Go Vegetarian!

Chances are that if you aren't a vegetarian, you know someone who is. There are many reasons that people choose to be a practicing vegetarian or vegan from health reasons to environmentalism to animal welfare, and as Sir Paul McCartney so eloquently states, "Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty."

One of the most common reasons that vegetarianism is gaining popularity is due to health benefits. According to the American Dietetic Association, eating meat and animal products has been linked to asthma and Alzheimer's, among other health problems and ultimately, vegetarians outlive their meat-eating cousins by six to 10 years. In addition, vegetarians have lower instances of flu contraction, heart disease and obesity. According to studies, kids that practice vegetarianism grow taller and have higher IQs than their meat-eating contemporaries.

Those who are looking to preserve the environment might be startled to know that, according to a 2006 UN study, the meat industry produces more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, airplanes, and boats in the world put together; a whopping 18% in fact. The relatively new term environmental vegetarianism refers to someone who believes that meat cultivation is environmentally unsustainable because of the overwhelming use of water, land, fossil fuels and other natural resources and as the world's population increases, food shortages will certainly be more prominent and, eventually, an inevitable reality.

Groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society adamantly oppose meat-eating because of the negative impact that factory farming has on individual animals. The Humane Society has done several undercover missions, including one that exposed cruelty at a Vermont veal slaughter facility. The Humane Society also points to the common practice of caging egg-laying hens and has put pressure on restaurants like IHOP and Sonic to outline practices that are cruelty-free. Regardless of these new policies, most animal welfare groups strongly advocate vegetarianism or veganism to prevent continued cruelty.

The impact of killing animals on slaughterhouse workers is astonishing: According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 33% of slaughterhouse workers suffer from illness or injury every year, which is extraordinarily high compared to one in 10 workers in other manufacturing jobs. In addition, because few legal American workers want to work in slaughterhouses, most employees are illegal residents. Vegetarians and vegans can make a difference in the lives of thousands of people - American citizens, children and citizens and others - by not supporting the meat industry and making a statement that current meat packing facility practices are unacceptable.

Lastly, look to peer pressure for a reason to go veg. What do Alicia Silverstone, Russell Simmons, Sir Paul McCartney and Pamela Anderson all have in common? They all have chosen to live a cruelty-free, vegetable-based lifestyle. Want to join the club? Check the many resources available online, including lots of vegetarian recipes, to get started!

"Vegetarian and Vegan Information". www.goveg.com
"Environmental Warning: Meat's Not Green". http://www.peta.org/feat-climate-change.asp
"HSUS Investigation Results". http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2009/10/vt_slaughter_plant_investigation_103009.html
"Killing For A Living". http://www.goveg.com/workerrights.asp