Azucena Mendez
English 6B
Professor Dinsmore
Do Animals have a Soul?
Eating meat is a very controversial issue because people can be for and against
consuming animals. However the issue is not only about eating animals. People still consume
animals in other forms without realizing that it still affects the animal. People should take a
moment to stop and rethink what they do. People need to care about animals to realize that they
have a soul and feelings as well, even when we may not see it. Some people are against
consuming meat because of the suffering of the animal, animal rights, the environment, health
and even because of the economy. Some may argue in support of eating animals because of the
taste, human nature and the nutrients provided by the meat. I am not saying to become a
vegetarian or vegan but to realize what comes with the consumption of meat. Over consuming
meat can consequently bring about many health issues and other concerns of animal suffering
and our environment’s well being. It’s important to be concerned and well informed of what you
are consuming, it all affects you and the environment.
It’s not about converting anyone in to a vegetarian or a vegan, it’s simply to be conscious
of our consumption and how it affects us as individuals and all that is around us all. People
should realize that it’s important to consume less meat because of the health problems it can
cause. In the article Rethinking the MeatGuzzler, Mark Bitttman states “Those grain-fed animals,
in turn, are contributing to health problems among the world’s wealthier citizens — heart
disease, some types of cancer, diabetes”. People that consume meat on a daily basis may not see
the outcome within the first time that they consume meat; however it becomes a health issue that
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you live with for the rest of your life. Among the health issues that meat consumption creates,
there are also consequences to the environment and the economy because the production of
animals affects everyone like a domino.
Over time, humans have evolved and have acquired a taste for meat and it has become a
habit to consume it on a daily basis. It’s like we can smell meat from a thousand miles away. The
taste for meat has been easily modified to people’s taste buds and become addictive. Meat may
taste delicious but the health issues that come with consuming meat is the consequence that
people have to live. We can change the choices we make and go without meat, there are plenty of
other products that provide the same nutritional value if not more and that taste better or just like
meat. In the article The Case Against Meat “One of the major western exports is taste for meat,
though it brings with it increased risk of heart disease and cancer.”
Additionally the articles state that, “HCAs, formed as meat is cooked at high
temperatures, and PAHs, formed during the burning of organic substances, are believed to
increase cancer risk. In addition, the high fat content of meat and other animal products increase
hormone production, thus increasing the risk of hormone related cancers such as breast and
prostate cancer. People that eat meat have a higher risk for developing more diseases than
someone that eats less meat.” This explains how the consumption of eating meat can cause the
person to develop cancer. Therefore people that eat meat have higher risk of developing more
diseases than someone that eats less meat.” I am not saying that a person should not eat meat but
that a person should at the very least consume less of it. Conscious awareness is important when
choosing to eat meat. People that are not ready to completely stop eating meat can try to
consume meat in moderation to still enjoy its taste once in a while.
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Eating meat can have nutritional value but with moderation. As human beings we don’t
need to consume meat in large quantities as we have been taught to believe for many
generations. Today we are consuming more meat and that means that you consume more calories
that are not part of a well balanced diet. According to Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler, “Americans
are downing close to 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish per capita per year (dairy and eggs are
separate, and hardly insignificant), an increase of 50 pounds per person from 50 years ago,”
meaning we consume a lot of more meat than we should be. Obesity is a major issue that is
caused because of what we consume, and we have an obesity problem in this country. We don't
only get affected because of the large quantities that we eat but the actual consumption is
affecting us. According to How to Win an Argument with Meat Eater, “Another danger of eating
meat is the fact that large amounts of antibiotics are fed to livestock to control staphylococci
(commonly called staph infections).” That can cause heart attacks, cancer, cholesterol or diabetes
therefore increasing your health risks. So now the chances of getting other diseases have
increased because of infections that the animal you consume have. We don't need to consume
meat at all in order to survive because you can eat other replacements that give you the same
nutritional value. If we were meant to eat meat then why is it that it is killing us softly? If we
were meant to eat meat it should not affect our health the way it does. It’s understandable that it
is now part of human nature for humans to have the necessity to consume meat on a daily basis.
It’s been that way for many generations.
Meat is not only affecting our body the way it functions but it is also affecting our
environment which still affects our health. Consuming meat on a daily basis affects our
environment and our body because of the amount of emission the meat industry releases. In the
Book Eating Animals by Jonathan Foer it states that, “raising animals for food (whether on
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factory or traditional farms) “is one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the
most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. . . .”. This ongoing
problem of meat consumption is not only affecting people locally but globally. Consuming
animals are a contributor to global warming that we may not see happening because when we
think about global warming we think about littering or cars and airplanes emission. We should
stop and realize what our actions and choices result in. What is really causing global climate
change? The more that meat industry grows the more emission it releases that affects us all.
Meat consumptions affects the environment through global climate change. Aside from
the problems caused by the emission produced by the farm industry meat consumption also
destroys a habitats where acres of trees live and give life. According to How to Win an Argument
With a MeatEater, “Meat eating is the number one driving force for the destruction of these
forests. Two hundred and sixty million acres of US forestland have been cleared for crop land to
produce the meat centered diet. Fifty five square feet of tropical rain forest is consumed to
produce every quarter pound of rain forest beef.” Companies that produce meat have changed the
way we live in and instead of having an actual beautiful rainforest we have a forest of beef
production in order to consume.
Despite the fact that animal production causes global warming meat industry affects not
only our body but it affects our economy. The meat industry affects our economy because of the
amount of money that is being used to be able to produce meat to keep up with the increase of
employees and jobs for people. According to North America Meat Institute, “According to the
study, the meat and poultry industry directly employs 1.8 million people, paying $45.5 billion in
wages and benefits.” Many people working for the meat industry are not always getting enough
fare trade as they are supposed to.
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In my personal experience, there were many opportunities that I could have stopped
eating meat but I chose to continue to eat meat which caused me to end up in the hospital. Now I
am aware of the consequence of my over consumption of meat of many years. It led to me to
have an unhealthy life and for me to obtain gaul stones. I now try to avoid eating meat because I
have learned of the many health issues that it can cause not only for the consumers but to the
animals as well. I believe that we should not have to consume animals for food. If there is a day
we run out of food what will we rely on? Would that mean that we would consume other humans
for food? I think ethically that would be wrong to consume another human. If we wouldn't want
to eat another human we should think twice about eating an animal because I believe they are the
same as a human. Both are two creatures that have emotions and a soul.
Therefore being aware of what you put in your body is important because you know that
you have to make better decisions for your own health. Not consuming meat makes it better for
the environment and yourself. There are many alternatives to consume real nutritional value from
other foods that are not necessarily meat. According to the article Vegetarian Pros and Cons “The
USDA includes meat as part of a balanced diet, but it also states that a vegetarian diet can meet
"the recommended dietary allowances for nutrients." Being aware of the bad habits you have
now should help you figure out that as individuals is never late to stop over consuming meat. At
least be aware of what you put in your body and try to see that it is not okay to over eat. The
change will not happen from one day to another but it will happen gradually. It is about taking
small steps and seeing that you need to do something about the way you eat. I am not here to tell
everyone to turn vegetarian, vegan or event to stop consuming overall. Awareness and
consciousness of real problems we face will help us make a change and difference, and that is all
I am asking for. According to Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, “Growing
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evidence indicates that current and projected production and consumption patterns are important
contributors to significant environmental problems, public health degradation, and animal
suffering.” I am saying be aware of the amount of meat you are consuming in order to be able to
live a little longer and stop these patterns that contribute to our environmental issues. Over the
past years eating ethically has become an issue that we hope to maybe change. There may be or
never be a day that people can go without eating meat. Unfortunately it has become a necessity
to have to consume meat, but you should think twice of what is going on inside your body. It
makes a difference.
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work cited
Bittman, Mark. "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26
Jan. 2008. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
"How to Win an Argument With a MeatEater." (n.d.): 1-3. Proquest. Web. Journal of
Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 11 (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
"Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk." PCRM.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
"The Case Against Meat by Jim Motavalli." The Case Against Meat by Jim Motavalli. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
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