reasons for being a vegetarian?

Answer 1

# Conservation of Fossil fuel. It takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of beef protein; 35 calories for 1 calorie of pork; 22 calories for 1 of poultry; but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel for 1 calorie of soybeans. By eating plant foods instead of animal foods, I help conserve our non-renewable sources of energy.

# Water Conservation. It takes 3 to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein. As a vegetarian I contribute to water conservation.

# Efficient use of grains. It takes up to 16 pounds of soybeans and grains to produce 1 lb. of beef and 3 to 6 lbs. to produce 1 lb of turkey & egg. By eating grain foods directly, I make the food supply more efficient & that contributes to the environment.

# Soil conservation. When grains & legumes are used more efficiently, our precious topsoil is automatically made more efficient in its use. We use less agricultural resources to provide for the same number of people.

# Saving our forests. Tropical forests in Brazil and other tropic regions are destroyed daily, in part, to create more acreage to raise livestock. By not supporting the meat industry, I directly reduce the demand to pillage these irreplaceable treasures of nature. Since the forest land "filters" our air supply and contains botanical sources for new medicines, this destruction is irreversable.

# Asthetics. Decaying animal parts, whether in a freezer case or served in restaurants, can never be as asthetically pleasing to the senses as the same foods made from wholesome vegetable sources. Only habit can allow one not to perceive this: a change in diet makes this self evident.


Personal Health
# No deficiencies. There is no nutrient necessary for optimal human functioning which cannot be obtained from plant food.

# High fat plus cholesterol. Animal foods are higher in fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats. Plants do not contain cholesterol.

# "Carb" deficient. Meat is deficient in carbohydrates, particularly the starches which are so essential to proper health.

# Vitamin deficient. Except for the b-complex, meat is largely deficient in vitamins.

# Agricultural Chemicals. Being higher on the food chain, animal foods contain far higher concentrations of agricultural chemicals than plant foods, including pesticides, herbicides, etc.

# Exposure to livestock drugs. There are over 20,000 different drugs, including sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drugs that are given to livestock animals. These drugs are consumed when animal foods are consumed. The dangers herein, in secondary consumption of antibiotics, are well documented.

# Pathogenic Microorganisms. There are a host of bacteria and viruses, some quite dangerous, that are common to animals. When I eat meat, I eat the organisms in the meat. Micro-organisms are present in plant foods too, but their number and danger to human health is by no means comparable to that of those in meat.

# Worms and other Parasites. Ditto on # 13!

# Shelf life differential. Plant foods last longer than animal foods. Try this experiment: Leave out a head of lettuce and a pound of hamburger for 1 day, which will make you sick?

# Organoleptic Indications of Pathenogens. Plant foods give tell-tale signs of "going bad". Ever hear of someone getting sick from "bad broccoli"?

# Heart Disease. Meat eating increases the risk of heart disease, this country's #1 killer. The correlation is an epidemiological fact.

# Cancer prevention. Of all the natural cancer prevention substances found: vitamin C, B-17, hydroquionenes, beta carotene, NDGA, - none has been found to be animal derived. Yet most meats, when cooked, produce an array of benzenes and other carcinogenic compounds. Cancer is infinitely easier to prevent than cure. Soybeans contain protease inhibitor, a powerful anticancer compound. You won't find it in useful quantities in animal based food.

# Disease Inducing. The correlation between meat consumption and a wide range of degenerative diseases is well founded and includes.....

# Osteoporosis

# Kidney Stones and Gallstones

# Diabetes

# Multiple Sclerosis

# Arthritis

# Gum disease

# Acne. Aggravated by animal food.

# Obesity. Studies confirm that vegetarians tend to be thinner than meat eaters. Obesity is considered by doctors to be a disease within itself.

# Intestinal Toxemia. The condition of the intestinal flora is critical to overall health. Animal products putrefy the colon.

# Transit time. Wholesome food travels quickly through the "G.I" tract, leaving little time to spoil and incite disease within the body.

# Fiber deficient. Fiber absorbs unwanted, excess fats; cleans the intestines; provides bulk and aids in peristalsis. Plant food is high in fiber content; meat, poultry and dairy products have none.

# Body wastes. Food from animals contain their waste, including adrenaline, uric and lactic acid, etc., Before adding ketchup, the biggest contributors to the "flavor profile" of a hamburger are the leftover blood and urine.

# Excess protein. The average American eats 400% of the RDA for protein. This causes excess nitrogen in the blood that creates a host of long-term health problems.

# Longevity. To increase ones risk of getting degenerative disease means decreasing ones chance to live a naturally long healthy life. Huzas and other peoples with large centenarian populations maintain lifestyles that are relatively meat free.

# Well Being. I just feel better since "giving up" meat and becoming vegetarian.


Personal Finances
# Health care costs. Being healthier on a vegetarian diet means spending less on health care.

# Food costs. Vegetarian foods tend to cost less than meat based items.


Ethics
# Love of animals. I love animals as I love myself. I have no desire to kill them or cause them harm.

# Stance against Factory Farming.. I cannot make a statement against factory farming if I myself eat animals.

# Respect for Sentient Life. I show gratitude to my Creator(s?) by eating as low on the food chain as possible.

# "Economic Vote". I show support of the meat industry and the way they operate when I purchase and use their products.

# Small sacrifice The sacrifice I make is nothing compared to the animals, its life.

# Natural diet. Our hands, teeth, feet, intestinal tract...even our body chemistry is that of an herbivore.

# Reciprocity. If I partake in the slaughter of animals, I will have to repay my contribution to that act.

# "Protecting the Temple". "Whatever affects the body has a corresponding effect on the mind and soul" (E.G. White)

# I believe in nonviolence. Slaughter isn't.

# World Peace. There can never be peace among men while men are declaring war on other highly developed life forms.

# Clear conscience. I know what I'm doing is right. I feel good inside about my decision to remain "meatless"

# Example. To live this way is to protect the underlying values of those around me.

# Easy substitutes. There are vegetable based substitutes for every meat product imaginable..

Answer 2

I've recently become a vegetarian, mostly for the health aspects. People naturally assume that if you do become a vegetarian, you'll be super healthy. That's not necessarily true. You can still eat some pizzas, candies, cakes, potato chips, etc. You have to be careful about what you eat--lots of fresh fruit and veggies is great. If you're eating healthy, you'll find your nails and hair get really strong and you have more energy.

Another reason I became a vegetarian is because I love cooking. I was tired of making meals that centered around some type of meat. Often, the veggies were my favorite part of the meal! If you're just starting out as a vegetarian, I'd recommend Carole Raymond's "Student's Vegetarian Cookbook." All the meals are easy to prepare and soooo delicious! I've found that there's so much variety in a vegetarian diet I haven't missed meat once!

Third, I want to help save our planet, and vegetarianism is a great way to do that. It takes way less land and water to grow grains and vegetables than it does to raise animals. I've heard that if everyone became a vegetarian, we would have enough water and land to feed the whole world over 3 times! Just think, no more hunger! The methane that cows release is a large contributing factor to the hole in the ozone layer, so they are directly causing global warming!

And naturally, I loooove animals. After living around animals all my life and observing their different natures and personalities, I can't understand how anyone would want to eat meat. We don't need meat to survive, so we're killing harmless animals for no reason.

Answer 3

I'm going into the process of being a vegetarian because it will keep me thin and in shape.But think of those animals.It's like if your a veterinarian but you like eating at mcdonalds whats the point of saving that chicken and that cows life?Plus meats are fatty which gets you fat.Imagine all the vegetables you eat as a vegetarian and fruits-it just doesn't get much healthier thatn that.Plus you'll have better blood flow because all the grease in that meat can clog arteries and give you a heart attack.

Answer 4

My Main reason is the cost of meat!
1. Meat is Too Expensive!
2. Don't like the sight of blood
3. Meat is not necessary to be healthy
4. Vegetarians can get all protein, enzymes, vitamins they need from Fruit, Veggies, eggs,grains, cereals & milk
5. I'd never kill an animal or insect unless it pesters me!
6. Meat doesn't taste all that great to me.
7.Never felt comfortable eating it when I use to eat meat.
8. More diseases are found in meat than vegetables! So meat is therefore unsafe!
9. Meat is dead Carcass
10. We are not ment to eat meat our intestinal system wasn't designed for eating meat. Neither are our teeth. If they were we'd have teeth more like a tiger, cat or dog.
11. Can find no sensible reasons to consume ugly bloody meat.
12. Meat can block a persons arteries and prevent them from gaining weight.. this happened to me when I was a meat eater
13. Genesis: Chapter 1, Verse 29 God said: I have given thee: Every herb and fruit
bearing seed to be thy meat
There is one vegetable that is ugly because it is so red. That is beets that is because they contain just as much iron as meat does sometimes even more. Beets are an important
food for Vegetarians to get sufficient iron. At least beets isn't an animal, it's a plant. If they weren't so important and beets weren't so great tasting then I'd leave them alone because
of all that red reminds me of blood! Just thinking of that gets me all yeckky inside!

Answer 5

It has been scientifically proved that a vegetarian lives longer and happier than a non-vegetarian. The temperament of a vegetarian is cooler and he handles stressful situations better as compared to that of a non-vegetarian.

Answer 6

I stopped eating meat when I was like 8 .. I mean meat tastes horrible anyways .. but I mean if you think about it, you are eating a cute little animal. Eating it! I don't see how anyone is NOT a vegetarian!!! But I have nothing against people who eat meat. I'm not a PETA member or anything haha.

Hugs && Kisses
♥ Abby ♥

Answer 7

my reasons are

1. It tastes bad

2. The way animals are slaughtered is disgusting. Animals are raised in cramped pens, tortured, so there needs to be more laws for animals if we use them for meat.

3. Animals are pumped with drugs/antibiotics/hormones. Sorry, but i don't want to eat that.

4. A lot of people who eat meat are against hunting. Personally, the only people who should be allowed to eat meat are hunters and fishermen. Hunting, as long as its not in cages and the hunters follow the laws, gives both the human and animal respect. The meal was earned, and the death is used completely.

Answer 8

Well,I am not a to foo {however you spell it}eating veggitarian I just do not touch meat.I think it is discusting,and wrong,I was'nt always like this it started with if someone said oh you are eating a cow I would get sick.I think it taste's horrorably.I eat everything else,but meat.

Answer 9

Human should show that he is different than other animals.It is O.K. in jungle where one animal eat other.But instead of feeling sorry,we try to justify this killing.Some say that god permit them to eat animals and others say that they pray god before killing their pray.Only if we are vegetarian,we can be proud of being human and say that we are civilised.

Answer 10

My son whos 7 doesn't like meat, no its not because he is a picky eater. He thinks its cruel to eat animals when there are so many things we can eat without huritng anyone.

Answer 11

1) allergies
2) to avoid killing baby animals (lamb, veal)
3) i like pigs, theyre so cute
4) its healthier
5) b/c we choose to
6) b/c some ppl feel that it is wrong to kill an animal for food ( i however, dont agree with this b/c god made us this way. its only natural)
7) some religions/beliefs prohibit one from eating animals.