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Vegetarian - Pros & Cons - ProCon.org Home More IssuesFAQs Teachers’ Corner Vegetarian Should People Become Vegetarian? Last updated on: 5/2/2024 | Author: ProCon.org History of Vegetarianism Vegetarians , who account for about 5% of the U.S. adult population, do not eat meat (including poultry and seafood). The percentage of Americans who identify as vegetarian has remained steady for two decades. 11% of those who identify as liberal follow a vegetarian diet, compared to 2% of conservatives. In Western culture, vegetarianism dates back to Ancient Greece. The mathematician Pythagoras (570 BC – 495 BC) advocated vegetarianism. A meatless diet was commonly called the Pythagorean diet” until the term vegetarian became popular during the 1800s. The philosopher Plato (428 BC – 348 BC) described a vegetarian diet as divinely ordained.” Read more background… Pro & Con Arguments Pro 1 Killing animals for food is cruel and unethical. Raising animals in confinement for slaughter is cruel, and many animals in the United States are not slaughtered humanely. Animals are sentient beings that have emotions and social connections. Scientific studies show that cattle, pigs, chickens, and all warm-blooded animals can experience stress, pain, and fear. About 50% of meat produced in the United States comes from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where mistreated animals live in filthy, overcrowded spaces with little or no access to pasture, natural light, or clean air. In CAFOs pigs have their tails cut short; chickens have their toenails, spurs, and beaks clipped; and cows have their horns removed and tails docked with no painkillers. Pregnant pigs are kept in metal gestation crates barely bigger than the pigs themselves. Baby cows raised for veal are tied up and confined in tiny stalls their entire short lives (3-18 weeks). [ 32 ] [ 35 ] [ 41 ] [ 100 ] [ 147 ] The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) mandates that livestock be stunned unconscious before slaughter to minimize suffering. However, birds such as chickens and turkey are exempted from the HMS, and a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Organization (GAO) found that the USDA was not taking consistent actions to enforce the HMSA.” [ 65 ] [ 66 ] [ 90 ] In 2017 (the most recent data available), the United States slaughtered a total of 170.6 million animals for food, including 124.5 million pigs, 33.7 million cows, 9.2 million chickens, and 2.4 million sheep. These animals should not have to die painfully and fearfully to satisfy an unnecessary dietary preference. Read More Pro 2 A vegetarian diet is healthful. According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet can meet protein requirements, provide all the essential amino-acids (the building blocks of protein), and provide all the necessary vitamins, fats, and minerals. And, a vegetarian diet can improve one’s health. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] According to the USDA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, meat is not an essential part of a healthy diet. Further, studies have linked heme iron found in red meat with an increased risk of colorectal, stomach, and esophageal cancers. Vegetarian sources of iron like leafy greens and beans contain non-heme iron. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 68 ] [ 123 ] [ 150 ] Meat also has high renal acid levels which the body must neutralize by leaching calcium from the bones, which is then passed into urine and lost. There are many sources of healthy vegetarian calcium including tofu, dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collard greens, as well as fortified cereals. [ 5 ] [ 128 ] Vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance to bacteria, kidney stones, gallstones, death from heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 40 ] [ 64 ] [ 102 ] [ 122 ] [ 132 ] [ 140 ] [ 148 ] Several studies show that vegetarian diets increase the lifespan of adherents by 3.6 to 7.28 years. [ 76 ] [ 86 ] [ 121 ] [ 130 ] Read More Pro 3 A vegetarian diet is better for the environment. Overgrazing livestock hurts the environment through soil compaction, erosion, and harm to native plants and animals. Grazing has also damaged streams and riparian areas in the western United States. And, grazing has been a factor in the listing of at least 171 species of animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act because the large tracts of flat land interrupt natural habitats. Abstaining from eating meat would help restore land more naturally suited to provide habitat for native plants and animals. [ 29 ] [ 92 ] [ 93 ] A vegetarian diet also conserves water. Producing one pound of beef takes about 1,800 gallons of water, on pound of pork uses about 576 gallons, one pound of turkey needs about 486 gallons, and each pound of chicken requires about 468 gallons. Meanwhile, a pound of tofu only takes about 302 gallons. [ 151 ] [ 152 ] [ 153 ] Additionally, raising animals for food contributes to air and water pollution. Manure produces toxic hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which pollute the air and leach poisonous nitrates into nearby waters. Runoff laden with manure is a major cause of dead zones” in 173,000 miles of U.S. waterways, including the 7,700-square-mile dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. [ 32 ] [ 115 ] [ 166 ] All told, a vegetarian diet leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are created by enteric fermentation (aka animal farts and burps), manure decomposition, and deforestation to make room for grazing animals and growing feed. Diets including meat cause the creation of up to 54% more greenhouse gas emissions than vegetarian diets. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, a worldwide diet change away from animal products” is necessary to stop the worst effects of global climate change. [ 104 ] [ 134 ] Read More Con 1 Eating meat is natural. Vegetarians mistakenly elevate the value of animal life over plant life. Research shows that plants also respond electrochemically to threats. Every organism on earth dies at some point so others organisms can live and there is nothing wrong with this cycle. Humans are simply animals and fit into the existing ecosystems that allow for carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. [ 98 ] [ 148 ] U.S. slaughterhouses must conform to the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) that mandates that livestock be stunned unconscious before slaughter. Many of the largest U.S. meat producers also adhere to the handling standards developed by Dr. Temple Grandin that factor in animal psychology to design transportation devices, stockyards, loading ramps, and restraining systems that minimize stress and calm animals as they are led to slaughter. [ 65 ] [ 87 ] [ 88 ] [ 89 ] Further, there is a growing movement to raise cruelty-free” organic meat. In the United States, animals raised for certified organic meat must be given access to the outdoors, clean air, and water. They cannot be given growth hormones or antibiotics and must be fed organically grown feed free of animal byproducts. According to a 2007 report from the Range Improvement Task Force, organic meat accounted for 3% of total U.S. meat production. By the end of 2012 natural and organic” beef accounted for 4% of total beef sales in the United States. And, in 2019, 76% of consumers thought that grocery stores should sell meat and poultry raised and slaughtered with good animal welfare standards. By all accounts, the production of and demand for ethically raised meat products is soaring. [ 84 ] [ 85 ] [ 129 ] [ 149 ] Read More Con 2 Eating meat, poultry, and fish is part of a healthful diet. Lean red meat, eaten in moderation, can be a healthful part of a balanced diet. According to researchers at the British Nutrition Foundation, there is no evidence” that moderate consumption of unprocessed lean red meat has any negative health effects. Poultry like chicken and turkey, unprocessed pork (e.g. pork loin, not bacon), and fish...