It is a well-known fact that the major states like U.S.A., UK. U.S.S.R Switzerland, West-Germany, Israil, Mexico, Japan have vegetarian associations and are actively engaged in the propagation of vegetarianism and as such the vegetarian dietary habit is getting recognition from a large number of people. The British Speaker’s Hour, R. Hon. Bernard Weatherill M.P. has expressed that economically there would be tremendous saving of food energy resources provided the intermediate link of live stock is broken and people stars taking vegetarians meals. No soul on this earth will be left over without meal.

 

What is the rationale behind this movement?

 

 

The growing medical sciences have been the major factor in converting people to vegetarianism. In United States of America, United Kingdom, and Scandinavian countries, vegetarianism is being advocated by medical people. The fibre content of diet, low cholestrol contents, prevention of zoonotic disorders have been the major reasons which have appealed the medical people to propagate vegetarianism The discovery of human onchogene (mutation of gene by meat eating) by prof. Weinberg from Massachussette Institute has revolutionised the programme of Cancer Prevention. Bowel cancer per se is due to low fibre content in the animal dict. However, the association of breast cancer and other organ cancers appears to be due to mutant cancer gene or to some unknown reason.

 

Prevention of hemorrhoids, varicosity, constipation, hiatus hernia, ulcerative coliti and peptic ulcer by the fibre rich diet is known to the medical scientist since four decades.

 

 

Recently the relationship of animal food and the myocardial infarction stroke have gained much attention. In United Kingdom and United States of America the trend is no animal food and less of eggs in the diet. The cholestrol contents of animal food makes the atherogenesis faster 1985 Noble prize awarded to Prof Goldstein and Brown for their outstanding work on the cholestrol receptor depri vation with high animal food consumption. Most of the rich and elite people have this fatal illness.

 

 

 

The foreign body setting up the antigen antibody reaction, lowers the immune status and increases the chance of graft rejection in the organ transplants. Animal food increases the chance of bacterial and viral antigens to grow further. Thus the immune system is impaired.

 

 

Growing requirement for food energy resources has made the scientists to work out the alternative resources. The commercial production of meat is very costly. The conversion rate of plant protein to animal protein is too low. It is therefore, better to utilise vegetable food directly in human food. Not only the conversion of plant protein to animal protein is lower, the caloric conversion is much lower. It has been estimated that 7 vegetable calories are required for the production of one animal calorie. It is, therefore, evident that the plant-animal food conversion is not only too costly but too wasteful. In the present day world all efforts have to be directed to remove the calorie malnutrition throughout the world. At a time when millions are dying of starvation it is morally indefensible that over half the world’s grain is fed to animals which in turn, would be fed to people.

 

 

The animal and plants form a natural habitat for human existence. This eco-system has greatly been disturbed by fast growing deserts, deforestation and de-animation. The fertility of land, soil erosion, all depend upon the animal life which apparently looks economically useless. Therefore, vegetarianism will promote the preservation of animal kingdom and promote the forestry. The ecological experts are very fast realizing the need for maintenance of our eco-system and environment.

 

 

The human survival rate of India is fast decreasing. We have still people who are octogenarian Attention has been focussed on the soviet Republic of of Abkhasia. They live well above one hundred years and are largely vegetarian. They are healthy, vigorous, slim and smart people. A study conducted by the Ethnographic Institute in Sukhumi revealed that arteriosclerosis is rare there except in extreme old age after one hundred years.

 

Johnny Weismuller, Pravo Nurmi, Chris Everet-Lloyd and many other marathon runners, body-builders, weight lifters, have preferred, to be vegetarian. The endurance and stamina have been extraordinary among them.

 

It is a myth among people that meat would make them very strong and that muscles of animals are directly incorporated into their muscles. The fact is that whatever we eat is broken down by digestive system. We must know that elephant, cow, buffalo, bulls, oxes, gorillas are vegetarians. How could they become so strong without eating other animals?

 

Thus Vegetarianism seems to be the only choice for a better and disease-free world. Even for the sportsmen, vegetarian diet offers better physical strength and endurance. Also on economic consideration, vegetarianism is the only good choice for people all over the world. There is no other choice if one wants better ecological balance. In consequence, the world-wide movement for vegetarianism is the need of the time.