“Because it’s healthy”, “Because it’s part of my religion”, “Because I’m an animal rights activist”, “Because the thought it was once alive gives me the heebie-jeebies”, the list of reasons why people are vegetarian is endless. But some people know these things and decide to think that they’re stupid or have no purpose to be vegetarian.
But first, the true meanings to the words vegetarian and vegan.
Someone who is a vegetarian is a person who doesn’t eat any meat (sometimes not including fish and/or chicken). Someone who is vegan however does not eat any animal products whatsoever. The difference? Vegetarians still eat/drink things like milk, ice cream, cheese, eggs, and any other product that is produced from an animal. Vegans do not eat anything at all that once came from an animal. They only eat plants, herbivores, if you will.
Many people follow trends of the stars, right? That’s how tabloid magazines make their profit. Well, what if the trend was giving up meat? Would you do it? Most people you ask say that there are barely any celebrities that live a meat-free life. I can name a couple hundred. Forest Whitaker, Casey Kasem, Bob Barker, Sir Paul McCartney, Pamela Anderson, and so many more. Carrie Underwood is a vegetarian for goodness sake! What do you think now?
A lot of people are vegetarians because of their health. Either they want to be healthier, or because their life depends on it, or whatever. Fruits and vegetables have all the vital nutrients to keep the body healthy. Animal products have loads saturated fat and cholesterol packed into one “healthy serving”. But who knows Americans better than an American? All of us know that most Americans don’t eat the “healthy serving”. The most common killer diseases and illnesses these days include heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and strokes. And all can be traced back to meat-related diets. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America today, and it is caused by the build-up of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products in our arteries. The only two doctors in human history who have successfully reversed heart disease have included an exclusively vegetarian diet as a part of their programs. Someone who is vegan can on average have a cholesterol level of 133 (compared to 210 for meat-eaters); there are no documented cases of heart attacks in individuals with cholesterol under 150. Other health problems tied to clogged arteries, like poor circulation and atherosclerotic strokes, can be virtually eliminated with a vegan diet.
There are many religions that believe to be a better worshiper; you have to give up meat and sometimes all animal products too. Buddhism, Hindu, Hare Krishna, Sikh, Jain, Judaism, Islam and sometimes Christianity are all meat-free religions. Most Buddhist monks that are truly devoted do not eat fresh fruits or vegetables because there are living organisms in them. They can only eat fruits and veggies that have been dried for at least 10 years to make sure there are no living organisms left. Now that’s devotion.

Don’t even get me started on the farm factory industry. Smithfield Foods, the largest and most profitable pork processor in the world, 27 million hogs in 2005 alone died of either disease or contaminated food and water.




Yes, companies like McDonalds™ or Wendy’s™ depend on the carnivorous Americans. But Burger King™ now sells veggie burgers and I guarantee most, if not all, fast food restaurants sell salads. I’m not trying to convince the whole entire world to become vegetarian. I know re are big companies like Perdue™, Tyson™, and god forbid Smithfield Foods™ would all go out of business, vegetable sales would be through the roof, trees would be cut down for more crop fields and eventually we would have another Great Depression and Dust Bowl. I’m just trying to help people better understand the reasons why people decide to become a vegetarian or vegan.