All over the world, people eat in all sorts of different ways. Some use forks and knives, some use chopsticks, and some take the direct route to culinary satisfaction and use their fingers to eat. As many ways as there are to eat, there is an even greater variety of foods readily available.

Humans have more variety in their diet than any other organism on earth. Bread, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, and processed foods can all be found at the local supermarket, so it is not entirely surprising that people can afford to make more moral and ethical judgements about what they are prepared to eat. Vegetarians are people who decide to stop eating meat for a variety of reasons.

Famous Vegetarians

Vegetarians can be found in all walks of life. Rather than being a fad or phase, vegetarianism is as normal a way of eating as eating meat is for other people. There are many famous vegetarians such as Dustin Hoffmann, Martin Kemp, Demi Moore, Peter Sellers, Vincent Van Gogh, Marc Bolan, George Bernard Shaw and Spike Milligan, to name just a few.

Reasons for Becoming a Vegetarian:

• One may disagree with the consumption of meat. This means: One may deplore slaughterhouses, or the treatment of the animals going to the slaughterhouse. Therefore, one refuses to support the meat industry by not buying its products.



*************Include the disinclination that most folks have with killing their own meals, as well as concerns about the slaughterhouses.: All meat does not come from slaughterhouses. This argument completely ignores those who raise or hunt for their meat.


If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian. We feel better about ourselves and better about the animals, knowing we're not contributing to their pain.

- Paul and Linda McCartney

• One may simply want to be a vegetarian because one dislikes the taste of meat.



**********But if one likes the taste of meat, this implies they SHOULD eat it; probably not your aim..upset by the strange objects I came across in corned beef, sausage meat etc. Tubes (blood vessels) grissle etc


• One may decide to be a vegetarian because his/her religion discourages the consumption of meat. (Seventh Day Adventists for example) Some religions believe that all creatures should be treated with respect. This means that, unless you want to eat another human, you shouldn't consume any other animal.



but address moral reasons that even agnostics and atheists might want to give up meat.


To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to Nirvana.

- Buddha

• Eating a meat centered diet is far more expensive than eating a vegetarian diet. Just compare the amout of meat you can get for 10 dollars to the amount of bread you can get for 10 dollars. You might be suprised.



********Another, quite common reason to become a vegetarian: if you are incredibly tight on money, you can live quite a bit more cheaply without meat. If you can only afford to eat meat once or twice a year, your body may not react very well when you do -- hence, sometimes it's easier to go "whole hog", and just cut out meat altogether. *********It is probably not 'good volume' to be eating a bread diet. I don't see any mention about crucial amino acids that the body needs, that generally come from meat.



• Because of the recent outbreak of Mad Cow Disease, both over in Britian as well as here in the States, many people have become vegetarians because they fear contracting some kind of meat-borne illness.



**** You may want to mention Ebola virus here as well. e. coli
*********Red meat contains lots of bad things, both natural and added. Some scientists regard it as close to tobacco in the severity of its health implications.long-term health benefits -- reduced risks for heart disease and some cancers, better bowel health -- than it is a fear of anything acute.While I do know some people here in the states who are really worried about antibiotics, hormones, or genetically modified feed given to meat animals, those people generally seem to chose "organic" meat rather than go veggie altogether. would suggest that health reasons -- that meat is the source of a lot of current illness -- should go in as reason number one.



Vegetarians have the best diet. They have the lowest rates of coronary disease of any group in the country....Some people scoff at vegetarians, but they have a fraction of our heart attack rate and they have only 40 percent of our cancer rate. They outlive other men by about six years now.

- Dr William Castelli

• Vegetarians tend to form their own circles; after all, you dont see many meat-only markets or co-ops for meat eaters. You may meet some great people you would have not otherwise in your local vegetarian restaurant.



***Define the groups that 'bragging rights' works in, or societal trends that makes this sound to be a good thing - like giving up cigarettes for both health reasons and being sensitive to the feelings of others.


Not that I say, 'Oh,I'm not going to associate with certain people.' but I have my world,and I only want to be around people who I feel stimulated by. I have to be honest I do have a new quest: I want to meet more vegetarians,people who are more like minded. There's something real neat about that feeling. It makes you feel so settled to know there's somebody else sitting right there,being so passionate about what i'm passionate about. I don't want to be around selfish people. I try to keep myself surrounded by deep people who will move me.

- Alicia Silverstone


• One may disagree with the economic and environmental impacts of the meat industry. This means: One refuses to eat meat because there are other, more environmental friendly alternatives.

• Eating meat is far harder on our land and resources that eating vegetables.

Many things made me become a vegetarian, among them the higher food yield as a solution to world hunger.

-John Denver

Health Concerns Associated with Being a Vegetarian:

• Modern diets use meat as the main source of protein. Once meat is removed from the diet it is necessary to obtain protein from another source. Complete protein is available in soy and quinoa (pronounced keenwa), and by comnining two of the following: nuts, pulses, grains (eg wheat, rice, barley etc). The biggest problem is inexperienced vegetarians may have trouble providing themselves with a healthy balanced meal.

• Other concerns are making sure all the nutrients and minerals needed, such as amino acids, oils etc***** The diet can be supplimented with cod liver oil, calcium tablets and multivitamen pills*******
  

• The simple fact that vegetarian diet takes more time and effort than a meat-centered diet turns many people off from the idea. After all, when you can no longer throw some lunchmeat on some bread and call it a sandwich, and you're sick and tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, what else is there for a quick lunch?

Meat Substitutes

Note: For those who want to stop eating meat for one reason or another but could not live without the taste of meat, there are many tasty alternatives avaliable today, some are virtually indistingushiable from real meat.

Although it takes some adjusting, and quite a bit more food preparation time, being a vegetarian just might be the thing for you.

Further Information

• The Vegetetarian Society

• Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation

• Vegetarianism and Children




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A124589 - Vegetarianism.

A640027 Great Vegetarian Dishes .

A970779 Veganism without Tears - an Intro to Adopting a Vegan Diet.

A531776 Prions .

A604270 Farm Animals and their Names .

A738641 Salad Recipes.

A182620 Tofu.

A529995 Special Dietary Requirements .

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