Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism started to gain popularity in the 1960s and 1970s and many young people became vegetarian fro environmental, ethical, and political reasons. The book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe in 1971sold over 3 million copies and presented an argument for not eating meat, including one example that millions of tons of the world's grain was being fed to livestock instead of hungry people. Along with the founding of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980, vegetarianism became a rapidly growing trend.
Vegetarin foods and products are easily found in the United States today. The Vegetarian Resource Group estimated, based on a 2000 poll, that there are about 4.8 million vegetarians in the United States. People are becoming increasingly more aware of the health benefits of vegetarianism and are against the cruel treatment of animals on factory farms. The newest vegetarian campaign has focused on the role of the meat industry in creating greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Vegetarin foods and products are easily found in the United States today. The Vegetarian Resource Group estimated, based on a 2000 poll, that there are about 4.8 million vegetarians in the United States. People are becoming increasingly more aware of the health benefits of vegetarianism and are against the cruel treatment of animals on factory farms. The newest vegetarian campaign has focused on the role of the meat industry in creating greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Types of Vegetarians
Vegetarianism is commonly defined as a diet that excludes meat and is primarily plant-based. There are, however, many different types of vegetarians.
Lacto-ovo-vegetarianThis is common group. They do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish, or any animal flesh but they do eat eggs and dairy products.
| Lacto-vegetariansThey are the next step of vegetarians and they do not eat any type of animal, including eggs, but they do eat dairy products.
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VeganVegans are stricter vegetarians that do not consume eggs, dairy, or processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients (including gelatin), as well as the obvious beef, pork, fish, etc.
| Raw VegansRaw Vegans are the most extreme. They believe that cooking food will destroy nutrients. They only eat unprocessed vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Positives on the body of Being a Vegetarian
-Vegetarians are 50% less likely to develop heart disease, and they have a 40% lower cancer rate of meat-eaters.
-Meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans.
-Vegetarians have stronger immune systems than meat-eaters.
-Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.
-Meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans.
-Vegetarians have stronger immune systems than meat-eaters.
-Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.
Negatives of Vegetarianism
Vitamin deficiencies are a common problem in vegetarian diets. They lack protein and B vitamins and can sometimes go overboard on processed foods and sugars and carbohydrates.
Meat Production and the EnvironmentMeat production causes many environmental problems that might be solved from a vegetarian diet.
-Of all agricultural land in the US, 80 percent is used to raise animals for food. -It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. -Audubon estimates that 50% of the water used in the US is to raise animals for food. -360 million acres of forest in the US alone have been cleared for cropland for farmed animals. The Smithsonian says seven football fields of land on earth are bulldozed every minute to create room for farm animals. -1/3 of the fossil fuels used in the US go into the production of meat. (Miller) |