Should I become a vegetarian??

Question

I'm trying to decide if I should become a vegetarian or not. Should I? What are the good and bad things about becoming one?

Answer 1

101 Reasons to be a Vegetarian :

http://www.flex.com/~jai/articles/101.ht...

Those are the good things about being a vegetarian and they out-weight the "bad things" - if there is any.

How to become a Vegetarian the easy way :

http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Vegetari...

Vegetarian Recipes :

http://www.webvalue.net/recipes/

Protein Rich foods (so you can stay healthy) :

http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2007/10/28...

But remember, being a vegetarian isn't right for everyone. Some can be unhealthy if they don't get enough vitamins or if they don't eat the right foods

If you crave meat, buy fake meat (Morning Star products or Yves are good) They sell fake chicken and other meats made out of soy and vegetables

Answer 2

it's up to you but i say you should

meat isn't good for you but you have to make sure to get your protein(tofu and beans)

Answer 3

That's only a question that you can answer.  Are you ready to be committed to this diet?  Is it something that you believe in?  

If so, then go for it.

There are many health reasons to start eating vegetarian.  Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, boosting your immune system with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, not ingesting hormones, etc.  We could really be here for quite a while listing why it's healthy, but the choice is up to you.

Good luck!

Answer 4

There is nothing wrong with meat.  If you want, you can just start eating more vegetables, that's always good for you.

Well one bad thing- tofu is disgusting.  I don't care how hard they try, a tofu burger will never taste like beef.

Answer 5

No, meat is so good.

Answer 6

It's really your own decision. No matter what we tell you, it's really up to you because it's your body. Yes, it's healthier and kinder, but it's gotta be something you want.

Google "vegetarian" and read what you get.

It's really not that big of a deal--it's been 2 years now for me. I definitely think it's a great lifestyle choice!  It makes me examine my food, and encourages me to eat healthier. I also ended up trying a lot of great new foods which i love (hummus, couscous, etc.)

I think you should go for it--and I have some advice for you too, for when you do decide to become vegetarian:

1) Make a gradual change. Cut out beef first, then pork, then chicken, etc. (or whatever order you want to do it in). It's easier to make a slow adjustment like that.

2) Be open to trying new foods. And make friends with a lot of vegetables that you didn't really like or eat before.

3) Read up on how much protein you need. It's easy to get enough protein, but in the beginning, you do need to pay attention to what you are eating and get enough. (Keep some peanut butter on hand for snacks).

4) Enjoy!

Answer 7

20 REASONS for being VEGETERIAN

Vegetarianism is the fastest growing trend in the developed world. Here are 20 (even more)  reasons why you should think about turning green too.

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1) Avoiding meat is one of the best and simplest ways to cut down your fat consumption. Modern farm animals are deliberately fattened up to increase profits. Eating fatty meat increases your chances of having a heart attack or developing cancer.



2) Every minute of every working day, thousands of animals are killed in slaughter-houses. Pain and misery are common. In the US alone, 500,000 animals are killed for meat every hour.



3) There are millions of cases of food poisoning recorded every year. The vast majority are caused by eating meat.



4) Meat contains absolutely nothing - no proteins, vitamins or minerals - that the human body cannot obtain perfectly happily from a vegetarian diet.



5) African countries - where millions are starving to death - export grain to the developed world so that animals can be fattened for our dining tables.

  

6) 'Meat' can include the tail, head, feet, r****m and spinal cord of an animal.



7) A sausage can contain ground up intestines. How can anyone be sure that the intestines are empty when they are ground up? Do you really want to eat the content of a pig's intestines?



8) If we eat the plants we grow instead of feeding them to animals, the world's food shortage will disappear virtually overnight. Remember that 100 acres of land will produce enough beef for 20 people but enough wheat to feed 240 people.



9) Every day, tens of millions of one-day-old male chicks are killed because they will not be able to lay eggs. There are no rules about how this mass slaughter takes place. Some are crushed or suffocated to death. Many are used for fertiliser or fed to other animals.



10) Animals who die for your dinner table die alone, in terror, in sadness and in pain. The killing is merciless and inhumane.



11) It's must easier to become (and stay) slim if you are a vegetarian. (By 'slim', I do not mean 'abnormally slender' or 'underweight' but rather, an absense of excess weight!)



12) Half the rainforests in the world have been destroyed to clear ground to graze cattle to make beefburgers. The burning of the forests contributes 20% of all green-house gases. Roughtly 1,000 species a year become extinct because of the destruction of the rainforests. Approximately 60 million people a year die of starvation. All those lives could be saved because those people could eat grain used to fatten cattle and other farm animals - if Americans ate 10% less meat.



13) The world's fresh water shortage is being made worse by animal farming. And meat producers are the biggest polluters of water. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. If the US meat industry wasn't supported by the taxpayer paying a large proportion of its water costs, then hamburger meat would cost $35 a pound.



14) If you eat meat, you are consuming hormones that were fed to the animals. No one knows what effect those hormones will have on your health. In some parts of the world, as many as one on four hamburgers contain growth hormones that were originally given to cattle.



15) The following diseases are commoner among meat eaters: anaemia, appendicitis, arthritis, breast cancer, cancer of the colon, cancer of the prostrate, constipation, diabetes, gallstones, gout, high blood pressure, indigestion, obesity, piles, strokes and varicose veins. Lifelong vegetarians visit hospital 22% less often than meat eaters and for shorter stays. Vegetarians have a 20% lower blood cholestrol level than meat eaters and this reduces heart attack and cancer risks considerably.



16) Some farmers use tranquillisers to keep animals calm. Other routinely use antibiotics to starve off infection. When you eat meat you are eating those drugs. In America, 55% of all antibiotics are fed to animals and the percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin went up from 14% in 1960 to 91% in 1988.

  

17) In a lifetime, the average meat eater will consumer 36 pigs, 36 sheep and 750 chickens and turkeys. Do you want that much carnage on your conscience?



18) Animals suffer from pain and fear just as much as you do. How would you like to spend your last hours locked in a truck, packed into a cage with hundreds of other terrified animal and then cruelly pushed into a blood soaked death chamber. Anyone who eats meat condones and supports the way animals are treated.



19) Animals which are a year old are often far more rational - and capable of logical thought - than six week old babies. Pigs and sheep are far more intelligent than small children. Eating dead animals is barbaric.



20) The world's most successful scientists, thinkers, environmentalists, philosophers & spiritual leaders ARE/WERE vegetarian.

Answer 8

being a vegetarian is great

it has alot of health benifits and also you save lives!

since ive became one //five years ago// ive lost weight, my face rarely breaks out (unless im stressed) and also i feel better

and you save so many lives and youll feel better about not eating animals

some people who are vegetarins miss eating meat (but there are alot of meat subs. out there like: morning star farms products, and bocca)

also if you dont eat rite (like get iron and protien) you can get really really sick

but that can be prevented with

beans, cereals, veggie meat, tofu, soy,and other things

hope this helps you with your decision :)

Answer 9

I always say, it's easier to be what you have always been. Many people become vegetarians but don't stick with it, because it is a huge change to what you are used to. Eating at restaurants becomes difficult, and you will always have a craving. I know because I have seen my friends try. I stick to it because I was raised this way. I would say, if you truly believe in it and want to, then make sure you have a mentor vegetarian helping you learn how to eat out etc. I know it sounds over-kill ,but trust me, it will help. Find someone who has been this way all their life or for a long time, and they can help.

But it's your decision...