The 9th European Vegetarian Congress

By Dr. Brenda Cobb

The 9th European Vegetarian Congress will be held Oct. 1-7 in Riccione, Italy. This is a very important event where many world leaders in the vegetarian movement, doctors and health care practitioners will discuss vegetarianism and world hunger, animal rights, sports, health, non violence, economy and sustainability. These topics are of international interest as vegetarianism has the ability to help create a better world in which to live.

Millions of animals have been slaughtered so that people can eat meat and yet meat is one of the most toxic substances a person can put in the body. When you eat meat uric acid is created in the digestion process. This causes many health problems including gout and arthritis.

Fatty foods, particularly red meat, can increase the toxicity of the chemicals that are lodged in them. In several animal studies, chemical carcinogens were more likely to produce tumors in the group that was fed fatty food than in the group fed low-fat foods. Thus, a high-fat diet of animal foods can be especially troublesome because the most potent pesticides are concentrated in fat and the chemical properties of fat itself may actually increase their carcinogenicity.

A worldwide, clear association consistently appears between the highest rates of breast, colon, and prostate cancers and nations that have the fattiest diets. But the link between cancer and meat eaters - exposure to toxic chemicals goes even deeper. All fried and broiled foods contain mutagens, chemicals that can damage cellular reproductive material. But fried and broiled meats have far more mutagens than similarly prepared plant foods.

One study indicates that some 20 percent of American meat eaters may have toxic mutagens in their digestive tracts that can be absorbed into the bloodstream where they can attack cells. The same study indicates that vegetarians are unlikely to have any mutagens in their digestive tracts.

Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals are tested on animals and even though these practices are cruel and inhumane they continue to go on in the name of progress, but is it progress when innocent animals have to give up their lives so that humans can have fancy creams and drugs? This practice creates negative karmic energy and now the animal population is getting us back. Mad cow disease is just one of these diseases.

We were created to live in harmony with animals, not to kill and eat them. Plants have all the nutritional value the body needs to function at its highest capability. The issue of protein is one that many will try to argue, saying that the only way to get good quality protein is to eat meat, but this is just not so. The gorilla, elephant and hippopotamus make thousands of pounds of pure muscle and are some of the strongest animals in the world, yet they never eat even one piece of meat. Their diet is purely vegetarian and completely raw!

Some people have given up red meat but they continue to eat fish and seafood. The industrial and agricultural pollution of the earth's rivers, lakes and seas has led to widespread environmental contamination. Many of the most popular seafood dishes today are contaminated with pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been shown to cause cancer and birth defects. Industrial chemicals such as PCAB's (polychlorinated biphenyls) and methyl mercury tend to accumulate in significant amounts in some fish and crustaceans.

Studies in Michigan indicate that PCB exposure during pregnancy causes a delay of the brain development in the infant, resulting in slower neuromuscular development, as well as causing decreased head circumference, birth weight, and gestation period. Such severe adverse birth defects were seen among infants whose mothers ate only two or three Great Lakes fish a month over several years, long before they ever considered the effects that such toxins could have on their pregnancies. Methyl mercury has also been shown to cause birth defects.

Alternative and conventional medicine agree that Americans should consume far less fat, animal protein, and processed foods, and eat more complex carbohydrates, especially fruits and vegetables. The more that people take this advice the less sickness we will see.

Taking vegetarianism to the optimum means eating fruits and vegetables raw without cooking. This provides living enzymes, vitamins and minerals in their most concentrated form to energize rebuild and restore optimum health.

Brenda Cobb is founder of The Living Foods Institute, Atlanta, Ga. and author of, The Living Foods Lifestyle, Colon Cleansing for Optimum Health, 101 Raw and Living Food Recipes, Get Started Now Towards Better Health, and The Living Foods Lifestyle Training Manual. She is the Key Note Speaker at the European Vegetarian Congress Oct. 1-7 in Riccioni, Italy. A FREE banquet feast at the Living Foods Institute is on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 6: 30pm and a FREE educational seminar on Monday, Sept. 19 at 7: 00pm. The10-Day Lifestyle Course is Sept. 9-18. For reservations and information about classes, free seminars and free banquet feasts call 404-524-4488.

References: “Alternative Medicine” by Burton Goldberg “Diet for a New America” by John Robbins “ The Diet Revolution” by John Robbins