Kerala - Pathanamthitta   

‘Vegetarian diet is true human fuel’

PATHANAMTHITTA: “A car engine that is not tuned or not getting the type of fuel it needs simply will not run efficiently, nor ‘live’ for as long as it is intended to. Similarly, human body needs the right kind of fuel, instead of the high fat meat, which is simply not the kind of fuel the human body is intended to use,” says G.K. Nair in the Malayalam version of his book on vegetarian diet Haritha-radhya.

P.Parameswaran, Bharatiya Vichara Kendram director, released the book by Mr. Nair, Editorial Consultant of The Hindu Businessline, at a cultural meet held as part of the 98th annual Hindu convention at Cherukolpuzha, near Kozhencherry, on Tuesday.

The 14-chapter book on vegetarianism extensively deals with the importance of following the vegetarian way of life.

According to Mr. Nair, eating vegetarian food prevents a lot of direct pollution of air and water by animal faeces as well as secondary factors such as fuel, antibiotics, pesticides and herbicides all used in meat production.

He says a typical healthy vegetarian diet is high in fibre and low in fat and adds that vegetarians are at lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, ovarian and breast cancers, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure etc.

“Food should nourish and feed the body and leave us energised. When we eat high-fat meats, low-fibre processed foods and fill our bodies with preservatives and chemicals, we are much more prone to high blood pressure, type-II diabetes, high cholesterol and other serious health risks,” according to the book.

Vast tracts of land are needed to grow animal feed. Moreover, overgrazing leads to the extinction of indigenous plant and animal species, soil erosion, and eventual desertification, he adds.

Various surveys have showed that more than one-third of all fossil fuels produced in the US are used to raise animals for food. Energy is used to grow, process and transport animal feed, operate farms and slaughterhouses and to refrigerate and transport the meat.

Mr. Nair says the meat industry not only needs drinking water for the billions of animals raised for slaughter, but also for watering crops for animal feed and for cleaning away the filth in factory farms and slaughterhouses. According to him, nearly half of all the water used in the US goes to raising animals for food.

The book stresses the need to promote vegetarianism, the staples of which are fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts.

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