The Reasons For Becoming Vegetarian

“Against Meat” by Jonathon Safran Foer (2009, New York Times Magazine) is intended to educate current non-vegetarians on what vegetarianism is, the benefits of it in terms of health and animal rights, and also the struggles of consistently being a vegetarian. Although Foer does not specifically express what a vegetarian is we can assume he is going off the generally known definition of a person who does not consume the meat of an animal, as oppose to a vegan who does not consume any animal products at all. According to an article about vegetarian Americans, 5% or 16 million Americans classify themselves as vegetarian in 2015, compared to the 1% back in 2009, making vegetarianism a growing trend throughout the US (Raw Food World). Foer proves his opinion on vegetarianism by backing it up with facts from the USDA and his own personal experiences with his babysitter, growing up struggling with being a vegetarian that loves meat, and the decision to marry and raise his child vegetarian. Foer does, however, have a few gaps in his argument about nutrition, the costs associated with vegetarianism, and the lack of a definition of vegetarian.

Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat, and for some, do not consume any animal products at all. Vegetarian has been along for a long time and with time has grown the controversy over the topic. The reasons that vegetarianism has grown into a controversial topic are mostly the human beliefs and health reasons associated with it.

About a year ago, I asked myself a question why am I not a vegetarian? After all, I am one of the green kids. I grew up with my vegetarian dad in a small town. I even joined a club called “Tree Huggers”. I knew that eating a mere hamburger a day could increase my risk of dying by a third. I knew that the 10 billion animals we raise each year for meat are raised in factory farmed conditions that we hypocritically wouldn’t even consider for our own cats, dogs and other pets. I knew that I was not alone, we as a society are eating twice as much meat as we did in the 50s. So, what was once the special little side treat now is the main course much more regular. What if I told you, that we can change our world through our food choices. The fact

People today are more diverse and open minded than they used to be, they want to try new things. Maybe to eat healthier, or become humane. But some like to stick to the traditions, to what they know. Gary Steiner’s Essay “Animal,Vegetable, Miserable” evaluates society’s procedure when it comes to animal consumption. He further explains his take on things, and why the stance of being a vegan in today’s society can be a very hard one. In the segment of “The Ethical Choices in What We Eat” is an array of analysis and opinions back to editor involving the essay, “Animal, Vegetable, Miserable” by Gary Steiner. Including thoughts on Steiner’s argument and what it truly means to be vegan. Is there really black and white when it comes to being a

The whole dieting stuff has become really big lately, especially in 2016. Many people have started to "Clean eat," go gluten free, go vegetarian, and even go vegan.

Becoming a Vegetarian Should everyone be a vegetarian or not? In Laura Fraser’s, “Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian,” mockingly asserts the multiple reasons for why she started being a vegetarian and why she has stopped. She does this by stating her own misjudgments in her arguments for why she was a Vegetarian. All in all, Fraser addresses the flaws of the life of a Vegetarian. Her story is about how being a vegetarian affected her life and she had been one for fifteen years.

Becoming a vegetarian simply solidified what I already knew about myself and what i already believed in, whilst also making a difference in the world. I knew that I cared deeply about all living creatures and since I would never hurt them, I definitely did not want to support an industry that did. The label, vegetarian, describes a human who does not consume animal meat. In my case, being a vegetarian is much more than what I eat, or rather, don't eat. It is what I believe in. I believe that animals are similar to humans in such a tremendous way, that harming an animal is equivalent to the harm of a human. This belief, engraved in my core, leads my way as a religion would with some people. It is the moral code in which I live

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.

In the article ¨Should People Become Vegetarian” by ProCon.org, it states that two in three vegetarians are vitamin B12 deficient, compared to one in twenty people who eat meat. This proves that people do not need to be vegetarian.

As we can now observe, vegetarianism has become something fashionable, and the number of people who reject eating meat is constantly increasing. In Britain, for instance, over 5 million people have done it so far. It is obviously connected with the recent animal diseases, but this tendency is likely to spread on the other regions of the world. However, it is not only a fashion or fear of illnesses. I myself became a vegetarian about 2 years ago, and I can see a number of reasons why people should stop eating meat. They are mainly of ethic, economic and health type. Those who think in an ecological way should also be aware of how this meat consumption ruins our environment. I don’t have an intention

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.

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.

Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke… All have been tied to red meat in recent years. Yet Americans still eat more red meat (beef, pork, lamb, and veal) than poultry and seafood combined. Last month me and the group of students from Loyola Marymount University went to Los Angeles Eco-Village, where we met Lois Arkin, the founder and executive Director of the Cooperative Resources and Service Project (CRSP) Institute for Urban Ecovillages at Los Angeles Eco-Village, and cofounder of its successive development organizations, the Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust and the Urban SoillTierra Urbana Limited Equity Housing Cooperative. One of the students asked Lois a question, “If you had a chance to start over and build Eco-Village from scratch, what is the one thing you would change?” Lois said that the only thing she would change would be making the entire community vegetarian. At that moment, I did not completely agree with her. Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles have not yet become that affordable (both in terms of money and unresolved health issues) for every person on this planet. But this paper is not about choosing the right life style. I do not have anything against vegetarians or meat-eaters. But I think discriminating against an environmentally friendly person who is aspired to fight for sustainable living just because she or he is a meat-eater is absurd. We should respect every person’s choices. However, Lois made a valid point about the amount of harm that

Everyone should have the liberty to feel confident enough to make personal decisions without having to feel criticized for their choices. Being able to express yourself freely without having to feel the pressure to follow cultural standards is hard enough on its own; it is even harder when the support system of the family is not there. Back in 2001, I made the choice to become a vegetarian as a personal goal of mine. The transition was difficult at first, but I was motivated to keep going forward with this choice. In the same year, around May I believe, my uncle had planned a surprise birthday celebration for his mother. This was great as I was excited to visit my cousins who I had not seen for a while. However, my excitement did not last for so long because of the decision I made in becoming a vegetarian. Being a vegetarian does not define my Mexican heritage, it is a personal choice I made, and even though my family questioned my decision, it shouldn’t have affected them at all.