Articles

Good for Your Health, Good for the Planet and Animals, too!

If you think going green simply means environmental responsibility, consider thinking outside the box. At Down to Earth, we strongly believe that the single most important thing an individual can do for their health and for the sake of the innocent animals—as well as the environment—is to adopt a vegetarian diet. Good for Your Health

Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?

Probably no component of food has been so misunderstood, and so radically misinterpreted, as protein. When we talk about vegetarianism, usually the biggest concern people have is "How can I get enough protein?" This myth is finally becoming dissolved as leading health organizations are recognizing the significance of plant-based proteins as compared to the detrimental health hazards of excess animal-protein in the average American diet. You will see that it is almost impossible to be protein deficient on a well-balanced, calorie-adequate vegetarian diet.

The Fight Against Heart Disease: A Plant-based Solution

Time and again we see news reports on studies that remind us of the health benefits of a plant-based diet in reversing coronary heart disease (CHD). In 2010, a study was published in the World Health Organization’s weekly journal, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. According to the study, nearly 400,000 people were expected to die of coronary heart disease in the United States in 2010.

Move Slowly Towards a Healthy Vegetarian Diet: Best New Year’s Resolution

January is a time of the year when people think about shedding weight and making resolutions to get healthy. However well-meaning, most people who make such resolutions don’t stick with their "new" healthy commitments for very long. For many, it’s too difficult to keep up. Others grow impatient when the results they seek take longer than they want. Unfortunately, becoming truly healthy is not a quick fix. We need to go beyond New Year's resolutions.

Goodwill Towards the Innocent Animals, Too!

In this month’s “Message from the Chief Vegetarian Officer,” Mark Fergusson notes that Christmas is a time to show compassion and goodwill toward all living beings, including the innocent animals. This is the true meaning of “peace on earth.”

Celebrate a Turkey-free Thanksgiving

As we plan menus for this year's Thanksgiving dinner, consider that a vegetarian lifestyle awakens our spirit of compassion and guides us towards a kinder, gentler society in which we exercise a moral choice to protect animals—not exploit them.

So why not celebrate this year’s Thanksgiving with a turkey-free dinner? Each year, over 5 million turkeys are raised under horrible conditions and then slaughtered for holiday feasting. What a great opportunity to protect animals, by reducing so much pain and suffering. Just skip the buzzard!

Help Prevent the Spread of Flu

While the H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) makes this year’s flu season particularly worrisome, there is good news. According to Hawaii Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo, the rate of non-fatal flu cases in Hawaii — either seasonal or H1N1 — is down from earlier this summer. But, she warns that widespread outbreaks in some Mainland states could easily spread to Hawai'i at any time. To help prevent an outbreak, the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) recommends that everyone get the new H1N1 vaccine as it becomes available.

Every Meatless Meal Makes a Difference

At Down to Earth, we strongly believe that the single most important thing an individual can do for their health, for the environment, and for the sake of the innocent animals is to adopt a vegetarian diet. In celebration of National Vegetarian Awareness Month (October) and World Vegetarian Day (October 1st), let us take a few minutes to reflect on why.

Low-Carbon Eating: Good for Your Health, Good for the Planet

Food is often overlooked as a component of our carbon footprint, yet what we choose to eat is one of the most significant factors in the personal impact we have on the environment. A recent study examining the impact of a typical week’s eating showed that plant-based diets are better for the environment than those based on meat.¹ A vegan, organic diet had the smallest environmental impact while the single most damaging foodstuff was beef. Likewise, all non-vegetarian diets require significantly greater amounts of land and water resources.

Love Life

What makes it wrong to eat a pet that has a unique and lovable personality, but okay to slaughter other animals and put them on the dinner table?

It’s true that pets often earn a special place in our hearts. When you get home from work and your dog runs up and licks you in the face to welcome you--wagging his tail wildly—you can’t help yourself. Your dog loves you and you can’t help but love him back. Some would say that’s because, indeed, there is a person inside there. We often feel deep compassion for such animals.