Reasons to Consider Vegetarianism

There are several reasons that can influence our choices to become vegetarian. One of the primary reasons is concern for animal welfare. Compassion for animals drives many of us to no longer be part of a system that breeds and kills creatures to satisfy appetite.

Animals are sentient beings that experience emotions, including feelings of both joy and pain. Giving up eating meat is a moral act designed to help protect animals.

Michael Kern, Craniosacral Therapy teacher and former Osteopath, has been a vegetarian for most of his life and is deeply committed to protecting the welfare of animals.

Stopping Exploitation

Animals bred for meat and other food products are often treated inhumanely throughout their unnaturally short lives. If enough people adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet, the meat and animal by-products trade will decline. Eventually, this will result in fewer animals being processed simply for their meat and better standards of animal welfare.

Being Healthier

Many scientific studies have proven that a vegetarian diet has multiple health benefits for humans. These include longer lifespans and reduced tendency towards certain diseases including heart disease, several forms of cancer, arthritis, stroke, and liver disease. Vegetarians are also less likely to become obese or develop hypertension.

Protecting the Environment

Reducing the reliance on animals as part of the food chain for human consumption could help to protect the environment. Cattle farming and other meat breeding programmes are one of the biggest contributors to deforestation, water pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity.

Human Hunger

When large percentages of the population choose to eat meat, huge amounts of natural resources are diverted to the production of that meat. For every 1lb of animal protein produced, it takes around 80lbs of vegetable protein to feed these animals. This vegetable protein could be used to feed humans rather than animals bred solely for slaughter. Only 20% of the agricultural land in the world is used for feeding humans, with the remaining 80% used for feeding animals.

Spiritual and Ethical Choices

Many people convert to vegetarianism when they begin on a spiritual path. Several ancient religions, including Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism, all promote non-violence and therefore avoidance of eating the flesh of sentient creatures. As animals feel pain and have feelings similar to our own, becoming vegetarian or vegan is an ethical choice.