Why People Become Vegetarians
Many non vegetarians wonder what drives vegetarians to give up meat and adopt an entirely different lifestyle.
There is no single answer to this question. Non vegetarians become vegetarians for a number of different reasons - some
even for multiple reasons.
Most vegetarians claim that they became a vegetarian for one of three reasons.
The first reason, which most vegetarians claim, is that they have ethical problems with eating meat. Most disagree
with how chickens are de beaked, forced to live in small cages, and are then slaughtered when they do not produce
eggs fast enough.
Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and stressful environments animals are forced into; and
the hormone-laden feed used to make them grow faster and produce more.
People who become vegetarians for this purpose often draw ethical boundaries in different spots, depending on
their personal beliefs. For instance, some staunch vegans wont consume yeast, wear wool, or even eat certain
vegetables, such as carrots, that require killing the plant to harvest.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, some vegetarians--sometimes referred to as pseudo-vegetarians--will actually
eat fish and chicken on a regular basis.
The second biggest reason vegetarians claim for not eating meat is that it conflicts with their dietary preferences.
Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture and taste of meat; others do not eat it because it is high
in cholesterol and often contains high concentrations of hormones and preservatives.
The third and smallest group of vegetarians cite environmental reasons for not consuming meat. They complain
that consumption of meat causes farmers to continually deforest land to create grazing land for cattle.
In addition to these three major groups, there are a number of other smaller groups of vegetarians who stopped eating
meat for entirely different reasons.
Does It Really Matter If I Become A Vegetarian?
As a prospective vegetarian, you probably question whether or not it really matters if you stop eating meat.
You might wonder how much of a difference one additional vegetarian can make.
And while it might be true that one vegetarian wont make huge statistical difference in a world of meat-eaters--and while it is also true that one more vegetarian
probably isn't going to turn the tide in the movement-- you can do a lot as an individual that will be good
for you and good for hundreds of animals animals.
Take, for instance, the number one cause of death in the United States and other countries with
meat-centered diets: heart disease.
If it weren’t specifically for meat, eggs, and dairy products--which are the three largest sources of
cholesterol--heart attacks and other heart and circulatory problems would be far less prevalent. According to
EarthSave, the average vegetarian has about 1/4 the chance of having a heart attack as the average
non vegetarian. As for people who are pure vegans, it gets even lower: they
have less than 1/10 the chance of having a heart attack as non
vegetarians.
In addition to heart health, you will get a number of other health benefits as a vegetarian. For instance, you wont be
exposed to nearly as many preservatives, which are common in meat and are linked to cancer. You wont be exposed to
various hormones (that are packed into animal feed), which often disrupt normal hormonal processes in the body. And
you wont consume as much lactose, which most people cannot digest properly--and which some dietitians have suggested
is a cause of digestive problems.
In addition to health benefits you will receive as an individual, you will also reduce your share of the
suffering human beings inflict on animals.
According to veganoutreach.org, the average American consumes 2,714 land animals in their lifetime. If you quit
eating meat now, you could literally prevent the suffering and death of hundreds of animals of the course of a couple
decades.
In addition to this, if you stop eating eggs and drinking milk, you will also reduce your share in the suffering and
death of battery hens and their offspring, as well as dairy cows and their offspring, too.
So the answer is yes: it does matter whether or not you become a vegetarian. It matters to the thousands of
animals you could potentially save and it matters to you as an individual because you can greatly reduce
your chances of getting cancer and heart disease.
Three Health Advantages Of A Vegetarian Diet
While many people lament the nutritional disadvantages of a poorly planned vegetarian diet, few stress the
health advantages of adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet. In this article, I will cover the major three
nutritional advantages of becoming a vegetarian.
The first major advantage of a vegetarian diet is increased heart health. Vegetarians, on average, consume
more nuts (often as a supplemental form of protein). Nuts contain "good" fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6. This
promotes good heart health by reducing "bad" cholesterol and unclogging arteries.
In addition to nuts, vegetarians also consume more soy milk (often to replace milk), which reduces "bad"
cholesterol and has been linked to good heart health.
The second major advantage vegetarians enjoy is increased skin health. In addition to consuming larger quantities
of nuts (which contain healthful oils), vegetarians tend to consume more fruit and vegetables, which are rich inessential vitamins, including A and E, which are linked
to good skin health.
Fruits and vegetables also contain high amounts of fiber, which helps flush toxins out of the body, further
contributing to better skin health.
The last health advantage vegetarians enjoy is an increased natural consumption of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are foods that help prevent cancer by destroying free radicals. Vitamin C and Vitamin E, two
strong antioxidants, are commonly found in vegetarian meals.
Vitamin C can be found in berries, tomatoes, citrus fruit, kale, kiwis, asparagus and peppers.
Vitamin E can be found in wheat germ, seed oils, walnuts, almonds, and brown rice--all foods that are commonly a
part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.
So what does this all mean for you as a prospective vegetarian?
It means the popular mythology about vegetarian diets is false. Not only can a vegetarian diet be nutritionally
sufficient, but it can also affect better skin
health, prevent cancer, and increase your heart health.
The Difference Between Vegan & Vegetarian
If you recently started reading about vegetarian diets, you have probably read all sorts of
strange vegetarian terms and categories like "vegan," "ovo-lacto vegetarian," and
"semi-vegetarian." You probably wondered what the big deal was.
After all, what is so conceptually tough about not
eating meat?
And you were right!
The distinctions between these sub-categories of vegetarian are actually small, but each is very important
to members who belong to the groups. For them, these distinctions aren’t arbitrary lines; they are important
dietary or ethical decisions.
Let’s take a look at some of these groups:
VEGETARIAN:
Vegetarian is a blanket term used to describe a person who does not consume meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.
This grouping includes vegans and the various sub-categories of vegetarian; however, it generally implies
someone who has less dietary restrictions than a vegan.
SEMI-VEGETARIAN:
The term semi-vegetarian is usually used to describe someone who is not actually a vegetarian.
Semi-vegetarian generally implies someone who only eats meat occasionally
or doesn’t eat meat, but eats poultry and fish.
OVO-LACTO-VEGETARIAN:
Ovo-lacto vegetarians are vegetarians who do not consume meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, but do consume eggs and
milk. This is the largest group of vegetarians.
OVO-VEGETARIAN:
Ovo-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume eggs.
LACTO-VEGETARIAN:
Lacto-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume milk.
VEGAN:
Vegan is the strictest sub-category of vegetarians. Vegans do not consume any animal products or
by products. Some even go as far as not consuming honey and yeast. Others do not wear any clothing made from animal
products.
Take some time to figure out what group you will belong to when you become a vegetarian. You will want to consider
both dietary and ethical reasons for choosing this lifestyle.
Vegetarian Statistics
Many non vegetarians and some vegetarians alike question whether being a vegetarian really makes any difference
at all. Some bring up blurry ethical situations to make it impossible to see a vegetarian lifestyle as ethical.
If you are a prospective vegetarian for ethical reasons, but aren't sure whether or not a vegetarian lifestyle is
truly a more ethical choice, here are some statistics from EarthSave to help you make your choice (for
or against):
1. Over 1.3 billion human beings could be fed each year from the grain and soybeans that go to livestock in the
United States.
This means that the entire population of the United States could be fed (without losing any nutritional value) and there
would still be enough food left over to feed one billion people.
In a world where millions of people die each year of starvation, that type of food excess and inefficiency
could be considered unethical.
2. Livestock in the US produces roughly 30 times more excrement than human beings. While humans in the US have
complex sewage systems to collect and treat human waste, there are no such systems on feedlots. As a result, most
of this waste leeches into water.
This means that large-scale, massive production and slaughter of animals is not only unethical, but it also
causes serious environmental degradation.
3. It takes 7.5 pounds of protein feed to create 1 pound of consumable hog protein; and it takes 5 pounds of protein
feed to create 1 pound of consumable chicken protein. Close to 90% of protein from wheat and beans is lost to feed
cycling.
This means that an enormous amount of resources are dedicated to producing wheat and soy just for the purpose
of feeding it to animals, which will be slaughtered as "a source of protein"--even though they only provide about
1/5 of the amount they consume.
Not only can the production of meat be considered an injustice against animals, but it can also be considered an
injustice against human beings, as well as the environment in general.
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vegetarian articles
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