The Big Decision

I want to start off by saying that I really want this to be an interactive place where people can ask for help, tips, and advise from others. Please feel free to comment and share. Also, if you don;t have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. Nobody wants to hear it :D

Anyhow, the biggest key to being a vegetarian and sticking to it, is having a very strong sense of why you have chosen to eliminate meat entirely. As I mentioned earlier, the choice to go veggie is extremely personal and everyone has their own story. A quick Google of "reasons to be a vegetarian" gives you pretty much anything that can be twisted into reason. One of my favorites, save money at restaurants. Please don't solely decide on going veggie to save a dollar or two at your favorite chain. Most people site the categories the following categories for their own issues:

(http://www.flex.com/~jai/articles/101.html for their complete list)

People

- Grain fed to farm animals could be used to feed the millions dying of starvation

- 1 in 10 children in third world countries die before their first birthday, many from starvation

- If Americans reduced meat consumption by 10%, it would free up enough grain to feed 60,000,000 people. (Roughly the population of Great Britain) 

Land

- 1 acre of land yields about 165 pounds of beef or 20,000 potatoes

- 25% of Central America's forest have been cut down for cattle grazing purposes

- Factory farming is the direct cause of severe erosion of land and top soil

Air

- The 1,300,000,000 cattle in the world emit 60,000,000 tons of methane each year

- The amount of methane released into the air from cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, ect each year can account for more than a 25% contribution to global warming and climate changes

- People that live near factory farms often become extremely ill from breathing in all of the waste and chemicals that one farm produces

Water

- Nitrates, pesticides, and run off of animal waste regularly enter our drinking water supply

- The expense of providing farmed animals with the bare minimum of water to survive is about $200,000,000 a year

Personal Health

- Vegetarians are about 25% less likely to have heart disease (Vegans can be up to 50% less likely)

- All farmed animals are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones, which drastically alter how your body functions

- 80% of food poisoning is linked to contaminated meat

- Obesity is extremely rare while maintaining a vegetarian diet

Animal Welfare (I'll keep this as PG as possible....)

- Fishing methods kill many other animals besides the one type of fish they are looking for

- Fishing methods change a destroy ocean ecosystems

- Chickens are kept in battery cages that are too small for them to turn around in or stand up

- Chickens feet are severely disformed from their wire cages

- Chickens are debeaked. This process involves their beaks being seared off in order to prevent them from attacking each other in their microscopic quarters

- All animals are fed a strict diet of hormones and antibiotics. This rapid overgrowth results in animals literally outgrowing their bones and many have broken legs and backs

- Cattle are supposed to be "knocked" (unconscious) before being bled out. Many are still very awake

My personal issue is with animal cruelty and factory farming in general. The factory farm goes against every category I just listed. They violate in new, grotesque ways every day. Cage free and free range mean absolutely nothing, it is simply a mind trick to make people ignore where there food comes even more. I recently read Eating Animals (seen on the left) by Jonathan Safran Foer. Let me tell you, ignorance is truly bliss when it comes to factory farms. I garuntee, if everyone understood where their 

chicken came from and actually looked at the package they were buying (all of them have a solid 15% "juice" additive, and yes, it says it right on the package) more people would have something to say about their food. 

I could go on forever about this, but I want to know why YOU decided to make the switch! Share with the class!!

J