My stand on Plant Based Living and Why I am Not A Vegetarian

My stand on Plant Based Living and Why I am Not A Vegetarian

According to the famous American clergyman, Billy Graham, your body would grow weak if you don’t eat a balanced diet and the failure to do so will cause you to suffer from other serious illnesses or disease.

I always believe in a balanced diet as good food is a natural medicine to maintain the health of our body. Our body needs more than vegetables to be physically strong as long as we can stay away from the destructive addiction to meat. Furthermore, what is the point of having the food pyramid displayed in hospitals, clinics and schools if being vegetarian is the only way to be healthy?

Let me share with you a true story about a friend of mine who always had breakfast with me every morning for the past 8 years. Every time we had breakfast, he would talk about the beauty of being vegetarian together with strict religious reminder and verses. He even gave me a book about reincarnation and karma. As he was much older than I am, I just nodded reluctantly. He talked about it based on religion’s point of view as according to his religion, even killing a mosquitoe was considered as a heavy sin. For many years, I didn’t want to argue with him about that because I always believe in the power of turning point.

Early this year, I noticed that his health was rapidly deteriorating. His muscle was sagging and he looked older than he was supposed to be. In other words, he was dying. Somewhere in March this year, he had no choice but to meet a doctor regarding his health. The doctor said that he must take meat in a moderate amount to maintain his health. Otherwise, he would suffer from other complications. The morning we met when he talked about the doctor’s advice, I could see that he didn’t feel comfortable talking about something that was against everything that he said about being a vegetarian many years ago. I wish I could mock him but I bid my tongue as I know no matter what people or religions say about being a vegetarian, we must always listen to our body first. The body can’t talk but our physical appearance is enough to trigger the alarm that we should do something to save our body.

Anything that is too much can hurt us. If we take too much meat, we may suffer from gout. If you are suffering from gout, even some vegetables can make your gout worst. If you take too much meat without doing any physical exercises, that protein will not benefit your body. If you want to build your muscle, you need meat not vegetable. Protein is essential for building and repairing muscles.

If killing animals is the main reason to be a vegetarian, will torturing yourself make you happy?

We have always been exposed to many types of advice from the books that we read and people that we met who shared with us many types of experiences regarding their health which may gradually influence what we commonly eat every day. Even the advertisements on fast food can affect our daily diet.

If you wish to stay as a vegetarian, I have no problem with that as long as your body has no problems consuming vegetables for the rest of its life and as long as you don’t give the wrong advice especially exaggerated religious advice about the deadly sins of eating meat. We have to respect anyone’s decision whether to be a vegetarian or otherwise. On my part, a balanced meal is crucial to maintain a good health as long as animals or fish are not killed unnecessarily or excessively. We can’t stop killing of animals as our body needs protein but we can always practise self-control in which having a balanced diet is the best answer. 

Originally written by Mr. Mani Jack

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