It often feels as though it’s assumed that people choose to be vegetarians because they agree with animal welfare and don’t believe in killing animals for food. Yes, many times this is the case, but in recent years, as vegetarianism has become more popular and accessible, research has found many other reasons why people choose to stop eating meat. In an article by Harvard Health Publishing, it was found that in addition to animal welfare, people also become vegetarians for health reasons, religious reasons, concerns about antibiotics and hormones in livestock, and wanting to avoid excessive use of environmental resources (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).

When considering vegetarianism, many people worry about whether they are going to be able to get the required vitamins and nutrients if they are not eating meat. When I first decided that I wanted to become a vegetarian, I was worried about this too. My biggest concern was how I would obtain the proper amount of protein, especially because I frequently work out. As I did more research, I found that you can easily acquire the amount of protein that you need from eggs and dairy products. In addition, there are many plant-based sources of protein like beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, soy products, and whole grains that both vegans and vegetarians can eat in order to obtain the proper amounts of protein (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).

People often focus on the deficits from a vegetarian diet but I think the health benefits of eating vegetarian should be talked about more. Many people decide to become vegetarian to improve their health. Research has shown that being a vegetarian can actually help combat some major diseases like heart disease and cancer. Vegetarians are at a lower risk of having a heart attack or other heart defects and, on average, 25% less likely to die of heart disease (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). Studies have also shown that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of some types of cancers and cutting red meat out of your diet lowers your chance of developing colon cancer (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).

There are many reasons to become a vegetarian. I became a vegetarian partly for health, but mostly for animal welfare. I decided to become a vegetarian because it felt wrong to eat animals. I would always feel uneasy handling raw meat and the fact that raw meat made me feel “icky”, made me think that I probably shouldn’t be eating it cooked. A friend asked me a question once that really resonated with me and was a big reason why I chose to become vegetarian. She asked, “Would you ever be able to kill an animal?” and I replied, “Absolutely not! I could never do that!”. She asked me this after she was put in a situation where she had to kill a chicken for food. This made me think that if I could never do that, then why am I eating the meat if I couldn’t kill the animal?

I found that since becoming a vegetarian, I have been eating a lot healthier and although this wasn’t my main reason for becoming vegetarian, it is a positive outcome. I have had to look for healthier meal options instead of just cooking the same old, easy, go to dinner of chicken nuggets.

 

Resource:

Harvard Health Publishing (April 15, 2020). Becoming a vegetarian.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/becoming-a-vegetarian