Reasons People Become Vegetarians

Why do vegetarians stop eating meat and live a completely different style of life? This is a question many non-vegetarians think about. There is no one response to this query. There are many varied reasons that non-vegetarians become vegetarians – some have many reasons themselves. The majority of vegetarians state their reason as one main objection to eating meat.

The most mentioned reason, which many vegetarians claim, is that they have ethical problems with eating meat. Most disagree with how chickens are debeaked, forced to live in small cages, and are then slaughtered when they do not produce eggs fast enough. Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and stressful environments animals are forced into and the hormone laden feed used to make them grow faster and produce more.

People who become vegetarians for this purpose often draw ethical boundaries in different spots, depending on their personal beliefs. For instance, some staunch vegans won’t consume yeast, wear wool, or even eat certain vegetables, such as carrots, that require killing the plant to harvest. On the opposite side of the spectrum, some vegetarians–sometimes referred to as pseudo-vegetarians–will actually eat fish and chicken on a regular basis.

Another reason vegetarians claim for not eating meat is that it conflicts with their

dietary preferences. Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture and taste of meat; others do not eat it because it is high in cholesterol and often contains high concentrations of hormones and preservatives.

A group of vegetarians offer a another purpose in not eating meat: environmental factors. They argue that, in order to meet the appetites of meat-eaters, farmers must progressively clear more and more land to allow cattle to graze. These reasons aside, there are still more vegetarians who give up meat consumption for completely different concepts.