International Jain Conference 1985 3rd Conference

Author(s): Satish Jain, Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Ahimsa International

Page 121

vegetarian. There are still many who abstain from animal products like milk and its preparations who are knowns as 'Vegan vegetarians'. Some go still further and live only on fruits, who are called 'fruitarians.' In India. there are lactovegetarians who generally do not take eggs.
Initially the human beings may have been non-vegetarians because of living in primitive conditions and absence of agriculture. But as the vegetation increased and agriculture was practised the food habit went on changing from non-vegetarian to vegetarian. What is the need of taking non-vegetarian food by killing the living beings while there is abundant variety of vegetable products and food.
Many people take to non-vegetarian food because of imitation, social conventions, luxurious way of living, taste of tongue, addiction to drinks, sensual enjoyments, cruel aptitudes etc. or misguided notions about the nutritive and protein value of non-vegetarian products.
The advocates of non-vegetarian food do not consider the vegetarian products very rich in proteins and consider non-vegetarian food more nutritive because of high content of proteins. What is protein. ? It is derived from the Greek language meaning 'First place" indicating thereby how important an item of food it is. Proteins not only supply energy or calories but are also necessary for growth purposes as those are for the repair of wear and tear in the body. Those are necessary for the manufacture of harmones, enzymes, hamoglobin, anti-bodies, immunoglobulins etc. The protein molecules are a mixture of several so called amino acids.
It is falsely believed that animal proteins alone supply all the proteins required for good health. Many vegetarian products contain enough protein and nutritive elements which help in the growth of good health. Vegetarian proteins are even higher in biological values than animal proteins. The current of thought is now against the excessive protein intake. Big official bodies, such as FAO, have reduced their recommended intake of protein by at least 50 per cent. Conditions of malnutrition that once were ascribed almost exclusively to lack of proteins are now thought to be caused by lack of food in general.
There has been tremendous advancement in the field of medical sciences during the last 10-15 years and so has also been the research on dietary habits and diet effects which are so closely related to the incidence of diseases. It has been found that the cancer is related partly to the dietary intake. High fat and low fibre/diet are stated to increase the incidence of cancer of colon, pancreas, breast, ovary, prostrate and womb. It has also been stated in research reports that genetic changes occur in the human body as a result of animal food. The genes develop the cancer property. Besides, in the intensive research on cancer treatment, the preventive aspect of cancer has been gaining importance all over the world. In United States of America, U. K. and other western countries, the medical
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