Understanding people who choose a vegetarian lifestyle can often be misunderstood by

a blanket of societal norms. When most people think of vegetarians, they may think of a health

freak that only eats salad and apples. Contrary to popular belief, that simply isn’t the case. The

misconceptions of vegetarianism, are often formed by a simple lack of knowledge.

A major debate circulating politics today is climate change. Some feel that this nothing

more than a myth, while other groups and organizations across the globe are advocating for the

improvement of the environment. You may be surprised to learn that consuming animal deprived

products is a perfect example of why climate change is in fact, REAL. Down to Earth.org states,

“According to the UN Report, when emissions from land use and land use change are

included, the livestock sector accounts for 9 percent of CO2 deriving from human-related

activities, but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases”( Down to

Earth). By considering these statistics, we are affecting the earth right down to what we are

putting on the dinner table.

Another reason why some experts suggest to steer away from animal derived products is because

of the usage of added antibiotics and hormones. According Down to Earth.org, “Antibiotics

contain significant amounts of the most carcinogenic form of arsenic. USDA researchers have

found that “‘…eating two ounces of chicken per day—the equivalent of a third to a half of a

boneless breast—exposes a consumer to 3 to 5 micrograms of inorganic arsenic, the element’s

toxic form’” (Down to Earth). With daily exposure to these chemicals, humans can increase

their chances of contracting ailments such as dementia and other neurological problems.  

In addition to the possible health effects of consuming animal derived food items, the

overall practicality and sustainability of eating an animal based diet is nothing less than ridiculous. Data collected by the Vegetarian Times explains, “About 70 percent of all grain

produced in the United States is fed to animals raised for slaughter. The 7 billion livestock

animals in the United States consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by the

American population. ‘If all the grain currently fed to livestock were consumed directly by

people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million’”(Vegetarian Times),

says David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell University. If this grain were exported, it

would boost the US trade balance by $80 billion a year.

To conclude, this assignment has addressed a number of significant issues which show

that a vegetarian diet has many benefits. Some discussed include, protecting oneself from ailments,

improving the environment, and saving not only saving billions of dollars, but also countless amounts of lives. Vegetarianism has many positive attributes that many people miss when it

comes to what they are putting into their bodies.