Paste your essay in here…The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
There is more to vegetarianism than not eating meat. A vegetarian generally pays attention to their health, makes choices about their diet, and respects animals. There are no rules to being vegetarian; a vegetarian sets his or her own guidelines and restrictions. One chooses not to eat meat for many reasons; it may be because of religion, respect for animals, health, or sometimes a person simply does not like meat. Most people think that a meat or animal-product free diet is just a trend, but vegetarianism has been a growing movement ever since it began in 600 BC. Pythagoras is considered the 'original vegetarian'. Groups called Pythagorean Societies were set up that discouraged a diet consisting of meat (Parr pg. 26). Modern day vegetarianism began in seventeenth century England. In 1847, the word 'vegetarian' started being used. It was derived from the Latin word vegetus, meaning vigorous and lively (Parr pg. 31). Now there are about 7.3 million vegetarians in America and about 22.8 who followed a "vegetarian-inclined diet". A basic vegetarian diet prohibits meat and you can choose if you want to eat other animal products like milk, cheese, eggs, honey, etc. There are many different sub-categories of vegetarianism: lacto-ovo, lacto, ovo, vegan, and semi-vegetarian. The difference between these categories is the exception of things like egg (ovo), milk (lacto), and other animal products. A vegetarian diet is beneficial to personal health, the environment, and the basic rights of animals.
Studies have shown that a vegetarian diet can be beneficial to your health. The mortality rate of vegetarians is 20 percent lower than regular meat eaters, meaning they tend to live longer and get sick less often. 1,500,000 deaths out of 2,100,000 were linked with a person's diet (Shanti). A vegetarian tends to live longer because of they have low intakes of saturated fats, sugar, salt, and high intake of fiber. Having a diet high in fat, salt, and sugar can lead towards health problems like heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, and even Alzheimer's disease. Vegetarians usually have a lower risk of getting those complications and many more. The high intake of vitamins even gives a vegetarian a 40 percent lower risk of getting cancer (Shanti). "A major study of diet, lifestyle, and health in China suggests that lowering the intake of meat to 15 percent of calories prevents most cancers, diabetes, and heart diseases," (Parr pg. 65). Recently scientists have been finding links between some cancers and fat consumption. Male meat eaters had 3.6 times more of a chance of getting prostate cancer than vegetarian males and woman vegetarians were two times less likely to get ovarian cancer (Parr pg. 67). Lung cancer is also less common in vegetarians than non-vegetarians. A lower risk of disease is not the only health benefit though. The human digestive systems were not made to handle high consumption of fat. The body can't digest food properly when one's diet is mostly meat and not enough fiber, so old fecal matter sits in the intestines. A lower consumption of fat and high consumption of fiber keeps the digestive system working properly (Parr pg. 71). The positive effect of a vegetarian diet has led some doctors, nutritionists, and researchers to say that a meatless diet is healthier than the usual carnivore diet. But the benefits do not stop at personal health.
Whether it's the land, water, or air, Earth's environment today is not at its peak. Research has shown that if people converted to a vegetarian diet or even decreased their amount of meat intake, then the environment could benefit just like our own health. 90 percent of land once used for animal farming could be replanted for forests and more (Shanti). Constantly forests are being cleared to make room for the growing cattle industry. At the current rate, in 50 years there will be no more forests left (Shanti). Trees are a vital source of oxygen and who knows what will happen without them. It takes far more land to raise cattle than to grow vegetables and fruits. "1 acre yields 165 pounds of beef or 20,000 pounds of potatoes," (Shanti). Cattle ranchers are forced into bankruptcy from overgrazing and the land's loss of nutrients. The pressure on land does not happen without any effects. Each year, 6 billion tons of soil is eroded away. In 200 years, the USA has lost 1/3 of their top soil. It takes 200-1000 years for the earth to make an inch of top soil; at this rate the USA will lose their prime top soil (Shanti). Humans need water to live but the water is being destroyed from animal farming. Just like it takes more land to farm animals, it takes far more water to farm them too. 25 gallons of water is used to make one pound of corn and 2500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat (Shanti). "The water used to produce 10 pounds of steak is equivalent to the average consumption of water for an entire household for an entire year," (Shanti). If the large demand on meat decreased, humans would have a lot more water. People are oblivious to the fact that animal farming results in waste. That waste, whether it is liquid excrement or bloody waste water, usually ends up being disposed into rivers (Shanti). Tons and tons of methane is produced each year from cattle and the burning of land to clear for more animals (Shanti). The mass animal farming is slowly killing our planet. Encouraging friends to decrease their meat intake or trying out a vegetarian diet is extremely important; every small step helps.
The biggest argument supporting a vegetarian lifestyle is animal rights. "Animals are those unfortunate slaves and victims of the most brutal part of mankind," (John Stewart Mill, philosopher). Each year, 15 billion land animals and 6 billion fish are killed to support human's meat-based diet. Before an animal is slaughtered, they are raised in terrible conditions. The animals are treated like products on a conveyor belt instead of being treated like living, breathing creatures. The jobs a farmer once used to do, is now done by machines. Poultry raised for meat are kept in dark, windowless sheds; 20-30,000 are stuffed into each shed. The lack of space causes fighting and injuries. To prevent fighting related injuries, it was decided the farmers should debark the chicks without any anesthetic instead of giving the chickens more room. What's even worse is that unwanted male chicks are often gassed, ground up alive, or put into bags to suffocate (Shanti). The chicks that live go on to live in the crowded, artificially lit sheds and are fed growth hormones. Many chickens quickly grow, out growing their bones causing fractured or broken legs. Broiler chicks, chicks for meat, typically live until they are seven years old but in these unnatural conditions and the growth hormones they are killed at seven weeks (Parr pg. 59). Cows under natural conditions could live up to 20 years but in the factory farming industry they only get to 5 or 7 years before they are slaughtered (Shanti). Female cows are put under enormous pressure to keep producing milk. They are artificially inseminated, so they keep producing milk, but once they are unable to do so they go straight to the slaughter house. A mother cow makes 5 liters of milk per day for her baby, but because of the demand for milk, they are forced to produce 25-40 liters per day (Shanti). This wears the cow out and causes swollen and inflamed udders. When the female cow has her baby, the calve is taken right after birth. The situation is traumatizing for both the baby and mom. The calves are put into small cages, so they cannot move. The farmers do this because they do not want them to develop muscle. They are neglected iron to keep their flesh white. After four months, they are killed but they would not live much longer in these conditions (Parr pg. 62). That is only how cows and chicks are mistreated. All animals in factory farming endure the same abuse just to end up one your plate.
There tons of arguments against vegetarianism: humans were made to eat meat, vegetarians don't get enough protein, animals aren't people, so it is okay to kill them. Humans have been eating meat forever, but a largely meat-based diet is not healthy for our bodies. The ideal amount of protein a human should have is 20-40 grams. Most Americans eat more protein than they should at an intake of 90-120 grams, causing health problems (Parr pg. 19). Animals are not that different from humans, they feel pain and emotion. Killing them is not okay just because they are not human.
A lot people do not see the importance of vegetarianism, instead only seeing it as a trend. They are oblivious to the abuse animals endure and how their diet affects their bodies and the environment around them. Many people become vegetarian not knowing how important it is too. They do not know that they are helping themselves, the environment, and animals. People will criticize or question a vegetarian's choices, but many will be interested. Spreading the word is just as important as becoming vegetarian.
Work Cite
Shanti, O. (n.d.). 101 Reasons to go Vegetarian. Retrieved November 26, 2018, from http://www.troutsfarm.com/In_the_Kitchen/101.htm
Parr, Jan, and Sarah Durham. The Young Vegetarian's Companion. New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. Print.