Vegetarianism In America

In a country where bacon is added to everything and a burger or hotdog might be considered the national food, there are vegetarians who live a healthy, energized life without the comfort of meat. The expansive community of vegetarians struggle with more than weird looks when they ask for a veggie burger instead of a BLT. Vegetarianism is a healthy lifestyle that benefits the individual as well as others. As individuals and as a group, they strive to save not only the animals that receive inhumane treatment, but also the world from toxic pollution and global warming.
According to a “Vegetarianism in America” study conducted by Vegetarian Times, there is approximately 7.3 million people who follow a vegetarian lifestyle (“Vegetarianism in America”).
For instance, vegetarians never spend money on meat. At restaurants, the no meat options are most likely to be cheaper as well. Consuming foods that are free from added hormones and chemicals by avoiding meat has been shown to add an extra five to ten years on someone’s life (Bansal, “Top 10 Advantages of Going Vegetarian”). Being a vegetarian isn’t always easy and simple to follow. There is the challenge of eating out because the people around you may not be considerate of the lifestyle and suggest going to a burger joint. It gets tiring having to order a salad when nothing else meets the vegetarian eating criteria. One of the first question people asks vegetarians is where they get their protein. While the question may become annoying, it has a valid point. Since those foods aren’t available everywhere like meat is, vegetarians do have to pay close attention to their nutrients. Opposers may argue that vegetarians lack protein, iron and other essential vitamins; however, many meat eaters don’t realize that protein and nutrients come from multiple sources outside of the obvious ones. Beans, tofu, soy products, nuts, milk alternatives (such as almond and soy), lentils and so much more contain more protein than is usually
For one, by not purchasing animals products, the buyer isn’t participating in the torture that almost all farm animals endure. Meat eaters like to use the excuse that since they don’t kill the animals themselves, then they don’t have any part in how they are treated; however, that is far from the truth. Animals continue to be treated as they are and be sold in our grocery stores because the demand is still high, regardless of how the meat came from the animal and ended up in the store. As of 2008, The New York Times reported that Americans alone grow and kill around 10 billion animals a year (Bittman, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler”). That is due to a higher demand and consumption of the product. Yet, it’s still important to wonder if these people know how their eating choices are affecting the world in a broader perspective. A 2007 study conducted in Japan by the National Institution of Livestock and Grassland Science reported that approximately 2.2 pounds of beef equated to the same amount of carbon dioxide emitted by a car that travels 155 miles (Bittman, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler”). Not only that, but it also burns the same amount of energy required to light a 100-watt bulb for 20 days (Bittman, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler”). By avoiding meat, vegetarians are contributing in the act to lessen land and water