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Maddie Boesen
Vegetarian Persuasive Speech
INTRODUCTION
I. Attention Getter: Imagine a big juicy steak with a side of fries sounds good doesn’t it?
Well now imagine a child starving while you are eating that steak, and a river that used to be
clean but is now littered with manure, and the animal that lived their lives in a big room
covered in feces and unable to walk. Now I’m sure you wouldn’t enjoy that steak as much.
II. Build Rapport: I’m sure many of you like meat but I urge you to listen to some
startling facts about eating meat.
III. Establish Credibility: I have been a vegetarian for the past four years and some
members of my family are vegans.
IV. Thesis: When you eat meat it harms the environment, your health, and it increases
the chances of animal cruelty on factory farms.
V. Preview: I will talk about how consuming meat can cause problems with the
environment, our health, our world and animal cruelty.
Transition: Image a world where nothing was wasted and there was enough food to give to
starving people all over the world and all the earth was clean.
BODY
I. Eating meat is wasting energy and it is making it so there is less food produced and it
is taking a toll on the environment.
A. We lose energy when we feed pigs and cows and other live stalk.
1. This is because we feed pigs and cows and other live stalk with food and
water that could be given people, instead of wasting the energy just so we
can get a tastier meal.
2. According to John Vidal 90% of energy is lost each time we move up the
food chain.
VISUAL AID
B. Eating meat is bad for the environment.
1. These animals are taking up space, which is causing for deforestation in
order to make room for them.
a. This land could be used for farming which would produce much more
food on the same amount of land.
2. They are also to blame for a great deal of water pollution. Animal farms
also release a great deal of methane into the air that can be harmful.
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a) A study done by the food network research network showed that the
UK’s meat and dairy industry is responsible for eight percent of the
country’s total greenhouse gas emissions (Theguardian.com).
3. Animal waste is also responsible for causing dead zones in some of the
oceans and rivers in the United States. Including the mouth of the
Mississippi River.
a) Dead zones produce a great deal of algae and it makes a hostile
environment, In a dead zone the oxygen is taken out of the water making it
so that little can survive.
4. The USDA reports that animals in the US meat industry produce
61
million tons of waste each year, which is 130 times the volume of
human
waste.
Transition: Eating meat isn’t only bad for the environment it can harm our bodies as well.
II. Vegetarians have lower risk of some diseases.
A. Vegetarians have a lower chance of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood
pressure, and even some cancers such as ovarian, breast, and colorectal
1. This is because vegetarian diets are usually low in fat and high in fiber.
2. According to a case study that was done on female Buddhists vegetarians
have metabolic profiles, and lower risk of insulin resistance.
a) Having a better metabolism can help keep a persons weight under
control and can help prevent obesity. According to Peter Clarys Vegetarians
also have a lower body mass index, lower cholesterol, and smaller waist
circumfluence.
B. The animals are treated with antibiotics and these can be harmful to humans
when consumed in large quantities.
1. According to organic consumer association fifty million pounds of
antibiotics are produced in the U.S. each year. Twenty million pounds are
given to animals. 80% is used on livestock merely to promote more rapid
growth.
2. These antibiotics can cause deadly diseases in humans and the antibiotics
are adding to the threat of drug- resistant bacteria and infections.
Transition: Meat is harmful to our bodies and the way it is made is harmful and cruel to the
animals we are eating.
III. People who eat meat helping contribute to animal cruelty on factory farms.
A. Although some animals on small farms are treated humanely, most of the
animals that are raised for eating that are raised on commercial farms are treated very
poorly.
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1. These animals are stuck in a big barn and they are left to walk all over
each other as well as go to the bathroom on each other. This is not sanitary
and not a happy life for these animals.
2. The animals are also fed so much that often times towards the end of their
lives they can’t even walk.
3.According to Organic Consumer Association ammonia and other gases
from manure irritate animals' lungs; to the
point where over 80% of US pigs
have pneumonia upon slaughter”
B. Many of these animals are killed in inhumane ways.
1. Some of the animals are killed by diseases that are caused from being in
such tight spaces.
2. Turkeys are typical put onto a conveyor belt and some of these turkeys
fall off and are crushed by machinery.
3.The turkeys are then hung by their feet from shackles and have their heads
dunked into a water tank where they are electrocuted but they make the
voltage lower than necessary so they don’t die. After the come out of the
bath they are fully aware then the have their throats slit.
4. Pigs are typically loaded onto an electrical floor then they electrocute
them all at once.
Transition: Being a vegetarian is can help in many aspects of life including environment,
hunger and animal cruelty.
CONCLUSION
I. Brakelight/Logical Closure: I talked about how being a vegetarian can help out with
the environment, our health, and animal cruelty.
II. Psychological Closure: So next time you are eating that big juicy steak think of all
the people and animals and even yourself who have to suffer from that.
III. Clincher: I urge you to consider becoming a vegetarian to help solve many of these
problems. Thank you.
WORKS CITED
"Being a Vegetarian." Brown University, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
Vidal, John. "10 Ways Vegetarianism Can Help save the Planet." The Observer. Guardian
News and Media, 18 July 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
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Clarys, Peter, et al. "Dietary Pattern Analysis: A Comparison Between Matched Vegetarian
And Omnivorous Subjects." Nutrition Journal 12.1 (2013): 1-6. Academic Search
Elite. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
McEvoy, Claire T, Norman Temple, and Jayne V Woodside. "Vegetarian Diets, Low-Meat
Diets And Health: A Review." Public Health Nutrition 15.12 (2012): 2287-2294.
MEDLINE. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Hawk, Susan N., Kimberly Grage Englehardt, and Cindi Small. "Risks Of Iron Deficiency
Among Vegetarian College Women." Health (1949-4998) 4.3 (2012): 113. Publisher
Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
"Vegetarianism in a Nutshell." Vegetarianism in a Nutshell. The Vegetarian Resource Group,
Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"Vegetarianism." Kids Health. Ed. Mary L. Gavin. The Nemours Foundation, 01 Oct. 2011.
Web. 02 Mar. 2014
Chiang, Jui-Kun, et al. "Reduced Risk For Metabolic Syndrome And Insulin Resistance
Associated With Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian Behavior In Female Buddhists: A CaseControl Study." Plos ONE 8.8 (2013): 1-8. Academic Search Elite. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.
"Being a Vegetarian." Brown University, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
"Disturbing Facts on Factory Farming & Food Safety." Disturbing Facts on Factory Farming &
Food Safety. Organic Consumer Association, Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
"New Releases." Becoming a Vegetarian. . Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"USA TODAY." USATODAY.COM. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
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