To Eat Meat, or Not to Eat Meat
Erikka Solter
English 1010
Position Paper
November 23, 2010
To Eat Meat, or Not To Eat Meat
Introduction
It is estimated that the average American consumes 180 pounds of meat a year. That is double the global average. Over the years while our meat consumption increased, our lifestyles became more and more sedentary. So, it is no surprise that in America the top three leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The cost to treat these diseases are breaking our health care system, and killing 1.4 million people a year (CDC, Death and Mortality). These diseases can be directly related to our current diet of excessive meat and sedentary lifestyles. Also, our high demand of meat is causing irreparable damage to our environment and the expanding inhumane treatment of animals with the creation of the “factory farm”.
By reducing meat substantially in our diet, in addition to a more active lifestyle, I believe it could cut health care costs, save millions of lives a year, and preserve the environment we depend on to survive.
Vegetarians versus Meat-Eaters
In Oxford, United Kingdom a study was conducted beginning in 1980 that consisted of 6,000 vegetarian and 5,000 non-vegetarian volunteers. They tested each one of their cholesterol and found the vegetarians had a lower total and LDL cholesterol concentrations than the meat-eaters. They followed up with the subjects twelve years later and discovered the death rate was higher in meat-eaters than in vegetarians. They also determined the causes of death from heart disease were positively associated with intakes of saturated animal fat, total animal fat, and dietary cholesterol. Consequently, a meat-eater is more at risk for heart disease than a vegetarian. (AJCN)
Supplementing our Increase Demand
As a child when I envisioned a farm I imagined a sunny place with miles of rolling hills for the animals to graze and walk on, and a friendly farmer who cared for the animals he tended. However, today these quaint
English 1010
Position Paper
November 23, 2010
To Eat Meat, or Not To Eat Meat
Introduction
It is estimated that the average American consumes 180 pounds of meat a year. That is double the global average. Over the years while our meat consumption increased, our lifestyles became more and more sedentary. So, it is no surprise that in America the top three leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The cost to treat these diseases are breaking our health care system, and killing 1.4 million people a year (CDC, Death and Mortality). These diseases can be directly related to our current diet of excessive meat and sedentary lifestyles. Also, our high demand of meat is causing irreparable damage to our environment and the expanding inhumane treatment of animals with the creation of the “factory farm”.
By reducing meat substantially in our diet, in addition to a more active lifestyle, I believe it could cut health care costs, save millions of lives a year, and preserve the environment we depend on to survive.
Vegetarians versus Meat-Eaters
In Oxford, United Kingdom a study was conducted beginning in 1980 that consisted of 6,000 vegetarian and 5,000 non-vegetarian volunteers. They tested each one of their cholesterol and found the vegetarians had a lower total and LDL cholesterol concentrations than the meat-eaters. They followed up with the subjects twelve years later and discovered the death rate was higher in meat-eaters than in vegetarians. They also determined the causes of death from heart disease were positively associated with intakes of saturated animal fat, total animal fat, and dietary cholesterol. Consequently, a meat-eater is more at risk for heart disease than a vegetarian. (AJCN)
Supplementing our Increase Demand
As a child when I envisioned a farm I imagined a sunny place with miles of rolling hills for the animals to graze and walk on, and a friendly farmer who cared for the animals he tended. However, today these quaint