Why should humans be vegetarians?

Question

I´ve seen pigeons eat chicken, dogs prefer stakes and bones rather than dogchow, cats prefer fish than canned food, animals in the wild eating other animals rather than eating vegetables or fruit (birds eat insects, apes eat insects, insects eat insects), etc... then why shouldn´t the humans eat other animals?

Besides, I´ve been thinking that before being natural for humans to eat meat (they ate meat thousands of years before the industrialized slaughter of animals), it is basically a decision related to religion, where both budhism and hinduism feel we must not eat other beings for the fear of it beaing one of our siblings of family members re-incarnated. Since I don´t believe or follow in any religion, but do care for the sake of animals, I will from now on try to eat more veggies and fruit, rather than only meat.

(btw: i´ve been ovo-lacto vegetarian for a month- i took the test and this is my final decision)

Answer 1

Eating meat is not natural

A diet heavy in meat has been linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and colorectal cancer

Answer 2

That should be someone's personal choice.. I choose to eat meat because my dogs and cats do.. I see no reason to avoid eating meat because of some idea of higher ethics.. But, that should be why someone doesn't eat meat..
As far as it not being natural to eat meat, it's not natural how inactive humans are.. Cancer wasn't even common 100 years ago and is just about nonexistent in even hunter/gatherer tribes up until recently.. Hunter/gatherer's ate mostly meat and did not suffer ill effects from it. Only in the last 100 years have those increased and you'd have a hard time convincing me that the meat people have eaten since the beginnings of record keeping is the cause for an epidemic we've only seen in the last century..
If people choose not to eat other animals, it should be because that is what they personally believe to be an ethical choice for them and not something they felt forced into to be perceived as a better person.. What's next? Are we going to tell animals they shouldn't eat meat either? Oh wait, Peta already does that.. Here's them telling you not to feed your obligate carnivore cat (must eat meat) what is most natural for it to eat..
http://www.peta.org/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=34

Answer 3

Because animals in the wild kill one animal and feed their whole pack for a day or two...

Humans create factory farms, where hundreds of thousands of animals slowly suffer before they are killed, and then half of that meat ends up being thrown away when it isn't sold at the market or doesn't meat the standards of a picky diner who doesn't like the way their steak is cooked.

There isn't anything wrong with humans eating meat, but there is EVERYTHING wrong with the way meat is produced in our modern society.

The key word here is "sustainability". Factory farming is just one example of the negative impact that human carelessness is having upon this planet. Don't compare humans to other animals for one minute, because we're the only animal that takes as much as it can without giving anything back in return.

That's why I refuse to support the factory farming industry... You should really take a look at some videos that show what goes on in these places; I think that will answer your question.

Answer 4

I don't think humans SHOULD be vegetarians, but I also don't think they SHOULDN'T be vegetarians. I mean... duh. It's incredibly obvious that in a natural setting, we'd be omnivores. We'd probably subsist mostly off of plants, but we'd definitely eat meat when we had the chance. However, given that we'd need to hunt it ourselves, we'd eat it a lot less frequently than we do now.

In any case, since we aren't in a natural setting, it's completely possible to live without meat. It could also be argued that it's a lot more healthful, especially given that the meat is often raised with the aid of chemicals and is fattier than it used to be.

Remember, too, that some animals are specifically designed to live off of meat only (the carnivores). Comparing a human to a cat or dog is as inaccurate as comparing a human to a cow or chicken. Our digestive systems, from teeth to colon, aren't perfectly comparable to either.

In short, it's up to individual humans whether or not they include animal products or animal flesh in their diets. While it is possible, in our society it certainly isn't necessary. If someone does not wish to eat meat, they shouldn't. It's quite simple.

Answer 5

There is no way of saying that humans "should" or "shouldn't" be vegetarian. It's a personal choice.

And remember there is a big difference between going out and killing your own food, which I find perfectly acceptable as part of the cycle of nature, and raising animals in captivity by the thousands and slaughtering them.

Answer 6

I don't have problems with eating meat on ethical grounds. Yes it's probably healthier to eat more plant food and less animal food. Anyway, as a higher order of species, I think we have a moral responsibility to raise the animals - and slaughter em - as humanely as possible.

Answer 7

Veggies make life longer. That's why we should eat veggies!
Meat causes many diseases like heart attack, stroke etc.

My grandpa who is now 80 yrs. old is still strong and can do cartwheels. He is also a Dance Instructor. And I believe it's because he's a vegetarian!

Nothing's wrong with being vegetarian. So become one while it's early!

Answer 8

Its a personal choice that everyone makes You make it sound like everyone is a vegetarian. Many early civilizations had to eat meat (I highly doubt Indians had green houses during the winter)

Answer 9

Many humans eat other animals, so why do you ask why shouldn't they? Most humans eat animals.

All animals on Earth eat the things they were born to eat, or which they like to eat or which they are able to eat.

But humans have a system of morals and ethics which prevent them from eating forbidden things.

For instance, humans are forbidden to eat other humans.

The lower animals do not recognize morals or ethics.

The other animals live by instinct. Instinct tells them what is good for them to eat. Many animals are vegetarians by instinct, but only people are vegetarian by morals or ethics.

Many vegetarians are people who have a highly developed sense of morals and ethics.

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Answer 10

Your observations are correct, but selective.

Did you see pigeons cage-rear the chickens and feed them enriched food made of thier dead relatives ?

Do you see dogs herd thier food into cages and inject them with growth hormones

Humans are intelligent, wouldn't it be great if we used that inteligence to improve the world, not copy dogs and pigeons.

I'll apply my intelligence to treat animals with respect and PROOVE to them I care about them by not eating them. You are free to continue to copy the Ape just because they do it, the choice is definately yours.

Answer 11

Actually, it's up to us to become vegetarians, Someday, by the time I reach my 40's, I would have already became one.