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VEG, NO MEAT
(Letter Published in the Sunday Times, 04.05.2008)
Sir:
We can feed the world but we will have to change our food habits. Tens of
billions of animals are raised for food every year but the grains fed to them
could feed billions more people than the meat does. In a thirsty world a huge
amount of water is used in raising these animals. Add to this the biofuel that
is consuming the food that sustains humans and we have a recipe for disaster. A
return to a vegetarian and vegan diet would take off some of the pressure.
Nitin
Mehta, Croydon
Global Grain Shortage
(Letter published in the Independent,
11.04.2008)
Sir:
Your report on the global grain shortage ("Starving Haitains riot as food prices
soar", 10 April ) is a sign of a catastrophe facing the world. The UN's Food and
Agricultural Organisation (FAO), according to your report, can only advise
governments to improve crop irrigation and storage. The FAO fails to mention the
two major causes of the impending crisis: land being used to produce biofuel,
and food grains being diverted to feed animals raised for meat.
In the
last two years the US has diverted 60 million tonnes of food to fuel. Almost 60
billion animals are raised worldwide for meat every year and the grains needed
to feed them could feed over 4 billion human beings. From South America to
Africa to Asia the double whammy of biofuel and grains diverted to feed animals
is beginning to cause hunger.
The
world population is set to rise to 9.5 billion in a few years and unless we in
the West and the rising middle classes of China and India revert to a
plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet, mass starvation is a certainty. Biofuel
is supposed to be good for the environment, but it is the billions of farm
animals that are contributing more to global warming than all the world's
transport put together.
Nitin Mehta,
Croydon
Health Crisis Facing the UK (Letter published in the Independent,
24.10.2007)
Sir:
Professor Julian Le Grand's proposals to halt the health crisis facing this
country do not go far enough. The very ethos on which the National Health
Service operates, which is, "you fall sick and we will give you a drug to cure
you" needs to be overhauled. Individuals must be made to take responsibility for
their bodies.In the Indian Ayur Vedic system, for example, the patient would be
expected to follow a strict dietary regime prescribed by the doctor. The patient
is told in no uncertain terms that he has to take steps to cure himself. Diet
plays a very crucial role in one's physical and mental well-being and instead of
just promoting more fruit intake, a meat-free vegetarian and vegan diet should
be encouraged. In survey after survey vegetarians and vegans are found to be
healthier and less of a burden on the NHS.
Nitin Mehta
Croydon
Climate Change
The Independent asked its readers to suggest to the government for its green
paper--ways of stopping climate change and ecological disaster. The following
was published in the paper on 28th October.
Sir: The Government should actively encourage people to give up meat eating in
favour of a plant based vegetarian and vegan diet. A staggering 55 billion
animals are raised for meat every year which in effect means 55 billion living
beings who have to be fed and watered. This is in addition to the eight and half
billion human population which will rise to over nine billion by 2050. Our
planet is simply not big enough to sustain these numbers. The result is
destruction of rain forests, spreading of deserts and massive methane gas
emissions leading to further global warming. To sustain a meat based diet we
effectively need two planets which- we do not have. It was Albert Einstein who
said: 'Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival of
life on Earth as much as evolution to a vegetarian diet'.
Nitin Mehta
Croydon
A Vegetarian Diet Is
Essential In The Fight To Protect The Planet From Climate Change And Ecological
Damage - Nitin Mehta
It seems Albert Einstein made another great contribution to the Human
race when he said: ‘Nothing will improve the chance of survival of the Earth as
a step towards a Vegetarian life style.’
--
Click here to read more..
Water Wars
According to an article in the Independent, Water will be the cause of wars
between nations, the following letter was published in response.
Sir: The report "Water wars" (28 February 2006) is as clear a warning as one can
get that water will create violent conflict between nations. But one of the main
causes of water waste is also mentioned. It takes 1,000 litres of water to
produce a kilo of potatoes and 42,500 litres to produce a kilo of beef.
Animals are voracious consumers of water and almost 80 per cent of the world's
water resources are used in raising 55 billion animals for meat every year,
spreading deserts and diverting grains that could feed almost four billion
people. The destruction of rainforests in South America is the direct result of
beef production. A return to a plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet is
imperative for our survival and the survival of our planet.
Nitin Mehta
Chicken Faeces Fed To Farmed Fish - Nitin Mehta
The Independent reports that there could be a possible link between the bird
flu and farmed fish fed with manure of Chickens, Pigs and Ducks. The United
Nations Food and Agriculture organisation backs this system of feeding fish
with waste animal matter --it is called, 'Integrated Livestock Fish
Farming'.
Click here to read more...
Veganism and Hinduism -
Jyoti Mehta
Defining Veganism
Veganism is a growing trend within the vegetarian community, and is
considered a stricter form of vegetarianism. As well as not eating meat,
fish or fowl, vegans extend this to not consuming anything that is derived
from animals. This essentially means the removal of milk and all other forms
of dairy from the diet. Some people confuse vegans with those who are
lactose intolerant, but whilst lactose intolerant people avoid cow produce
for allergy reasons, vegans do no eat anything derived from any animals, and
this includes products such as goat’s cheese.
Click here to read more...
Talk at the inter faith celebration of animals on 18th
September 2005 at Golders Green Unitarians Church
Dear Friends
Lord Mahaveer the 24th teacher in Jainism was travelling as a monk preaching
compassion and the message of Dharma. Once he arrived near a huge forest in
which lived a fearsome cobra. Everyone pleaded to Mahaveer to not to go into
the forest as no one ever returned alive. However Lord Mahaveer was fearless
and was determined to meet the cobra. As he went deep into the forest the
cobra appeared. Lord Mahaveer stood in meditation. The cobra stung Lord
Mahaveer on the right toe. Instead of blood milk began pouring out. Lord
Mahaveer than said, ‘O Chandkaushi calm down, calm down, remember who you
were in your past life. You were a monk with a terrible temper and when you
died you were in great anger.
This little story gives us several messages
1 The animals we see could have been humans in past lives and we might also
get animal bodies in future lives. If we want to avoid that fate it is in
our own interest to be compassionate towards all living beings.
2 At the time of death the thoughts that will come to us will be the
thoughts that have preoccupied us the most. So someone who has enjoyed
hunting a lot will get those thoughts and will receive a body in the next
life that hunts.
3 There are individual Karma and collective Karma. As a race we humans are
destroying the Oceans, the Ecology of the planet and indulging in
unmitigated violence towards other life forms. The results are there for us
to see: Tsunami, Hurricanes, Earthquakes, and Droughts---the burden of
responsibility on those in this room and many millions who think like us is
great—let each one of us give up meat and dedicate ourselves to changing the
course of Human history.
Nitin Mehta
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