How can going veg save the planet?

I have often heard this clichéd slogan; 'Go Vegetarian and save the environment’. My question is, how can you save the environment by going vegetarian? On the contrary you might lose your health because you deprive yourself of so much good that comes from meat.

There are innumerable health benefits of eating meat, to say, for example, it serves as a fabulous source of high quality proteins, which a single vegetarian food is not able to provide. It contains all the essential amino acids that the body requires. The red meat contains very high quantities of iron, when compared with plant origin foods. 100 grams of Liver contains 6000 mcgm of iron as against 325 mcgm in 100-gram carrots. There are several other benefits of eating meat and I am not denying the same of vegetables as well. If one can live on vegetables one should, but the ‘absolute term’ is not quite done.

There is something called ecological balance. Every living thing needs something to survive and there is a set of food in nature that is healthy and consumable by all creatures and plants. Poaching is a heinous act but not eating meat. The tiger can only survive on meat and nothing else. The cow eats grass and that's the way it is made. The sparrows eat grains. There are birds that eat insects for survival. Humans eat both meat and vegetables. These are standards we must live by.

The latest term that is doing the rounds is 'Lifestyle addiction'. If people can give up this addiction, there are far better chances of saving the environment. If people can travel by sea instead of air, pollution will come down. If people can have car-pool and not drive their own car to work. If only people could walk, rather than drive, to the local store to buy milk. If only people were God-fearing so that they would revere Him and take care of the earth. These are some of the 'laws' that have to be followed. The ‘environmentalists’ are doing a lot for the cause but that’s not enough at present.

The point is that it is not about going vegetarian; it’s about unnatural behaviour pattern of humans. We always want more and more of anything we like. That’s why we have broiler products and genetically modified foods that are unhealthy compared to normal food. I would support a slogan that says ‘Stop eating broiler and save the environment’.

Have a nice day!