Van Dyke 1

Julia Van Dyke

28 February 2013
Cuevas 6
Research Paper
Vegetarianism
What do you think of when you think of giving up meat? You might think a loss of
freedom, a tasteless diet, or something only crazy people would do. The well-known things
people might hear about vegetarians are often incorrect. Vegetarians do not eat any kind of meat
or seafood, but they still eat dairy products and eggs. They still wear leather, fur, and wool. They
still live a normal life, but they choose different ways of getting their vitamins and protein.
The reasons differ for each vegetarian of why they chose this lifestyle; it might be
because they want to protect animals, meat does not taste pleasant or makes them sick, they want
to lose weight or become healthier, or even that they are rebelling against society. The list
continues about why vegetarianism is becoming increasingly popular these days. Have you ever
considered becoming a vegetarian? It might be worth your efforts. It may be hard at first to give
up meat, but the facts are all there to back up why people have become vegetarians for centuries:
Vegetarianism is simply a better way of life.
Preventing diseases/health benefits
Everyone knows about the food pyramid: we need more fruits, vegetables, whole grain,
and protein in our diet, and less sugar. Eating more plants decreases the risk of lots of different
diseases, according to many different studies, and increases the length of life (Corliss). Meat and
dairy products have too much saturated fat, therefore humans must eat more fruits and vegetables
in order to become healthier (Corliss).

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Most people believe that without meat in our diets, we would not get enough protein, but
actually, vegetarians can get as much protein in their diets as meat eaters can: Some studies say
that when these foods are eaten in combination with the right starchesour bodies are able to
use these proteins more easily than meat protein. The average vegetarian consumes more than
enough protein to be healthy (Serafin 40-41).
One of the biggest diseases one can prevent by going vegetarian is obesity. Vegetarians
have lower BMIs, are more physically active and gain less weight over time (Wijlaars).
Becoming a vegetarian can have many health benefits, including losing weight: Then, three
months had flown by. I stepped on the scale one day to discover I had lost 8 pounds without even
trying (Larsen). One must take precaution not to over-do the healthy eating, however.
Everything must be eaten in moderation. Weighing too little is not healthy. For instance, a couple
in New York were charged with first-degree assault when they nearly starved their toddler to
death on a strict diet of juices, ground nuts, herbal tea, beans, flaxseed and cod-liver oils. At 16
months, the girl weighed 10 lbs., less than half the normal weight of a child her age (Corliss).
Not eating meat can prevent other diseases, such as cancer: Overall, they found that both
vegetarians and fish-eaters had a lower risk of being diagnosed with cancer compared with meateaters (Wijlaars). The American Dietetic Association has said appropriately planned vegetarian
diets are healthful, are nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and
treatment of certain diseases (Corliss). Some of those diseases include heart disease,
osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis (Weiss 20).
Animals eat the plants that the farmers provide for them, and sometimes these plants have
dangerous herbicides and pesticides (Weiss 20). These chemicals stay in the animals bodies for
as long as they live before they're killed. Although vegetables also may contain pesticides, meat

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contains approximately fourteen times the amount of pesticides of plant foods (Weiss 21). Also,
animals have many different types of antibiotics and hormones in their bodies to make them live
longer, become bigger, or produce more young (Serafin 19). The use of drugs in animals can
cause humans to build up immunity to those drugs, which can create problems: Then if you
catch strep throat, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to cure you, but the drug may be less
effective (Weiss 22).
Becoming a vegetarian and eating many different types of vegetables can be quite
beneficial to you: vegetables are high in fiber and other nutrients that are thought to actively
prevent these diseases (Serafin 22). Preventing diseases, keeping harmful drugs out of the
human body, and losing weight are just added proof that becoming a vegetarian will lead to a
better way of life.
Cruelty to animals
Many people do not fully understand how the meat they eat ends up on their plates. They
do not know how cruel the companies, farms, and factories treat the animals before the slaughter
occurs. In fact, one idea that causes people to become vegetarians is the thought of saving the
lives of the animals:
For millions of vegetarians, beef is a four-letter word; veal summons charnel visions of
infanticide. Many children, raised on hit films like Babe and Chicken Run, recoil from
eating their movie heroes and switch to what the meat defeaters like to call a nonviolent
diet. Vegetarianism resolves a conscientious persons inner turf war by providing an
edible complex of good-deed-doing: to go veggie is to be more humane. Give up meat,
save lives (Corliss).

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The animals suffer unfair and cruel conditions before death. Many animals kept in close
quarters die from suffocation even before being slaughtered. Those that survive long enough to
be slaughtered have led a miserable existence (Serafin 19). They live in close quarters with
other animals (which can cause disease) and penned up most, if not all, of their lives (Larsen).
The reason most children and adolescents become vegetarians is when they start to
realize that what theyre eating used to be a real, live creature: I remember being uneasy when I
was younger, the first time I made the connection that the meatloaf on my plate was once a
living, breathing animal-not so different from the family dog (Larsen). When they begin to link
the meat they eat with their favorite animal, people who have eaten meat their whole lives
sometimes stop (Serafin 17).
The supply of animals must increase to meet the demand of the growing population:
Nine million chickens, pigs, turkeys, calves, and cows are killed in agribusiness every day in
this country, just for food (Weiss 13). The number of animals exceeds about 7 billion killed for
food each year (Serafin 19). It is not fair to the animals that as our population grows, so must the
number of animals slaughtered, which means more shoved into close areas, and sometimes even
cages, to make cheaper meat. Farmers in agriculture for the money keep the animals in close
areas to keep down the amount of buildings they would need to house them, and therefore
cutting down the cost (Serafin 19). The animals cannot wander around, and sometimes are kept
in cages so small that they cannot even turn around (Serafin 19).
Animals start to go crazy when kept in such close contact for a long period of time.
Chickens try to peck each other to death, pigs bite off their own tails, and calves cannot grow
properly because of inadequate cage sizes (Weiss 14). Cruelly and inhumanely, humans keep
animals in horrible conditions only to slaughter them for our own food. They have no freedom

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and are constantly overcrowded. It is not fair to make them suffer just so we can enjoy their
byproducts. Vegetarianism is a better way of life because it can save farm animals from an
unpleasant fate.
Environmentally friendly
Eating less meat not only saves our animals, it also saves our farmers and their farms.
The livestock on animal farms eats up a lot of crops that could be used to feed us: In terms of
caloric content, the grain consumed by American livestock could feed 800 million peopleand,
if exported, would boost the US trade balance by $80 billion a year (qtd. in Corliss). Animals
eat enough grain to help stop world hunger: Cattle raised for meat production consume enough
grain to feed 8.7 billion people a year. This is double the human population. Meanwhile, sixty
million people starve to death each year (Weiss 15).
Although meatless diets may help with actually creating more food for humans and
killing less farm animals, farming does have its downside. It can kill many of the smaller animals
in the fields: One study showed that simply mowing an alfalfa field caused a 50% reduction in
the gray-tailed vole populationRabbits, mice, and pheasantsare the indiscriminate collateral
damage of row crops and the grain industry (Corliss).
Although farming kills little animals, it can actually save our water supply and our fossil
fuels. Farm animals use up 100,000 liters of water for one kilogram of meat, but soybeans only
use 2,000 liters (Corliss). In terms of gallons, it take 2,500 of them to make one pound of meat,
and much of the ground water left on the earth is contaminated (Weiss 15). Also, meat needs
eight times the amount of fossil fuels that plants do to be produced (Corliss).
Also, using farm fields for animals instead of crops can cause erosion: If the same land
is used for razing too many animals for too long, erosion and other environmental problems can

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result (Serafin 20). Clearly, choosing the lifestyle of an herbivore versus a carnivore or an
omnivore can help the environment best.
Other food options
To some, vegetarianism may provoke overwhelming thoughts and fear of a changed
lifestyle. Some people love the taste of meat too much, but they do not know that veggie burgers,
burgers made purely out of vegetables (like soy), can actually taste just like real meat. Most
people cannot tell much of a difference in the coloring, texture, and taste of a vegetarian chicken
patty and a real chicken patty. Companies (such as Morningstar, Green Giant, and Stouffers)
make a variety of vegetarian dishes: bacon, sausage, chicken nuggets, tomato basil burgers,
hamburgers, lasagna, pizza, burritos, and even more.
Due to the rise in vegetarianism, many businesses offer meatless menu options for
consumers. Airlines make vegetarian meals available to passengers, and many coffee shops
provide soy milk for those who avoid dairy products (Serafin 8). There are multiple different
types of milk besides cow that one could try, such as coconut, soy, almond, or rice, that taste just
as delicious and can go in other food dishes.
Many vegetarians substitute soy for meat. Soy takes on many forms, including tofu,
tempeh, milk, roasted and salted for a snack, or even made into cheese, which makes it a
delicious alternative and a great source of protein. One major type of soy vegetarians may eat is
tofu. Tofu is a great source of protein that is soft, white, and flavorless. The advantage of tofu is
that you can cook it with just about anything and it will take on the taste of that food (Serafin
31). Tempeh, another great source of protein made from fermented soybeans, is denser than tofu
and has a texture and taste similar to that of meat (Serafin 31). People treat it just like meat; one
can fry it or barbeque it, throw it on a bun with some condiments, and eat it just like a hamburger

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or sloppy Joe. Soy cheese is a great alternative to cow cheese; it comes in lots of flavors just like
normal cheese, like Monterey Jack or American (Serafin 33-34).
Although the American diet usually has many different types of meat included in it,
there are different cultures that do not eat as much meat as we do. Italian, Asian, Mexican, and
Middle Eastern foods can provide vegetarians with normal cultural meals that do not involve
meat: Italians eat pasta with grilled vegetables, Mexicans eat guacamole and bean burritos,
Middle Eastern people eat hummus (ground, flavored chickpea) and pureed eggplant (baba
ganoush), and Asians eat tofu, rice, and sauted vegetables (Serafin 36). When visiting a
restaurant that does not sell foreign food, one could have peanut butter and jelly, a BLT without
the bacon, or a bowl of macaroni and cheese.
Because vegetarianism promotes a healthier lifestyle and prevents many diseases, saves
our environment, helps prevent cruelty to animals, and has many food options, people choose it
now more than ever. The facts point towards the truth: Vegetarianism is simply a better way of
life.

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Works Cited
Corliss, Richard. "Should We All Be Vegetarians?" Time. Time, 15 July 2002. Web. 11 Feb.
2013. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1002888,00.html>.
Larsen, Jorie. "Why I Became a Vegetarian." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23
Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jorie-larsen/why-ibecame-a-vegetarian_b_1997825.html>.
Serafin, Kim. Everything You Need to Know about Being a Vegetarian. New York: Rosen Pub.
Group, 1999. Print.
Weiss, Stefanie Iris. Everything You Need to Know about Being a Vegan. New York: Rosen Pub.
Group, 2000. Print.
Wijlaars, Linda. "Long Live the Vegetarian?" Significance. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., n.d. Web.
17 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.significancemagazine.org/details/webexclusive/1070883/Long-live-theVegetarian.html>.