fill all our nutritional and pleasurable requirements. Enter satan and the deception and fall from grace.
We lost the garden, and a few generations later we were turned loose on the animals.

I honestly believe, my friends and brothers sisters, that this lust which is upon so many of us, including God's elect, is a trick and trap of God's enemy onto us, God's beloved. As long as the enemy can keep us dulled with blood lust and our bodies poisoned with animal flesh, he can flaunt our brutish and bratish behavior in God's face.

How much it must grieve our loving Creator and Father when he witnesses the wholesale torture and murder of gentle animals who He designed for His own and our pleasure. Jesus said that the Father is aware of a sparrow's fall - what must it do to Him when a beautiful cow, an intelligent and clever pig, or a trusting and frightened chicken is ripped to death just so we - God's other creation - can suck down their blood and gulp down their flesh. How it must break God's heart!

I wonder, can God even bear to look down into a slaughterhouse? Can God, in all His power and strength, stand to hear the screams of terror and pain? What does He think of us, His children, when we carelessly and blithely rip His gentle pets to shreds for our blood lust?

What will we have to answer for when we stand before our Father?

The Bible talks about animals in Heaven, around the throne. Will we carry our selfish lusts into His presence and think how we'd like to rip a leg off one of the oxen near Him? God forbid it! But what will we think? Based on recent observations, I guess we'll just laugh it off and say to Heavenly God, "Aw, Who cares if You made them, anyway? They're just stupid animals; just meat for my belly!"

Two new deaths from MAD COW disease

Reuters News Service is reporting right now (9:00 am Monday 4/7/08) that two people have died in Spain from mad cow disease!

Reasons to give up meat just keep piling up!

Read below for super non-animal recipes. You don't HAVE to eat animals. There is a whole world of alternatives out there. God designed us to operate best on the diet He advised in Genesis 1:29 And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food." He designed the animals for His and our pets. It is unnecessary, anti-nutritious, and just plain rude to eat God's pets. We were given dominion over them, yes. But that means we're supposed to be taking care of them, not eating them. When God had finished carefully creating every delicate aspect of each kind of animal, then put us in charge of taking care of them, then assigned us our food sources, the Bible says that He looked over all He had made, saw it was good, and blessed the whole set up.

Take care of God's pets. Eat what He designed you to eat. Meat is loaded with cholesterol, saturated fats, and enzymes which are contraindicated for your body's nutritional needs. Just do what comes naturally - eat everything else except animals. You'll feel better and live longer for it.

BC

Dangerous MILK

Important news for everyone who drinks milk. PLEASE READ THIS.
Soy, almond, or rice milk are great tasting alternatives with none of the hormone threats of cow's milk. Protect your kids!
This is from the Prevent Cancer website (http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/general/milk.htm)

BC
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Why is American Milk Banned in Europe?

* American dairy milk is genetically-modified unless it’s labeled “NO rBGH”
* Genetically-engineered bovine growth hormone (rBGH) in milk increases cancer risks.

American dairy farmers inject rBGH to dairy cows to increase milk production.

European nations and Canada have banned rBGH to protect citizens from IGF-1 hazards.

Monsanto Co., the manufacturer of rBGH, has influenced U. S. product safety laws permitting the sale of unlabeled rBGH milk. (Monsanto would lose billions of dollars if rBGH were banned in America.)

Q. Is there any milk not contaminated with rBGH and IGF-1?
A. Yes. Milk that is clearly labeled “NO rBGH” is free of rBGH and does not contain excess levels of IGF-1.

Q. What about cheeses?
A. American-made cheeses are contaminated with rBGH and excess levels of IGF-1 unless they’re labeled “NO rBGH”. Imported European cheeses are safe since Europe has banned rBGH.

IGF-1 and Milk: Q&A

Q. What is IGF-1?
A. Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1)is a normal growth factor. Excess levels have been increasingly linked by modern research to human cancer development and growth.

Q. How does IGF-1 get into milk?
A. In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). According to rBGH manufacturers, injections of rBGH causes cows to produce up to 20 percent more milk. The growth hormone also stimulates the liver to increase IGF-1 levels in the milk of those cows. Recently, Eli Lilly & Co., a manufacturer of rBGH, reported a ten-fold increase in IGF-1 levels in milk of cows receiving the hormone. IGF-1 is the same in humans and cows, and is not destroyed by pasteurization. In fact, the pasteurization process actually increases IGF-1 levels in milk.

Q. How does rBGH milk containing IGF-1, affect, humans?
A. After the rBGH milk is consumed, IGF-1 is not destroyed by human digestion. Instead, IGF-1 is readily absorbed across the intestinal wall. Additional research has shown that it can be absorbed into the bloodstream where it can effect other hormones.

Q. Is IGF-1 likely to increase the risk of specific kinds of cancer?
A. It is highly likely that IGF-1 promotes transformation of normal breast cells to breast cancers. In addition, IGF-1 maintains the malignancy of human breast cancer cells, including their invasiveness and ability to spread to distant organs. (Increased levels of IGF-1 have similarly been associated with colon and prostate cancers.) The prenatal and infant breast is particularly susceptible to hormonal influences. Such imprinting by IGF-1 may increase future breast cancer risks, and may also increase the sensitivity of the breast to subsequent unrelated risks such as mammography and the carcinogenic and estrogen-like effects of pesticide residues in food, particularly in pre-menopausal women.

Q. Are cows adversely affected by elevated IGF-1 levels?
A. Cows injected with rBGH show heavy localization of IGF-1 in breast (udder) epithelial cells. This does not occur in untreated cows. Cows are also affected in other ways by rBGH, through increased rates of mastitis, an udder infection. Industry data show up to an 80 percent incidence of mastitis in hormone-treated cattle, resulting in the contamination of milk with significant levels of pus. Mastitis requires the use of antibiotics to treat, which leaves residues to pass on through the milk for human consumption.