PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Interesting poem, well written. The actual evidence behind it, though, is conflicting to say the least. It seems that the data hasn't been properly supported to control for amount of exercise and other health habits such as (a) smoking, (b) drug use, and (c) alcohol use - which one could argue belongs with (b). One of the problems with doing this type of control is that there are few vegetarians that don't excercise more frequently than the population, and generally they participate in smoking less than the rest of the population. I believe that drinking is where the least disparity exists, but there is a gap in what we'd call 'abusive drinking', which leans heavily in favor of vegetarians and vegans.

Another major factor is that vegetarians and vegans are much less likely to eat processed food, which is likely, at large, to be nearly as damaging to the body as smoking or substance abuse. There are also other factors to be considered, of course. But yes, it's complex.

As ever, I do salute your love and concern for animals. I'm not a vegetarian, but my layer hens have been given a healthy retirement (well, semi-retirement, some of them still lay a little bit). Most of my friends and my neighbors question why I didn't slaughter them after it was no longer cost effective to have them (which isn't exactly true, because the coop sheddings turn out compost for the land and they help balance certain "pest" populations), but I see our relationship as symbionic. They've given me eggs (and smiles, as they do many entertaining, funny things), while I give them food and provide available protection from extreme weather, as well as nighttime enclosure to be safe from predators. If one gets sick, or injured in some way, I do my best to treat them (of which I've had a duck recover from an interrupted hawk attack and a hen come back from a severe fowl mite infestation while simultaneously dealing with a respitory issue, over the years). Like I said, it's complex. But so it is with life. All the best.