Vegetarianism Guiding Question​
: Should more people become vegetarians? Thesis​
: More people should become vegetarians or should try to ween off of meat. I. What is vegetarianism and why are people so dependent on meat? In present day, many people are very dependent on meat and are not educated enough on the subject of vegetarianism. A. The definition of vegetarianism. 1. "Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, and poultry" (The Vegetarian Resource Group). B. Why some people choose to become a vegetarian. 1. Some people choose to be a vegetarian for personal health concerns, environmental concerns, compassion for animals, economic reasons (hunger), nonviolence, food preferences and religious reasons (Brown University). C. A lot of people today claim that meat is essential to our diets. 1. "In 1975, the average American ate 178 pounds of red meat and poultry; by 2007, the number had jumped to 272 pounds" (Herzog). 2. The natural things that or bodies want (meat) are not always the morally right thing to eat (Herzog). 3. Meat seems to be more addictive than nicotine and the numbers have not decreased as much as smokers (Herzog). 4. "Vegetarian foods are a major source of nutrition for most people in the world" (Brown University). 5. Many people like to say they are vegetarians but confess they really aren't because they recently ate meat (Herzog). II. If the demand for meat declines, would this benefit animals? Many people need to be more aware of the animals in which we receive our meat from and the conditions they live in. A. Some people do not understand that eating a lot meat is not necessary. 1. Humans do need meat, so it is not needed to kill as many animals as are being killed these days (Friedrich). 2. "Francis applauds consumer boycotts focused on pushing corporations to engage in more ethical practices" (Friedrich). B. Some statistics of animals on the meat making farms. 1. "According to ADAPTT, 140 billion animals are killed each year by the meat, egg and dairy industries" (Ochel). 2. "More than 90% of egg­laying hens are crammed into cages where they cannot spread a wing" (Ochel). 3. "The number of chickens killed in American slaughterhouses has jumped 200%" (Herzog). C. Some facts on the conditions animals are put through. 1. "Most pregnant pigs spend their lives in crates so small they cannot turn around" (Friedrich). 2. Chickens grow too quickly sometimes that their limbs and organs cannot support their huge bodies (Friedrich). 3. "These creatures treated in ways that would warrant cruelty­to animals charges were dogs or cats similarly abused" (Friedrich). III. What resources are wasted and how is the environment harmed through the processes of making the meat edible? The way we get meat is not only cruel and unnecessary but it is also very wasteful. A. There are many steps in processing meat and in each step some of the meat is lost. 1. 3% of meat is lost in production (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2. 2% of meat is lost in post harvest, handling and storage (Food and Agriculture Organization). 3. 4% of meat is lost in processing packaging as well as distribution and retail (2 different steps total of 8%) (Food and Agriculture Organization). 4. 12% more of the meat is lost in consumer losses (Food and Agriculture Organization). B. There are some other environmental issues that the over breeding of these animals cause. 1. 30% of the entire land surface on the earth is used for livestock production (Ochel). 2. A lot of water is used on these animals when it could be going to humans in need of water (Ochel). 3. Animals produce natural gas which can help trap more heat, animal production is responsible for 18% of the world's climate change. This is more than the amount produced by all the world's transportation (Ochel). IV. How is consuming meat harmful to human health? People aren't educated enough on the subject of how meat could harm you. A. Meat can have many harmful things within it and consuming it will hurt your health. 1. The higher amounts of iron found in meat can lead to higher risks for cancer or other problems (Barnard and Kieswer 49). 2. Even with our processes to decrease the bacterial growth on the meat there is a chance that it could be on the meat (Ochel). 3. Meat is linked to putting strains on humans hearts, increasing blood pressure and causing artery damage. Today's meat is even higher in fat because of the way the animals are raised with little exercise (Ochel). 4. Since meat sits in the intestines for a while it putrefies (produces toxins and amines) which causes degeneration of intestines livers and kidneys which causes various digestion issues (Ochel). 5. Meat takes a while to digest so it sits in our intestines for a long time. So this can allow carcinogenic compounds and do damage to the lining of the intestinal walls (Ochel). B. Some of the things in animals that are natural in meat that we don't need in our diets. 1. Most animals already produce enough cholesterol, so we shouldn't be eating other animals'. Also since meat is so calorie dense it can easily lead to gaining weight (Ochel). 2. Animal proteins are very close to ours so sometimes our bodies try to destroy foreign particles, when this happens on a regular basis it can turn into an autoimmune disease (Ochel). 3. Since animals have been given hormones to enhance growth, it disturbs our hormonal balance (Ochel). C. Some of the benefits of not eating meat. 1. "Avoiding animal protein helps preserve the calcium in your bones" (Barnard and Kieswer 54). 2. Asia eats less meat and a study was done where it shows that there is less heart disease, stroke and cancer are less common than in America where much more meat is consumed (Barnard and Kieswer 47). 3. Recent studies have proven the vegan diets can relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (Barnard and Kieswer 53). V. What other forms of protein are there? Many people are not aware that there is a lot of substitutes for protein instead of meat. A. There are many alternative sources of protein for meat. 1. "Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein with 4 grams per tablespoon" (Fetting­Schlerf). 2. Spinach provides protein, fiber and Vitamin A (Fetting­Schlerf). 3. Alpha­linolenic acid is found in flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, tofu, soybeans and walnuts. Thus maximizes production of DHA and EPA (omega­3 fatty acids) (The Vegetarian Resource Group). 4. "Beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, tempeh, chickpeas, peas... Many common foods, such as whole grain bread, greens, potatoes, and corn, quickly add to protein intake" (The Vegetarian Resource Group). B. Other animal products can help to provide protein. 1. Cheese, eggs, milk and other dairy products provide substantial amount of protein with high calcium content (Fetting­Schlerf). a. This is a much better alternative to eating meat as it is safer for your health and morally more right as you are not taking away the life of an animal. C. How vegetarians can meet the requirements for a healthy diet. 1. Vegetarians can easily meet their protein needs by eating a varied diet and make sure they consume enough calories (The Vegetarian Resource Group).