Promoting Vegetarianism

Promoting Vegetarianism

By Nolan, Harrison, and Oliver

As you probably know, people have been eating meat for millions of years. It has become a regular day-to-day activity. It has become so regular that some people make it their jobs to produce this food. These people are called farmers and butchers. Their job is to raise and slaughter animals, making them ready to eat. You might say that this is OK, but we’re here to tell you the truth. The whole truth. In the next few paragraphs, we’re going to show you all the downsides of eating meat and animal products.

First, eating no (or less) meat could dramatically reduce hunger, because plant-based products are cheaper, better for you, and use less farmland for more pounds of protein. For example, an area that can produce 100 pounds of protein from plants can produce 60 pounds of protein from eggs, 50 from chickens, 25 from dairy, 10 from pork, and only 4 pounds of protein from beef. Plants are also easier to produce.

Animals have to mature before they can be killed and turned into meat products. So in the same amount of time, you can grow more plants than you can raise livestock. In the worst case, you can produce 96% less protein, and that’s from raising cows – which create one of the most popular meat products, beef. See? Growing plants produces WAY more nutritious food than raising animals. Nobody wants something to die for no reason, right? If the farmland used for livestock was replaced with plant crops, 327 million more people would be fed. Human population would go up, we would evolve, there would be more wildlife and more food for wild animals.

Secondly, cows, pigs, chickens, and other livestock are just like us. They have families and a life. It’s like a human killing another human. Did you know that pigs are just as smart as dogs? It’s unfair. Sometimes, animals know what is going on, and on their way to the slaughterhouse, they try to escape. But instead of letting just one animal go, they have to kill it too. They are sometimes let out onto a pasture, but most of the time they spend is in a small enclosure, with animals on all sides. No room to run, jump, or do anything. It’s sad to think about, and should not be a thing. After all, humans are animals too.

Next, eating meat can cause health problems. Animals can have diseases when they are killed. Sometimes the diseases are possible for humans to get and cause illness, or even paralyze you. Also, it is proven that some people eat meat so much that it kills them from lack of nutrition and too much fat. That’s right, meat could kill you. If it doesn’t kill you, then if you eat it every day, it could at least cause some problems with your health, and even give you cancer in some cases. See why meat is so bad?

(Not So) Fun Fact

Did you know that livestock

causes 51% of all greenhouse gases?

That’s more than all

airplanes, cars, buses, trucks and trains COMBINED!

I bet a lot of people who read articles like these can get grossed out. Everyone that likes meat in our class has one argument: it tastes good. I am honestly getting tired of this response. I mean, “it tastes good” isn't a very good reason, and everyone I ask that likes meat has that one response. Meat is not necessary in our diet (we can get plenty of fat and protein from plants), and by eliminating it we could save hundreds of millions of lives.

I hope that everyone who reads this is convinced that eating less meat would improve life for all. It will be hard because a lot of people love meat, but it is possible – and necessary – for a change. Even though it will be hard, I believe that someday no more animals will be slaughtered. The air not thick with the murder of animals, but peace and delight. All hungry people fed. This is a much better – and happier – world.