Give peas a chance

Why would someone choose a nice tossed salad over a juicy steak, or an apple over crispy and savory bacon?

Whether it is because animals are being treated with cruelty and eventually killed to become food on the dinner table, or because producing meat requires an abundance of fossil fuels which affects the environment, the reasons why vegetarianism is the way to go, are endless.

Imagine that cute calf will eventually grow up to be slaughtered so that a family could have a nice Sunday dinner. Imagine the piglet at the farm growing up to become pork chops, your favorite meal.

Imagine those chickens you have are going to have their lives abrupt to a halt so that it could be consumed.

Every year, over 56 billion farm animals are being killed for food and that doesn’t include fish and other sea creatures. What is even worse is that these animals are being fed antibiotics, and pesticides are being added to their feed so that rapid growth occurs which is not natural and not good for the human body.

The people who raise and produce these animals are putting money and quantity over care and quality which with no doubt, can be avoided by your contribution.

As more animals are being slaughtered and sold in markets, the amount of fossil fuels released into the environment is only increasing. For every calorie of beef, 78 calories of fossil fuels are required – while merely one calorie of fossil fuel is necessary to produce one calorie of soybeans.

It it said that livestock create more greenhouse gases than all of the trucks and cars in the world combined.

Everyday, over 40,000 children starve to death around the world due to the lack of food. If land was being used to grow crops such as corn and grains instead of it being used to raise animals, and the crops were used to feed the hungry instead of as feed, there could be enough food to end world hunger.

One acre of land can be used to grow 20,000 pounds of potatoes while that same land can be used to produce less than 165 pounds of beef.  If changes are made, there’s a way so more farming can be done to provide a cheaper and easier as well as a healthier way to provide food to those who aren’t as fortunate.

While meat may taste good, it is high in calories and contains a lot of cholesterol and saturated fats which could potentially clog your arteries and increase the risk of cancer. Not only is it the meat itself that can increase the risk of cancer, but it is also the carcinogen compounds formed while the meat is being cooked and prepared.

By eating meat, you increase the risk of contracting illnesses such as E. coli, salmonella, tapeworms, and countless amounts of bacteria that could potentially be harmful for you. In our saliva, we have an enzyme called amylase which the sole purpose is to break down the complex carbohydrates in plants foods that carnivores lack. That is evidence that humans were designed to become vegetarians, not meat eaters.

Generally people who don’t incorporate meat into their diets are a lot healthier physically and also mentally compared to those who do, and are happier.

By choosing to take out meat from your diet, you are saving the lives of innocent animals and helping to reduce the use of fossil fuels. As more and more people go toward vegetarianism, land and crops will be soon be used to feed the hungry rather than to feed livestock.

By not eating meat, your body will thank you for it as well as the environment. Without a doubt, vegetarianism is the way to go, creating a positive change in the environment and becoming more physically and mentally healthier, and also happier.