By now, most of us know that consumption of saturated (usually animal) fat is associated with heart disease, some cancers, and other health disorders. But other problems linked to our dependence on meat are less well know -- for instance:

It takes an average of around seven pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef, pork, or poultry, as well as huge amounts of land, water, energy, and chemical inputs.

Producing the beef in just one cow can use over a hundred thousand gallons of water!

Meat production is also linked to significant water pollution, the degradation of natural areas such as forests and paries, and global warming. See great poem about beef production by Bob Randolf!

Some developing nations use up much of their limited land and resources to produce cattle for export to wealthier countries.

Eating vegetarian products that are "lower on the food chain" have a number of advantages:

They reduce our intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, and can increase our intake of fiber.

By reducing demand for animal products, plant-based foods reduce the attractiveness of overexploiting limited resources, converting rainforest to pasture, and intensive animal farming.

All in all, replacing some or all of our consumption of animal foods with plant-based foods helps to promote a healthier environment, human health, humane treatment of animals, and social justice.