If you're looking to get started on a vegetarian diet, chances are you're concerned about your falling back to meat-eating habits somewhere in the middle. Many people who begin on this journey do. To prevent yourself from going back, you need to have a deep conviction inside about why you want to be a vegetarian. The reasons are as diverse as there are people, but if it's on your mind to make this change of diet, then there must be a reason that will appeal to you the most. Once you're convinced deep down inside that it is the right thing to do, those meat dishes in your friend's party will not seem tempting at all, and it will be easy to stick to your chosen path.
So why is it important to be a vegetarian? First and foremost, there are important health benefits in a vegetarian diet. Several research studies suggest a link between longevity and a vegetarian diet. According to a study by the Loma Linda University, vegetarians live almost seven years longer, and vegans almost fifteen years longer, than meat eaters. A vegetarian diet can help in reducing risk of cancer and cardio-vascular disease. Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidant nutrients that protect the heart and its arteries. Animal food products are loaded with dietary saturated fat and cholesterol. An average American male on a meat-based diet has a 50 percent chance of dying from heart diseases. A study of a group of French vegetarians found that they had a daily intake of 25 percent less fat than non-vegetarians. Some of the other proven health benefits of a vegetarian diet include significantly reduced rates of obesity, coronary heart disease, hypertension, constipation, and gallstones.
Secondly, the mass production of meat is environmentally damaging, and unsustainable, and going vegetarian can help restore the planet's health. Approximately 70 percent of the grain crop in the US is used for feeding animals being raised for food. It takes 15 pounds of feed to generate 1 pound of meat, and if the grain were given directly to people, there would be enough food to feed the entire planet. According to a study, the inefficiencies in the production of meat, milk, and eggs range from 4:1 to 54:1 energy input to protein output ratio, when tracking animal food production from feed to consumption Hence the production of animal foods is much less energy efficient than harvesting of grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits. Animal farming also generates significant amounts of nitrous oxide and methane, which have a significant impact on global warming. Also, it is estimated that a pound of beef takes 2,500 gallons of water, while a pound of wheat takes 25. Hence, production of meat leads to wastage, and rampant water pollution.
A vegetarian diet can protect you from food-borne illnesses. Vegetarianism reduces the risk of E.coli infection. It is estimated that approximately five percent of cows slaughtered in America for meat contain the lethal O157:H7 strain of E.coli, which can even lead to death. Also, there have been various animal food safety scares over the last few years, including avian influenza in poultry, mad cow disease in cows, foot-and-mouth disease in sheep, and mercury in fish. Therefore, being vegetarian can protect you from several such diseases.
Another important reason to be vegetarian is that it is ethical. Each day, 22 million animals are slaughtered in America to produce meat. The entire life of a captive animal raised for meat is unnatural, and involves abnormal diets for fattening, hormonal stimulation, and the eventual killing, which are totally unnecessary. If animal rights concern you, then a vegetarian diet is a natural choice.
A vegetarian diet can help you save money. Replacing chicken, meat, and fish with vegetables and fruits is estimated to help save close to $ 4,000 a year. Hence it makes economic sense as well to convert to a vegetarian diet.
There are compelling reasons to turn vegetarian, and the question you should be asking yourself is not why, but why not? With obvious benefits for your health and the planet's, and being a better economic choice, it is no wonder that there is growing interest in vegetarianism today.
The idea of vegetarianism is not a new one, by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed man has in one way or another eaten vegetarian diets since his beginnings. Granted, the first vegetarians did so only out necessity. Meat may not have been available due to harsh winters, animal migrational patterns or even poor tribal leadership. Only foraged food would have been available under such circumstances.
As man evolved and became more able to manipulate his environment, so came the option to choose. Available facts point to the first vegetarian ideologies being practiced in Egypt around 3,200BC where some religious groups abstained from eating flesh, as they believed it produced bad karma with regards to their reincarnation.
Around 2000BC Hindus, on the Indian sub-continent, began practising vegetarianism in the belief that a vegetarian diet is needed to reach spiritual enlightenment. Even today, Hindus make up the largest percentage of vegetarians on the Earth.
Also from the Indian sub-continent, around 600BC, came the religion of Jainism. In its teachings, Jainism insists that we honor the spiritual nature of all life. Extemely dedicated Jainists go to the extent of straining insects from drinking water and even wearing masks to avoid inhaling small, airborne creatures. They will only eat fruits that have natually fallen from trees and are not supposed to eat honey or rooted plants. Janism is the only religion requiring their monks to be vegetarian.
Vegetarianism was also popularised in Ancient Greece by many of the great philosophers including Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. Indeed vegetarians in Europe were originally referred to as Pythagoreans, after the Greek Philosopher Pythagoras advocated a vegetarian diet for its nutritional and ethical values. He claimed,
"As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."
It was not until 1847, when the first vegetarian society was formed in Ramsgate, Kent UK, that the name Vegetarian was first conceived. Contrary to popular belief, the word Vegetarian arose from the Latin word `vegetus`, meaning `lively` which was how early vegetarians claimed their diet made them feel.
Many reason have been voiced in favour of vegetarianism in our history including the long held philosophy that vegetarians are living longer, healthier lives than their meat eating counter-parts. Much evidence has already been accumulated to support these claims.
Now let us look at some of the reasons that justify becoming vegetarian in our modern society.
Necessity The case of necessity speaks for itself really; anyone unable to find a supply of meat sufficient to sustain life must find an alternative until such time that meat becomes available again.
Economic An Economic Vegetarian is someone who practices vegetarianism either out of necessity, lack of funds for instance, or because of a conscious or philosophical viewpoint that the consumption of meat is economically unsound and that vegetarianism will help improve public health and curb many starvation issues.
Environmental Environmental Vegetarians are similar to Economic Vegetarians. According to the United Nations, the livestock sector (cows, chickens, pigs, etc) is one of the three most significant contributors to our most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases. The use of feedlots, for cattle feeding, is one of the most inefficient and environmentally harmful ways of producing meat; yet they still remain widespread throughout cattle farming.
Religion Many religions support vegetarianism including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Taoism. They offer similar teachings which stress the value of all life and forbids the act of destroying life simply for human gains.
Distaste Some people genuinely do not enjoy the taste of meat, suggesting it tastes sweaty or fatty. Others choose to be vegetarian because they find meat products aesthetically unappetizing. An example being, the carcass of a herd animal lying in a field would attract real carnivores such as big cats or wolves, but the mere sight would disgust most humans.
Animal Welfare Many vegetarians, especially western vegetarians, are motivated by animal welfare. They see animals as our friends, with whom we share the world and not as mere food. The fact that most parents actively encourage their children to love and appreciate animals is totally contradictory to the way in which humans really respect and treat animals.
Personal Health Possibly the single most reason more and more people are turning to vegetarianism, current studies are showing that vegetarians are living longer and healthier. A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999 found that the mortality ratio in fish eaters was lowest (0.82) then followed by vegetarians (0.84) occasional meat eaters also at (0.84) compared to regular meat eaters at (1.0). A recent study shown in the British Medical Journal concluded that,
"Higher IQ at age 10 years was associated with an increased likelihood of being vegetarian at age 30...IQ remained a statistically significant predictor of being vegetarian as an adult..."
Conscience Conscience is a conglomeration of all the other reasons. It is our moral conscience, which allows us to weigh up what we see, hear and know. It is our choice whether we allow it to influence out daily life. Those who are able to suppress their consciousness, deliberately or otherwise, will ultimately make a decision that will not favour the miss-fortunes of animals.
I hope, that in some way, this article will encourage people to explore vegetarianism as a real option. Whatever reasons for becoming vegetarian, one thing is not in doubt; vegetarianism is here to stay and it looks likely to become the preferred diet of choice for all humans in the not too distant future.
Both Rudy Hadisentosa & Colin Didcott are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Rudy Hadisentosa has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Vegetarian Diet and Credit Cards. Rudy Hadisentosa is the author of a free Vegetarian ebook on . I help people to become vegetarians by giving them true facts, motivational, and nutr. Rudy Hadisentosa's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
Colin Didcott has sinced written about articles on various topics from Vegetarian Diet, Wine and Spirits. Colin Didcott is a life long vegetarian and collector of authentic vegetarian recipes from around the world. Visit To see his collection of low. Colin Didcott's top article generates over 880 views. to your Favourites.