Vegetarianism In America

In a country where bacon is added to everything and a burger or hotdog might be considered the national food, there are vegetarians who live a healthy, energized life without the comfort of meat. The expansive community of vegetarians struggle with more than weird looks when they ask for a veggie burger instead of a BLT. Vegetarianism is a healthy lifestyle that benefits the individual as well as others. As individuals and as a group, they strive to save not only the animals that receive inhumane treatment, but also the world from toxic pollution and global warming.
According to a “Vegetarianism in America” study conducted by Vegetarian Times, there is approximately 7.3 million people who follow a vegetarian lifestyle (“Vegetarianism in America”).
By definition, being a vegetarian means that the individual does not consume meat of any kind, and in some cases, any food that is derived from an animal. It means supporting animals’ rights and doing your part to take care of the earth. To some, it means respecting ethical or religious views. Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism have scriptures that encourage the people to take up a vegetarian lifestyle. There are some vegetarians who live the way they do because their health requires them to. Avoiding meat has been shown to successfully reduce the chances of developing a chronic illness. To others, the idea of supporting animals’ rights and taking part in keeping the earth healthy is reason enough to be a vegetarian. By not taking part in purchasing meat, they aren’t contributing to the gross living conditions that farm animals are raised in and they don’t have a hand in the mass pollution that comes from moving livestock from the pens to the plates.
Five years ago I decided to radically change the way I took care of my body. I was in eighth grade, and I chose to give up red meat. My aunt and cousin are vegetarians and they explained to me the benefits of the lifestyle. I read countless magazine and online articles detailing the diet, and I was up for the challenge. The rest of my family and friends didn’t totally understand the idea of it and thought it was something I would give up after a month. However, after increasing my awareness about factory farming through movies like “Food, Inc.,” I was becoming less ignorant about how I was fueling my body. “Food, Inc.” is a film released in 2010 that resembles a modern version of Sinclair’s “The Jungle” by exposing the unhealthy nature of corporate farming. Meanwhile, at around the same time in my life that I gave up red meat is when I started to take up running. I instantly noticed the change in energy I had. Once I gave up poultry about two years later, I had similar changes. My face was clearer, I slept easier and I didn’t feel so sluggish during the day. I found my nutrients through more plant-based foods that were more organic. It wasn’t easy finding new sources of protein, but my aunt sent me some of her recipes and the new lifestyle even taught me how to enjoy cooking. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has reported that one vegetarian may save up to 100 animals a year (“Vegetarian 101”). With that information, I’ve saved around 500 animals from the miserable fate. I’m proud that I could help the vegetarian community make a positive difference in the world.
There are the advantages of being vegetarian that I mentioned from personal experience like looking and feeling healthy, but the pros aren’t always so obvious.
For instance, vegetarians never spend money on meat. At restaurants, the no meat options are most likely to be cheaper as well. Consuming foods that are free from added hormones and chemicals by avoiding meat has been shown to add an extra five to ten years on someone’s life (Bansal, “Top 10 Advantages of Going Vegetarian”). Being a vegetarian isn’t always easy and simple to follow. There is the challenge of eating out because the people around you may not be considerate of the lifestyle and suggest going to a burger joint. It gets tiring having to order a salad when nothing else meets the vegetarian eating criteria. One of the first question people asks vegetarians is where they get their protein. While the question may become annoying, it has a valid point. Since those foods aren’t available everywhere like meat is, vegetarians do have to pay close attention to their nutrients. Opposers may argue that vegetarians lack protein, iron and other essential vitamins; however, many meat eaters don’t realize that protein and nutrients come from multiple sources outside of the obvious ones. Beans, tofu, soy products, nuts, milk alternatives (such as almond and soy), lentils and so much more contain more protein than is usually
assumed.
How does a vegetarian save animals and the world?
For one, by not purchasing animals products, the buyer isn’t participating in the torture that almost all farm animals endure. Meat eaters like to use the excuse that since they don’t kill the animals themselves, then they don’t have any part in how they are treated; however, that is far from the truth. Animals continue to be treated as they are and be sold in our grocery stores because the demand is still high, regardless of how the meat came from the animal and ended up in the store. As of 2008, The New York Times reported that Americans alone grow and kill around 10 billion animals a year (Bittman, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler”). That is due to a higher demand and consumption of the product. Yet, it’s still important to wonder if these people know how their eating choices are affecting the world in a broader perspective. A 2007 study conducted in Japan by the National Institution of Livestock and Grassland Science reported that approximately 2.2 pounds of beef equated to the same amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a car that travels 155 miles (Bittman, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler”). Not only that, but it also burns the same amount of energy required to light a 100-watt bulb for 20 days (Bittman, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler”). By avoiding meat, vegetarians are contributing in the act to lessen land and water
pollution.
Whether it’s feeding people who are currently starving or giving up hot dogs for soy dogs, there are countless opportunity costs that comes with turning to a life of vegetarianism. Not many people realize that turning a cow into a burger doesn’t require just the cow. The Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations stated that to produce 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of beef requires more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of grain (“10kg of grain for 1 kilo of beef: Livestock’s startling protein consumption revealed”). It also shows with producing pork and poultry that more protein is going in than is coming out. A study done through the film “Cowspiracy” showed the same results – 16 pounds of grain can be saved by consuming just one vegan meal (“The "Cowspiracy" Exposed”). More wasted protein comes from the fact that the majority of corn and soy grown is being fed to livestock including cattle, pigs and chickens. The grain, corn and soy can be going to the numerous starving communities in the world. The more obvious opportunity cost is the idea of giving up meat and consuming more of a plant-based diet. Even if it’s just once a week, like Meatless Mondays which are gaining popularity, everyone can do their part in improving their health and improving the health of our planet. It’s understood that it’s not totally reasonable to ask everyone to give up meat, but it doesn’t hurt to try. The challenge can be fun, and the results will be noticeable.
Anyone can say that doing this or doing that will make someone lose weight or decrease the chances of cancer. Every month a new food rises that food channels and websites everywhere claim to be a miracle food that will lower this and decrease your chances for that. But has any of this been proven? The answer is yes. Multiple studies conducted in England and Germany have found that vegetarians have a 40 percent less likelihood to develop cancer compared to meat eaters (Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health”). Regular meat consumption has shown a 300 percent increase according to a Harvard study. A separate study from Cambridge University found a link between vegetarian diets which contained a smaller intake of saturated fat to a decrease in developing breast cancer. Animal products are the main source of saturated fat and cholesterol so naturally vegetarians have an advantage to beating heart disease (“Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health”). Even as early as the 1900s, nutritionists made note that non meat eaters benefited by having a lower blood pressure (“Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health”). Regular exercise and a low-fat vegetarian diet that is high in fiber and complex carbohydrates has been shown to prevent and reverse diabetes. It can’t completely cure someone of diabetes, but it can make living with the disease more tolerable (“Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health”). Animal protein has been known to cause the body to expel calcium, oxalate and uric acid which all come together to form kidney stones and gallstones (“Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health”). It is completely possible to live a healthy vegetarian lifestyle and receive all the necessary nutrients. By avoiding the consumption of animals, vegetarians have been scientifically proven to lead a healthier life than those who eat meat.
The risks are only rising as the demand and global production of meat increases. A study by Worldwatch Institute titled “Peak Meat Production Strains Land and Water Resources” has reported that meat production has grown a startling 25-fold since 1800 (Gourmelon, “Peak Meat Production Strains Land and Water Resources”). It’s been reported that two thirds of all agricultural land is being occupied by animal pasture with an additional 10 percent of land to grow grains to feed the animals (Gourmelon, “Peak Meat Production Strains Land and Water Resources”). 70 percent of the world’s fresh water is consumed by agriculture, and a third of that goes straight to the food that is being fed to livestock (Gourmelon, “Peak Meat Production Strains Land and Water Resources”). According to the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD) Initiative, livestock is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse emissions, 9 percent of carbon dioxide and 37 percent of methane gas emissions worldwide (Brooks, “Consequences of increased global meat consumption on the global environment -- trade in virtual water, energy & nutrients”). These statistics are already startlingly high, and they will only become worse as the world’s demand for meat increases. Improvements will be able to be scientifically proven when people decide to make a change. Changes can first be seen by observing our own bodies after taking up a vegetarian diet, then the planet will start to feel the difference as well. The risk is not only going to affect one individual, but it’s going to affect the world as a whole.
If meat eaters can try adopting a vegetarian lifestyle or at least change their diet once a week, they can start lending their hand in making a difference. Vegetarians are already doing their part in making the world a better place, so why aren’t others. Whether it’s for religious or ethical reasons, to save animals or to save yourself, there’s always a reason to become vegetarian. Ignorance may be bliss, but when it comes to health of our bodies, and the health of our one and only earth, it’s more important to be aware than to turn a blind eye.