Should Vegetarianism Be A Vegetarian?

One of the most common moral debates is that of whether one should become vegetarian or not. Some of the factors that help tip that scale include religious practices and beliefs, environmental issues, animal rights and health issues. Vegetarianism is no longer a question of morality surrounding the maltreatment and slaughter of many innocent animals, but also on how hugely livestock production is affecting our environment. Furthermore, many people choose to become vegetarian, or quit eating certain meats, for religious purposes or in the best interest of their health. Vegetarianism, being such a large part of our current society, is met with three different reactions: acceptance, tolerance and hostility.

Those who advocate vegetarianism profess that many people are weak of heart and so succumb to meat eating. While those who advocate a meat-oriented diet say that a meat diet is essential for a normal and healthy life, for they provide protein.

A person choosing a plant-based diet will more easily lose extra weight if any. Vegetarians are at lower risk for a number of serious diseases including cancer, and will not suffer from inadequate controls over meat production. These are strong arguments in favour of a vegetarian diet that can help many people improve the quality of their lifestyle.

Vegetarianism is a custom practiced in six out of the seven continents and has become more popular over the years. Vegetarianism can be defined as the exclusion of animal products such as meat and fish from one’s diet. Dairy products and eggs are often times excluded as well. Although there are many reasons one may decide to become a Vegetarian or follow such a code of ethics, the most common include: moral, religious or health reasons.

Vegetarianism has been around since as early as the seventh century B.C.E.. The civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization, they practiced tolerance towards all living things. Several Indian cultures and various religions (such as a ahimsā) also practice non-violence towards animals (“Vegetarianism”, Wikipedia.com). This used to be the sole purpose for being vegetarian, but nowadays people are becoming vegetarian for several more reasons. The ethical aspect is still a big reason in the decision. Health benefits and environmental aspects have now also become big reasons for the controversy over vegetarianism. People say that killing animals for food is not morally wrong and, is in fact, a crucial part of our lives. Another aspect is that, while in some ways vegetarianism is beneficial to the environment, it can also hurts the environment. Also, despite all of the health benefits involved with vegetarianism, there are also several health concerns connected with it.

One of the biggest arguments for most people that are vegetarian is that eating meat is not necessary for human survival or for their health. Some vegetarians find that slaughtering animals solely for the purpose of humans to eat meat is wrong and not justifiable. Most vegetarians do not eat meat due to the practises involved in the production and slaughtering of animals citing concerns about

There are two main lifestyles that we as human beings practice that impact our eating habits. One being a Vegetarian, a person who chooses not to eat meat. The other being a Meat Eater (also known as an Omnivore), a person who chooses to eat both meat and vegetables. A controversial debate continues to go on, evaluating the pros and cons of each group, along with the reasons behind their choice. In the end it all depends on the individual’s outlook on life that makes the decision.

“You are what you eat”, a famous saying says. If this were truly the case, then the majority of Americans would be unhealthy, chemically processed, commercially grown slabs of animal meat. And although this is not a particularly pleasing thought, it is the epitome of a standard American diet that consists of Big Macs and Taco Bell. There are a select few who stray from this typical diet, and have altered it to where they can substitute meat with other nutrients. This type of diet is called vegetarianism, and is considered the way to live without poisoning oneself with the harmful and hazardous treatment that animals go through before becoming the next meal on your plates. While vegetarianism was once thought to be a movement without much action,

Vegetarianism has been a hot topic of discussion lately, and if becoming one should be mandatory or not. Vegetarianism is a diet choice of eating absolutely no meat, fish, or poultry. It can be a healthy and environmentally friendly decision, but vegetarianism is not for everyone. It can be hard for people to completely cut themselves off from eating meat. However, humans can slim down on meat to help the environment and live a healthier, more balanced lifestyle with smaller portions. “Opportunities for higher efficiency can be found all along the meat production–consumption chain” (Smil). However, mass meat production can be harmful to the land. Speaking on meat production, Smil quotes “This

With research and supplementation, a life free of the cruelty of meat, or even all animal products, can be safe and healthy for all kinds of people from infants, to athletes. On top of the fact that the are safe and healthy for humans, these diets save millions of animals from the cruelty of overcrowded slaughterhouses, and from the torture of being treated as a number on a check and nothing more. The health and moral benefits of following a vegan or vegetarian diet immensely outweigh the negatives, and improve the quality of many beings lives in many aspects including; moral and health consciousness, prevention of illness and disease, and moral respect for those who cannot battle the injustices imposed against them on a daily

Dr. Michael Greger provides an eye-opening statistic regarding the link between health and nutrition when he states that, “The #1 killer in the US – heart disease – was found to be almost nonexistent in populations with diets centered around whole plant foods” (“Greger”). Even though the idea that a plant-based diet is the best option for many reasons, many groups still passionately contest it. However, recent research in nutritional and environmental science has established that a more plant-based, or vegetarian, lifestyle is the way society needs to go. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines vegetarian as, “one who eats no meat” (715). Society is showing a trend towards more people adopting plant-based eating. This trend can be seen playing out in the popular media via celebrities who openly discuss their vegetarian lifestyle choices and also in popular television shows whose characters talk about being vegetarian in the dialogue of show.

The Vegetarian/Vegan diet is a very intense debate right now. There are so many people and organizations involved in the fight, and it gets very biased very quickly. On the one side, people claim that it is healthier for us to cut meat out of our diet. While the other side claims that it is healthier to keep meat in our diet. This debate gets very confusing, very fast. When looking into the science side of things, it is said that the human body needs meat and the nutrients that we receive from meat, which is why the vegetarian diet is not as healthy as it seems.

The mere thought of abstaining from meat makes some revolt, an instinctive reaction to giving up something they enjoy so regularly, but lots of folks do it because they believe it is the healthier option. Though, when thoroughly looked at, that isn’t always the case.

Vegetarianism and veganism have become a widely accepted and practiced lifestyle over the past couple years. “According to a Harris Interactive study commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group, approximately five percent of the U.S. is vegetarian (close to 16 million people) and about half of these vegetarians are vegan” (Is 2014 the Year of the Vegan?). That means that the number of vegetarians has doubled over the past 7 years. Due to increased awareness, one can assume that this number is only going to continue growing. Many people ask “Why would I ever go vegan?” Choosing to go vegan is not only a way to better a person’s health, but also, to help the animals, the environment, and the people of the world.

Some argue that a vegetarian diet isn’t actually healthy for you because you don’t get the necessary nutrients that you would get from eating meat. When in reality when a vegetarian diet is well balanced it is actually healthier than a meat-oriented diet. “Vegetarians suffer less from heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a variety of other diet-related diseases which now cost the United States alone over $1.2 trillion each year” (Fergusson). Vegetarians are less likely to develop life altering diseases. That is because vegetarian diets are typically low in fat and high in