Vegetarianism Essay

Mandee Flammer
English 10
May 22, 2012
Argument Paper Vegetarianism "I cannot fish without falling a little in self-respect...always when I have done I feel it would have been better if I had not fished"(Henry David Thoreau). When people think of vegetarians, they are commonly confused by the vegan diet excluding all meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, and eggs. Though the diet of a vegetarian only excludes meats, fish, and poultry. Being a vegetarian is a way of life and a choice. To be a vegetarian, one must follow the strict diet and know that it will be hard. Many people around the world feel that it is un-American and very unhealthy. However, studies have shown that the vegetarian diet is a lot healthier than a diet containing meat and will be the end of animal mistreatment. Meat can be unhealthy for people in the long run because there are many hormones that are given to the animals and then we consume them when we eat the meat. In a diet consisting of meat, there are more health problems with “continuing epidemics of heart disease, cancer, and other serious illnesses” (Barnard). Meat gives a person a well balanced diet with protein, iron, and vitamins that are hard to obtain with other foods, but many meats are unhealthy like all red meats. On top of the unhealthiness about meat, the “Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55. Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times. Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times” (Robbins). These numbers are very frightening and surprising that humans still eat meat. A vegetarian diet ensures that there will be less health conditions than a meat diet. Eating meat can have a very negative effect on one’s body. In the meat diet, “Obesity is so common that, at any point in time, one in three women and one in four men is dieting”(Barnard). Many people, these days, over-eat meat and don’t notice that what they are eating could be so bad for them. Eating is all about moderation when it comes to eating foods that contain a lot of fat and cholesterol and many people don’t understand this. As a vegetarian, one will not being eating fruit and vegetables all of the time; there are alternatives like fake meat (tofurkey, veggie burgers, tofu, ect), soy, legumes, cheese, fried foods, baked goods, and grains. Meat shouldn’t be eaten, if there are so many alternatives to it. Every time that a person eats meat, an animal is killed. A majority of these animals, which are used for meat, are tortured and mistreated very brutally. Animals are mammals just like humans and should not be treated unjustly. Animals are sent to slaughter houses and half of the animals die before arriving to the slaughter house. Just as there was a human rights movement, “The animal rights perspective holds that animals have a right, just as human beings do, to be free from pain and suffering” (Friedrich). Many people believe that animals are the same as humans and deserve the same treatment because they are made of the same matter. Animals are living organisms with souls and should be treated with care and love, even though they aren’t walking around on two feet and conversing with one other. “Albert Einstein said that nothing would benefit humanity more than the general adoption of a vegetarian diet” (Friedrich). It is clearly stated that scholars even believe that being a vegetarian is a good idea. With all of the animals going extinct, animals shouldn’t be killed anymore because animals are already dying as it is with environmental changes like global warming. Of course, chickens and cows are not are not animals that are going extinct, but with the poisonous hormones that the animals are given, it is surprising that they haven’t gone extinct already. Some people argue that the vegetarian diet is unethical because it is unhealthy and un-American. People would believe that being a vegetarian would be unhealthy because without eating meat, fish, or poultry; they can get “a degenerative bone condition that can lead to curvature of the spine and bone fractures. It is caused by a lack of vitamin D, usually found in oily fish, eggs, butter” (Natasha). The vegan diet can be harmful because of the many diseases that can occur. Everyone needs vitamins, iron, protein, calcium, vitamin, and B12; and being a vegetarian eliminates this from a one’s diet. Many believe that vegetarian don’t eat meat because they are trying to save all the animals. Firstly, if you are only one person, people feel that they can’t change the world and stop the mistreatment and slaughter of animals. Secondly, people are caring more about an animal’s life than their own well-being. For those in favor of the vegetarian diet, one would say that as a human they are entitled to choose what they believe fits for their lifestyle and body. Many vegetarian make the conscious choice of going to their doctors and asking if their body can live properly on a vegetarian diet. Others people believe that being a vegetarian is un-American because a vegetarian is taking away his/her natural rights to do what they please. This view says that, “Non-vegetarians may also view supporters of vegetarianism as attempting to encroach upon their freedom to eat whatever they wish” (Vegetarianism). As an American, one is allowed to eat as they please and whatever they want, suggesting that they are un-American. In other words, a vegetarian would feel that because they have the choice to eat what they want, they are choosing to be a vegetarian. A vegetarian is acting on one’s own right, like any other person in the world, and picking the vegetarian lifestyle. No one is forcing anyone to be a vegetarian and being a vegetarian is American, even if they don’t eat hamburgers and hotdogs like the rest of America. Half of the people in America believe the vegetarian diet is unsafe and doesn’t follow an American’s rights, though the other half have proven that being a vegetarian is not an easy diet, but with enough heart they can be one less person to let an animal be killed for them. Being a vegetarian is better for one’s health and innocent animals will not have to die anymore. Our human race will live longer and so will other mammals. All of the world’s life is important and not eating meat lower a person’s carbon-footprint. No one is perfect, but with a little more help the world will be.

Work Cited
Anisman-Reiner, Victoria. "A Vegetarian Diet Can Be Hazardous if It 's Not Nutritionally Balanced." Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Disadvantages of Going Veg: A Guide to those Considering the Health Impact of Vegetarianism." Suite 101: Holistic Nutrition. 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012.
Barnard, Neal D. "Eating Meat Is Unhealthy." Health. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 May 2012.
Friedrich, Bruce. "A Vegan Lifestyle Is Necessary to Stop the Mistreatment of Animals." The Rights of Animals. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Vegetarianism in a Nutshell: Animal Rights." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012.
Kim, Ben. "A Strict Vegetarian Diet Is Unhealthy for Most People." Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Don 't Let Philosophy Become More Important Than What Works." Chet Day 's Health & Beyond. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012.
Mann, Natasha. "A Vegan Diet Can Cause Malnourishment, Especially in Children."Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "How Our Vegan Diet Made Us Ill." Independent 17 June 2008. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 May 2012.
Robbins, John. “How to Win An Argument With A Meat-Eater.” Diet For A New America. Web. 21 September 2009.
Solomon, Brian. "Vegetarianism Is the Right Moral Choice for Many Reasons." Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Ethics and Vegetarianism: Why What We Eat Matters." Progressive Cogitation Mar. 2006. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012.
“Vegetarianism.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012.

Cited: Anisman-Reiner, Victoria. "A Vegetarian Diet Can Be Hazardous if It 's Not Nutritionally Balanced." Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Disadvantages of Going Veg: A Guide to those Considering the Health Impact of Vegetarianism." Suite 101: Holistic Nutrition. 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012. Barnard, Neal D. "Eating Meat Is Unhealthy." Health. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 May 2012. Friedrich, Bruce. "A Vegan Lifestyle Is Necessary to Stop the Mistreatment of Animals." The Rights of Animals. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Vegetarianism in a Nutshell: Animal Rights." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012. Kim, Ben. "A Strict Vegetarian Diet Is Unhealthy for Most People." Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Don 't Let Philosophy Become More Important Than What Works." Chet Day 's Health & Beyond. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012. Mann, Natasha. "A Vegan Diet Can Cause Malnourishment, Especially in Children."Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "How Our Vegan Diet Made Us Ill." Independent 17 June 2008. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 May 2012. Robbins, John. “How to Win An Argument With A Meat-Eater.” Diet For A New America. Web. 21 September 2009. Solomon, Brian. "Vegetarianism Is the Right Moral Choice for Many Reasons." Vegetarianism. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Ethics and Vegetarianism: Why What We Eat Matters." Progressive Cogitation Mar. 2006. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012. “Vegetarianism.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 May 2012.