Why Being a Vegetarian Is Beneficial

By: Genna Carroll

        I think being a vegetarian is not only better for your health but the world pollution rates would go down a lot. My family rarely eats meat. We know it is what's best for our health and the world. We don't want the world to get any more polluted than it already is before we die! The animal food industry contributes to global warming, it's not fair for animals, and lastly, it is not good for our health. 

Here are some of the basic details about this topic. First of all, The Vegetarian Resource Group conducted a poll in 2020 that showed 6% of Americans are vegetarians. Now you are probably wondering just how being a vegetarian benefits your health. Well, vegetarians have a lower risk of death from a heart attack, getting type 2 diabetes, and getting cancer. You also will have lower blood pressure and body mass. So overall you have a smaller chance of getting bad sicknesses or dying early.

        Now how does eating meat harm the environment? Well first of all, 14.5 percent of world pollution is from the animal food industry (UCAR). Second of all, there is methane, basically animal farts and waste. Methane is gas that is found in small quantities in the Earth's atmosphere. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. These gasses insulate the earth, but if you get too much of these gasses, the earth overheats.

Jonathan Safron Foer, the author of We Are The Weather, said that since farming has started, humans have destroyed 83% of all wild mammals and half of all plants (pg.78). He also said that ⅓ of freshwater goes to live-stock (pg.79). He spoke about how animal agriculture is responsible for 91% of deforestation in the Amazon (pg.93). Finally, he said that on average, we consume double the protein needed (pg.83).

Not only are animal foods bad for the planet and our health, they are also bad for animals. For example, two days after birth a dairy calf is taken away from its mother (Cowspiracy). Also, chickens are fed so much they can only take a few steps before falling down (Food, Inc.). They are also all squished together with little room to move. After these animals get to the point to be slaughtered, they might be dropped in boiling water, shot in their head, or have their head chopped off.

Based on all this information, I feel that the animal food industry is overall bad for the earth. It harms animals by abusing them. Finally, it is bad for our health. I was inspired by Michael Klaper, a vegan doctor who explained why milk is good for calves but not humans (Cowspiracy). I know I don't want to get breast lumps, a big uterus,  fibroids, and bleeding, which are some of the side effects of dairy that he describes.

I think that the cruelty towards these animals is pure torture. When I was researching this topic, I was disgusted at the videos I saw. I didn't know that many of them just die because they have bad living conditions. Would you imagine treating your dog like that?

Based on what I researched, I suspect that the animal food industry pays people like the water companies and politicians to not talk about the pollution and amount of water used for this process. They do this to stay in business. I believe a lot of very smart people that run these businesses know that waste from these animal meat companies are the top polluter, but they are getting paid enough to keep quiet. I think that the future of our planet is going downhill by the second. If the environmental organizations, meat farmers, and even the government would be honest about these problems then people would see how bad it is for our earth. Out of all the reasons to be a vegetarian I think this is the most important one.

If I was part of an environmental advocacy group, I would be fighting for the animal food industry to end. My family isn't 100% vegetarian but we have a very plant based diet. Most Americans have meat everyday or even every meal. If 328 million Americans skipped a day of eating meat per week, that would make a substantial impact.  For example, if you had half as many hamburgers in a year, everything in general would be better.

In conclusion, I think that converting to vegetarianism would help in many ways. There would be less greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, such as methane. Humans would also be much healthier. Lastly, it is a lot better for the animals because they are just getting killed for meat. So if you want to help the earth, humans, and meat producing animals then become a vegetarian.

Nice salad! Vegetarian meals are tasty and healthy!

Sources

1.Safran Foer, Jonathan (2019) We Are The Weather Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast

2.The Vegetarian Resource Group (https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm)

3.Eat Right (https://www.eatright.org)

4.UCAR Center For Science Education (https://scied.ucar.edu)

5.World Resources Institute (https://www.wri.org/)

6.Andersen, K., Kuhn, K., xTrue Naturex (Musical group),, A.U.M. Films & Media (Organization),, & First Spark Media,. (2014). Cowspiracy: The sustainability secret.

7.Participant Media & River Road Entertainment present ; a film by Robert Kenner ; producers, Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein ; writers, Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein, Kim Roberts ; directed by Robert Kenner. (2009). Food, Inc. [Los Angeles, CA] :Magnolia Home Entertainment