Persuasive Essay On Eating Meat

“We had to eat these dead bodies, and that was it ”, this is what Andes plane crash survivor, Roberto Canessa, had to say about his experience with cannibalism. Cannibalism is the consumption of a member of the same species. Consuming human flesh is lawful in the United States, therefore cannibalism is legal (Eveleth). In the eyes of the law, murdering someone to eat is wrong, but the act of eating a human is not. To Americans the simple thought of eating another human is sickening. To most that is true, but to others consuming human flesh is a way of life. Some cultures practice cannibalism for their own spiritual beliefs and others have to eat human flesh to survive. Human flesh has proteins most want when eating meat. Thousands of years ago cannibalism had a different reputation than it has today in American society. Cannibalism is a way to survive, with the proteins necessary to do so, and a way for cultures to express their beliefs.

Over fifty-six billion animals are slaughtered yearly for consumption, but because we are conditioned from a young age to view animals as resources, we neglect that they are passionate and intelligent living beings. Cows want to enjoy their lives, pigs want to enjoy their lives, and many other farm animals want to enjoy their lives but instead are abused and confined in small cages. Ironically, though, when someone does likewise to a cat or dog, they’re prosecuted. The sole solution to these inhumane acts is Veganism. Veganism is the ideal diet because plant-based foods are plentiful, and it recognizes the unethical treatment of animals.

Being vegetarian or vegan is not only beneficial to the animals that are being slaughtered but it also beneficial to the earth and helps to reduce global warming. According to Wikipedia, there are more than seven billion people and out of those seven billion people only three hundred and seventy five million people are said to be vegetarian or vegan. This mass slaughter of animals and livestock is also one of the leading causes of global warming. People may think that the earth is slowly dying but that is not the case anymore as global warming has caught up with us. According to NASA, there are 406.94 parts per million of carbon di oxide in the atmosphere the highest it has ever been in 650000 years. The global temperature has risen by 1.7 °F and sixteen out of the seventeen warmest years on earth have been recorded since 2001. The arctic ice minimum has decreased by 13.2% per decade and in 2012 arctic summer sea ice shrank to the lowest extent on record. The global sea level has also grown by 3.4 millimeters per year and the global average sea level has risen nearly 178mm over the past 100 years. These statistics show you how quickly global warming and climate change are having an effect on earth and who knows what the stats will be in another 50 to 100 years the earth may become uninhabitable and humans will be the sole reason for this.

Veganism is becoming a big part of our society. By switching to a vegan diet and vegan lifestyle, everyone can make a change to the world we are living in. Most people go vegan for three important reasons: the environment, their life and their morals. I believe more people should become vegan and switch to a vegan lifestyle to make a change in the environment and end animal suffering.

In today’s society, our bodies have become the front image in all aspect of our lives.. Healthy living styles and tips have exploded all over media across the United States. Veganism is one of the upcoming lifestyles that thousands of families around the countries have adopted into their eating habits. Beyond the health benefits of cutting out any and all animal products, veganism has become the face to animal abuse, especially in the produce, handbag, and makeup industry. Companies like People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) create projects and advertisements to encourage people to go vegan. Recently, PETA has connected with Traci Bingham,a famous TV actor, to launch a digital and poster advertisement. The advertisement displays Bingham’s naked body painted like the parts of farm factory animals used for produce in supermarkets. The advertisement “All animals have the same parts” seeks to use ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos to argue that animals such as cattle have the same body parts as people, and therefore are of equal value to human. Traci Bingham’s credibility with the sponsorship of PETA use the image of a naked woman to draw the desire of veganism to both men and women in an era of health, fitness, and equality.

The higher the rate of dairy consumption, in turn equals a higher rate of developing osteoporosis. This is the exact opposite of what the dairy industry is generating to the general public.

We need to alter the current farming methods to benefits the environment, making eating meat ethical. Industrial farming is the most prevailing way to produce animal products and is where massive animals’ flesh we eat comes from. Prince Charles of Wales in his essay “On the Future of Food” talks about the environmental problems we are facing (222). The pesticides and chemicals involved in the production process polluted the water supply and the nitrogen fertilizer used produced greenhouse gases such as nitrogen and methane, which enhance the global warming. The environmental problem is severe especially in the animal production process: 2,000 gallons water are needed to produce only 1 pound of beef (Prince Charles 225).

Imagine a world where killing animals for food was outlawed, and yes while for a second that seems idealistic, if you dive a little past the surface some terrible facts begin to emerge from the depths. Now imagine trying to obtain millions of vegetables, many of which are vulnerable to disease and are very hard to grow, or telling a sick patient that they cannot be cured, when the simple solution would be to add meat in their diets. The fact is our chances of solving world hunger would plummet, millions of people would be out of jobs, and hospitals would be over run by people who can’t live on a diet without meat. Only because people believe eating meat is unethical. Does this world still seem perfect? For years people have been fighting about whether or not we should eat meat, and the truth is not only is it okay to eat meat, but it is better than not eating it, for you, the environment and the world.

Have you ever wondered what goes into the beef we eat? Our beef is given antibiotics in their feed and water to help them grow bigger faster. The antibiotics in our cows can potentially cause us to get a food-borne illness from the beef we eat in any form. There are many issues dealing with the topic, should we or should we not have antibiotics administered to our beef. Many people think it is a good idea to have antibiotics in our beef to help the beef industry and help us not get sick from eating beef. I think we should not give our beef antibiotics for a very good reason. The reason is cows are given antibiotics unnecessary to their health. There have been many disagreements among different government, federal, national medicine,

The cattle industry produces vast amounts of strain in the environment. It is energy inefficient, pollutes water, occupies many acres of land, and deteriorates the health of the people who abuse its consumption. The government subsidizes this industry. Therefore, the price paid for meat doesn’t reflect the environmental hazards involved in the process. In order to protect our health and the health of the environment we should pay close attention to our food choices and make sure we don’t support industries that degrade it.

     It also needs to be pointed out that meat production industry is highly unfriendly to the environment. It has been proved that the results of this mindless actions are extremely harmful to the whole planet: trees are lost in creating farms for animal food, land is taken away from wildlife, additional erosion is caused, topsoil is lost, groundwater is wasted, and pesticide is excessively used. In fact, one chicken farm uses as much water as a little city. Few may know that this industry, compared to others, causes the biggest pollution at all.

Heart disease kills over 630,000 people in America every year and cancer kills nearly 600,000. What if the number one cause of death in America, and most of modernized culture is almost completely due to our diet? What if cancer rate could be drastically decreased due to dietary changes? Many of us go through our daily lives as omnivores, eating animals and their products as if it were normal. Many people are unaware and lack the dietary knowledge to make the necessary change to save themselves from putting themselves at risk for the number one killer In modernized culture. I’ve been vegan at best, and plant based (due to not being able to afford my own groceries) at the minimum for almost 6 months because of the increasing research and knowledge about vegan diets, as well as ethical and environmental reasons. Animal products and their derivatives is detrimental to our health, we aren’t meant to eat them, and the diet we should be eating is a whole foods, low fat, vegan diet.

The quote “A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral” from Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, encompasses what vegetarianism is about. Veganism and vegetarianism is generally associated with leafy green salads but there is a long list of health benefits attached to that way of eating and a reduction in livestock farming benefits our environment. Diving into the benefits of becoming a vegetarian or vegan, there has been extensive research done on how a teak in diet can reduce risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Plant-based dieting is a lifestyle that is beneficial for health, moral and environmental reasons.

How often do you eat? How often do you feed your pets or livestock? How many times have you actually thought about WHERE your food comes from, or if it's safe to eat? These questions should also be on the minds of the members of our government!

“Nearly 50 million turkeys are slaughtered each year for Thanksgiving. This year, don’t add to the statistic.” (One green planet) Eating turkey on Thanksgiving might be a tradition but we should instead eat vegan food for the sake of myself, and yourself.