Since you asked... (why veg?)

Caveat: I want to make it clear that this post is not directed at anyone in particular. It's something that comes up in conversation all the time, and since I like to write, and I write about what's on my mind, especially about things I find hard to articulate out loud, this is a product. I spent time with my family this weekend, and though the topic came up, I want to be clear that this is certainly not directed at them, or anyone in particular. I wrote this awhile ago, and since I am procrastinating something, I pulled it out and worked on it again today - coincidence. km.

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Why Am I Vegetarian?

Like most vegetarians, each time I sit down to eat with someone new, I am usually required to justify or defend my choice. So while I would never sit down with someone I have never eaten with before and ask them “So why do you eat meat?”, I completely understand that most people are just nice, interested, curious people who care about me, and I don’t mind discussing it, though it is kind of exhausting and repetitive sometimes when you just want to enjoy your tofurkey… (just kidding, I’ve never eaten tofurkey!)

So, here it is, once and for all…

The short answer:
The main reason is that eating a vegetarian diet allows me to reduce my ecological footprint, by using less of the world’s resources. It is more sustainable.

I use far more than my share, so I would like to try my best to do anything I can to reduce my negative impact. This affects world hunger, the environment, and my health.

That´s it. But then some people want more justification - I´ve been told ´Convince me´. So, if that´s you, then read on. If not (cuz it´s pretty boring, and you'll likely find it an annoying read - I do....) then stop here, or skip to the frequently asked questions, otherwise known as ´´what I want meat-eaters to know´... (smiles)


The long answer:
World Hunger - a plant-based diet reduces my impact on world hunger by allowing me to use less of my share of world resources.

• This year alone, twenty million people worldwide will die as a result of malnutrition. One child dies of malnutrition every 2.3 seconds. That is 40 000 children per day.

• Raising animals for food is an extremely inefficient way to feed a growing human population. The U.S. livestock population consumes enough grain and soybeans to feed more than five times the entire U.S. population.

• Only twenty percent of the corn grown in the U.S. is eaten by people. Eighty percent of the corn and 95% of the oats grown in the U.S. is eaten by livestock. The percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock is calculated by experts as 90%.

• If Americans reduced their meat consumption by only 10 percent, it would free 12 million tons of grain annually for human consumption. That alone would be enough to adequately feed each of the people who starve to death each year.

Environment – factory farms are bad for the environment. They dump toxic waste into our groundwater, massively deplete water sources, are an inefficient use of land, and fill animals full of antibiotics so that they don’t get sick from being kept in too-small spaces. They also put smaller, more sustainable family farms out of business.

• It takes 2,500 gallons of water, 16 – 24 pounds of grain, 35 pounds of topsoil and the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of feedlot beef.

• More than half of all the water consumed in the U.S. is used to raise animals for food. It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. Aquifers around the world are running dry due to extraction of mass amounts of water by factory farmers, faster than nature can replenish it.

• Food animals produce 100 times the solid fecal waste of humans. This waste contaminates ground water, streams, and rivers.

• Land use - On one acre you can produce 1 pound of beef or 160 pounds of grain. Because of this inefficient land-use, rainforests in Central and South America are being cut down to make more room for beef production for the US. As well, fifty-six percent of all U.S. farmland is devoted to beef production.

Animals – Animals raised in factories suffer.


Health – Vegetarian diet reduces risk of colon cancer by half. There is a medical history of bowel problems and colon cancer in my family on both sides. Overall cancer rates in vegetarians are 25 – 50 % lower than for meat-eaters. The concentration of pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics found in standard grocery store meat makes me nervous.


What I want meat-eaters to know:

1. It shouldn’t need to be said, but sometimes it seems like it does: I would never judge you for eating meat. Some people get very defensive when they find out you are a vegetarian. I have made a choice for myself based on my beliefs and worldview. By not eating meat, I am not implying or suggesting that you shouldn’t eat it, unless it fits your lifestyle and beliefs! This is just my little way of making a small difference. Maybe yours is recycling. Great! Whatever!

2. I am not offended when you eat meat in front of me. I live with a carnivore and I cook and buy for him, because that is his choice and I would never question it. It does not bother me. Thanks for your concern!

3. Maybe I will go back to eating meat some day, if I feel that I can do it in a responsible way. This will not be your victory, but my choice. And maybe I won’t. Who knows. 2.5 years and counting.

4. I get plenty of protein. I eat eggs, nuts, beans, lentils, sometimes tofu, and at this point in my life, fish. I do not have an iron deficiency. I am checked every eight weeks when I donate blood, so I know this for sure.

xoxo

http://www.goveg.com/vegetarian101.asp