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Reasons for Choosing a Vegetarian Diet Let us start with a brief background on some because of a conscious or philosophical the reasons people have chosen a vegetarian viewpoint that the consumption of meat is diet  in  our  history: economically unsound and that vegetarianism will help improve public health and curb many The idea of vegetarianism is not a new one, starvation  issues. by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed man has in one way or another eaten vegetarian Environmental diets since his beginnings. Granted, the first vegetarians did so only out necessity. Environmental Vegetarians are similar to Meat may not have been available due to harsh Economic Vegetarians. According to the United winters, animal migrational patterns or even Nations, the livestock sector (cows, poor tribal leadership. Only foraged food chickens, pigs, etc) is one of the three most would have been available under such significant contributors to our most serious circumstances. environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. It is one of the largest As man evolved and became more able to sources of greenhouse gases. The use of manipulate his environment, so came the feedlots, for cattle feeding, is one of the option to choose. Available facts point to most inefficient and environmentally harmful the first vegetarian ideologies being ways of producing meat; yet they still remain practiced in Egypt around 3,200BC where some widespread  throughout  cattle  farming. religious groups abstained from eating flesh, as they believed it produced bad karma with Religion regards  to  their  reincarnation. Many religions support vegetarianism Around 2000BC Hindus, on the Indian including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and sub-continent, began practising vegetarianism Taoism. They offer similar teachings which in the belief that a vegetarian diet is stress the value of all life and forbids the needed to reach spiritual enlightenment. Even act of destroying life simply for human today, Hindus make up the largest percentage gains. of  vegetarians  on  the  Earth. Distaste Also from the Indian sub-continent, around 600BC, came the religion of Jainism. In its Some people genuinely do not enjoy the taste teachings, Jainism insists that we honor the of meat, suggesting it tastes sweaty or spiritual nature of all life. Extemely fatty. Others choose to be vegetarian because dedicated Jainists go to the extent of they find meat products aesthetically straining insects from drinking water and unappetizing. An example being, the carcass even wearing masks to avoid inhaling small, of a herd animal lying in a field would airborne creatures. They will only eat fruits attract real carnivores such as big cats or that have natually fallen from trees and are wolves, but the mere sight would disgust most not  supposed  to eat honey or rooted plants. humans. Janism is the only religion requiring their Animal  Welfare monks  to  be  vegetarian. Many vegetarians, especially western Vegetarianism was also popularised in Ancient vegetarians, are motivated by animal welfare. Greece by many of the great philosophers They see animals as our friends, with whom we including Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. share the world and not as mere food. The Indeed vegetarians in Europe were originally fact that most parents actively encourage referred to as Pythagoreans, after the Greek their children to love and appreciate animals Philosopher Pythagoras advocated a vegetarian is totally contradictory to the way in which diet for its nutritional and ethical values. humans  really  respect  and  treat  animals. He  claimed, Personal  Health "As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will Possibly the single most reason more and more never know health or peace. For as long as people are turning to vegetarianism, current men massacre animals, they will kill each studies are showing that vegetarians are other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder living longer and healthier. A study by the and  pain  cannot  reap  joy  and  love." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999 found that the mortality ratio in fish It was not until 1847, when the first eaters was lowest (0.82) then followed by vegetarian society was formed in Ramsgate, vegetarians (0.84) occasional meat eaters Kent UK, that the name Vegetarian was first also at (0.84) compared to regular meat conceived. Contrary to popular belief, the eaters  at  (1.0). word Vegetarian arose from the Latin word `vegetus`, meaning `lively` which was how A recent study shown in the British Medical early vegetarians claimed their diet made Journal  concluded  that, them  feel. "Higher IQ at age 10 years was associated Many reason have been voiced in favour of with an increased likelihood of being vegetarianism in our history including the vegetarian at age 30...IQ remained a long held philosophy that vegetarians are statistically significant predictor of being living longer, healthier lives than their vegetarian  as  an  adult..." meat eating counter-parts. Much evidence has already been accumulated to support these Conscience claims. Conscience is a conglomeration of all the Now let us look at some of the reasons that other reasons. It is our moral conscience, justify becoming vegetarian in our modern which allows us to weigh up what we see, hear society. and know. It is our choice whether we allow it to influence out daily life. Those who are Necessity able to suppress their consciousness, deliberately or otherwise, will ultimately The case of necessity speaks for itself make a decision that will not favour the really; anyone unable to find a supply of miss-fortunes  of  animals. meat sufficient to sustain life must find an alternative until such time that meat becomes I hope, that in some way, this article will available  again. encourage people to explore vegetarianism as a real option. Whatever reasons for becoming Economic vegetarian, one thing is not in doubt; vegetarianism is here to stay and it looks An Economic Vegetarian is someone who likely to become the preferred diet of choice practices vegetarianism either out of for all humans in the not too distant future. necessity, lack of funds for instance, or 1 A B 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84