Vegetarianism

Universidad del Sagrado Corazon San Juan, Puerto Rico Argumentative Essay Vicente R. Rivera Velez Jean G. Piwinski English-114 Section 6 Professor Milagros A. Rodriguez November 10, 2011 Meat eaters vs. Vegetarians If you have to choose between meat eaters and vegetarians, which side would you select? Personally we understand that vegetarian’s people eat healthier than the meat eaters but even doe, we consider our self meat eaters. Meat eaters and vegetarians are extremely different in terms of flavor and health. We are meat eaters because of its taste and flavors.

Meats have more flavors than vegetables; this is because meats contains juices and are cook with different spices that have strong flavors. Some of these flavors are parsley, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce etc. We are not telling that vegetarians don’t eat flavored food but the reality is that meat has lots of more flavors. In terms of taste, it depends on each people for example; vegetarians will say that their food taste better and the same with the meat eaters. But we look for information from the experts and Dr.

Robert Madda in his internet page title “Meat & Vegetables on the HCG Diet” certifies that our statement it’s true, meat has more flavors and taste better. The vegetarians eat healthier because of meat having saturated fat and high cholesterol. Meat eaters have more risk of having diseases and health problems such as heart attack or stroke from the vegetarians. Some studies show that vegetarians have less opportunities of having cancer. Meat can stay in your body up to 7 years and vegetable can be easy eliminated from the body. Some vegetarians are vegetarians because they are animal activist.

Animal activist are those people that have compassion and want to end the mistreating and the cruelty of the animals. Some meats are not healthy because some suppliers inject chemicals and preservative so it could last longer. Vegetarians also have some health risk because chicken and fish have many different bacteria. Some studies tell that they have more bacteria than a toilet. Salmonella is a popular bacterium that you can find in chicken and fish. Salmonella is a bacterium that attacks intestine and blood stream. Some examples of its effects are diarrhea, fever and give you intense pain.

Salmonella is not a deadly disease but you will feel like if you where going to die due to the huge pain. When it comes to food there is going to be always some problem because a bacterium, cholesterol, fats etc. As known meat eaters and vegetarians have typical foods. Meat eaters like every type of meat here are some example of different types of meats; steaks, cheeseburger, t-bone, fried steak, ham, pork, bacon, ribs, prime rib, lamb, veal etc. Meat eater usually like to have nest to the meat as a side order mash potatoes, baked potatoes, rice and beans, pasta and some times vegetables and salad.

Our favorite plate would be a nice steak with baked potatoes, specifically a filet mignon there is nothing better. Vegetarian people also eat great food for example; they eat fish like red snapper, maji maji, grouper, tilapia, salmon etc. Also they eat chicken, salads and vegetables; for the vegetarian people a familiar plate that they eat is baked chicken with caesar salad. This vegetarian diet is very strict a difficult to follow. Recently vegetarian population is growing, a few years ago only 3. 2% of the population was on the vegetarian diet. Today according to vegetariantimes. om 10% of the American populations are vegetarian. But a study show that 5. 2 % of the population are interested in the vegetarian diet. A 59% of the vegetarian populations are woman and the average age of vegetarian people is 30. In the other side meat eaters are better known as carnivore. Carnivore is the same as meat eaters and this term is also used in animals. For example we can say that the lion is a carnivore animal. This means that when you are carnivore you depend mainly of the meat diet. Meat eaters also have can find diseases in the food. High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity etc. re some examples of diseases. We as carnivores recommend to all the others meat eaters that these diseases are not a joke and they should do go to the doctor at least twice in a year. But a the same time eating meat give you high quality proteins an it also require all the amino acid that your body needs. Meat contains high iron compare to plant and vegetable. It’s recommended to eat meat but in moderated quantities, also you should avoid eating bacon and salami because they are very high in fats. In conclusion meat eaters and vegetarians are extremely different.

We can say that they taste different and have different flavor. The meat is the tastiest but the vegetarians are healthier. We are meat eaters because our island is full with flavors and we love to eat great food with great flavor. As meat eaters we respect the entire vegetarian community and we understand the reason of being one. At the same time we think that everyone needs to have at least a minor portion of meat because all the proteins and the iron that you will not find in a vegetarian plate. For us there is nothing like a huge plate of meat after work or after doing sport to recharge all the batteries.

References Benefits Of Eating Meat. (n. d. ). Sikh Philosophy Network. Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://www. sikhphilosophy. net/sikh-youth/14321-benefits-of-eating-meat. html Meat Eaters Vs. Vegetarians | Healthmad. (n. d. ). Healthmad. Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://healthmad. com/health/meat-eaters-vs-vegetarians/ Smith, B. (n. d. ). What Is Salmonella And What Are Its Effects? | InjuryBoard Atlanta. Injury Board Atlanta | Georgia Personal Injury Attorney. Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://atlanta. injuryboard. om/defective-and-dangerous-products/what-is-salmonella-and-what-are-its-effects. aspx? googleid=212314 What is the Difference Between ? | Health Related Articles. (n. d. ). Health Related Articles | Everything you want to know about your Health. Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://www. healthforworld. com/what-is-the-difference-between-meat-eaters-vs-vegetarians life. , t. w. (n. d. ). Vegetarianism In America . Vegetarian Times – Great Food, Good Health, Smart Living. Retrieved November 6, 2011, from http://www. vegetariantimes. com/features

As the spokesperson In the Ted Talk, Mark Batman: What’s wrong with what we eat, Blatant expresses his once about negative ecological and health impacts of our current food regimen. He describes our modern diet as, “overwhelmingly meat-centered and hooked on fast food” (TED). Meat’s role In our society is massive, and knowing more about it is crucial. When Batman delivers the “stinging condemnation” of the way we eat now, and many worldwide were listening.

Mark Batman’s argument, on how eating as much meat and Junk food as we do is negatively affecting the health of our planet and ourselves, is accurate and credible, because of his extensive background in the food Industry and the valid evidence that ties his claim altogether. What Is It about Mark Bellman’s great background In the food Industry that makes his argument even more so probable? Well, throughout his career, he has won several awards from the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his writing and his television series, Batman Takes on America’s Chefs. The Beard Awards are the highest honor for food and beverage professionals working In North America. ” (lames Beard Foundation) Mark Batman was recognized, for being a culinary professional who had shown excellence and achievement in his field. The CAP Cookbook Awards honor the authors, publishers, and other contributors behind the best of cookbooks published each year” (CAP). Due to this acknowledgement, Blatant now holds “a coveted mark of distinction” (CAP).

According to, the highly awarded journalist and author, Michael Pollen, Mark Batman is one of “The World’s 7 Most Powerful Bodies,” an honor that Batman shared with First Lady Michelle Obama (EGG). In order for Batman to get where he Is currently, he had to work hard and lobby for his position. In 201 2, he was the only regularly-appearing opinion penman in a leading newspaper in the united States, writing rather much exclusively about food, for the most prime paper in the country and one of the most major papers in the world (ICE, 2012).

Evidently, due to the outstanding highlights of Mark Batman’s food career, he Is a credible source. 1 OF 7 it is now time to take a look at the research that completely ties the claims that he makes together. Other than in the Ted Talk, Mark Batman: What is wrong with what we eat, in an interview with the Institute of Culinary Education, the “food columnist” continually argues that eating meat is a big problem for the food system.

Batman lams that, “If we had stricter laws on the treatment of animals, and better controls on the use of antibiotics in animals, better waste disposal systems, better environmental controls, it would make meat much more expensive, and if we made meat much more expensive, then sustainable meat and meat raised non-industrially would be more competitively priced” (ICE, 2012). As a result, of higher meat prices, meat consumption rates would decrease. By consuming less meat, the generation of the world’s greenhouse gases would also decrease, (Batman, 2008) because eating meat is what is “destroying our environment” (PETA).

Although PETA is a bias source, this statement can easily be proven as correct. Validated through research, what we eat contributes “more greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO), methane, nitrous oxide, and the like to spew into the atmosphere than either transportation or industry’ (Filial, 2009). Many underestimate the importance of eating less meat, over half of the carbon footprint of the average American diet comes from animal products (Take Extinction off of Your Plate). While watching the Ted Talk, Mark Batman: What’s wrong with what we eat, I was shocked how big of an impact eating eat has on the Earth and the people who inhabit it.

When Batman mentioned that meat was more of a concern than transportation, I started to think back to the time when many CEO-friendly people would bike or walk places instead of spreading around “car pollution. ” They, like my past self, had no idea that eating less meat does more than not driving a car. Mark Batman’s claim within his concern is accurate, because of the various studies of the negative impacts of meat consumption on our environment. Logically, if eating meat affects something as big as the Earth, it would have a bigger effect on our overall being as well.

To back up Mark Batman’s claim about how we should have “better controls on the use of antibiotics in animals”, science-writing intern Cassandra Brooks states that, “the administration of antibiotics causes health problems, so much so that it can result in antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten the usefulness of medicines that treat people. ” That must be one of the key reasons why meat eaters experience more health problems. “Harvard studies showed that daily meat eaters have approximately three times the colon cancer risk, compared to those who rarely eat meat. ” Eating meat encourages the growth of cancer, (The

Physicians Committee) while plant-based diets promotes a healthy lifestyle that reduces such negative health impacts (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Diets that are rich in fiber, such as a Vegetarian diet, speeds the passage of food through the colon, effectively removing carcinogens, changing the type of bacteria that is present in the intestine, so that there is a reduced production of carcinogenic secondary bile acids. Anti-cancer compounds. Those reasons explain why, vegetarians are at the lowest risk for cancer and have a significantly reduced risk compared to meat-eaters (The Physicians Committee).

According to new research in Austrian vegetarians, “Many people who go vegetarian do so because they are experiencing health problems” (Messing, 2014). Eating meat as we do is killing us, and according to Dry. Frank Huh, co-author of a new Harvard study on the topic, what is new “is the magnitude of risk associated with very moderate red meat consumption. ” The magnitude for processed meat is even greater than that. The Harvard study concluded that one serving of red meat a day increases the risk of early death by 13 percent. The same single daily serving of processed meat (like bacon or hot dog) increases that risk by 20 percent.

And “one serving” means that little deck-of-cards sized lump that doesn’t satisfy anyone over the age of 10. Huh acknowledged that “it’s not really surprising because red meat consumption has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. What is surprising is the magnitude of risk associated with very moderate red meat consumption” (Hoffman, 2014). There are both pros and cons when it comes to eating or not eating meat, but the cons of not eating meat are easier to fix than the health related problems that come with eating meat.

Eating less or no meat requires change, real change that involves having a clear understanding of meat’s critical role in our lives. Just knowing how negative the impacts of eating meat are to the overall health of each person and the evidence that proves it, Mark Batman’s claim stands true. Real change in the right direction something that Mark Batman predicts will eventually occur and he believes that his solution to tax Junk food will enable that. The money that comes from taxing Junk food, would be used to subsidize public health measures like making fruits and vegetables less expensive and more widely accessible.

Batman compares this change in food to, great strides for minorities, the establishment of Medicare, and tremendous strides for women. By regulating Cafes Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and taxing Junk, Batman presumes that change is going to happen, and assumes that we are Just too impatient. He believes that the change that we want to see is not coming as quickly as we would like it to, and the thing that we need to realize is that real change is a slow process (Ottawa). It took over 20 years, in order to revise nutrition labels.

That revision had a “dramatic effect on what people choose to eat and drink and what products sell in permeates” (Museum Chaw and Thompson). With this improvement, people felt less defeated, now that they had a clearer understanding of the labels and could differentiate between items such as sugars, natural and added. We need to educate the lost by, discouraging the consumption of bad food and encouraging the consumption of good food (Batman, 2012). Previously, before label and other food changes, consumers would Just eat items without knowing what they Just ate.

Due to their lack of understanding and the companies’ lack of clarification, people would eat more than they needed, resulting in an unhealthy body weight. As someone who likes labels, especially when I am trying to stick to a healthy diet. To avoid the defeat, I would have to do the majority of my cooking at home, homemade. Due to the validated knowledge that has been brought to my attention, I believe that Mark Batman’s argument is solid. In Mark Batman’s Ted Talk he helps the viewers understand the importance of home cooking and how straying away from it might seem easy, but not at all as healthy as actually knowing what they are eating.

Batman states that, “It is really important to be a home cook,” and informs us that throughout history we have lost that concept. Between the years of 1950-2000, many were sucked into the idea of convenience and the quality of home cooked meals “was down the tubes” (Batman, 2012) Fewer meals consisted of home cooked breads, desserts and soups, because it all could be purchased at any store. In the ass, women began to enter the workforce, and due to a lack of time and patience, they brought home store bought meals for their families.

Home cooking was in a bad state, due to the appealing contents in convenient foods (Batman, 2007). In order for healthy home cooked meals to recycle back up the food chain, “We need to start acting. We need to start eating and cooking with less meat. Instead of going for meat, go for healthier proteins, such as nuts. “The time has come to stop raising them industrially and stop eating them thoughtlessly’ (Batman. 2007). We need to start considering the piece of ham on our breakfast plates, and where it came from before it lands on our grocery store shelves (Brooks).

Knowing that eating meat is hazardous, makes me not regret my choice of becoming a vegetarian. This knowledge is not something that should be kept to myself. I feel safe, and feel as if it is my moral obligation to inform meat eaters of the deadly consequences that they redundantly face, like Mark Batman does. I would gladly recommend meat eaters, especially those who do it excessively and thoughtlessly, to watch the Ted Talk, Mark Batman: What’s wrong with what we eat. His talk is based off of research that has been done by credible sources such as Batman himself, and I am in agreement with his valid claim.

Introduction

This paper highlights an example of cultural problems confronting global companies in conducting its global businesses. The company of particular focus in the paper is the McDonald’s corporation who is currently recognized as the world’s largest fast food chain (Wikipedia, 2007). The paper briefly discussed the big controversy faced by the company which had started in the year 2001.

The early portion of this article highlights the major events leading to the 2001 controversy. Subsequent portions highlight groups involved and the reasons behind the controversy, and the impact of the controversy to the company. The final portion of this article is a conclusion presenting a general view of the case for all global companies.

What Started the Controversy?

In the 23^rd of July of the year 1990, McDonald’s announced to the public that their famous “Fries” will be cooked using 100% vegetable oil (Akers). Prior to it, fries are cooked with “beef tallows” or hard fat obtained from cattle, sheep, or horses (Hinduism Today). The effort was to reduce the amount of saturated fat from 42 grams to 23 grams per two-ounce fries (Hinduism Today). However, McDonald found out that their fries cooked in vegetable oil have lost its popular finger-licking taste (Hinduism Today).

For McDonald’s, it seemed like the new taste is no longer salable to the public, which is truly a big problem for the company as it would surely affect its sales. In the effort of preserving its finger-licking taste McDonald’s included “beef flavoring” in the preprocessing (not in cooking) of its fries and hide the scheme by labeling it as “natural flavoring” under the US Government Food Guidelines (Hinduism Today). In short, the company had kept this truth for many years from 1990 until its exposure in 2001.

The Reasons behind the Big Controversy and the Groups Involved

McDonald’s secret “beef  content” was later discovered and started a great controversy. Their “natural flavor” scheme was exposed in 2001 by Eric Schlosser in his book “Fast Food Nation” in his remarks that the natural flavor of its fries were obtained from beef (Akers). When the information was exposed to the public, many vegetarian groups reacted.

A native Indian lawyer named Haris Bharti filed a multi-million lawsuit against McDonalds, and many religious groups like Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, and many other vegetarians and vegans supported the lawsuit (Hinduism Today). Bharti claimed the company fooled many of its vegetarian customers who unknowingly consumed beef for many years, and the company must pay the price of their lies (Rediff Group).

Bharti’s suit was so strong particularly due to religious and cultural matters. Many religious groups believed that McDonald’s “natural flavor” scheme is a question against religious and cultural beliefs. For instance, McDonalds have Muslim costumers. In the United States alone, it is estimated that the Muslim population is 7 million. Muslims eat meat but considering it must be slaughtered in accordance with “halal”, but McDonald’s beef were not “halal” (Akers).

Similarly, it also has Hindu costumers. Bharti claimed there were more than 1 million Hindus in the US who unknowingly consumed McDonald beefs (Rediff Group). Subsequently, in India, McDonald’s restaurants faced massive protests leading to the investigation of their fries. However, laboratory tests conducted to its fries in India found no beef in its indian fries (Akers). Other non-religious but vegetarian groups also supported the suit fighting for the unhealthy diet side of the fries.

The impact

In March 31, McDonald’s lost to the suit in the Illinois court and was asked to distribute $10 million to appellants (Akers). Aside from it, the company still needs many years to cover up the mess they have created against their vegetarian customers. Otherwise, the price could be higher than the lawsuit figure in the future. McDonald’s owns many fast food chains in different regions around the world. Many other regions may have not been so strict with the vegetarian concept. However, the company can avoid the consequence of the 2001 Bharti suit by providing correct information to the public whichever regions of the world their businesses are conducted.

Conclusion

The case is a very lucid example of the complexities of handling business among different people of diverse culture and beliefs. Many giant companies have capitalized with using bias information and neglected its realizable impact. These companies knowingly disrespected many people. However, many customers have long been aware of the certainty of information bias in businesses.

To many customers, businesses are profit-oriented and have no care to the welfare of the public as long as they are gaining. What happened in the McDonald case is that the company had carelessly abused the fact that not many people know the “natural flavor” compositions and its impact to its diverse customers who also have diverse eating habit and preferences. Apart from McDonald’s many other companies continue to practice unlawful acts to the eye of many people.

Therefore, one very important lesson which many businesses must learn is to keep the integrity of their information. The public must be respected considering the fact that it is from them where businesses gain profits, and therefore must be well-informed particularly in matters of their interests.

References:

Akers, K. (n.d.). McDonald’s Lawsuit Timeline. Retrieved April 8, 2009, from compassionspirit.com: http://www.compassionatespirit.com/McDonalds-Lawsuit-Timeline.htm

Hinduism Today. (n.d.). McDonald’s Supersizes Hindu Endowment. Retrieved April 7, 2009, from Hinduismtoday.com: http://www.hinduismtoday.com/press_releases/mcdonalds/

Rediff Group. (n.d.). Bharti’s Beef With McDonald’s. Retrieved April 8, 2009, from Rediff.com: http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/04us1.htm

Wikipedia. (2007, September). McDonald’s. Retrieved April 8, 2009, from wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald’s