I became a vegetarian during my freshman year of high school. It was a hard decision due to being Hispanic with a family that makes meat essential in our everyday lives. My dad was a vegetarian for over 35 years and I have no idea how he did it. When I was younger, he would secretly change my burger patties to veggie patties and I would hate them more than anything.
One of my best friends has been a vegan for a hot minute now and I got used to eating vegan things because I felt weird eating anything else with her. She never made me feel uncomfortable, but it just felt like the thing to do. Around college, my roommate decided to go vegetarian for a catholic holiday and I decided to join her because I felt bad that our whole friend group was not on the same scheme. After 40 days she went back to her ways and I surprisingly stuck to it. So many opportunities have presented themselves it was time to take one up.
There are many overall benefits to committing to a vegetarian lifestyle, one being that you feel like you have more energy. I cannot begin to describe how much more awake and ready I am to face the day. According to Dr. Michael Roizen, artery-clogging products from animals slow us all down. The whole grains, fruits, and vegetables that we eat instead help fuel up the body with nothing but energy. Since the food you eat is more restricted, you are forced to eat foods with more fiber that help push out all the waste from the body.
If you care deeply about the environment then these are some things to consider. Being a vegetarian can help reduce pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency states that, “more than 173,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams. Runoff from farmlands is one of the greatest threats to water quality today.”
Almost 93% of pesticide leftovers do come from fish, meat, and other dairy products. Due to the heavy metals that cant be removed even when we cook or freeze them.
One of my favorite reasons for going vegetarian is just the idea of sparing animals. Over ten million animals are slaughtered for food every year. It’s not always the pretty picture of animals at farms, running around being happy until it’s their time. In most places, animals are kept in factories, kept in cages and they are given food filled with pesticides and antibiotics. They are in cages where they can barely move. Even the animals that do get to live on farms, they are not protected from cruelty. I know it’s a reach to state this but for my friend and I who have gone vegan or vegetarian, we’ve all talked about how we feel a lot less guilty when we eat now. Something about eating food and knowing no animals suffered in the process gives people a sigh of relief. Of course, we’re not saving every animal by just one person deciding to eat a veggie burger, but it’s the small things that can make a big difference.
Saving Money! Animal Products account for 12% of food spending by Americans. Vegetarian Time states that “Eating vegetables, grains, and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each non-vegetarian eats annually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 eating vegetables, grains, and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each nonvegetarian eat annually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 a year.” As a broke college kid, I’m down.
There are many reasons to consider going vegetarian and these are only a few. I have enjoyed it because I have always been a very picky eater, with an already limited diet this helped me branch out and ultimately made me a better cook. I had to learn to get creative so I wouldn’t get bored of the same food. I feel a lot better now since I began this change. Being a vegetarian or vegan isn’t for everyone. It’s a good option but it’s not something that should be forced onto people. It’s cool to lay out the benefits but there are disadvantages to being vegetarian.