Some people have one clear answer to this question ( for animal rights or for my health...) but after doing my initial research a year ago I could not pick just one reason. There are SO many reasons to be vegetarian that I dont know why I didnt make the switch sooner!
Here is the Short list & the Long list:
Why am I a Vegetarian? In order of Importance:
1. I FEEL better = More energy!
2. Meat = Pollution for the environment, strain on the land and the food production system
3. Over Fishing of the Ocean
4. My Health - less fat/cholesterol and pesticides ingested
5. More economical (meat is expensive)
6. Commercial food production has grown out of control (and it is taking its toll)
7. I love animals – So I do feel better knowing an animal didn’t have to die for me to eat dinner
1. More Energy: I started with a 2 week experiment because I was feeling SO tired and SO run down all the time. This experiment was prompted after I made a large meatloaf and ended up eating it for several days in a row for lunch and dinner (And some pushing from my Vegetarian friends). These few days of eating mostly meatloaf really amplified the effect that meat had on me in terms of low energy. I had to find out form myself if not eating meat would have the opposite effect. The biggest struggle of the first 2 weeks was definitely figuring out what the heck to eat…we were always people that said…Whats for dinner? – chicken (or beef or pork) and the rest was just details. Not to mention that I am married to a man that would be happy if I only threw a large piece of steak on his plate each night for dinner. After I made it through the initial discomfort of finding SOMETHING to eat for each meal I found that my meals did not keep me full for as long – I had to eat more frequently. Although this seemed like a slight inconvenience at first I know that this is the way nutritionists say we should eat anyway (5-6 small “meals” a day). It helps to regulate your blood sugar levels, your metabolism and therefore your energy level…so that is really a bonus.
I had known for a long time that I wanted to be a vegetarian – after all it is part of the Yoga Lifestyle so I knew it was just a matter of time - but this 2 week experiment really showed me what I had to gain from going Veg. Now to clarify I really like the taste of meat – My husband recalls our first date where I had a giant hamburger instead of the traditional salad. BUT the difference in how I feel on a daily basis greatly outweighs the momentary enjoyment of eating meat (not to mention the next 6 reasons I have for being VEG). Life is about experiences and I love having the energy to DO more every day - And that is my #1 reason why I will never go back to eating meat!
2. Meat = Pollution & Strain on our ENVIRONMENT:
As I was getting to the end of my 2 week experiment as a Vegetarian I decided to start doing a little research about meat production. This was prompted by an episode of Oprah where she visits a slaughter house and has her staff experiment with being VEGAN (I wasn’t ready to go that far yet – but it peaked my interest because many of them had the same experience I did- a wonderful boost in energy). One of the first things I came across was the HUGE amount of pollution created by meat production in our country…MORE pollution than cars!!!! Yes that’s right- our consumption of beef causes MASSIVE amounts of pollution from the fertilizers needed to grow the feed for the cows, then the transportation of the feed to the cows, the methane produced by the herds of cows during their life, the hormones and steroids they are injected with, the energy to slauter, pack and store the meat and finally the transportation of the meat and cold storage needed to preserve the meat until it is purchased. Huge amounts of fertilizer, water and fossil fuels are used in this process – and as the demand for more meat at lower prices continues to rise as the average American increases their consumption of meat the farmers use higher levels to fertilizers and hormones to make more meat for less money. (think about those commercials for wal-mart steaks being affordable…It all goes back to the way the meat was produced). The bottom line is that pound for pound Meat requires a HUGE amount of resources to produce when compared to a vegetarian food staple like beans. Not eating meat (or decreasing your consumption) is the most important thing you can do to have a positive impact on the environment J It is SO important to understand where your food comes from and the impact our food choices have on the world around us – we can have a big impact by changing small daily choices about what ends up on our plate. ( multiply that by 6billion people and counting and we have a world wide effect…but we will have to work up to that).
3. Over Fishing of the Oceans: Now I have to clarify that when I did my 2 week trial as a Veg I was still eating a bit of fish to ease the transition ( I felt kinda lost not being able to base my meals around a meat). I also used fish as a way to increase my options when I went out to dinner or when I was eating at other people’s houses, but that stopped abruptly in April. I was sitting home one night and ended up in front of the TV watching a discovery channel special about the world’s oceans and the world’s seafood market.
The show started as the usual story about how fish numbers are decreasing and over fishing is a big problem but the show ended with me in tears and franticly trying to create a plan to join green peace and fight the injustices of the ocean. In my nieve view of food production today I thought that there were regulations and careful calculations to ensure ocean populations are able to sustain themselves, However I did not realize that not all areas of the world follow regulations and poaching is a problem that is out of control. After watching this program there were two images that are burned in my mind forever: First the Asian shark fishermen taking live sharks onto the boat, cutting off all the fins and then throwing the live shark back into the ocean to drown slowly- now completely unable to swim. The total greed, lack of gratitude and absence of compassion for another living creature was appalling to me.
This was followed by a look at tuna fishing that is called “dolphin safe” (and had been a frequent part of my diet up to now). The death toll to sea birds tangled on commercial fishing lines has brought several species dangerously close to extinction, but the scene that deeply affected me was watching a sea turtle become tangled in the fishing net. The grace and beauty of the turtle swimming through the ocean was mesmerizing, but this was abruptly ended as the turtle became tangled and started to panic as it struggled to free itself in a desperate attempt to resurface for air. Before the turtle drowned a diver swam over to free the panicked animal from the net, however most sea turtles in this situation are not so lucky.
This program showed me that commercial fishing today is all about getting their catch- no matter the toll on the sea or the collateral damage that is caused. It is driven by greed for profits and fueled by the high demand for sea food. I decided right there to stop fueling this process and I have not eaten commercially produced seafood since.
4. My Health: I could go on and on about the health benefits of eating a plant based diet, but I think this article sums it up very well: http://voices.yahoo.com/17-benefits-being-vegetarian-589913.html
Here's a look at just seventeen benefits of being a vegetarian:
1. Lower risk of lung and colorectal cancer. A diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and fiber can help reduce the risk of lung disease and related illnesses.
2. Prevention of Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common with the rise of obesity around the world, and vegetarian diets may even can prevent it by including complex carbs and fiber that help the body manage insulin more efficiently.
3. Healthy skin. Diets rich in water-based and plant foods are a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins-ideal for healthier skin every season.
4. Chemical-free food. Meat-based diets take in animal cells and fats, along with chemicals and by products used on the animals during processing. This can include chemicals sprayed on the dead animal, preservatives, and other unnatural ingredients used for packaging and mass distribution.
5. Hormone-free eating. Fruits, vegetables, and soy products are never injected with growth hormones and other chemicals that may harm the human body.
6. Increased energy. With the body spending less time digesting animal protein, an energy boost is a nice side effect.
7. Lower blood pressure. Vegan and vegetarian diets can be naturally low in fat and sodium, helping reduce blood pressure and improve circulation instead.
8. Improved digestion. Plant-based foods and fresh fruita are rich in fiber, improving the digestion and elimination process. High fiber diets have also been linked to preventing certain types of cancer.
9. Lowered risk of diabetes. Steady blood sugar is easily achieved with a nutritions vegetarian diet, and the cycle of blood sugar peaks and crashes is almost eliminated without the meat and unhealthy carb combinations.
10. Lower grocery shopping bills. By shopping the perimeter of the grocery store and stocking up on high-fiber, highly nutritious food, vegetarians can eliminate almost 25% of their food budgets without pounds of meat on the bill. In some cases this balances out if the vegetarian shopper chooses to buy premium veg brands and gourmet ingredients, but average costs do tend to be much lower per trip.
11. Toxin-free food. Some studies suggest that when animals experience fear, the adrenaline rush causes a release of epinephrine, steroids, and other stress hormones into the bloodstream. These are then ingested by the meat eater, presenting a range of toxins that can accumulate in the blood.
12. Healthy amino acids. Plant-based proteins (e.g. soy) can be an excellent source of amino acids that help with protein assimilation and metabolism.
13. Low or no saturated fat. Vegetarian menus typicall use all-natural oils and cooking methods to enhance flavor. This is free of unhealthy saturated fat which can lead to a variety of heart problems and cardiovascular disease.
14. Increased life span. With the body in harmony and free of harmful toxins and chemical buildup, vegetarians may live longer than their fellow meat eaters. According to William Cstelli, MD, director f or the Farmingham Heart Study, vegetarians can live up to 3-6 years longer than meat eaters.
15. Appreciation for simple flavors. After eliminating meat from the diet, it becomes much easier to differentiate flavors and get a real taste for fruits and vegetables. Palettes can become much more sensitive to different flavors, textures, and combinations.
16. Healthy cholesterol levels. Without unhealthy meat and fat sources in the diet, cholesterol levels of vegetarians can be considerably lower and easily fall into a healthy range.
17. Lower risk of cancer. With a diet rich in antioxidants, phytochemical, and vitamins, vegetarians naturally lower their risk of cancer and other diseases. Meat eaters, especially those that indulge in fatty meats are at a much higher risk of cancer.
5. More Economical: When I talk about the economic benefits of being a Veg I am talking about my financial situation and the financial situation of the world. I found that once I was able to skip the meat isle of the grocery store ( $12 for chicken breasts, $7 for pork chops, $10 for steak…) I was able to get more food for my money ( $2 for black beans, $4 for kale, $3 for tofu). The way that the economy is now with the way the middle and lower class families are struggling to put food on the table this shift in eating could make all the difference.
From a global perspective a shift from high meat consumption to plant based diets would provide a more affordable and sustainable way to feed the world population. We can feed the same number of people with fewer resources consumed and less land required when working with a plant based diet. In the US nearly 70% of the grain grown is used to feed animals. It takes about 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat (one meal for a family of 3). If that 16 pound bag of grain was fed directly to the people it would have fed 10 people for a day. The grain used to feed livestock each year in the US alone could feed 1.3 BILLION people. The same statistics of massive consumption go for land use, water use and fuel needed to produce meat and these are all things that we cannot waste as time goes on and our world population continues to grow.
6. Commercial Food Production is out of control: We usually think of banking and oil as “BIG Business” but with the population of earth today food production has truly become one of the most influential businesses out there. This is an area where many people take the “ostrich” approach (with their head in the sand) to maintain their blissful ignorance as they cut up their tasty steak. Most of us have never lived on a farm or visited a meat production facility so we basicly have little or no idea where our food really comes from and the journey that it takes to get to our plate. If this information has not moved you to stop your consumption of meat I ask that at least you educate yourself about how your food comes to your plate- that way you can make educated decisions about what you eat. Our food choices drive the food industry through the idea of supply and demand so use your choices as a tool for change. By choosing to eat something you are showing that you are ok with the process involved in the production of that product ( even if you don’t know what that process was).
My first clue into the food industry came when I was in middle school and picked up a copy of PETA magazine to see chickens crammed into dark medal holding containers – only their heads free to eat feed from the trough below. At this early time in my life I took a stance against animal cruelty and started my first experience as a vegetarian. Eventually the pressures of high school put an end to that, but the impression was there.
Several years later on my way down to Virginia we drove through a town with a huge Purdue Chicken processing plant. The first clue that we were approaching the area was the smell and then the chicken feathers flying around like snow – thousands and thousands of feathers everywhere coming from the blacked out buildings housing the chickens. I did not eat chicken for some time after that, but little did I know that the scene I was so upset by was actually very tame in the world of mass food production.
“ If slaughterhouses had glass walls everyone would be a vegetarian”
7. I have a soft spot for animals BUT…: I made this the last item on my list for a reason- when people hear that I am a vegetarian the jump to the conclusion that I don’t eat meat because I can’t stand the idea of killing an animal for food – but this is not really the case. If an animal is treated well and has a good life and then we utilize it for food in a humane way that is ok (but unfortunately our food production system could not be farther from that!) In human evolution eating meat was an important source of nutrition to help our species not only survive but to be able to adapt to different environments. When plant nutrition was scarce animal based nutrition helped us to survive. Now we live in a very different landscape where starvation is far from most of our minds and obesity is running rampant. Meat packs a high calorie count and I feel that increased meat consumption has had a large impact on our obesity epidemic. If our culture was able to make the shift from eating meat at breakfast, lunch, dinner (and sometimes snacks too!) to a plant based diet we would have a leg up on weight management ( not to mention a few other health concerns). But after all is said and done I have to admit that I like having the choice to eat a plant over an animal. If I had a chance to meet a cow in the pasture and then decide if he was going to die for me to eat dinner I would not want that to happen. If It was a matter of survival there would be no question – I would eat the cow and be grateful for his sacrifice to keep me alive – But we live in the modern world where we have SO SO many options and clearly the best option is to move away from our dependence on meat.
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