Dejan Kupnik, M.D.
Pre-hospital Unit - Centre for Urgent Medicine, Maribor, Slovenia

Introduction

Meat was always considered as an alpha and omega of nutrition but we know today, also according to some newer medical literature that rich vegetarian diets give the body everything it needs for its development and normal function.

Food products which contain a lot of fat (meat, sausages, whole-fat butter, sweets, whole-fat milk and milk products) are in a direct correlation with higher incidence of brain strokes, heart infarctions and intestinal cancer (colonic carcinoma). With that kind of food we receive a lot of saturated fat which progresses the atherosclerotic processes and can ultimately lead to heart and brain infarctions. There is also a close connection between eating meat and the development of colonic cancer. Why is that so? Such food passes through our gut very slowly because meat doesn't contain any dietary fibre (complex sugars by structure) - which accelerates peristalsis and the passing of digested food. Slow passing of food through the gut gives more time to some agents (like added preservatives) to act on intestinal mucosa. We know that many of these agents are potential carcinogens which means that alone or in combination with other factors, they can cause the development of cancer. It has also been scientifically proven that in the process of frying meat a lot of carcinogenic agents are produced.

On the other hand, vegetarian food does not contain any saturated fats (except milk and milk products), but is very rich with vitamins, minerals and dietary fibres. That is why such food is considered as a safety factor against cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Dietary fibres are indigestible complex sugars by structure which bind water in the intestines and by that accelerate the passage of intestinal contents. This works against constipation and diverticulosis, it also helps in lowering the blood lipids (along with water, dietary fibres also bind cholesterol) and works as prevention against cancer – with the faster passage of intestinal contents the mentioned carcinogenic agents cannot not be in contact with intestinal mucosa for very long.

Vegetarian food contains a lot of vitamins and minerals and some of them (A, E, C vitamins and selenium) work as antioxidants – they help to slow down the progression of atherosclerotic processes, cancer development and the ageing process.

Complex sugars which can also be found in vegetarian diets do not cause high oscillations of blood sugar after meals (as simple sugars, found in refined kitchen sugar, sweets etc., do) and cause slower and more equalised release of insulin (one of the hormones which controls blood sugar levels).

Can vegetarian diets be dangerous?

It has never been proved by any bigger study that vegetarian life style can be considered as a risk to our health. On the contrary - well planned and rich vegetarian diets are suitable for all life stages, including pregnancy and lactation and are considered to provide normal development and function of the human body. Our every day diets should contain cereals, legumes, fresh vegetables and fruits (also dried fruits), nuts, seeds and milk with milk products (low-fat for adults and whole-fat for children). The diets consisting of only fruits and vegetables do not offer enough essential nutrients needed for normal body function and are especially unsuitable for growing children.

What about the vitamin B12?

For long time it was considered that soya products like miso, tempeh, tamari, shoyu and some other algae products like nori alga contain enough of the B12 vitamin. But it was recently discovered that such products contain only so-called B12 analogs, chemical compounds that only chemically resemble the B12 vitamin but do not have any physiological effects on our body like the true B12. Sometimes these false B12 can even disturb the absorption of the true B12 vitamin in our gut. So what to do? We must take care to consume milk and its products. There is also some soya and cereal products enriched with true B12 vitamin and it was proven that consuming such products at least four times a week keeps body levels of B12 vitamin in the proper amounts needed for normal functioning of the body.

Do we have to eat fish?

Extremely important for the growth of a foetus are the so called omega 3 unsaturated fatty acids (especially for the development of the brain, the whole nervous system and retinas of the eyes). They can be found in fish products, but vegetarian future mothers can get omega 3 fatty acids by eating flax-seeds. It was proven that flax-seeds contain a lot of omega 3 fatty acids which can (considering physiological reactions) equally compete with the fatty acids from the fish. The flax-seeds fatty acids also offer a good prevention against heart arrhythmias and help to slow down the progress of atherosclerotic processes.

Preparing vegetarian meals

The vegetables should not be over-cooked, 15 minutes of heat exposure is enough. By cooking the vegetables too long many of the vitamins – especially the C vitamin and the folic acid are destroyed. The later is also very important for the normal development of a foetus, especially of its nervous system.

To enable easier absorption of iron from the gut we can add some lemon juice to our vegetable and fruit salads and also to other dishes like soya and cereal stakes.

We should also not fry our food too much because this process is proven to be connected with a faster progression of atherosclerosis, heart/brain infarctions and the development of cancer.

To finish...

Rich and well planned vegetarian diets are the key to our health. Our life is not something we can buy on the market every day. It is a unique phenomenon - a one time opportunity in which we have to invest in, in order to get something good in return. In the light of these words, vegetarianism grants tremendous health improvements and preventative health care – both physically and mentally.

Dejan Kupnik, M.D.

Pre-hospital Unit - Centre for Urgent Medicine, Maribor, Slovenia

Pre-hospital Unit - Centre for Urgent Medicine, Maribor, Slovenia

Introduction

Through the history of mankind, a vegetarian lifestyle was a lucid decision of many. Unfortunately there are still misunderstandings and unjustified fears around vegetarianism. One in particular is the false belief that this kind of food does not provide a sufficient intake of basic food nutrients needed for the normal development of the human body in general, especially in the time of pregnancy, lactation and adolescence. The purpose of the following essay is to present scientific knowledge gathered over the last twenty years in relation to a vegetarian lifestyle.

The time before pregnancy

A healthy and balanced nutritional intake by the mother-to-be prepares her body for the conception and development of a new human being. It is good for her to establish an optimal body weight because the body's normal energy balance works best when the body weight is in the range of 10 percent above or below the optimal body weight. It is also good not to use oral contraceptives some months before planned conception because it can disturb the normal processing of various vitamins and minerals in the mother's body. The following principles should also be observed:

• Drinking alcohol depletes the body of thiamine (B1 vitamin), B6 and folic acid
• Drugs used against epilepsy lower the storages of vitamins D, K and folic acid
• Lipid-lowering drugs also lower the storages of vitamins A, D, E, K and the mineral iron
• Corticosteroids lower the body contents of vitamin D, calcium, zinc and kalium
• Diuretics lower levels of kalium and zinc
• Tuberculostatic can cause insufficiency of B6 vitamin
• Oral contraceptives and estrogens are in connection with vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid depletion.

Alcohol, black coffee and other caffeine containing drinks should be excluded from every-day drinking habits because they weaken the absorption of some vital nutrients which are found in food.

A pregnant woman encounters increased needs for proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins (especially folic acid), minerals (especially iron) and dietary fibres. If her diet is well planned and balanced she and her future baby will not be lacking any nutrients.

Proteins

Proteins are not just an energy source. They are essential in cell division and growth, growth of body tissues, enzyme production and so on. A sufficient amount of proteins is assured with diets containing milk products, pulses, cereals, seeds and nuts.

A combination of these kinds of food eaten over various meals in one day is the best way to give the body what it needs. Proteins from plant sources (beans, soya, peas, and cereals) contain sufficient amounts of all essential amino acids which are the basic constituents of proteins. A future mother should also drink at least a half to one litre of milk per day. With that she will receive lots of calcium and proteins. It is also important to consider that the body of a younger pregnant woman (aging 18 or less) will need even more essential nutrients because her body is still in development.

The basic elements of proteins are amino acids, some of which are essential and others nonessential. The former are those which can not be synthesized by the body but can be received through a well planned diet. It is not true that they can only be found in the form of meat products; however it is true that they can not be found in all plant based food products. Essential amino acids missing in one meal can be provided by eating different vegetarian food sources in the next meal or by combining various types of food in one meal. In this way the requirements of the body of a pregnant woman, a lactating woman and adolescents can be satisfied.

Fats

Fats represent an energy source for the body, promote absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K, they co-create cell membranes and are the basic structures needed in the synthesis of fatty acids and some hormones (sex hormones and hormones of the adrenal cortex). They are also involved in the prevention of lung collapse.

The important basic elements of fats are fatty acids which can be saturated (found in meat, milk products, animal and plant fats), mono-unsaturated (found in olive and peanut oil) and poly-unsaturated. Among all there are two fatty acids which can not be synthesized by the body. The first is linoleic acid which is the originating fatty acid for the omega 6 group of poly-unsaturated long-chained fatty acids. The second is alpha-linolenic acid which is the originator for the omega 3 group of fatty acids. These two fatty acids and all the acids derived from them are extremely important for the development of all tissues, especially for the central nervous system and the retinas of the eyes.

Saturated fats are connected with the early development of atherosclerotic processes in body's blood vessels which can ultimately lead to brain stroke or heart infarction. Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acids are, as said, very important for the new developing human being. Especially the later (omega 3 and omega 6 groups) must be provided in balanced manners. The future mother should avoid food products that contain hydrogenated fats which interfere with the normal metabolism of fatty acids. These hydrogenated fats can be found in some biscuits and cream soups.

It is now known that flax-seeds contain a lot of alpha-linolenic acid. These acids are also found in fish and mothers who do not eat fish have a reliable and excellent source of them in flax-seeds. It was proven that ingestion of flax-seeds shows equally comparable results to those connected with ingesting fish. These omega 3 acids also act protectively against heart arrhythmias and prevent the development of blood clots.

We have to mention that fatty acids are prone to oxidation processes especially when that fat is heated or exposed to light. It is important to know that some vitamins (A, C, E) and mineral Selenium act against these processes and by that they also act against the early development of previously mentioned atherosclerotic processes and cancer.

In conclusion we can list some food products which contain reliable sources of "good" fat. These are flax-seeds and other seeds, nuts, soya oil, olive oil, legumes, cereals, milk and milk products.

Sugar

The daily intake of sugars should represent 50 to 60 percent of the daily energy requirements of the body. The first group of sugars are so called simple sugars (simple refined granulated kitchen sugar) which should be avoided by pregnant women because they slow down the digestion and have no nutritional value.

The next group are complex sugars which can be found in cereals and their products and in potatoes.

The third group are dietary fibres, complex sugars which are indigestible and can be found in fruits, vegetables, cereals and also legumes. They bind with water, soften the gut contents and by that accelerate the passage of the digested food through the gut. Therefore they work against constipation, diverticulosis and cancer development. Why is that so? The food we eat is composed not only of needed nutrients but also contains added stabilizers, emulgamators and other substances which prolong the freshness and durability of food. Many of these are also a carcinogen which means that they alone or in combination with other factors can cause the development of cancer. A vegetarian diet is known to accelerate digestion so that these potentially dangerous substances are not in contact with intestinal cells for long and hence can not cause any serious damage. The dietary fibres also bind cholesterol in our gut and by that lower the blood cholesterol.

The complex sugars are the group of sugars best fitted for future mothers.

Minerals

Vegetarian pregnant women can get all the needed minerals from rich vegetarian diets which include legumes (beans, soya, peas, and lentils), cereals, all kinds of vegetables, nuts, seeds, fresh and dry fruits, potatoes, milk and milk products. But despite all that it can happen (especially in the last trimester) that some minerals must be ingested through pharmaceutical products (which is also certainly the case with non-vegetarian mothers-to-be).

It has been discovered that iron can be much better absorbed if salads (vegetable or fruit) and vegetarian stakes are soaked with a little bit of lemon juice. If the pregnant woman has no anaemia then pharmaceutical products containing iron are not recommended.

Absorption of calcium is in correlation with the level of vitamin D. The latter is very much dependent on how often we are exposed to the sunlight (that should be at least four times a week for 30 minutes a day). Milk and milk products are of great value not just for the high content of protein but they contain a lot of calcium too.

Vitamins

The time of pregnancy also requires higher dosages of vitamins. Vitamins are substances which can not be produced by our body and must be ingested with food. It is important to know that cooking destroys a great many vitamins - especially those from the B complex group and the C vitamin. Let's just say that 15 minutes of cooking should be enough to prepare a cooked meal.

Only after consulting a physician should a pregnant woman start to take artificial vitamins in the form of tablets and only in doses which are recommended. Higher intake than allowed of vitamin A is connected with some serious problems in foetal development. High intake of vitamin C can lead to abstinential crisis in a newborn baby.

Folic acid is of great importance for normal development of the brain and the rest of the baby’s nervous system. Cooking destroys this vitamin and supplementary intake in the form of tablets is recommended around the time of conception and in the first trimester.

A story of its own is the one about vitamin B12. This vitamin can be found only in animal products and for vegetarians this includes milk and milk products. For a long time it was considered that soya products like miso, tempeh, tamari, shoyu and some other algae products like nori alga contain enough of B12 vitamin. But it was recently found out that such products contain only so called B12 analogs, chemical compounds which only chemically resemble the B12 vitamin but do not have any physiological effects on our body like the true B12. Sometimes these false B12 can even disturb the absorption of the true B12 vitamin in our gut. So what to do? We must take care to consume milk and its products. There are also some soya and cereal products enriched with the true B12 vitamin and it was proven that consuming such products at least four times a week keeps body levels of B12 vitamin in the amounts required for the normal functioning of the body.

Water intake

The most suitable drinking products in pregnancy are water, fresh vegetable and fruit juices and lemonade. Alcohol, black tea, black coffee and carbonated drinks should be avoided.

To finish...

50-60% of daily energy requirements should be secured with complex sugars (carbohydrates), 25-30% with fats and 10-15% with proteins.

It is a fact that a lot of old nations were utilizing true vegetarian diets and lived healthy, long lives. Throughout the world there are an increasing number of those who care for this planet of ours and who know that an animal mother greaves for its lost or killed child in the same way as a human mother does.

It is well known that consuming meat and its products is correlated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, cancer and many other diseases. We should use those vegetarian diets which offer our body everything it needs for its normal development and growth.

So on the question "Vegetarianism in pregnancy - yes or no?" we can peacefully affirm: "Sure, why not?"

The Yogic Diet

Written by Dharmpuri

Proper diet is fundamental for sustaining good health and mental development. What we eat has far reaching effects well beyond our own bodies. The Science of Yoga has given us the understanding of the effects of food on our bodies, our mind, and our environment. It has shown us how food not only affects our health but how we feel and think. Great Yogis through out the ages have taught us the benefits of the yogic diet. This article explains some of the reasons Yogis are vegetarian.

 

“We are not living for eating we are eating for living”

 

 

Excerpt from "Yoga in Daily Life - the System" 
by Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

Different types of food

Yoga categorises three types of foods according to their qualities. These qualities correspond to the three Gunas - Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. Sattvic food is found in a lacto-vegetarian , whole food diet which includes grains, vegetables, pulses, fruit, nuts, seeds, milk and milk products. Vegetarian food detoxifies, cleans and purifies the body and increases our resistance to illness.

All beings are God's children

Apart from the health aspect, the main reason lies in the fact that all living beings are God's children - this includes animals. God is the creator of us all. God's light dwells in animals as well as in humans.

Vishwa Prani Meri Atma Hai
All living beings are my Self

 

All beings want to be happy

All beings want to be happy and avoid suffering. Animals experience fear and pain just as humans experience fear and pain. Animals also fear death, just as humans fear death. Yoga rejects the killing and eating of animals, for there is the inherent awareness that all livings beings are united in the one consciousness.

There is a proverb that says, “You are what you eat”. Two factors, society and nutrition, principally determine the type of qualities that a human develops. An improper diet not only causes us physical illness, but also confuses the mind. It destroys the Pranic energy and produces aggression, depression and fear. We cling to life with every fibre of our being and consider freedom and happiness the ultimate goal of existence. Every animal and every living being also wants to be free and happy.

Prana in Food

All creatures, such as birds, dogs, cats, horses and cows, intuitively feel the impending danger of a natural disaster. In the same way, animals are instinctively aware of their own death in advance. In the days before cattle are brought to the slaughterhouse, they are fearful and restless. The fear of death floods their entire body and their endocrine glands secrete vast quantities of “fight and flight” hormones. These hormones lodge in the tissues of the animal. We cannot see these subtle substances stored in the flesh of a dead body, but inevitably we ingest the animal’s fear of death whenever we consume its flesh.

In addition to this, we also take in the animal’s Prana – that is, the animal’s qualities and the nature of its consciousness. This greatly impedes our spiritual development. The aggression and fear of the animal’s consciousness deeply penetrates our subconscious mind and rises again into consciousness at the hour of our own death. Also, in meditation and in prayer this fear arises whenever we try to withdraw deeply into ourselves. It is due to this unaccountable fear that many people have an aversion or fear of meditation and religion.

However, at some time we must go through this unconscious fear. Either we purify ourselves consciously through meditation, prayer and good deeds, or we go through the fear again at the hour of death. But at that time we can do nothing about it. Our destiny is fulfilled according to the law of Karma. This can be compared to the predicament a mountain climber faces when his rope breaks. At this moment his own will has no power, no influence on the consequence. He falls whether he wants to or not.

Our Qualities Make Us Human

In contrast to animals, we humans have free will to choose our path through Buddhi (intellect) and Viveka (discrimination). This is why we should give proper attention to correct eating, and keep good company. These influence our mood and the nature of our inner qualities far more than we are able to imagine. How we think and act are in direct relation to the quality of the food we eat and the company we keep. This also impacts our Karma.

We love and spoil our domestic pets such as cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters etc. But at the same time we eat roast chicken, fillets of fish, beef and pork cutlets. Many people don’t even consider the fact that these living beings are tortured and sacrificed simply to satisfy the pleasure of their palate. A God-Realised person says, “When you are not able to give life, you also have no right to take it away”.

Meat is dead food. Eating something dead also produces death within. Vegetarian food however, provides us with vitality, health and spiritual development. That is why from the viewpoint of health, as well as spiritually and ethically, consuming meat is the worst possible way of eating. Anyone can understand this just by taking the time to think a little more deeply and relate to the feelings of other living beings.

As humans our Dharma is to help, to protect and to support, not to exploit and destroy. The highest principle for a human is summarized in just one sentence:

AHIMSA PARAMO DHARMA
Non-violence is the Supreme duty.

There is no greater sin than to kill or injure. If we have no sympathy for the pain that an animal suffers when it is slaughtered, or close our eyes to its suffering, then it is no wonder that we as humans must suffer terrible wars, environmental destruction, many diseases and natural disasters.

- Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

Global Warming

In many articles about how to reduce global warming our diet is never mentioned. It seems taboo. Nobody likes to be told what they can and cannot eat but also nobody likes to be made thirsty by drought or homeless by floods, tornadoes or fire, and nobody wants to die either. The World Health Organisation says deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.

The United Nations report “Livestock’s Long Shadow”, details the impact a non-vegetarian diet has on the environment and on global warming.

Some points from the report are:

• The livestock sector is responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. This is more than all forms of transport put together.
• Livestock production accounts for 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the planet.
• 70% of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures
• The Livestock sector emits 37% of all anthropogenic (caused by humans) methane which has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2, most of that from cow burbs. It emits 65% of anthropogenic nitrous oxide which has 296 times the global warming potential of CO2, the great majority from manure. Livestock are also responsible for almost two-thirds (64%) of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems.
• The livestock sector accounts for over 8% of global human water use
• is probably the largest sectoral source of water pollution, contributing to eutrophication(no oxygen in the water), “dead” zones in coastal areas, degradation of coral reefs, human health problems, emergence of antibiotic resistance and many others.
• The report concludes that, unless drastic changes are made, the massive damage done by livestock will more than double by 2050, as demand for meat increases.

 

From a Yogic point of view it is not the cows causing the problem but what is behind it. Mala - impurities in our thinking.

"Mental pollution is the most dangerous pollution. All that happens in the world, all environmental pollution, and all the wars are caused by mental pollution." 

- Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

We think “I am a meat eater” but the truth is that this is just an idea sold to us. When our thoughts are not in harmony with nature they are unnatural thoughts.

It's in Your Hands

"Love them, feed them, don't eat them"
- Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

Everything we have - our bodies, our homes, our cars, our money, our food, and our families, all come from Planet Earth. She is our Mother and She has given us everything. She is also the mother to all creatures that live on her. This makes all creatures our sisters and brothers.

Vasudeva Kutumbakam
The whole world is but one family

Do the Math

Meat is expensive to produce, both economically and agriculturally. Meat-animals are fed perfectly good plant food which could have been fed directly to people. For instance, it takes 17 kilos of corn, beans, grain, etc, to produce 1 kilo of beef in feedlot cattle. That's like investing $17 and getting $1 back at maturity - Good if you want to go bankrupt!
About 70% of crops grown in the US are fed to animals and not to humans.
Meanwhile, a child dies of starvation somewhere in the world every two seconds.

It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of hamburger. This could be used to grow more than 50 pounds of fruits and vegetables. Half of all water consumed in the US is used to grow feed and provide drinking water for cattle and other livestock.

For the more metric - To produce 1 kg of beef uses 100 times more water than to produce 1 kg of wheat and 50 times more water than to produce 1 kg of rice.

Quantities of water needed to produce one kg of crop
Crop	Litres water per kg of crop
Beef	100,000
Soyabean	2,000
Maize (corn)	1,400
Wheat	900
Potato	500

 

Source Earth Save & Pimentel, 1997 Read more here and more here

One person following a meat free diet also saves over 4000m2 of trees per year*UN Environment Program

"Earth provides enough to satisfy everyone's need, but not everyone's greed" 
- Mahatma Gandhi

Population

From the time of Christ and for 1000 years after the human population was around 300 million people (0.3 billion). In the 1950's the human population was around 2.5 billion people. In 2006 it was 6.5 billion. That's a 260% rise in only 50 years. As it becomes more obvious to scientists that human activity is affecting our climate then what we do and how we eat is going to have an increased affect as the human population grows. We have a greater responsibility than our grandparents had. It is time to face our responsibilities as citizens of Planet Earth.

In the 1980’s if you asked a smoker not to smoke in your presence the most common outcome would be a tirade on how they have the right to smoke. Now we know how second hand smoke is detrimental to those who breathe it in and our society has come to accept that the smoker has no right to inflict the detrimental affects of smoking on others. Now in the following decades we are coming to realise the detrimental affects of a non-vegetarian diet, not just on those who partake in this type of diet but on others also. The biggest taboo will need to be broken – a painful thing to do because we don’t like to go near taboo’s.

Karma

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
- Matthew 7:12

In 2006 a staggering 50 billion animals were killed in slaughter houses around the world. That's over 8 times the Earths human population. Yogis know that Karma is not just some philosophical idea but is a Universal Law. This law has been expressed in various ways through out time:

• What you give you shall receive
• Everything you do comes back to you
• For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
• He who lives by the sword dies by the sword

A lamb is a baby

There is an inescapable consequence to pay for the killing of another living being just as there is for protecting life, doing good, or helping another. One consequence is welcomed and one is feared and whichever one comes has to be faced.

“Every living being, human or animal, that is violently killed before it has lived its predestined time, may possibly have to take a long detour through the astral plane before it once more attains embodiment in a form that it is able to fulfil its destiny. Therefore those persons who cause the death of living beings, or destroy their own life (as in suicide) invite a very difficult Karma.” – Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

What is Natural Food for Humans?

Here by “natural food for humans” it is meant food that promotes a healthy life. To make the distinction between a “natural diet” as opposed to what we can or just like to eat we can make some observations.

Anatomical

Carnivores have sharp pointed teeth, do not have digestive enzymes in their saliva, and have short digestive tracts (3-6 times the length of the body) to eliminate meat before it putrefies.

Omnivores have mainly sharp and pointed teeth, do not have digestive enzymes in their saliva and also have short digestives tracts (4-6 times the length of the body).

Herbivores have broad flattened teeth, secrete digestive enzyme in the saliva and have long digestive systems (10-12 times the length of the body).

Humans have broad flattened teeth, secrete digestive enzyme in the saliva and have long digestive systems (10-11 times the length of the body).

For a more detailed comparison please check out The Comparative Anatomy of Eating

Psychological

Imagine yourself out in the bush on a long walk. You haven’t eaten anything for days and you can feel hunger burning in your stomach. You see your cow, Daisy, standing under a heavily laden apple tree. You are so hungry it is unbearable. What would you do?

Pick an apple off the tree and eat it or sink your teeth into Daisy’s throat.

 

If you are eating an apple you are a normal human being - even the staunchest meat eater would agree that the sight of a human biting another living creature is not normal.

We will take our children strawberry picking but we never visit an abattoir.

We put abattoirs away from our towns and if the wind brings the smell from there to our nose we find it very unpleasant to the point of stomach churning. Human instinct is vegetarian. Read more here Are Humans Omnivores? 

Fiscal

When buying life insurance the insurance company assesses the risk to them that your lifestyle poses. If you smoke the risk of you dying is higher so your premium is also higher. Now a life insurance company in the UK is offering lower premiums to vegetarians. This is because vegetarians live longer with less disease than non-vegetarians. The vegetarian diet is the natural diet for humans.

“There is nothing that will benefit human kind more than the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
- Albert Einstein

Care where it comes from too!

Excerpt from "Yoga in Daily Life - the System"
by Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

Sages and Yogis not only pay attention to what they eat, but also to where the food comes from. Was it taken away from others or in some way wrongfully acquired? Such circumstances also produce negative vibrations in those who that eat the food and can create inner disturbances.

Guru Nanak once came to a village, where he was warmly welcomed by a businessman and a farmer, both of whom invited him to share a meal. The businessman produced a richly covered tray full of exquisite delicacies. The farmer however, offered a simple meal with bread, onion and olives. Guru Nanak took the plate which the farmer offered and ate the bread.

 

The businessman was deeply hurt and asked why his food was rejected. Guru Nanak said, "Contained in this food is blood, however, in the food of the farmer is milk. And as you know, I don’t eat blood". The businessman was filled with indignation and assured Guru Nanak that the food he brought was pure, vegetarian food and that his family also lived strictly by this principle. Then with one hand Guru Nanak took a piece of bread from the plate of the farmer and a piece from the plate of the businessman with the other hand. He squeezed both pieces of bread firmly. Blood dripped from the bread of the businessman, while milk flowed from the bread of the farmer. Guru Nanak turned to the businessman and said, "You have acquired your wealth through deceit and exploitation, while he has earned his money through honest, hard work".

Between the cook and the food is a direct interaction. Therefore when cooking, we should cook with love and prepare the food with positive thoughts.

- Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda

Conclusion

“To be vegetarian means to lead a noble way of life” - Mahatma Gandhi

We have seen how in Yoga food is divided into three categories, Rajas, Tamas and Sattva and how Yogis choose to only eat a Sattvic diet.

In Yoga it is recognised that food not only affects our body but also our mind, way of thinking and feelings. Yogis understand the energetics of the food they eat.

Yogis do not only consider the qualities of the food they eat but see all life in oneness with themselves.