Vegetarian Dishes: Animal Suffering

What are the reasons we eat food? That might seem like a silly question, because we eat to feed our bodies, first of all. Many of us also obtain an emotional gratification when we eat, and most of us are omnivores, meaning we eat everything, including meat and poultry.

There are many compelling reasons to go towards a vegetarian diet, many of them health-related. But many people refuse to eat meat because of the inhumane treatment of the animals that are mass-produced to feed the population. Animal farming on the scale that it needs to be to satisfy U.S. consumption is grotesquely cruel. When you eat meat, you’re eating the flesh of an animal whose life has been artificially shortened by overfeeding it to get it to a slaughterhouse earlier. They’re kept in small pens and cages, where they endure chronic stress. If they bear their young live, their babies are taken from them, sometimes a day after they’re born. They’re fed growth hormones and antibiotics and kept from the natural behaviors and actions that characterize the normal life span. Pigs aren’t allowed to root. Calves are kept immobile. Chickens are kept in cages, their beaks seared off with a burning hot knife to thwart aggressive behaviors that are the result of unnatural confinement.

Do you really reckon the flesh of the animal is separate from its spirit and its energy? The agony and stress they endure in their shortened lives infuses every cell of their bodies. Consider that depression and stress can make humans ill, can infect our muscles and organs. Is an animal so very different? We don’t need meat or milk for survival. We’re no longer a hunting society; we’re merely a consuming society.

Isn’t it time we all started thinking differently of what we consume to nourish our bodies? We’re evolved from herbivores, and yet we’ve veered off our own evolutionary path. One can make a case for hunting and eating meat when it’s the only means for survival. But that’s no longer the case and our options are plentiful. Do they have to include the flesh of suffering animals? How can that possibly be considered nourishment?

Vegetarian Dishes: Remembering The Reasons For A Vegetarian Season

Christmas is a season of peace, like and harmony. It’s a time that brings families and friends together to reconnect and find comfort and happiness being together. It’s also about respect for fellow man, appreciating and embracing one another’s differences. Take some time over the holiday season to reflect on the reasons for your choice to become vegetarian, and enforce your commitment and dedication to the vegetarian lifestyle. What reason, or reasons, helped you choose that vegetarianism was the right choice for you?

Was it Economic? A meat-based diet can be very expensive. Fresh produce bought in season can be very affordable, and can be prepared (dried, canned, frozen) so that it can be loved later in the season.

Was it Ethical? Did you choose not to eat meat because of the meat processing techniques are incredibly cruel to animals? Do some research on the internet or the library, visit the PETA website, and you’re very likely to find more credible reasoning that affirms your choice.

Was it Environmental? A vegetarian lifestyle is more environmentally friendly – large ranching operations cause topsoil erosion, coyotes and other natural predators are ruined routinely to protect herds of cows which are only slaughtered anyway later on, and commercial fishing operations are damaging the ocean’s ecosystems.

Was it to Improve Your Health? Eating a vegetarian diet has been shown to be a very healthy lifestyle, as it helps fight heart disease, reduces cancer risks, lowers cholesterol, helps lower blood sugar and reverse the effects of diabetes, lowers the obesity risk, and reduces the risk of osteoporosis, as meat consumption has been shown to promote bone loss.

And remember: just because it’s Christmas, it doesn’t mean you can’t delight in many of the same wonderful holiday treats you’ve become accustomed to, as long as they are prepared with your vegetarian lifestyle in mind. Breads, cookies prepared with vegetable shortening, egg substitutes, whole grain flours and soymilks, numerous choices for vegetable dishes and salads can all be loved by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike during the holiday! So remember the reason for the season, reaffirm your reasoning for your life choice, and be proud of it, and of yourself.

Vegetarian Dishes – Preparation Tips

Many people who want to prepare for their first vegetarian meal may feel it is a challenging task. It is not hard at all really because there are many meatless menus in our daily recipes. But, they just not aware of those dishes are meatless. In fact the vegetarian menus are very flexible.

Combinations of food is very vital to add zest and contrast to a meal. If you know what foods to serve together, it will make the dishes more tasty and hearty. For example, vegetarian entree is similar to regular non vegetarian meal. Soups, breads and salads are normally served together; while pasta is normally served with casserole.

Another area you may also want to take into consideration is the seasons of the year when the vegetarian meal is prepared. When plotting for a vegetarian menu on a cold winter or raining seasons, you can serve a hot and thick soup. In contrast, during the warm summer time, a chilled fruit soup is a excellent choice.

Another reason to consider seasons is because some vegetables and fruits are only available in certain seasons. For example, you are advised to cook Jerusalem artichokes soup during late summer. This is because the artichokes root is only available during the season. During the spring, crisp spears of asparagus can usually found in the market; while sweet corns and red tomatoes normally available during summer.

The seasons will not be an huge issue in preparing a vegetarian meal though. We can consider many other vegetables and fruits that are available all times of the year from different corner in the world. Adding an international flair to vegetarian foods offers a whole new world of flavors. You can get many vegetarian recipes and cooking advices from the bookstores. What you need is just a small courage and venture, and I am sure you can find a lot of healthy and tasty vegetarian dishes.

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