Question: Should people become vegetarian?

Vegetarianism: we should stop eating other animals. The type of vegetarian that we are debating about is someone who is lacto-vegetarian that means they eat dairy products; but no eggs or meat. There are many reasons for being vegetarian and not only because you feel that have had the animals deserved a better life. There are health benefits from being vegetarian as well as solving many world food shortages. Also becoming vegetarian would help the world as well as you, like global warming could e reduced (assuming this is an accepted theory), and if everyone became vegetarian there would be better water supplies throughout the world, being vegetarian can also save you money. Being vegetarian is healthy, Vegetarians are usually lean and strong, because knowing that they cannot eat some things, the watch their diet more than the average person does. Vegetarians rarely have vitamin deficiencies because the foods that they are leaving out don't have many vitamins to start with. Also within meat there are bad things such as fat and drugs that the animal has taken in. I an average stake contains 9.5 grams of fat [1], that is over half of your daily guidance, which clearly is a good reason for not eating too much meat to start with. On top of this the animals that you are eating as a non vegetarian are being filled with drugs and chemicals to make them grow faster, these when consumed in large amounts can make you feel ill and drowsy. There are many other illnesses that you can get from meat, like Osteoporosis, Kidney Stones and Gallstones, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis, Gum disease, and acne can be caused. This is all because of poor animal fodder. If you were under the impression that meat is good for you there is another problem that faces you which is an excess in protein. The average American eats 400% of the RDA for protein which can cause excess nitrogen in the blood that causes host of long-term health problems [2]. If you are a vegetarian and you don't eat meat, then you also save money, meat is more expensive than vegetables and other vegetarian foods. Also because you are healthy, for the reasons of being healthy see above, you don't have to spend as much money on healthcare as you otherwise would have had to. Reasons to become a vegetarian based on environmental factors is that the production of meat costs more fossil fuel emissions and other bad gasses then producing vegetables. We can also conserve water by eating more vegetables and less meat. "It takes 3-15 times more water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein. " [2]. To help human food resources we can eat more grains. This is because for 100 acres of land we will produce enough beef for 20 people the same amount of land and we can feed 240 people. With the excess food we can feed a lot of starving people. [3] [1] . http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk... [2] . http://www.britishmeat.com... [3] . http://www.flex.com...

Everyone should be vegetarian. I think that everyone should become vegetarian because killing off all of these animals is cruel, harming the environment, contributing to global warming, and just plain wrong. It has also been proven that vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of heart disease, and are healthier than omnivorous diets. Many people think that it is just part of nature, but since when is nature considered as shoving animals into cages and pens so small that they can't even move?

Humans should be vegetarians. Humans should become vegetarians because meat eating and the killing of farm animals (cows, pigs, etc.) is morally incorrect, evolutionary incorrect, and unhealthy. Meat Production also causes issues regarding pollution, deforestation, and excessive land use; all of which are unbeneficial to the increasing human population.

Everyone should become a vegetarian But because of everyone that eats meat there is a huge effect on the animals. Not only are they killed but also for e.g. Chickens are fed steroids and other harmful chemicals in order for them to grow fast enough to sustain our wants. There are some chickens who are built so much out of chemicals that they don't even have heads yet can produce eggs. This isn't natural. Animals are being harms because of our selfishness. Therefore by making everyone vegetarian we will stop this cruelty to animals.

The World Should Become Vegetarian Vegetarianism is much more "natural" than raising living, breathing creatures for slaughter. I have been vegetarian for a little over a year, and I feel better than I have my whole life, so my body obviously does not need meat. If humans converted the land that they use for meat to gardens, the world would have more food and world hunger could be greatly diminished. Breeders feed their animals tons and tons of corn and grain each year, and for only a few pounds of meat, which is a complete waste of food and life.

Should People Become Vegetarian Many people disagree over the topic of vegetarianism, as it is a very controversial topic. There is little doubt that all people should become vegetarian. This claim is justified by the fact that vegetarianism is much better for the environment. According to procon.org, producing one hamburger clears 55 square feet of rainforest. Every year, the U.S. imports thousands of tons of Brazilian beef, most of which was raised on rainforest-cleared land. This is a disaster. As intelligent beings, it is ridiculous that we are clearing rich, biologically diverse lands in order to create more flat, dead land for beef production. Our rainforests are precious and dwindling, and eating should not mean consuming meat abundantly, without thought for the consequences. We have moved on to the age where we are conscious of our effects in the world, the age where our desires aren"t above the needs of our planet. Vegetarianism is a choice that reflects that.

To be suggested by the contender I've been wanting to debate this for quite some time. My position will be pro, meaning that I am in support of vegetarianism. To adhere to typical debate structure, I will give my opening argument now. As clarification, destructive and violent acts committed by animal rights activists and organizations are not relevant in the realm of this debate, as vegetarianism itself does not promote or cause these actions. Vegetarianism is beneficial to various sectors of human interest; however, I would like to focus on two: health and the environment. Point 1: Vegetarianism is beneficial to a person's health. I'd like to open with a quote from the Utah Beef Council which states, "Several epidemiological studies indicate that vegetarians have lower morbidity and mortality from chronic degenerative diseases. " The Utah Beef Council is a prominent contender in the American meat industry. Clearly, even they acknowledge the health benefits of vegetarianism. If the meat industry is not convincing enough, consider the World Cancer Research Fund. In 1997, they recommended a vegetarian diet to reduce the risk of cancer. Various other studies confirm vegetarianism's benefits. A resent comprehensive analysis of a vegetarian religious group, the Seventh Day Adventists, found that they had half the rate of high blood pressure and diabetes, half the rate of colon cancer, and two-thirds the rate of arthritis and prostate cancer as other, more carnivorous groups. Another study conducted by Cornell University found the eating less meat did more to reduce osteoporosis than supplementing your diet with calcium. If health isn't particularly important, consider finance. No, being a vegetarian won't save you a significant amount of money at the grocery store, but it will save you thousands at the doctor's office. Winston Craig, a registered dietician, says that meat eating costs Americans between $30-$60 billion per year in medical expenses for hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallstones, obesity, and food-borne illnesses associated with meat. He goes on to say that a vegetarian diet is associated with lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less obesity. Clearly, vegetarianism is beneficial to a person's health in a multitude of ways. Point 2: Vegetarianism is beneficial to the environment. According to FAO, the livestock sector is responsible for 18% of all carbon emissions. Global meat production is projected to more than double from 229 million tons in 1999/2001 to 465 million tons in 2050. This increase spells disaster for our environment. The meat industry is a significant contributor to global warming and pollution. Meat based nutrition requires 20 times more land and 14 times more water than a plant-based diet. The production of 1kg of meat requires 10-16 kg of cereals and other plant food. This food could be used to create alternative energy or directly assist the fight against world hunger. Though the world doesn't necessarily appear to be approaching a Malthusian apocalypse, it is approaching and/or experiencing substantial drought. To produce 4kg of meat, the amount of water needed is equal to what a normal family consumes in one year. Once again, this water would be more beneficial when used for other, more direct and efficient purposes. Though vegetarians only comprise 2% of the United State's population, they are already making an impact on the industry and decreasing the amount of carbon and pollution produced, as well as the amount of grains/plants and water wasted. If more people became vegetarians, even more pollution could be controlled. Vegetarianism can reduce health risks, promote a healthy life style, and encourage a healthy, safe, sustainable environment for all. Clearly, vegetarianism is the way to go.

Should People Become Vegetarian Many people disagree over the topic of Should People Become Vegetarian as it is controversial issue. My opinion on the issue of Should People Become Vegetarian is that people do not have to become vegetarian. This claim is justified by the fact that raising beef is one of the most efficient way to produce food and access to get protein for humans. This is a good thing, because with the rapidly increasing population, we need as much food as we can provide that also provides us with the nutrition we need. Inevitably, we must agree that not everyone should be vegetarian, because we need to provide everyone food and this is one of the most efficient way.

THW become Vegetarians Thanks for Con's rebuttal. First I will tell my arguments that she dropped 5. You’ll ease the symptoms of menopause. Many foods contain nutrients beneficial to perimenopausal and menopausal women. Certain foods are rich in phytoestrogens, the plant-based chemical compounds that mimic the behavior of estrogen. Since phytoestrogens can increase and decrease estrogen and progesterone levels, maintaining a balance of them in your diet helps ensure a more comfortable passage through menopause. Soy is by far the most abundant natural source of phytoestrogens, but these compounds also can be found in hundreds of other foods such as apples, beets, cherries, dates, garlic, olives, plums, raspberries, squash and yams. Because menopause is also associated with weight gain and a slowed metabolism, a low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet can help ward off extra pounds. 6. You’ll have more energy. Good nutrition generates more usable energy——energy to keep pace with the kids, tackle that home improvement project or have better sex more often, Michael F. Roizen, MD, says in The RealAge Diet. Too much fat in your bloodstream means that arteries won’’t open properly and that your muscles won’’t get enough oxygen. The result? You feel zapped. Balanced vegetarian diets are naturally free of cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging animal products that physically slow us down and keep us hitting the snooze button morning after morning. And because whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables are so high in complex carbohydrates, they supply the body with plenty of energizing fuel. 7. You’ll help reduce pollution. Some people become vegetarians after realizing the devastation that the meat industry is having on the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms is responsible for more than 173,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams. Runoff from farmlands is one of the greatest threats to water quality today. Agricultural activities that cause pollution include confined animal facilities, plowing, pesticide spraying, irrigation, fertilizing and harvesting. 8. You’ll help reduce famine. About 70 percent of all grain produced in the United States is fed to animals raised for slaughter. The 7 billion livestock animals in the United States consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by the American population. “If all the grain currently fed to livestock were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million,” says David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell University. If the grain were exported, it would boost the US trade balance by $80 billion a year. 9. You’ll spare animals. Many vegetarians give up meat because of their concern for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year. And, unlike the farms of yesteryear where animals roamed freely, today most animals are factory farmed: —crammed into cages where they can barely move and fed a diet tainted with pesticides and antibiotics. These animals spend their entire lives in crates or stalls so small that they can’’t even turn around. Farmed animals are not protected from cruelty under the law——in fact, the majority of state anticruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection. 10. You’ll save money. Meat accounts for 10 percent of Americans’’ food spending. Eating vegetables, grains and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each nonvegetarian eats annually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 a year.11. Save the planet: Meat is not green. Consuming meat is actually one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth. It is wasteful and causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the meat industry is also one of the biggest causes of climate change. Adopting a vegan diet is more effective than switching to a “greener” car in the fight against climate change.Rebuttal 1. It is a right of choice, but we aren't saying that you HAVE to be a vegetarian, we are just saying that we prefer being a vegetarian. Alsowhy shoiuld you bother someone who is just eating vegetables? It is not against the law either, so you can just leave hem alone and let the citizens have the right to choose what they cane eat.2. As I said, if they eat they meat, it is their choice because they wouldn't get in jail. it is their choice and they can follow it or reject. As I said in my first rebuttal, we just prefer, it and it is their right to want to eat meat or just be a vegetarian.3. Yes, this is true, but then when we eat beans, it is healtier for us. Meat contains a lot of fat and bad chemicals for you. This is a picture of a plate with the pyramid There is no meat and you can follow the my plate! This means that you won't be unhealthy and not get protein.http://www.theveganrd.com...

Everyone should become a vegetarian I don't think everyone should HAVE to become one; everyone should have say in what they eat or not. 5 Reasons Why They Shouldn't: 1. Humans have been eating meat for millions of years and it is an essential part of our evolution. 2. Vegetarian diets can cause the death of animals (such as birds, mice, and rabbits) that live in agricultural crop fields are killed during harvest. 3. Meat is the most convenient source of protein. 4. Research has shown that many plants feel fear. 5. A meat-centred diet can help with weight loss. It takes fewer calories to get protein from lean meat than it does from vegetarian options.

People should not eat animals. This is my first debate, so I would like to start with something simple and pretty straight forward. There are three reasons why becoming vegetarian (defined as not eating the flesh of animals, a diet that may or may not include the consumption of eggs and milk) is both beneficial to the person and to the global community. 1. A vegetarian diet is healthier. All required nutrients may be obtained easily with a little attention, and a vegetarian diet has been shown to decrease chances of cancer and heart disease (because plant foods contain no cholestrol and very little saturated fat). 2. Animal agriculture is the number one human-caused source of the greenhouse gas methane, which is 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide. The rearing of cattle and other animals also contribute to the species extinction from habitat destruction, erosion caused by over grazing, excess land use compared to vegetable farming, and water pollution and eutrophication from animal waste and fertilized grazing pastures. 3. Common animal farming practices are cruel and unsafe. Most people can agree upon this, however, the morality of animal treatment is highly subjective and I would like to not focus too much on whether a chicken has the same feelings of pain, whether it really matters, etc. For the environmental impacts of animal agriculture: http://www.vegetarisme.be... For the American Dietetic Association's position on the vegetarian diet: http://www.eatright.org...

Everyone should be vegetarian. In conclusion, there is no reason for everyone to go vegetarian. It effects the enviornement, can create dangerous situations and force people into poverty.

Vegetarianism is a good idea. However most people think that we are in need of meat, in my opinion, it's wrong and people should be vegetarians. First, I want to say that people, who don't eat meat, but eat eggs, drink milk (it's also production of animals), are healthier. According to research of KEDEM, vegetarian diet helps to reduce probability of death from such diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease. Besides, vegetarians feel themselves better. Bill Clinton, who was a vegetarian, once said to interviewer - "All my blood tests are good, and my vital signs are good, and I feel good, and I also have, believe it or not, more energy." I think our health is a important reason why we should be vegetarians.

Vegetarianism The following is some of my arguments (I might save a few more for later rounds)Animals have the right to lifeIf any organism has a moral desire then that organism has the right to act in accordance with that desire. There is nothing wrong about this. Therefore other organisms have no right to stop the organism from their desire. All organisms have an interest survival. We have no utilitarian or moral reason to deny organisms of that desire. We, as humans, do not have the right to take away the life of other animals when it will not benefit a greater moral value as it would be denying their right to life which they possess because they want it. It is immoral to kill animalsAs evolved human beings it is our moral duty to inflict as little pain as possible for our survival. So if we do not need to inflict pain to animals in order to survive, we should not do it. Farm animals such as chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows are sentient living beings like us - they are our evolutionary cousins and like us they can feel pleasure and pain. The utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham even believed that animal suffering was just as serious as human suffering and likened the idea of human superiority to racism. It would be unfair to assume that humans deserve rights but other species don’t due to superiority. To relate to an example: black people were thought to be inferior to the whites and so did not possess the same rights as the whites did. This is relatable as it shows that the person/people with power discriminate against others with the excuse that they are superior. Now, obviously whites aren’t superior but if we use the criteria of measuring human superiority to other animals (intelligence) then it would be hypocritical for humans to claim superiority over other species but not over the some people with inferior intelligence such as the mentally ill. Even with this, it has been documented that certain food animals are exceptionally clever, and fully capable of perceiving pain and responding to suffering, much like ourselves. It is wrong to farm and kill these animals for food when we do not need to do so.Vegetarianism is better for the environmentBecoming a vegetarian is an environmentally friendly thing to do. Modern farming is one of the main sources of pollution in our rivers. Beef farming is one of the main causes of deforestation, because trees are being cut down to make room for cattle bred to kill. Many species are facing extinction from hunting them. Eating meat and fish not only causes cruelty to animals, it causes serious harm to the environment and to biodiversity. The 2006 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions — by comparison, all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. The same is true with water use due to the same phenomenon of meat being inefficient to produce in terms of the amount of grain needed to produce the same weight of meat, production requires a lot of water. Water is another scarce resource that we will soon not have enough of in various areas of the globe. Grain-fed beef production takes 100,000 liters of water for every kilogram of food. Raising broiler chickens takes 3,500 liters of water to make a kilogram of meat. In comparison, soybean production uses 2,000 liters for kilogram of food produced; rice, 1,912; wheat, 900; and potatoes, 500 liters.Vegetarianism is healthier than a normal meaty dietStudies comparing vegetarians and meat eaters have found that eating less or no meat lowered the risks of certain health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, strokes and cancer. Vegetarians often come out on top in health studies. 60 billion land animals are killed each yearin order to be eaten. The majority of these animals are confined to cages and crates or packed by the thousands into dark, filthy sheds. Animals raised in these intensive farming systems are unable to raise their families, root around in the soil, build nests, or do anything that is natural to them. Most animals kept on factory farms will not see the sun until the day they are transported to a slaughterhouse to be murdered. This clearly unfair treatment of animals would be prevented if people stopped eating meat. A vegetarian diet contains high quantities of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, and is low in fat. In 1996 the American Cancer Society recommended that red meat should be excluded from the diet entirely. A vegetarian diet reduces the risk of serious diseases and, because it is low in fat, also helps to prevent you becoming overweight. There are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein, such as beans and bean curd; and spinach is one of the best sources of iron.Meat eating is based on selfishnessThe ill-treatment and eating of animals is based on selfishness. If we did not all derive the benefits of our treatment to animals; if meat suddenly stopped tasting appealing to some, we would all be animal rights activists. Such is the nature of human selfishness. The desire for meat doesn’t outweighs the animals desire to live for most people. There are off course some people (vegetarians for ethical reasons) who arguably have more will power, compassion and consideration than others for understanding that the taste is a superficial reason to be in favour of meat eating. Killing an animal for the sole purpose of eating it to satisfy your taste, causing pain, injury and death solely to bring diversity to your diet is immoral. http://www.time.com...http://www.news.cornell.edu...

THW become Vegetarians Thank you for posting your argument.I have many reasons that can support by why vegetables are good. 1. You’ll ward off disease. Vegetarian diets are more healthful than the average American diet, particularly in preventing, treating or reversing heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer. A low-fat vegetarian diet is the single most effective way to stop the progression of coronary artery disease or prevent it entirely. Cardiovascular disease kills 1 million Americans annually and is the leading cause of death in the United States. But the mortality rate for cardiovascular disease is lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians, says Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. A vegetarian diet is inherently healthful because vegetarians consume less animal fat and cholesterol (vegans consume no animal fat or cholesterol) and instead consume more fiber and more antioxidant-rich produce——another great reason to listen to Mom and eat your veggies! 2. You’ll keep your weight down. The standard American diet—high in saturated fats and processed foods and low in plant-based foods and complex carbohydrates——is making us fat and killing us slowly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a division of the CDC, the National Center for Health Statistics, 64 percent of adults and 15 percent of children aged 6 to 19 are overweight and are at risk of weight-related ailments including heart disease, stroke and diabetes. A study conducted from 1986 to 1992 by Dean Ornish, MD, president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, found that overweight people who followed a low-fat, vegetarian diet lost an average of 24 pounds in the first year and kept off that weight 5 years later. They lost the weight without counting calories or carbs and without measuring portions or feeling hungry. 3. You’ll live longer. If you switch from the standard American diet to a vegetarian diet, you can add about 13 healthy years to your life, says Michael F. Roizen, MD, author of The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat. ”People who consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and more disability at the end of their lives. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy and slow down your immune system. Meat eaters also experience accelerated cognitive and sexual dysfunction at a younger age.” 4.You’ll build strong bones. When there isn’’t enough calcium in the bloodstream, our bodies will leach it from existing bone. The metabolic result is that our skeletons will become porous and lose strength over time. Most health care practitioners recommend that we increase our intake of calcium the way nature intended——through foods. Foods also supply other nutrients such as phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D that are necessary for the body to absorb and use calcium. People who are mildly lactose-intolerant can often enjoy small amounts of dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and lactose-free milk. But if you avoid dairy altogether, you can still get a healthful dose of calcium from dry beans, tofu, soymilk and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collards and turnip greens. 5. You’ll ease the symptoms of menopause. Many foods contain nutrients beneficial to perimenopausal and menopausal women. Certain foods are rich in phytoestrogens, the plant-based chemical compounds that mimic the behavior of estrogen. Since phytoestrogens can increase and decrease estrogen and progesterone levels, maintaining a balance of them in your diet helps ensure a more comfortable passage through menopause. Soy is by far the most abundant natural source of phytoestrogens, but these compounds also can be found in hundreds of other foods such as apples, beets, cherries, dates, garlic, olives, plums, raspberries, squash and yams. Because menopause is also associated with weight gain and a slowed metabolism, a low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet can help ward off extra pounds. 6. You’ll have more energy. Good nutrition generates more usable energy——energy to keep pace with the kids, tackle that home improvement project or have better sex more often, Michael F. Roizen, MD, says in The RealAge Diet. Too much fat in your bloodstream means that arteries won’’t open properly and that your muscles won’’t get enough oxygen. The result? You feel zapped. Balanced vegetarian diets are naturally free of cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging animal products that physically slow us down and keep us hitting the snooze button morning after morning. And because whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables are so high in complex carbohydrates, they supply the body with plenty of energizing fuel. 7. You’ll help reduce pollution. Some people become vegetarians after realizing the devastation that the meat industry is having on the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms is responsible for more than 173,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams. Runoff from farmlands is one of the greatest threats to water quality today. Agricultural activities that cause pollution include confined animal facilities, plowing, pesticide spraying, irrigation, fertilizing and harvesting. 8. You’ll help reduce famine. About 70 percent of all grain produced in the United States is fed to animals raised for slaughter. The 7 billion livestock animals in the United States consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by the American population. “If all the grain currently fed to livestock were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million,” says David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell University. If the grain were exported, it would boost the US trade balance by $80 billion a year. 9. You’ll spare animals. Many vegetarians give up meat because of their concern for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year. And, unlike the farms of yesteryear where animals roamed freely, today most animals are factory farmed: —crammed into cages where they can barely move and fed a diet tainted with pesticides and antibiotics. These animals spend their entire lives in crates or stalls so small that they can’’t even turn around. Farmed animals are not protected from cruelty under the law——in fact, the majority of state anticruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection. 10. You’ll save money. Meat accounts for 10 percent of Americans’’ food spending. Eating vegetables, grains and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each nonvegetarian eats annually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 a year.11. Save the planet: Meat is not green. Consuming meat is actually one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth. It is wasteful and causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the meat industry is also one of the biggest causes of climate change. Adopting a vegan diet is more effective than switching to a “greener” car in the fight against climate change. My rebuttal will be in the next round.Sources:http://kidshealth.org...http://www.peta.org...http://www.happycow.net...http://www.huffingtonpost.com...http://www.brown.edu...http://www.vegetariantimes.com...http://www.britishmeat.com...;

People should stop eating meat. One reason to go vegetarian or Vegan is that it's good for the environment. I strongly believe that and know for a fact that factory farms are taking away water and using it for there large unnecessary quantity of animals. I find it horrible to eat and innocent creature that once had a soul and a beating heart.

Everyone should be vegetarian. Thanks for the response. In this debate, some of my refutations shall be later explained in my later arguments. If such occurs, it will be shown. (ex. [argument 69])REFUTATIONS"I think that everyone should become vegetarian because killing off all of these animals is cruel, harming the environment, contributing to global warming, and just plain wrong." Here is precisely where you are completly false. Killing is wrong, however if it is neccesary for humans [argument 1]. So in a way, it is not cruel to kill animals if it is neccesary and aids you body. Furthermore, workers at slaughter houses kill animals, not the consumer. So the consumer is not killing the animal. It is not harming the environnement, because it is done with animals breeded specifically for meat. How does such effect the enviornnement? Simple, it doesn't. And it has no relation whatsoever to global warming. I doubt you even know what global warming is. Global warming, to say it quickly is when the atmosphere becomes thicker due to green house gases, preventing the heat from UV rays from leaving the earth, thus heating up the earth. [1] How do killing animals have anything to do with global warming?". It has also been proven that vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of heart disease, and are healthier than omnivorous diets."Being omnivorous, you can still have a vegetarian diet, and eat meat in moderation. Because of such, we can have these benefits in a omnivorous diet, while still being alowed to eat meat."Many people think that it is just part of nature, but since when is nature considered as shoving animals into cages and pens so small that they can't even move?" It is natural because it is important for humans. This is just like saying if a lion eats a zebra it's unatural because the lion killed the zebra.ARGUMENTSArgument 1: Humans have omnivorous digestive systems. [2] Meat has plenty of protein, which is important for stregthening the bones and muscles in the body. There is also many of B6, Iron, Zinc, Selenium and more. Eating the correct amount of meat, we are staying healthy, and gaining many healthy nutrients. So meat helps stregthen out bodies and provides various imporant nutrients that are difficult to find in only vegetables. So being vegetarian, we wouldn't have all these benefits, being omnivorous, we gain all these benefits and more.Argument 2: Being omnivorous, you are now open to eating any possible meal. Because of such, you would have a greater variety of possible things to eat, whereas being vegetarian, you have a difficult time finding specific foods. So if everyone was vegetarian, the amount of possible foods would be less.Argument 3: Many people would lose their jobs if everyone went vegetarian. Butchers, slaughterhouse employees and livestock farmers would lose their jobs and land. This would bring millions into poverty. If every went vegetarian, the amount of people living in poverty would increase.======================================================================================================= In conclusion, forcing everyone to go vegetarian would not be beneficial. Many would lose their jobs, have toruble getting the important nutrients they need, and have a smaller variety of possible meals, making them pickier. My opponent presented no proof whatsoever on her arguments, and I already proved them all wrong.Sources:1.http://www.nrdc.org...2.http://authoritynutrition.com...;

Why People Should Be Vegetarian Eating animals is part of our life. We eat animals because it helps out bodies and our health. But there's alternative ways to eat other food then just meat. We should just eat vegetables,fruits,pasta. We could eat anything but we choose to eat meat. We kill animals but we know it's wrong. Animals are just like us. They need water and food just like us. We're pretty much killing our own kind. Acting like cannablisms. Those animals are in need of help. We need to stop eating meat so we can save more animals in the near future. If we do so the earth would be a better place. So we should be vegetarians.

Everyone should become a vegetarian Just need help with the possible arguments

The World Should Become Vegetarian Yep.

Ben Should Become a Vegetarian Ben should become a vegetarian for three primary reasons: A vegetarian diet has a lower environmental impact than one which includes meat. A vegetarian diet will help him achieve his health goals. A vegetarian diet will decrease strain on our relationship. A vegetarian diet has a lower environmental impact.It's quite simple: eating 2000 calories from plants uses far fewer resources than eating 2000 calories from animals, who had to in turn eat way more than 2000 calories of plants to create 2000 calories of meat. The reason is that not all of the food animals eat is converted to body mass, as much goes into heating the body and fueling its processes.The waste of water by animals is even greater: "The data we had indicated that a beef animal consumed 100 kg of hay and 4 kg of grain per 1 kg of beef produced. Using the basic rule that it takes about 1,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of hay and grain, thus about 100,000 liters were required to produce the 1 kg of beef."Even if that calculation is on the high end, there is no way possible that the water ratio from plant to human is equal to the water ratio from plant to animal to human. Physics denies such a conversion.Not only are land and water resources wasted, greenhouse gases are emitted into the air. "Shifting less than 1 day per week’s (i.e., 1/7 of total calories) consumption of red meat and/or dairy to other protein sources or a vegetable-based diet could have the same climate impact as buying all household food from local providers."I mean, check out this awesome chart: http://pubs.acs.org...http://en.wikipedia.org... http://pubs.acs.org...http://www.guardian.co.uk... A vegetarian diet is healthier."The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position paper on vegetarian diets that concludes such diets, if well-planned, are healthful and nutritious for adults, infants, children and adolescents and can help prevent and treat chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes."Unlike the first point which is a moral obligation to promote public health, this one rests upon a personal commitment to oneself.http://www.sciencedaily.com...http://www.webmd.com...http://www.washingtonpost.com...A vegetarian diet will make our relationship smoother.In a practical sense, this will benefit you more than me, because when I go shopping, I already purchase only vegetarian foods. Changing your diet to become more similar to mine will make it easier for you to shop for foods we can both consume, instead of focusing on "hirs and his". This benefit will be strongest when we eat out. As it stands, restaurants which cater to your tastes rarely do to mine, but vegetarian-friendly restaurants typically have meat options as well (which comes in handy when dining with friends).Also, there will be reduced moral strain. I'd know that we're trying to help make the world a better place together, as opposed to me bearing the load of not only my own choices but also trying to undo yours (which I can't avoid, as we live in the same house and our choices are tied to each other in many other ways as well).Ultimately, once we're on the same team diet-wise, then we can be That Couple who are so Totally Vegetarian, and further our goal of making our friends gag at how cute we are together. Aww!

Should People Become Vegetarian While it may be true that raising beef is more efficient way to produce food, it is not an environmentally friendly choice. Overgrazing livestock is extremely destructive to the surrounding environment. Overgrazing causes soil erosion and harm to native plant and animals. Also, grazing has been listed as a factor of endangerment in the Endangered species act. By refusing to participate in an industry that abuses the earth, one could effectively help in the restoration of U.S. land now being used for beef productions. In my opinion, it is more important to have responsibly produced food than it is to have cheap and fast food.

A vegetarian lifestyle is better than one of a meat eaters. A vegetarian diet is better than one of a meat eater's for various reasons, but in this argument I will stress on two.Animal Suffrage: Having a vegetarian lifestyle helps not only you as an individual, but also helps save millions of animals that get harmed and slaughtered yearly.It"s cruel and unethical to kill animals when vegetarian options are available.- Animals have emotions and social connections.- Scientific study shows cattle pigs and chickens and all warm-blooded experience stress, fear and pain- 35 million cows, 115 million pigs, and 9 billion birds killed for food each year.-; These animals should not have to die to satisfy an unnecessary dietary preference.-; Raising animals in confinement is cruel. -; 50% of meat produced in the United States comes from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) Where animals live in filthy, overcrowded spaces. -; In CAFOs pigs have their tails cut off, chickens have their toenails and beaks clipped off, and cows have their horns removed and tails cut off with no painkillers. - Pregnant pigs are kept in metal gestation crates barely bigger than they are. - Baby cows raised for veal are tied up and confined in tiny stalls their entire short lives (3-18 weeks). Animals raised for food in US not slaughtered humanely.-HMSA (Humane methods of slaughter act) necessitates that cows be unconscious before slaughter to readuce suffering - Birds and pigs have no rules of such- And slaughter houses still mostly ignore HMSAHealth and Nutrition: A vegetarian diet gives one a complete nutrition with additional health benefits that meat cannot provide.- According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet is healthier than a meat eating diet because- Vegetarian diets meet protein requirements, provide all the essential amino-acids), and improve health. - It can also provide all the necessary vitamins, fats, and minerals, and can improve one"s health. - According to the USDA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, meat is not an essential part of a healthy diet.A vegetarian diet provides a more healthful form of iron than a meat-based diet. - Studies have linked heme iron found in red meat with an increased risk of colon and rectal cancer. - Vegetarian sources of iron like leafy greens and beans contain non-heme iron. A vegetarian diet helps build healthy bones because vegetarians absorb more calcium than meat eaters. -Meat has high renal acid levels which the body must neutralize by leaching calcium from the bones, which is then passed into urine and lost.- There are many sources of healthy vegetarian calcium including tofu, dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collard greens, as well as fortified cereals. A vegetarian diet lowers the risk of heart disease.- According to a peer-reviewed 1999 study of 76,000 people, vegetarians had 24% lower mortality from heart disease than meat eaters. -A vegetarian diet also helps lower blood pressure, prevent hypertension, and thus reduce the risk of stroke. Eating meat increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.- A peer-reviewed 2004 study from Harvard researchers found that eating meat increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes in women - 2002 study found that eating processed meat increases the risk in men.- A vegetarian diet rich in whole grains, legumes, nuts, and soy proteins helps to improve glycemic control in people who already have diabetes. Vegetarians live longer. - A Mar. 12, 2012 peer-reviewed study of 121,342 people found that eating red meat was associated with an increased risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. - A peer-reviewed 2003 study found that adherence to vegetarian diets or diets very low in meat for 20 years or more can increase life expectancy by 3.6 years. - A peer-reviewed July 9, 2001 study of Seventh-Day Adventists who were vegetarian (or ate very little meat) showed longevity increases of 7.28 years for men and 4.42 years for women. - On June 3, 2013 a peer-reviewed study of 73,308 people found that a vegetarian diet is associated with a 12% reduction in all-cause mortalityA vegetarian diet promotes a healthy weight. - According to a peer-reviewed 2003 Oxford University study of 37,875 healthy men and women aged 20-97, 5.4% of meat eaters were obese compared to 3% of vegetarians.- Meat eaters had an average Body Mass Index (BMI) 8.3% higher than vegetarians.-Another 2006 meta-study that compiled data from 87 studies also found that vegetarian diets are associated with reduced body weight. [124] Studies show that vegetarians are up to 40% less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters. - According to a peer-reviewed 1994 study by Harvard researchers, consuming beef, pork, or lamb five or more times a week significantly increases the risk of colon cancer. - The World Cancer Research Fund found that eating processed meats such as bacon or sausage increases this risk even further. - A 2014 study found that diets high in animal protein were associated with a 4-fold increase in cancer death risk compared to high protein diets based on plant-derived protein sources. World Hunger: Eating Meat uses up many of the plant resources and causes most third world countries to not be able to grow enough food. A vegetarian diet can help alleviate world hunger. - Over 10 pounds of plant protein are used to produce one pound of beef protein.- If these grains were fed to humans instead of animals, more food would be available for the 925 million people in chronic hunger worldwide. Research from Cornell University found that the grain used to feed US livestock alone could feed 800 million people.

THW become Vegetarians Thanks for your last round. I will say my argumentsone last time then I wil say why I won and finish the debate. 1. You’ll ward off disease. Vegetarian diets are more healthful than the average American diet, particularly in preventing, treating or reversing heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer. A low-fat vegetarian diet is the single most effective way to stop the progression of coronary artery disease or prevent it entirely. Cardiovascular disease kills 1 million Americans annually and is the leading cause of death in the United States. But the mortality rate for cardiovascular disease is lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians, says Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. A vegetarian diet is inherently healthful because vegetarians consume less animal fat and cholesterol (vegans consume no animal fat or cholesterol) and instead consume more fiber and more antioxidant-rich produce——another great reason to listen to Mom and eat your veggies! 2. You’ll keep your weight down. The standard American diet—high in saturated fats and processed foods and low in plant-based foods and complex carbohydrates——is making us fat and killing us slowly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a division of the CDC, the National Center for Health Statistics, 64 percent of adults and 15 percent of children aged 6 to 19 are overweight and are at risk of weight-related ailments including heart disease, stroke and diabetes. A study conducted from 1986 to 1992 by Dean Ornish, MD, president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, found that overweight people who followed a low-fat, vegetarian diet lost an average of 24 pounds in the first year and kept off that weight 5 years later. They lost the weight without counting calories or carbs and without measuring portions or feeling hungry. 3. You’ll live longer. If you switch from the standard American diet to a vegetarian diet, you can add about 13 healthy years to your life, says Michael F. Roizen, MD, author of The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat. ”People who consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and more disability at the end of their lives. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy and slow down your immune system. Meat eaters also experience accelerated cognitive and sexual dysfunction at a younger age.” 4.You’ll build strong bones. When there isn’’t enough calcium in the bloodstream, our bodies will leach it from existing bone. The metabolic result is that our skeletons will become porous and lose strength over time. Most health care practitioners recommend that we increase our intake of calcium the way nature intended——through foods. Foods also supply other nutrients such as phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D that are necessary for the body to absorb and use calcium. People who are mildly lactose-intolerant can often enjoy small amounts of dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and lactose-free milk. But if you avoid dairy altogether, you can still get a healthful dose of calcium from dry beans, tofu, soymilk and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collards and turnip greens. 5. You’ll ease the symptoms of menopause. Many foods contain nutrients beneficial to perimenopausal and menopausal women. Certain foods are rich in phytoestrogens, the plant-based chemical compounds that mimic the behavior of estrogen. Since phytoestrogens can increase and decrease estrogen and progesterone levels, maintaining a balance of them in your diet helps ensure a more comfortable passage through menopause. Soy is by far the most abundant natural source of phytoestrogens, but these compounds also can be found in hundreds of other foods such as apples, beets, cherries, dates, garlic, olives, plums, raspberries, squash and yams. Because menopause is also associated with weight gain and a slowed metabolism, a low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet can help ward off extra pounds. 6. You’ll have more energy. Good nutrition generates more usable energy——energy to keep pace with the kids, tackle that home improvement project or have better sex more often, Michael F. Roizen, MD, says in The RealAge Diet. Too much fat in your bloodstream means that arteries won’’t open properly and that your muscles won’’t get enough oxygen. The result? You feel zapped. Balanced vegetarian diets are naturally free of cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging animal products that physically slow us down and keep us hitting the snooze button morning after morning. And because whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables are so high in complex carbohydrates, they supply the body with plenty of energizing fuel. 7. You’ll help reduce pollution. Some people become vegetarians after realizing the devastation that the meat industry is having on the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms is responsible for more than 173,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams. Runoff from farmlands is one of the greatest threats to water quality today. Agricultural activities that cause pollution include confined animal facilities, plowing, pesticide spraying, irrigation, fertilizing and harvesting. 8. You’ll help reduce famine. About 70 percent of all grain produced in the United States is fed to animals raised for slaughter. The 7 billion livestock animals in the United States consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by the American population. “If all the grain currently fed to livestock were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million,” says David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell University. If the grain were exported, it would boost the US trade balance by $80 billion a year. 9. You’ll spare animals. Many vegetarians give up meat because of their concern for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each year. And, unlike the farms of yesteryear where animals roamed freely, today most animals are factory farmed: —crammed into cages where they can barely move and fed a diet tainted with pesticides and antibiotics. These animals spend their entire lives in crates or stalls so small that they can’’t even turn around. Farmed animals are not protected from cruelty under the law——in fact, the majority of state anticruelty laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection. 10. You’ll save money. Meat accounts for 10 percent of Americans’’ food spending. Eating vegetables, grains and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each nonvegetarian eats annually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 a year.11. Save the planet: Meat is not green. Consuming meat is actually one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth. It is wasteful and causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the meat industry is also one of the biggest causes of climate change. Adopting a vegan diet is more effective than switching to a “greener” car in the fight against climate change. I should win this debate because I made strong arguments saying that it is good for you and also it is healty. I rebutted all of Con's Points saying that you can still have protein without eating meat.Therefore, I hope everyone votes for Pro!!!

All people should become vegetarian "Some of the many issues we currently face regarding the environment includes global warming, water and air pollution all of which are directly connected to eating meat. There are many wasted resources, as massive amounts of land, food, energy and water are required to raise animals for food. An area of a rainforest the size of seven football fields is destroyed every minute for those purposes." For the purpose of this round I will treat these statistics as true (because they are largely irrelevant) - you may want to link references to your claims however (for any future debates too). "Vast amount of energy are used for the farming of animals. The operation of factory farms, operation of slaughter houses, transportation of meat to grocery stores and the refrigeration required to keep the meat frozen in shops all require energy in very large amounts." Yes we use energy because those processes require it, and the eating of meat being of value to a large majority of individuals. Your standard of action however is unclear. Should we save energy for something else? In which case your argument is moot as energy used is used, regardless of the reason and there are far worse options for energy consumption than fulfilling requirements for survival. See we can't all be farmers, and we don't all own necessary or viable land to cultivate our own produce. Demanding we cut a source of nutrition from somewhere merely requires an additional source to be found, meaning we still use the land for something, we still need additional land as per populace growth, the same as with animal farming. Indeed hypothetically if I had enough land and the ability to reclaim water, decide to be green conscious and plant trees to cover the gas, why shouldn't I farm animals, even if it's at a level to support only myself. Why would *I* then have to be vegetarian? "A United Nations report from 2006 found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases then all cars, trucks, planes and ships in the world combined. "Greenhouse Gases, we know, can lead to major disasters such as floods, tsunamis and hurricanes." Eh debatable - natural cycles of salinity levels are also thought to contribute - as is debatable the nature of greenhouse gases on our environment itself, as well as its outright negatives (we increase rainfall and water is an issue?). The solution however is not to remove those things of value which do not in any meaningful way lead to a negative predictable consequence (knowing if it will impact or when and where hurricanes will occur) - but to be rational when choosing where to live where certain natural disasters are less frequent. :) http://www.thaindian.com... http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov... Hurricanes will occur whether we are here or not, and we may as well try and stop volcanoes for the gases they produce, if they are such a concern. "A lot of water is used for farming animals. Watering crops, water used for drinking by the animals, cleaning filth in slaughterhouses and factory farms are all ways that water is used. You save more water by not eating 0.5 kg of beef then you do by not showering for an entire year. The usage of water to raise animals for food puts a strain on our already limited supply of water." The same argument can be levied against any non pure survivalist action that requires water, even pets. The issue is you have no satisfactory standard for why one should do this, and not any other action that would reduce water consumption, and under your premises any and all non basic water usage should be deemed negative. Nor does it follow even if the premise is accepted, that the solution is to choose an arbitrary element to ban. As humans, we have the distinct unique condition of using our minds as the basic tool of survival. The solution is not, in the case of water, to reduce our standard of living in the vague hope of a future benefit for future some people some where. The ideal situation is to engage those minds willing in finding ways to increase water sources for consumption. Nature is there for us to use. Your argument however reduces to a very basic contradiction. You propose two standards for evaluating action: the environment and the self.However once you recognise the self as the ends of action (for to be good it must be good to someone, not some abstract environment) you must recognise the self as primary over the environment. Either you hold the environment as your primary standard of action (with us as a 'negative' in which case your death, mine, everyones, is the proper conclusion) or you recognise either implicitly or explicitly that an individual is their own ends for ones action, in which case, while one may consider the environment in ones dealings - it is not primary, and actions cannot be demanded of others in sacrifice for it.

Vegetarianism for ethical reasons First of all, it helps the environment. Modern farming is one of the main sources of pollution in rivers, meat production related to deforestation. Many species of fish are facing extinction because of our desire to eat fish. The 2006 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report concluded that worldwide livestock farm inggenerates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions " by comparis on, all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a com bi ned 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, it's immoral to kill animals. Now people don't need to inflict pain to animals to survive. Farm animals are our evolutionary cousins and like us can feel pleasure and pain. Also many specialists argue that there are significant health benefits to be "veggie", because vegetarian diets contain high quantities of vitamins and minerals, and is low in fat. Furthermore, the possibility of heart diseases decreases because vegetable have no cholesterol.

Pesci-Vegetarianism is beneficial Though iron, zinc, and calcium are achieved in similar ways to that of a meat eater, the fact that you limit your meat lowers cholesterol, prevents heart disease, and helps you can live two years longer, and most people would see that as beneficial to a person's health. Yes an omnivore with no dietary restrictions can eat all of these, but it is through limiting meat that the benefit is received. Once again, whole chains of proteins can be found in eggs, milk, yogurt, beans, brown rice, nuts, and fish. Also, I am not promoting elitism. If the FDA says that limiting your calorie intake is better than eating 10,000 calories a day, they are not trying to create an elitism. They are merely trying to advise people as to what is healthy. As for your segregation comment, there are quite a few vegetarians of all dominions of vegetarians (vegan, vegetarian, pesci-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian) and they are not creating any real conflict that is causing violence. Maybe they want to prevent the violence to animals in a peaceful way, just by choosing to not have meat. I used to eat lots of meat and had several vegetarian friends, and they did not try to start WWIII over it. Very well, say global warming isn't happening. The methane and other harmful gases are polluting the environment and damaging our lungs and putting greenhouse gases into the air that also damage your skin and can possibly lower your life expectancy. But judging by the fact that the 11 hottest years since recording global temperatures have occurred in the past 13 years, I'd say that there's a decent chance that it could be happening. Though cows have been around for millions and millions of years, they have not been in the large numbers that we see them in today, making larger amounts of the toxic gases within them. As for jobs, what about when cars came around? People who were in the carriage business began to lose their jobs. But if many people adopted a form of vegetarianism, manpower for the demands of soy products, vegetables, fruits, and grains would be on the rise, and people who are meat farmers could find their way into these jobs. If you look at my opening argument, I do not want to force people. I just want them to see that there are benefits. Yes, like with any other idea there are cons, but I'm sure that humanity can solve this much more easily than others. I know that people will still eat meat, but vegetarians are on the rise, and will decrease the demand for meat. The other perspective is a bit unrealistic. It is a possibility, but chances are that there will still be a meat industry. But if people love animals, then they will see vegetarianism as a benefit, because their goal it to help the animals. So it is beneficial to health, the environment, it will not hurt the meat industry too much, and it saves animals such as cows, pigs (which are smarter than dogs), calfs, chickens, and ducks.

The World Should Become Vegetarian However, people still crave meat, why is that? Because it's natural. If humans weren't made to eat meat they wouldn't crave it. Also, a lot of countries entire industry is built in the export or import of animal for slaughter, and raising the animals ourselves is a lot better than going out into the wild and depleting natural species. And, human consumption of meat plays a vital role in the ecosystem, we diminish overpopulating species.

All people should become vegetarian Hello and thanks to whoever accepts my debate. Some of the many issues we currently face regarding the environment includes global warming, water and air pollution all of which are directly connected to eating meat. There are many wasted resources, as massive amounts of land, food, energy and water are required to raise animals for food. An area of a rainforest the size of seven football fields is destroyed every minute for those purposes. Vast amount of energy are used for the farming of animals. The operation of factory farms, operation of slaughter houses, transportation of meat to grocery stores and the refrigeration required to keep the meat frozen in shops all require energy in very large amounts. A United Nations report from 2006 found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases then all cars, trucks, planes and ships in the world combined. Greenhouse Gases, we know, can lead to major disasters such as floods, tsunamis and hurricanes. A lot of water is used for farming animals. Watering crops, water used for drinking by the animals, cleaning filth in slaughterhouses and factory farms are all ways that water is used. You save more water by not eating 0.5 kg of beef then you do by not showering for an entire year. The usage of water to raise animals for food puts a strain on our already limited supply of water.

Vegetarianism Many farms are raising animals in inhumane conditions by feeding the animals antibiotics and giving the animals extremely limited space. In such conditions a dangerous bacterial called ecoli is created, ecoli can make a someone seriously ill and even lead to death; harmful bacteria such a ecoli can show up in any animal derived ingredient making a becoming a vegan not only a healthier but a safer choice as well. Many people think that becoming a vegan involves giving up protein however you can get protein from foods like almonds and tofu. A varied vegan diet reduces the risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke, protects against cancers, prevents loss of vision, osteoporosis and assists lowered blood pressure. Plant based diets help to reduce cholesterol and saturated fat, and to increase carotenoids, healthy fiber, vitamin C and folate. Independent scientific studies state that a diet based on the principles of veganism is perfectly adequate for good health throughout one's life.

Being vegetarian helps the environment Becoming a vegetarian is an environmentally friendly thing to do. Modern farming is one of the main sources of pollution in our rivers. Beef farming is one of the main causes of deforestation, and as long as people continue to buy fast food in their billions, there will be a financial incentive to continue cutting down trees to make room for cattle. Because of our desire to eat fish, our rivers and seas are being emptied of fish and many species are facing extinction. Energy resources are used up much more greedily by meat farming than my farming cereals, pulses etc. Eating meat and fish not only causes cruelty to animals, it causes serious harm to the environment and to biodiversity. For example consider Meat production related pollution and deforestation At Toronto’s 1992 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Agriculture Canada displayed two contrasting statistics: “it takes four football fields of land (about 1.6 hectares) to feed each Canadian” and “one apple tree produces enough fruit to make 320 pies.” Think about it — a couple of apple trees and a few rows of wheat on a mere fraction of a hectare could produce enough food for one person![1] The 2006 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions — by comparison, all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. [2] As a result of the above point producing meat damages the environment. The demand for meat drives deforestation. Daniel Cesar Avelino of Brazil's Federal Public Prosecution Office says “We know that the single biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon is cattle.” This clearing of tropical rainforests such as the Amazon for agriculture is estimated to produce 17% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.[3] Not only this but the production of meat takes a lot more energy than it ultimately gives us chicken meat production consumes energy in a 4:1 ratio to protein output; beef cattle production requires an energy input to protein output ratio of 54:1. The same is true with water use due to the same phenomenon of meat being inefficient to produce in terms of the amount of grain needed to produce the same weight of meat, production requires a lot of water. Water is another scarce resource that we will soon not have enough of in various areas of the globe. Grain-fed beef production takes 100,000 liters of water for every kilogram of food. Raising broiler chickens takes 3,500 liters of water to make a kilogram of meat. In comparison, soybean production uses 2,000 liters for kilogram of food produced; rice, 1,912; wheat, 900; and potatoes, 500 liters.[4] This is while there are areas of the globe that have severe water shortages. With farming using up to 70 times more water than is used for domestic purposes: cooking and washing. A third of the population of the world is already suffering from a shortage of water.[5] Groundwater levels are falling all over the world and rivers are beginning to dry up. Already some of the biggest rivers such as China’s Yellow river do not reach the sea.[6] With a rising population becoming vegetarian is the only responsible way to eat. [1] Stephen Leckie, ‘How Meat-centred Eating Patterns Affect Food Security and the Environment’, International development research center [2] Bryan Walsh, Meat: Making Global Warming Worse, Time magazine, 10 September 2008. [3] David Adam, Supermarket suppliers ‘helping to destroy Amazon rainforest’, The Guardian, 21st June 2009. [4] Roger Segelken, U.S. could feed 800 million people with grain that livestock eat, Cornell Science News, 7th August 1997. [5] Fiona Harvey, Water scarcity affects one in three, FT.com, 21st August 2003 [6] Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Yellow river ‘drying up’, BBC News, 29th July 2004

Vegetarianism: A Positive Lifestyle. Thank you for accepting the challenge. Here is a list of the arguments I will outline in the following paragraphs. 1)Health benefits of being vegetarian. 2)Global benefits of vegetarianism. 3)Environmental benefits of vegetarianism. 4)The ethical question behind eating meat. Argument 1: There are numerous health benefits that a vegetarian diet can have. First of all, studies have shown that vegetarians are at least %25 less likely to contract chronic heart conditions, the biggest killer in America. Heart disease has plagued western civilization since the dawning of mankind, and perhaps a vegetarian diet is one of the keys to a final solution. Vegetarianism is healthy for the cardiovascular system as it reduces the amount of animal fats and cholesterol that people consume, instead replacing it with antioxidants and fiber. Furthermore, vegetarianism has been linked to a decrease in the likelihood of getting cancers. A study in Germany found that vegetarians have a decreased likelihood of getting colon cancer, for one. Lastly, vegetarian diets have been shown to help people lose weight, which explains why there are very few obese vegetarians out there. The diet essentially decreases the amount of saturated fats and excessive calories that people consume. Meat has very condensed calories, and our brains simply can"t figure out when we are full until about 20 minutes after our stomachs say ENOUGH. So condensed calories, plus a brain that can"t read if we are full or not fast enough, essentially spells out bad news for the bathroom scales. Plants, on the other hand, have very minimal amounts of calories, meaning that more of them can be consumed without causing weight gain. The major issue that people have with a vegetarian diet is the belief that vegetarianism can be linked to nutrient deficiencies, and in some cases, this is true; however, when the diet is well planned out well, then malnutrition rarely poses much of an issue. The major nutrients that vegetarians lack are vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and protein. The only one of these nutrients that cannot be found in plants is vitamin B12; however, this is found in many supplements available to essentially everyone. Many people say that iron cannot be taken from plants as animals have a different kind of iron known as heme-iron; however, this is simply not true. Although it is harder for our bodies to process iron from plants, it can still be done fairly easily and efficiently, and for the person who can"t process it, there are cruelty-free supplements of heme-iron out there as well. In summary, if the vegetarian diet is planned out well, the effects can be remarkable, including lower risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancer. Argument 2: A vegetarian diet can have many positive effects on many current, global issues. A recent study found that nearly %40 of corn and %67 of soy produced in the United States is going towards raising livestock for the meat and dairy industry, essentially meaning that about 13 pounds of grain goes into one pound of edible meat. Doesn"t add up, right? In a society where approximately 805 million people live in starvation, does it really make sense to essentially throw away that much food? No, it doesn"t. But it gets a lot worse than that. Not only is food thrown away to the livestock industry, but water too. We"re talking about the raising of over 56 billion farm animals every year. That"s a lot of water. To put it into statistics, that"s about %27 of the freshwater deficit. Thus, vegetarianism not only has a positive effect on an individual"s health, but also the current state of global affairs. Argument 3: The livestock industry has a horrible effect on the environment that only a vegetarian diet can really fix. Animals raised for food in the U.S. produce about 89,000 pounds of excrement per second. Where does it all go, then? Well many places, places that people probably don"t want feces. One of the ways to dispose of waste is to sell it as fertilizer, and all though this makes apples in the supermarket extra sweet and juicy, it also causes a run-off effect. This means that when it rains or water is sprayed on the area, the excrement flows into surrounding rivers and lakes where it kills fish and other wildlife. The other disposal method is throwing the excrement into lagoons and waiting for it to decompose. This too causes a seeping effect. So what does seeping actually do? The EPA reported that chicken, hog, and cattle excrement has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. When 25 million gallons of putrid hog urine and feces spilled into a North Carolina river in 1995, between 10 million and 14 million fish died as an immediate result. Aside from water, animals grown for livestock also contaminate the air. A Consumer Union Study in Texas found that animal feedlots in the United States produce approximately 14 million pounds of particle dust each year, dust that contains harmful pathogens and toxins. Another way that the livestock industry gets rid of animal feces is turning it into a mist like substance and having it carried away by the wind. Unfortunately, unsuspecting citizens of neighboring towns inhale this toxic air and can become severely sick from it. There really isn"t a way to stop the industry from doing this, as what are their other options, contaminating more water and damaging the environment even more? The only real way to ensure that these horrible things don"t happen is to cut all funding to the meat and dairy industry by going vegetarian or vegan. Argument 4: Whether or not it is right to kill an animal for the purpose of meat has been an ethical question for decades. The simple fact is that no, it isn"t. Nature dictates that killing an animal is okay when it is absolutely necessary. This is usually not the case with people. The simple fact of the matter is that in the general population, meat is consumed because of convenience and taste; however, what most people don"t realize is that the animals that the animals that they eat once had a face, a mother, maybe a son or daughter. We know that animals feel familial connections maybe even stronger than people do, so the idea of a baby calf being torn from its mother"s arms only moments after birth to be shipped off to some veal factory is simply horrendous. Or, it can be spun the other way, where the mother is torn away to be shipped off to a slaughterhouse. To cause an animal so much pain for the sake of a hamburger or a piece of steak is simply wrong and unethical. What a vegetarian diet does is stand up for the animals and essentially say that people don"t want to be a part of such cruelty. Furthermore, the meat industry has shown time and time again that it is not responsible enough to be allowed to care for animals. It seems like every month a new case of animal abuse comes out. Two months ago it was chickens drowning in their own feces, while last month it was ducks being forced to walk on wire floors, breaking their feet and smashing their faces against the iron wiring. These cases pop up all the time and no matter how many lawsuits are filed, nothing changes. The only way to fully end this kind of cruelty is to go vegetarian and stop giving money to torcher. In summary, vegetarian diets have many positive effects on everything from a person"s diet, to the state of issues like world hunger and pollution.

Vegetarianism generally helps the environment Farming animals is hugely wasteful in land – plant crops require a small part of the space to produce the same amount of calories as livestock. So if every human ate a vegetarian diet there would be no need to chop down the rainforest and ruin the land. Nor would our seas be emptied of fish and other species like dolphins and corals, which harmed by the methods used to catch them.

Every person in 1st world countries should abstain from eating meat. Meat definition "1. the flesh of animals as used for food. " [0] I will use vegetarian and abstaining from eating meat interchangeably from now on. First, lets clear the air and claim that vegetarian diets are safe. Warrant: [1] Impact: vegetarian diets are safe for humans of all ages including children, infants, and unborn fetuses. Claim 1: Meatless diets are better for the environment. Warrant: Common knowledge. Impact: This is additional incentive to become vegetarian. Claim 2: Avoiding meat saves animals from suffering. Warrant: Common knowledge. Impact: This is good for many reasons, in general causing pain to others is considered to be immoral. Claim 3: Buying meat produced in factory farms causes animal cruelty. Warrant: No need to cause suffering to animals, thus cannot claim survival. Impact: Animal cruelty is bad for a lot of reasons and avoiding this gives additional incentive to eat meatless. Claim 4: Vegetarian diets are better for your health. Warrant: Common knowledge. Impact: Saving on your health is not only incentive, but helps alleviate health care costs. 0. http://www.thefreedictionary.com... 1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Vegetarianism globally would benefit the nation. In counter-argument to your points I would like to state that: 1. Although meat is a high source of protein, there is several other ways to consume enough protein to have a healthy diet. Most vegetarian diets consist of diary products and eggs. Eggs are one of the most protein-packed food there is available. They do not only have an amazing amount of protein but they also contain vital vitams such as Vitamin B which provides a lot of energy. It has been proven that eggs do NOT have a negetative impact on our cholesterol levels. I would also like to state that nuts are exteremely high in protein and they also contain all three macronutrients on top of essential micronutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and potassium. Nuts are also suitable for vegans. 2. If the meat industury went down, the vegetable, nut, dairy, fruit and other vegetarian industuries would rise. There isn't much to say about this point, it is just common sense. Just because in this modern world we are so used to having meat around that we take it for granted doesn't mean that if we slowly changed our ways and grow the vegetarian food industries to match the meat industries that the economy would take a hit. Sure, if we suddently changed our ways it would have an impact but not with years of adjusting and getting used to! The figures Con used are the figures of now. Not the figures they are stuck at. I would also like to say that there are more industries within the vegeterian food industuries that we need to account for; not just the vegetable industry as Con stated. Sources:. http://www.medicaldaily.com...Now that I have counter-argued your point I would also like to put forward a few of my arguements. 1. It is immoral to kill animals. As we have evolved though the decaded it has become our job - as the most powerful animal alive to enflict as little pain as possible for our species' survial. We began to eat meat many many decades ago as competition to survive against other species and food sources like wild fruit and vegetables where low. It has been proven that humans were not adapted to eat meat at the beginning. National Geographic say: "Our taste for meat has also led us into some trouble—our teeth are too big for our downsized jaws and most of us need dental work. " Now that we have much more knowledge and more food sources have been discovered, I do not believe that we are enflicting pain and torture on animals for survival. We are doing it because we are selfish. 2. Being vegetarian reduces the risk of food poisioning and death. Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. In most cases of food poisioning, the food is contaminated by bacteria such as salmonella. Food can become contaminated at any stage during production, processing or cooking. For example, it can be contaminated by: not cooking food thoroughly (particularly meat) not correctly storing food that needs to be chilled at below 5C leaving cooked food for too long at warm temperatures not sufficiently reheating previously cooked food someone who is ill or who has dirty hands touching the food eating food that has passed its "use by" date the spread of bacteria between contaminated foods (cross-contamination) Sources:. http://news.nationalgeographic.com...http://www.nhs.uk...

THW become Vegetarians My responses will be short for now, and much more in depth next round. It is currently 3 in the morning and I will post what I have, and post the next later C1) "You"ll ward off disease. Vegetarian diets are more healthful than the average American diet, particularly in preventing, treating or reversing heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer." I would like to ask my opponent How it is more healthful when they are eliminating the most important source for them to actually live. They also state how vegetarians consume less oils and fat. However, without meat we have an insufficient level of omega-3 fatty acids. A paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims that vegetarians have lower levels long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA and with insufficient amounts, it can actually harm the cardiovascular health. They say vegetarian diets have lowered this, but we see in common knowledge that is is actually making them higher. My opponents assume that heavy meat eaters would have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer but a review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the aforementioned Oxford study reveals, "Within the study, the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters, but the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters." This proves that being vegetarian does not help any health factors throughout this whole debate and should be dropped. C2) "You"ll keep your weight down. The standard American diet"high in saturated fats and processed foods and low in plant-based foods and complex carbohydrates""is making us fat and killing us slowly." Let me remind the viewers again that my opponents seem to be missing the point. Vegetarians stop eating protein. With the lack of protein, they compensate and try to fill up all that protein with carbs. With this, there are much more chances of vegetarians actually gaining weight rather than loosing. They say that not being vegetarians will make us overweight. However this is not merely important. With this there is a solution to both Omnivores and vegetarians: exercising. This argument is completely irrelevant to the whole vegetarian topic. They are proving us the harms of not being vegetarian. However, this argument is showing us that because we are not vegetarian, we are now obese. This is not true. There are so many reasons to why people are actually obese, which is fast food restaurants, ads, etc. but our debate is not talking about any of those factors. For this, their obesity argument falls. C3) You"ll live longer Let me again remind the viewers that with these harms, it may cause death within these unbeneficial factors of vegetarian diets. With that, chances of living longer are slim, if we take in the factors lost from not eating meat. C4) You"ll build strong bones While it"s possible for vegetarians to consume adequate amounts of protein, calcium, iron and vitamin D to ensure proper muscle and bone development, one study concluded that vegetarians had approximately 5 percent lower bone-mineral density (BMD) than non-vegetarians. The results of the study, the authors conclude, suggest that vegetarian diets " especially vegan diets " are associated with lower BMD. From this, the "stronger bones" argument falls There are even chances that without being vegan, you can still build strong bones. It would rather be better to not be vegan and have stronger bones, with the contribution of protein and much more variety of selections. I will have to stop it here, for my eyes are weary and my mind is hazy I look forward to the refutations. More rebuttals to be posted next round!!

Being Vegetarian Helps the Environment More than not Being a Vegetarian. Reasons why being a vegetarian would aid the environment:Livestock farming has environmental impacts. By buying and eating meat products, you are continuing to be an incentive for livestock farming to expand.-In many areas of the world, the expansion of Livestock farming has farming has had environmental impacts such as the destruction of tropical rain forests in South America. "Nearly 80% of land deforested in the Amazon is now used as cattle pasture."[2] The tropical rainforest in South America arguably contributes to a large quantity of needed oxygen that animals and ourselves both rely on in order to stay alive.That is merely one section of the globe though. Huge areas of trees and bushes are cut down or burnt. "A staggering 25% of the planet"s land surface is used for the grazing of domestic livestock."[1] It is a statistic that represents the issue as a problem for all environments of our planet.The population of endangered species are also affected by this expansion.- In Australia, "...the native brigalow vegetation has been extensively 'pulled' - again, to facilitate cattle grazing - contributing to the severe decline of the critically endangered bridled nailtail wallaby" [1], which needs the native brigalow vegetation in order to eat. A vegetarian diet would be contributing for how it lessens the incentive for farmers to take away land that wildlife relies on.There are other various effects on the environment that livestock farming has in relation to other environmental costs. "To produce one pound of animal protein vs. one pound of soy protein, it takes about 12 times as much land, 13 times as much fossil fuel, and 15 times as much water." [2] Really, we do not need as much land as we are actually using in order to survive. Fossil fuels are a limited resource that has a negative effect on the atmosphere, and using a large quantity of fossil fuels on livestock farming along with the amount we are using for other necessities arguably just promotes ozone degradation even more. Regarding fossil fuels and emissions, " In 2006, the UN calculated that the combined climate change emissions of animals bred for their meat were about 18% of the global total " more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together." [4] That is an amazing statistic. We depend on cars and planes arguably every day to get around and that still does not equate to the amount of emissions generated from livestock farming.Livestock farming has adds additional costs to our and the environment's need for water.-" According to the Water Education Foundation, it takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef in California."[3] Taking into account that California is in a severe drought (I know this because I live there), using up water is unnecessarily wasteful since it could be used for other purposes and lessen the strain of the drought. "...a pound of beef needs around 9,000 litres " or more than 20,000lbs of water. Equally, it takes nearly 1,000 litres of water to produce one litre of milk." [4] That is water we could be using to farm soy produce or other types of produce. We do not need to use as much water and land to feed ourselves as we might believe we do. Livestock farmer's have the incentive of profit for using this large amount of water and land, so that incentive should not be given to the by becoming a vegetarian.Honestly, I am not a vegetarian and love to eat meat but I think I have convinced myself to consider becoming one for the sake of the environment.Sources:[1] http://www.lettuceleaf.org...[2] http://www.chooseveg.com...[3]http://www.vegetariantimes.com...[4]http://www.theguardian.com...

Vegetarianism is healthier There are significant health benefits to 'going veggie'; a vegetarian diet contains high quantities of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, and is low in fat. (A vegan diet is even better since eggs and dairy products are high in cholesterol.) The risk of contracting many forms of cancer is increased by eating meat: in 1996 the American Cancer Society recommended that red meat should be excluded from the diet entirely. Eating meat also increases the risk of heart disease - vegetables contain no cholesterol, which can build up to cause blocked arteries in meat-eaters. An American study found out that: “that men in the highest quintile of red-meat consumption — those who ate about 5 oz. of red meat a day, roughly the equivalent of a small steak had a 31% higher risk of death over a 10-year period than men in the lowest-consumption quintile, who ate less than 1 oz. of red meat per day, or approximately three slices of corned beef.”[1] A vegetarian diet reduces the risk for chronic degenerative diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and types of cancer including colon, breast, stomach, and lung cancer because of it's low fat/cholesterol content. There are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein, such as beans and bean curd; and spinach is one of the best sources of iron. [1] Tiffany Sharples, ‘The Growing Case Against Red Meat’, Time, 23rd March 2009

Everyone should become Lacto-vegetarian/vegan First of all you can't force people to eat what they don't want to eat second of all someone has to keep animals in check and that is the human society if all meat eaters stopped eating meat there would be a huge overpopulation of animals third of all human is the most important race and takes priority over all other animals fourth of all many humans depend on meat products dietarily and hunting for financial reasons

Vegetarianism Eating meat isn't necessary for maximum development. All of the vitamins, minerals etc. in meat can be found in other foods. Plants don't have a conciseness while animals do. Even if they did, it still doesn't justify the eating of meat. Does the taste of meat really out-way the costs of killing? My conclusion: I'll keep it short and simple. Vegetarianism is a good thing because it saves lives, helps one's health and it helps the environment. I didn't bring religion into this debate but almost all of the major religions (even the ones that allow meat eating like Judaism and Christianity) agree that vegetarianism is better than eating meat.

Vegetarianism Humans have a choice and thus responsibility to do no harm to animals.

Everyone should be vegetarian. Animals have feelings, and they should be treated like equals. They have souls, and thoughts, and emotions. They do not deserve to be killed for the sake of being turned into a cheap, greasy hamburger. There could be more jobs created, because the demand for tofu and other protein sources would go up. There would be less poverty because of theses jobs, and they would pay more. Soybeans and other legumes have just as much protein as a variety of meat sources.

Everyone should be vegetarian. Yes, I know what global warming is. The mass killing of animals contributes to global warming because they need factories to produce the products made from them, and those factories contribute to global warming. Also, the workers at the slaughter houses are usually lower class people who are paid poorly for a job that they really don't want. It is scientifically impossible to eat meat while on a vegetarian diet, because that would defeat the whole purpose of the vegetarian diet and thus would not be called a vegetarian diet. A lion usually does not shove the zebra into a cage and torture it. I have been a vegetarian since birth, and I am perfectly healthy. I get protein and other vitamins and minerals from a variety of plant based sources.

The World Should Become Vegetarian ok

A vegetarian diet is more ethical than a meat-eating diet Thank you for accepting. :)Let's begin.Ecological ConcernsIn 2006, the United Nations calculated that the total climate-change emissions of animals bred for meat was 18% of the global total; this is more than cars, planes, and all other transportation combined. Besides greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, cows and pigs produce many other polluting gases.It takes 108 pounds of water to produce one pound of wheat. It takes a pound of beef around 20,000 pounds of water. Farming uses 70% of the water available to humans.The majority of plant food grown on farms is used as animal feed. It takes 8.4 kilograms of plant-food to produce 1 kg of pork. The 7 billion livestock animals in the US consume 5 times as much grain as the entire population directly consumes. A Cornell analysis states: "Animal protein production requires more than eight times as much fossil-fuel energy than production of plant protein while yielding animal protein that is only 1.4 times more nutritious for humans than the comparable amount of plant protein,""Each year an estimated 41 million tons of plant protein is fed to U.S. livestock to produce an estimated 7 million tons of animal protein for human consumption. About 26 million tons of the livestock feed comes from grains and 15 million tons from forage crops. For every kilogram of high-quality animal protein produced, livestock are fed nearly 6 kg of plant protein.""If all the grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million,""More than 302 million hectares of land are devoted to producing feed for the U.S. livestock population -- about 272 million hectares in pasture and about 30 million hectares for cultivated feed grains.""On average, animal protein production in the U.S. requires 28 kilocalories (kcal) for every kcal of protein produced for human consumption. . . . Grain production, on average, requires 3.3 kcal of fossil fuel for every kcal of protein produced."So, by producing meat, the population loses a vast majority of protein. In addition, the amount of energy and land used is far greater than that of plant food. On top of this, the soil erosion and greenhouse gases produced by raising livestock makes it far less sustainable than plant foods.All these facts are from:http://www.guardian.co.uk...http://www.news.cornell.edu...Animal RightsThe first thing to address here is the most basic question, "why should we care about the plight of the animals involved?" Ok, that's valid. After all we're humans, we have to look out for our own species first. However, we are the most intelligent of animals (probably), so we can examine ourselves and other species logically. Modern science concludes that humans evolved from other animals, specifically apes. Since we evolved from these creatures, they are basically distant relatives (of course, plants are much more distant relatives). Coming from the same ancestors, we have many similarities to other animals, especially mammals. The DNA of the chimpanzee is 98% identical to that of humans. Of course, not many of us eat chimpanzees. The cow's (Bos taurus) DNA is 80% similar. (Source 1) On the other hand, we share 15% with a rice plant. (Source 2) So what does this similarity mean? This brings us to animal intelligence. A dog, for instance, is thought to hold an intelligence that measures up to a 2 to 2.5 year old human. (Source 3) Pigs are thought to be more intelligent. Some apes are able to communicate with humans via simple sign language. Some chimpanzees have been found to perform some intellectual tasks better than humans. (Source 4) This isn't to say they are more intelligent than humans, it's just a testament to the fact they are somewhat intelligent.It is the widely accepted by scientists that an animal's brain complexity is directly linked to their ability to feel pain and suffering. The Discovery Channel stated, "Psychologist B.F. Skinner proved that animals feel pain in a clinical test in which animals were shocked with electrical current as they approached their food." (Source 5) A recent study indicates that even crabs feel pain. (Source 6)Ok, so we've established animals are somewhat intelligent and can feel pain (similarly to that of a young child). Now, does the meat industry cause suffering to the animals used?Well, take a look. A pig's natural lifespan is 15 years, pigs are generally killed for pork at 6 months of age. Male pigs are usually castrated without anesthetic. They often have their tails removed and teeth clipped. Many pigs die in the bad conditions of transit. (Source 7)In 2010, 62 billion animals died for American food. Here's the ones that made it to the slaughterhouse:23,627,000 ducks35,330,800 cattle110,367,000 pigs242,619,000 turkeys8,790,478,000 chickens7.3 billion fish12 billion shellfishIn 2010, the average meat-eater's diet is responsible for 207 animal deaths. At that rate, it is around 16,000 animals over the course of a person's lifespan. (all from source 8)Human ConsumptionThe above arguments must be balanced with this. How is meat useful to humans? Humans are, after all, naturally omnivores. However, there is much research that indicates humans lived almost solely on plant matter as recently as 10,000 years ago. (Source 9 and 10) This isn't to say they were strict vegetarians, like the great apes, they very occasionally ate meat. However, it is likely that humans ate much less meat than they do today.Probably the hardest arguments about vegetarianism is health. Can you be healthy without eating meat? Well, apparently, vegetarians live on average 8 years longer than regular meat-eaters (this is comparable to the difference between smokers and non-smokers). (Source 11) The protein and vitamins of meat can be derived from vegetable sources, except without the cholesterol and fat. That's not to say that all vegetarians lead a healthy diet, if they replace meat with high-fat dairy, it does little good. But, on the whole, vegetarians live longer.ConclusionToday, we live in a society where it is possible (and beneficial) to choose a vegetarian diet. Perhaps in some parts of the world, eating meat may impact health or survival. But if you aren't in poverty, you don't need to sacrifice health to abstain from meat. Therefore, for us, eating meat is a choice of leisure, rather than need. A vegetarian diet greatly lessens our ecological impact and decreases the food we need to produce. A vegetarian diet undoubtedly lessens the hardship on animals as well as other human beings. I would call that more ethical.Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. -- Albert Einstein.Sources1. http://www.sciencemag.org...2. http://eugenes.org...3. http://www.sciencedaily.com...4. http://www.nature.com...5. http://curiosity.discovery.com...6. http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com...7. http://www.chooseveg.com...8. http://animaldeathcount.blogspot.com...9. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...10. http://www.huffingtonpost.com...11. http://www.huffingtonpost.com...

The human race would be better off if everyone decided to be vegetarian. It would be a progressive step for the human race for as many people as possible to begin following vegetarian plant based diets. I think this is something that will inevitably happen over the next few hundred years.

The World Should Become Vegetarian I sincerely believe the world should not become vegetarian, for one, it's just not natural. Swearing off something you were made to do, something your body needs.

Pesci-Vegetarianism is beneficial First of all, the he is a she. Second, a vegetarian, even lax ones that eat some meat, live about two years older than a person who eats meat on a daily basis. The protein in soy products such as tofu helps to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and reduces the risk of heart disease. It is also a whole chain, as are the proteins in fish, eggs, shellfish, and other seafood products that they eat. Therefore, they can easily get an adequate amount of protein just like those who eat meat. The protein argument is irrelevant because proper amounts of protein can be achieved and because this also helps your heart, it is beneficial to the body. Iron facts. You need 14 mg a day if you are a man or a woman after menopause. You need 33 mg a day if you are a woman before menopause. Here is a list of foods that can help to achieve iron goals. All of these foods have a better amount of iron per calorie than meat. Food Amount Iron (mg) Soybeans, cooked 1 cup 8.8 Blackstrap molasses 2 Tbsp 7.2 Lentils, cooked 1 cup 6.6 Spinach, cooked 1 cup 6.4 Quinoa, cooked 1 cup 6.3 Tofu 4 ounces 6.0 Bagel, enriched 3 ounces 5.2 Tempeh 1 cup 4.8 Lima beans, cooked 1 cup 4.4 Swiss chard, cooked 1 cup 4.0 Black beans, cooked 1 cup 3.6 Pinto beans, cooked 1 cup 3.5 Turnip greens, cooked 1 cup 3.2 Chickpeas, cooked 1 cup 3.2 Potato 1 large 3.2 Kidney beans, cooked 1 cup 3.0 Prune juice 8 ounces 3.0 Beet greens, cooked 1 cup 2.7 Tahini 2 Tbsp 2.7 Veggie hot dog 1 hot dog 2.7 Peas, cooked 1 cup 2.5 Black-eyed peas, cooked 1 cup 2.3 Cashews 1/4 cup 2.1 Brussels sprouts, cooked 1 cup 1.9 Bok choy, cooked 1 cup 1.8 Bulgur, cooked 1 cup 1.7 Raisins 1/2 cup 1.6 Almonds 1/4 cup 1.5 Apricots, dried 15 halves 1.4 Veggie burger, commercial 1 patty 1.4 Watermelon 1/8 medium 1.4 Soy yogurt 6 ounces 1.1 Tomato juice 8 ounces 1.0 Green beans, cooked 1 cup 1.2 Kale, cooked 1 cup 1.2 Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup 1.2 Broccoli, cooked 1 cup 1.1 Millet, cooked 1 cup 1.1 Sesame seeds 2 Tbsp 1.0 We store between 2 and 5 micrograms of vitamin B12 and only excrete a very small fraction of this each day. They can be found in fortified cereals and multivitamins. It can also be found in fish, and we need very little of it, and the fish can supply us with what we need. Also, the B12 vitamins in red meat come with a lot of unhealthy fats that can clog arteries and become a burden to the human body. Calcium can be found in milk, cereal, yogurt, and cheese, all of which a pesci vegetarian would eat, and get about as much as a person who eats meat. Therefore, that argument is entirely irrelevant, becasue a meat eater achieves their calcium in the same way. Pesci vegetarians can also eat oysters, and they have the highest zinc content. Other good food sources include beans, nuts, certain seafood, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and dairy products. This argument as well, is irrelevant. Besides, you are adding two years to your life by doing this. Pesci vegetarianism does help the environment. Over 100 animals are saved each year, reducing the amount of overgrazing as well as the demand. If many people did this, the amount of overgrazing would go down and would help the environment's weak soil. Also, a 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined. Greenhouse gases cause global warming, which studies show will increasingly lead to catastrophic disasters—like droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising sea levels, and disease outbreaks—unless we drastically reduce the amounts emitted into the atmosphere. Becoming pesci-vegetarian helps to reduce this pollution thus benefiting the environment and your lungs. Methane: The billions of farmed animals crammed into factory farms produce enormous amounts of methane, both during digestion and from the acres of cesspools filled with feces that they excrete. Methane is more than 20 times as powerful as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere.5 Statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency show that animal agriculture is the number one source of methane emissions in the U.S.6 Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous oxide is about 300 times more potent as a global warming gas than carbon dioxide. According to the U.N., the meat, egg, and dairy industries account for a staggering 65 percent of worldwide nitrous oxide emissions.7 Eliminating the meat helps a lot with reducing emissions without drastically burdening your health. It is actually better for your health to give up meat because it helps to keep the air that you breath clean so that pollutants have a minimal effect on you. I do believe that the transition should be made slowly, so that not too many people lose jobs. But people lose their jobs every day, and many are losing jobs today because of the recession. But as usual, they will once again find jobs. About your "other perspective," how about we give the last of them to places that butcher for the remaining meat eaters, or, just decrease the demand so that the people who don't want to give up meat can have some, but also have people who will eat meat and just lower the amount of land used and cattle, pigs, chicken, etc. Also, vegetarianism helps to lower high blood pressure, one type of diabetes and some cancers. With the reduced risk of these complications, a person will more likely live longer, which, most people see as beneficial. Besides, an unhealthy meat diet, for which the average American is responsible for, can lead to the diseases mentioned above, as well as obesity, high LDL. Also, unless getting organic meat, most animals are fed with growth hormone grains, that the animals consume and then you consume, leading to clogged arteries, heart disease, and a weak immune system.

We should be vegetarian I believe ANIMALS ARE NOT TO BE KILLED FOR HUMANS. My first point is that we shouldn't eat animals because obviously they are slaughtered unfairly. Millions of INNOCENT animals get tortured and slaughtered every year just for humans. Some are even skinned alive. Would you eat a dog or cat?? Well whats the difference? And if you think they are killed humanely.. Think again. http://www.youtube.com...

The World Should Become Vegetarian sure thing

Everyone should be vegetarian. Refutations"Yes, I know what global warming is. The mass killing of animals contributes to global warming because they need factories to produce the products made from them, and those factories contribute to global warming." Slaughter houses use very little ressources, since the majority of what they do is with manual tools. Furthermore, vegetables, cheeses, and various other things in a average vegetarian diet are also made in factories. Here are a few factories as examples. Spread Co. Ltd. http://web-japan.org...Wilton cheese factoryhttp://www.wiltoncheese.com...Both of these factories also contribute to global warming, and much much more as well. Not only slaughterhouses."Also, the workers at the slaughter houses are usually lower class people who are paid poorly for a job that they really don't want." There is no proof supporting this. In fact, there are butchers who enjoy their job. Furthermore, they actually have a decent salary. They get payed more than photographers. An average retail butcher get's an annual salary of 30,054$. [1] A photographer get's 25,000$. [2] Butchers are proud people, and enjoy their job. It is well paying, even more than a photographer. And you completly dropped my argument here. Wheather or not they enjoy their jobs, they will still lose them, and lean into poverty. Your point is not relevant, and false."It is scientifically impossible to eat meat while on a vegetarian diet, because that would defeat the whole purpose of the vegetarian diet and thus would not be called a vegetarian diet. " Notice how my opponent used the words "scientifically proven". In order to make such a statement, there must be proof and sources behind it. Furthermore, science has nothing to do with this. Being omnivorous, we are capable of eating a vegetarian diet, however once in awhile we are capable of changing our diets in order to recieve more protein and such that is difficult to find in vegetables. Yes, they are in vegetables, however smaller amounts. Because of such, you need to eat more in order to get a sufficent amount, thus inducing obesity."A lion usually does not shove the zebra into a cage and torture it. " The cat family itself tends to torture their prey before killing it. [3]" I have been a vegetarian since birth, and I am perfectly healthy. I get protein and other vitamins and minerals from a variety of plant based sources." True, however it is more difficult to recieve, and smaller amounts of protein and vitamins are presented. With an omnivorous diet, we can get nutrients from vegetables, but also get protein and other things to stregthen our muscles at the same time. I have already countered all of my opponent's refutations, and rendered them invalid. I will now continue with further contentions.Contentions If everyone was vegetarian, the population of once domesticated animals such as cows and pigs would increase. Because the animal has adapted to being domesticated, it will have difficult living in the wild. Because of such, most of them would die, and possibly gain new diseases. This would spread to not only other animals, but humans to. Furthermore, now that their population is so high, they will be eating all of the plants we use. This would lower the food stocks drastically. Also, they would usually go on farms, or anywhere to find food. This would turn them into vermin, or hated animals, and people would kill them just for coming on to their lawn.And when domesticated animals become wild, very dangerous things occur. For example, wild pigs are known as boars. These boars reak havec on farms, houses and more, This is very dangerous. So if there were no longer domesticated pigs, they would all adapt into boars, and destroy property.As you can see, not only not being vegetarian has benefits, however forcing everyone to be vegetarian would be dangerous, and extremely harmfull. My opponent completly dropped my poverty argument, but I considered all of her arguments.Sources1.http://www.wowjobs.ca...2.http://www.indeed.com...3.http://www.perfectpaws.com...;

The World Should Become Vegetarian People crave meat because animal slaughter has been going on for hundreds of years and they have become used to it. However, that does not make it okay to do. The countries that you speak of could use all that land that houses animals as large gardens instead, which would produce more food, raise ethical citizens, and have a healthier society overall. The overpopulation of animals is occurring because of humans. They raise animals in large numbers, which quickly pushes the population way beyond it's natural number. If we stopped eating meat, the demand would go down and so would the overpopulation of animals.

Humans should be vegetarians. The opponent made a variety of arguments:1. Meat eating/killing animals is immoral. 2. Meat eating/killing animals is evolutionary incorrect.3. Meat eating/killing animals is unhealthy. 4. Meat Production causes pollution.5. Meat Production causes deforestation/excessive land use. I'll be addressing each of these issues individually. Argumentation1. Meat eating/killing animals is immoral. All of my rebuttals will have a common theme, in that I'll be pointing out repeatedly that the opponent has not provided any evidence to back up his claims. For this argument in particular, the opponent failed to demonstrate why meat eating is immoral. If we are to assume that there is an objective morality, we would need to appeal to the existence of some god that sets the standard of moral correctness. If we are to further assume that some god exists, it would still not justify the claim that eating meat is immoral. The Bible [Gen. 9:3] states that "every living thing that moves shall be food for [man]. " In Islam, it is considered acceptable to eat many kinds of meat, with limited restrictions. [1] Many Buddhist texts reference even Buddha himself eating meat. [2] It is clear that, even within the framework of popular religions, eating meat is fine. If we are to assume there is no god, then it cannot be claimed that there is an objective morality, as there is nothing existent with the authority to claim that some action is absolutely correct or absolutely incorrect. As such, the claim cannot be made that eating meat is "immoral" since there is no authority that can justifiably make that judgement for everyone. 2. Meat Eating/Killing Animals is evolutionarily incorrect. Again, this claim is not substantiated with any evidence. The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), which is pro-vegetarianism, states that humans are naturally omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. [3] This is indicated in archaelogical records which has documented human's meat and vegetable eating habits over time. (Think hunter-gatherers. ) Furtermore, we have specialized cells that break down meat. If we were evolutionarily incapable of eating meat, these would not exist. It is a well understood scientific fact that humans are omnivores. To claim otherwise requires a great deal of evidential support, since the notion flies in the face of known science. 3. Meat eating is unhealthy. Some meat, like high fat red meat, can have negative health consequences -- a direct result of the high fat content. However, lean red meat is considered healthy, as it provides more protein than fat. [4] Fish is very healthy, in moderation, as it provides access to Omega 3's that have wholistic health benefits. Besides the fact that the claim is patently false, it would be irrelevant if it were true. The Western ideal of "freedom" ought to be held in higher regard than "compulsive healthy eating. " The opponent's logic here could easily be extended to include banning ice cream, candy bars, cookies, most all bottled drinks, most all fast food and even sweet tea. (Gasp! ) This is, of course, a ridiculous notion to uphold. People should have the right to eat what they want when they want it, regardless of the health impacts. To deny this is to deny the most fundemental human right -- freedom. 4. Meat production causes pollution. This is sometimes true, but not always. More importantly, meat consumption does not inherently cause pollution. Allow me to elaborate. Many mass preparation facilities cause pollution because of the very fact that they are producing something on a large scale. Be this the production of meat or veggies, the pollution will still happen. Consider that a man can throw a net into the river, catch fish, eat them and not produce any amount of pollution. This shows that meat eating does not directly cause pollution, but rather the way in which we produce meat, which is subject to change as does technology. Finally, I could not find any reports specifically looking at meat eating/animal killing and pollution. Perhaps the opponent can provide this because, as it stands, this is an entirely unsubstantiated claim. 5. Meat production causes deforestation and excessive land use. Unsubstantiated. However, from a logical standpoint, this makes sense. Unfortunately, the alternative to meat eating, vegetarianism, does not solve this issue. Growing the amount of veggies and grains necessary to feed the population takes an enormous amount of land, since the growth needs to happen somewhere. So the "deforestation and excessive land" problem, if even significant, would not be solved by cutting out meat. And again, meat eating is not inherently tied to deforestation and land use. The fishing industry, for example, does not affect the trees and does not require the permanent usage of any significant amount of land. Chicken factories can fit inside a single large facility, not requiring the use of great amounts of land. Cattle need less land than a wheat field. It is clear that this issue, if it is an issue, is not solved by affirming the resolution. It is a simple fact that food requires space to be produced, regardless of its form. ConclusionThe opponent made many claims and failed to prove any of them. There was not even any supporting evidence presented. Despite this, I analyzed each point and demonstrated the flaws within them. It is clear that, at this point, it cannot be said that "humans should be vegetarians". Sources:1 - . http://www.quran-islam.org...(P1156).html 2 - . http://www.urbandharma.org...;3 - . https://www.vrg.org...;4 - . http://www.rd.com...;

People should not eat animals. Mathnerd: Of your three reasons to be a vegetarian (defined as not eating the flesh of animals, a diet that may or may not include the consumption of eggs and milk) is beneficial to both the vegetarian and to the global community. 1. A vegetarian diet is more healthful. All 13 amino acids and other required nutrients may be obtained easily with very much attention. A vegetarian diet has been shown to decrease chances of cancer and heart disease (because plant foods contain no cholesterol and very little saturated fat). Actually, some veggies contain huge amounts of saturated fats - coconuts for example. So we are in close agreement on point one. 2. Animal agriculture is the number one human-caused source of the greenhouse gas methane, which is 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide. The rearing of cattle and other animals also contributes to the extinction of many species from habitat destruction, erosion caused by over grazing, excess land use compared to vegetable farming, and water pollution and eutrophication from animal waste and fertilized grazing pastures. To say nothing about the higher costs of vegetables because of the reduction of quality arable land. I'm not terribly concerned about green house gases, as I am not a subscriber of human caused Global Warming Theory, but I generally agree with point two. 3. Common animal farming practices are cruel and unsafe. Most people can agree upon this, however, the morality of animal treatment is highly subjective and I would like to not focus too much on whether a chicken has the same feelings of pain, whether it really matters, etc. My divergence from you position is in the inconsistencies of accepting the consumption of milk and eggs and the fact that your profile shows that you are pro-abortion. Chickens that are used for egg production are kept in tight environments, Additionally their beaks are cut back to prevent damage to their crowded-in neighbors. After a very miserable life they are slaughtered for soup, when they are no longer productive. Presumably, they would still be slaughtered for pet food, even if all persons became vegetarians of the egg and milk variety. In the case of milk cows, heifers are welcomed but (male) calves are eschewed as a liability. Right now they are immediately slaughtered for (monkey) veal. Their venerated sisters will calve and produce milk and calve, again until they no longer produce. They then become food for pets. Not a great life either. Lastly, you favor abortion. Forgive me if I presume that your sympathies are reserved for animals. Even though I am not a vegetarian, I try to limit my intake of animal flesh. I disagree with PETA in their ‘Animal Rights' position. There is certainly, an ethical requirement that we the limit pain and discomfort that farm animals must endure, but animals have no rights. In the other hand . I admire your compassion for animals. Your arguments are well reasoned and strongly stated.

To Be or Not to Be... Vegetarian? I say veggo is the way to go! The first set of reasons listed deal with the amount of food that can be produced by eliminating the meat industry. These arguments are intended to show that a vegetarian lifestyle adopted by everyone would save a large number of people. The last reason listed is "1,000,000,000 people in the west gorging on meat & dairy leave 1,000,000,000 to waste away & 3,500,000,000 teeter on the brink." But now it is time to escape this tunnel vision and look at other aspects. First and foremost, there are already over 6.7 billion people on this planet. If the human population on the planet is out of whack, then it is clearly the result of TOO MANY people. Now you want everyone to take up a vegetarian diet to add MORE people to this planet? If those one billion people didn't waste away, we would have close to eight billion people on the planet. Perhaps you are under the impression that saving everyone is a good thing, but nothing could be further from the truth. People need to die. If we use flex.com's suggestions, humans would soon become overpopulated. In biology, every population has a limit known as the carrying capacity (symbolized by the letter k). Once this limit is reached, a rapid decline in the population occurs (i.e. mass death). So in the end, flex.com's method would kill many more people than the ones that currently starve. Moving on to the section on land, it is true that a lot of land is cleared for farming. But the world in which we live is very opportunistic when it comes to land. Eliminating meat industries will not give that land back to nature. It would simply be used for a factory, real estate, or some other business venture. In the section on air, there is much talk of the methane produced by cattle. I still have yet to hear why the methane from cattle is different from that of other animals. Furthermore, methane has always been around, long before global warming. If global warming is in fact true, I doubt that the key culprit will turn out to be cow farts. And reasons such as "Fertilizer, weedkiller & pesticides sprayed on crops enter the atmosphere creating a noxious carcinogenic cocktail" have nothing to do with the meat industry. The section on water seems to talk a great deal about wasting water. But in reality, water constantly cycles and is usually redistributed properly through nature (droughts and dry spells are not a constant occurrence). There is also mention of the waste that ends up in rivers and such through the meat industry. But such things occur in nature constantly, and singling out the waste in rivers from meat industries makes no sense. Furthermore, are sentences such as "The water used to produce a 1000 lb beef steer is enough to float a Destroyer battleship" really supporting vegetarianism? It seems more like a fun fact to me. The section on efficiency speaks of wasting energy for meat production (which cannot actually occur due to the law of conservation of energy). It also mentions crops that are wasted by feeding them to animals. But if this were actually the case, if the crops fed to animals really wasted too much, then why oh why does the government still pay farmers to burn excess crops? If the crops are still produced with so much surplus that farmers must burn them in order to maintain supply and demand, then feeding crops to the animals cannot be anywhere near as wasteful as you or the website claim. Moving on to the section on animals, I will not deny that there are many cruel practices listed here. But why these practices lead to the conclusion that one must become a vegetarian is beyond me. It would seem to make just as much sense to by organic meats that do not use such practices, or to eat meat without an industry such as venison. The section on health starts off with a correlation, which does not show any type of causation. Vegetarians may be shown to live longer, but there is no evidence that this is caused by their diet. There are many correlations that can be found where one factor is not dependent on the other. For example, there is a real correlation between the amount of babies crying and the amount of ice cream consumed by people on any given day. Does the sound of babies crying make people want to eat ice cream? Does the act of eating ice cream cause babies to cry? The answer to both of these questions is obviously no. There is an external factor (in this case, heat) and that doesn't make the correlation less real. So a vegetarian living longer shows nothing. And the addendum "and they don't get sick as often" is something for which I would like to see evidence. I have never known a vegetarian that was healthy or less sick than others. If anything, the case was the opposite. Other things mentioned in the health section once again do not account for organic meat. The antibiotics, hormones, toxins, and pesticides would not be present in organic meat. Many of the other reasons are also correlational. Other reasons listed deal with nutrition. But nutritionists are not scientists. They use correlations to show causation, they do not use the same terms as everyone else in the science world, and most importantly their claims are non-falsifiable. I have already shown that correlations do not show causation. Let's now look at the calorie (something nutritionists speak of often). A calorie is a unit of heat energy equivalent to 4.184 joules. One thousand such units, or 4,184 joules is known to the rest of the scientific community as a kilocalorie. But not the nutritionists. They have decided to call the kilocalorie a calorie, and therefore cannot communicate with other sciences in scientific jargon since they have assigned their own meanings to terms. The next point is key: if something cannot be falsified it is not science. A nutritionist may claim that some type of diet will cause people to live longer while another causes early death. Yet when they are shown a person that lived to 95 on a diet that supposedly causes early death, they do not admit defeat. Rather, they make some stupid claim such as "Well, if he was on a healthy diet he probably would've lived to 110" or some other such nonsense. So I cannot take nutritionists seriously, and that is the majority of the health section. Nevertheless, even using nutrition as an argument fails when one studies physiology. In truth, a vegetarian or vegan diet is not healthy. The amount of iron that vegetarians receive is much lower than that of meat-eaters. Iron is needed to bind to hemoglobin and carry oxygen throughout the body. In fact, there have been cases where a vegetarian diet has led to anemia because of the lack of iron. The site seems to come down on dairy as well, so I assume that it is promoting a vegan diet. With this comes a further problem. Vitamin B12 (aka cobalamin) can only be found in animal products. It is necessary for two reasons: it works in conjunction with folic acid to create red blood cells and it is essential to the production of myelin which coats the axons of neurons. So health is not achieved by vegetarians or vegans. It is achieved with a well-balanced diet. There is nothing wrong with following one's nature. Humans are natural omnivores. Eating that which we are meant to eat by nature is the way to go.

Vegetarianism is wrong. Eating meat is the way to live. There are many reasons that people have for becoming a vegetarian. I believe I have heard all of them, but none of them have seemed to hold up against logical scrutiny. From health issues to ethical issues, all of the arguments that have been attempted have some major flaw. In this forum, I will attempt to point out the fallacies in all of these arguments. My challenge is for someone to give me a logical reason to become a vegetarian. I, in turn, will review the reason and give a refutation.

THW become Vegetarians Thank you for the acceptance, I look forward to a nice and clean debate. Moving on, I would first off like to remind my opponents that they would have to prove the benefits of why becoming vegetarian is moreover a benefit than a harm for I am doing the exact opposite. C1) Violation of one's rights It's pretty straight forward. Forcing others to eat something takes away a person's freedom to eat what they want to eat. Let us look at our status quo. In our modern day society we have people who are vegetarian, people who eat all sorts of food, lactose intolerant, and many more "styles" of what and how people eat. If we supposedly do make everyone eat meat in America, what is taken away from the people? Freedom. When we are practically forcing our citizens to eat something that they are 1) Not use to or 2) Doesn't want to eat we are violating and taking away the citizens right for something that is vital to our life. Our world gives us limited freedom and rights I agree, but we are now taking away a freedom and choice for food. This of course violates ones limited freedom. This is not right for our society to decide what we eat now. C2)Feasibility Pretty straight forward. Making people vegetarians are not feasible enough in our country. Because my opponents are proving that we should enforce America into becoming vegetarians, how would they do it? What if they do eat meat? Would they go to jail or get arrested? What would happen? C3)Health Issues Vegetarian: 1. A person who does not eat or does not believe in eating MEAT, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.[1] The definition of Vegetarians includes that they do not eat meat. Becoming vegetarian certainly means that there will be much less protein intake. Having protein is a must in your regular food chain. Protein is makes up the building blocks of our body and essentially all we do when we eat meat is to recycle the flesh and to use it to reconstruct our own. Vegetarians may tell me that you still can get protein from beans and eggs. But here is the real problem here. We as humans can't live off of just beans, eggs, cheese etc. Vegetables and plants do not have same amino acid profile as meat does to us and simply isn't bio-available enough to be able to use efficiently. Lack of protein in our diet brings out many harms. We are slower to heal wounds and scars on us. Our skin will become unhealthy. We would struggle to develop muscle tissues easier and become weaker and our digestion function suffers. [2] Aside from protein, there is on big harm on discarding meat in our food chain and that is Vitamin B12. You can only get this source of vitamin from meat, unless you count earth's ground and dirt as "food". B12 is a very crucial substance and lack of meat can cause serious problems such as nerve damage, low energy and problems utilizing calcium which can lead to osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis in the future for people. [3] [4] Conclusion: Today if we put on a scale, my side sees much more weight on the harms. Even if my opponents explain on how becoming vegetarian is very healthy, we have still proved that meat is crucial. As well as it can be a problem to obesity, we see a much bigger health issues from a society without meat. As well as it harms the people, it harms our freedom of one thing that we should have full access too. With our status quo we see no major health problems being just the way we are, vegetarian or not. There would be no need to change what we already is succeeding in for our future. [1] http://dictionary.reference.com... [2] http://www.healthguidance.org... [3] http://www.mnn.com... [4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

A vegetarian diet is to be preferred over an omnivorous diet In this debate, I will be arguing that a vegetarian diet is to be preferred over an omnivorous diet as it is healthier, has a less significant negative impact on the environment and reduces the suffering and death of sentient lifeforms.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A vegetarian diet is healthier than an omnivorous diet:In a 1988 report, it was found that there is a significant positive association between meat consumption and mortality because of all causes of death combined, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. [1]In another 2007 study, it was found that there is a significant positive association between red and processed meat intake and risk of cancer of the colon and rectum, esophagus, liver, lung, and pancreas [2].In a 2003 meta-analysis, it was concluded that long-term (≥ 2 decades) adherence to a vegetarian diet can lead to a significant 3.6-year increase in life expectancy [3].As it can reasonably be assumed that everyone would generally prefer not to have cancer in one’s rectum (or anywhere else), cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, it can be concluded that a vegetarian diet is to be preferred over an omnivorous diet as it is generally healthier, leads to a higher life expectancy and reduces one’s chances of getting cancer in one’s rectum.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A vegetarian diet has a less significant negative impact on the environment:According to a 2017 study, livestock farming is responsible for at least 14.5% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is estimated to be responsible for at least 51% of global GHG emissions “based on the most complete and comprehensive analysis of all factors associated with livestock products (including emissions from the animals themselves and lost carbon sequestration from land clearing for feed production) estimates the sector's contribution to be at least 51 per cent of total global GHG emissions” [4],[5]. It is important to note, however, that even 14.5% is more than emissions from all transport combined [6].The chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, has described eating less meat as "the most attractive opportunity" for making immediate positive changes to climate change [7].As it can reasonably be assumed that people generally have no intention of harming the environment and would prefer having a less significant influence on climate change, it can be concluded that a vegetarian diet is to be preferred over an omnivorous diet.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A vegetarian diet reduces the suffering and deaths of sentient lifeforms:In the same way that it is immoral to torture a cat (or any other animal) for the sake of viewing pleasure, it is immoral to eat a cat (or any other animal) for the sake of tasting its flesh. [16]Mylan Engel’s argument against eating meat [15]:(p1) Other things being equal, a world with less pain and suffering is better than a world with more pain and suffering.(p2) A world with less unnecessary suffering (suffering which serves no greater, outweighing justifying good) is better than a world with more unnecessary suffering.(p3) Even a minimally decent person (a person who does the very minimum required by morality and no more) would take steps to help reduce the amount of unnecessary pain and suffering in the world, if they could do so with very little effort.(p4) Many nonhuman animals (certainly all vertebrates) are capable of feeling pain [9].(p5) Animals in the meat industry are suffering [10],[11],[12],[13].(p6) Refraining from eating meat and eating something else instead requires very little effort [14].(c) We ought to stop purchasing and consuming meat.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Overall, it can be concluded that a vegetarian diet is to be preferred over an omnivorous diet as it is generally healthier, better for the environment and because the extended suffering animals endure outweigh the short pleasure of eating meat.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sources:[1]: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 48, Issue 3, 1 September 1988, Pages 739–748,https://doi.org...[2]: Genkinger JM, Koushik A (2007) Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk. PLoS Med 4(12): e345. https://doi.org... [3]: Singh PN, Sabate J, Fraser GE. Does low meat consumption increase life expectancy in humans? Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3 Suppl):526S-32S.[4]: Bogueva, Diana & Marinova, Dora & Raphaely, Talia. (2017). Reducing meat consumption: the case for social marketing. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. 29. 10.1108/APJML-08-2016-0139.[5]: Goodland, R & Anhang, J. (2009). Livestock and climate change. World Watch. 22. 10-19.[6]: Ipcc.ch. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch... [Accessed 8 Jul. 2018].[7]: Dr. Rajendra Pachauri. Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Lecture: ‘Global Warning - The impact of meat production and consumption on climate change’. September 2008[8]: Doug Gurian-Sherman, "CAFOs Uncovered: The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations" (5.6 MB) , www.ucsusa.org, Apr. 2008[9]: National Research Council (US) Committee on Recognition and Alleviation of Pain in Laboratory Animals. Recognition and Alleviation of Pain in Laboratory Animals. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2009. 1, Pain in Research Animals: General Principles and Considerations. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...[10]: Joby Warrick, "They Die Piece by Piece: In Overtaxed Plants, Humane Treatment of Cattle Is Often a Battle Lost," Washington Post, Apr. 10, 2001[11]: Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production, "Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America" (7.2 MB) , www.ncifap.org, Apr. 28, 2008[12]: Humane Society of the United States, "Undercover at Smithfield Foods" (467 KB) , www.humanesociety.org (accessed Jan. 17, 2011) [13]: Farm Sanctuary, "The Welfare of Cattle in Beef Production" (700 KB) , www.farmsanctuary.org (accessed Jan. 17, 2011)[14]: Craig WJ, Mangels AR; American Dietetic Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Jul;109(7):1266-82.PubMed PMID: 19562864.[15]: Engel Jr, Mylan (2000). The Immorality of Eating Meat. _Chapter in The Moral Life_:856-889. https://philpapers.org... [16]: 2. Rationalwiki.org. (2018). Essay:Why You Shouldn't Eat Meat - RationalWiki. [online] Available at: https://rationalwiki.org... [Accessed 8 Jul. 2018].Some inspiration was taken from these Sources:1. Vegansociety.com. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.vegansociety.com... [Accessed 8 Jul. 2018].2. Vegetarian.procon.org. (2018). Vegetarian ProCon.org. [online] Available at: https://vegetarian.procon.org... [Accessed 8 Jul. 2018].

People should eat much less meat Thanks for accepting.l. Healthl.A. Kidney stonesA vegetarian diet reduces the percent chance of developing kidney stones. Kidney stones are most frequently caused by too much calcium oxalate or uric acid in the urine. Animal protein (including meats, shellfish, eggs etc.) have large amounts of oxalates and uric acid in it, thus increasing the risk of kidney stones. [1] Americans consume a lot of meat, in burgers or hot dogs, or steaks, but 1 in 11 Americans suffer from kidney stones, suggesting that this high-meat diet may be catching up with Americans. [2]l.B. Iron sourcesRed meat is rich in iron, but studies show that too much heme iron (the iron found in red meat) may not be beneficial to humans. Studies have linked this heme iron to an increased risk of getting rectal or colon cancer. [3] Non-heme iron is found in foods like leafy greens and beans.l.C. Heart diseaseAn Oxford study shows that vegetarians are 32% less likely to get heart disease than meat eaters. [4] l.D. ConclusionThere are many conditions and disease that can be contracted by eating meat. None of them are fun at all, and if people want to have a higher chance of living longer, healthier, and therefore happier lives, they should reduce the amount of animal protein they eat. ll. Ethicsll.A. Are their lives wasted?Animals killed for meat are raised in slaughterhouses, many never seeing the light of day, or feeling grass beneath their feet. Humans can function without eating meat, so are we taking their lives for a whim? Animals can experience stress, pain, and fear. 10,153 million animals are killed for their meat every year. [5] That is a ridiculous amount of animals to die for humans' dietary preferences. ll.B Conditions of slaughterhousesAnimals killed for meat are kept in cramped, dirty, and unnatural conditions, and are sometimes even fed the ground up remains of animals of their own species. The meat industry is out to make a profit, and to maximize the number of animals they can keep, animals can be kept in spaces so small they can't even turn around. They aren't exercised so they fatten quickly, and are pumped full of drugs and antibiotics to keep them alive in conditions that would've killed them. [6]ll.C. Most slaughterhouses don't kill animals humanelyThe Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) is an attempt to make slaughter more humane by, for example, mandating that livestock be stunned unconcious before slaughter to minimize the animal's suffering. But the HMSA doesn't include chickens and turkeys in its legislation, and some slaughterhouses merely ignore the HMSA, as it is not economically profitable and is not as strictly enforced as it could be. [7]ll.D ConclusionMeat is not humane!! Every consumer counts, and it only takes one person to make a difference!! A vegetarian saves over 406 animals a year, that's more than 1 a day!! [8] Many people do not realize the agony that went into their enjoyable lunch. There is no excuse for excessive meat consumption, unless a doctor specifically prescribed it, which I doubt they would. Round ConclusionMeat is bad for the health and the soul. I will make more points next round to make this argument less long, and more 'readable'. Sources[1] http://www.webmd.com...;[2] http://www.dailynews.com...;[3] http://vegetarian.procon.org...;[4] http://ebn.benefitnews.com...;[5] http://farmusa.org...;[6] http://www.peta.org...;[7] http://www.gpo.gov...;[8] http://www.countinganimals.com...;

Vegetarianism is a Necessary Lifestyle Choice to Lead a Perfectly Ethical Life 1) There is no nutrient in meat that cannot be found in a vegetarian diet. No one can deny this. 2) There is no disease where eating meat is required for the treatment or cure of the disease. 3) Therefore, eating meat is absolutely unnecessary. 4) Eating meat causes death to other animals, obviously. And, despite attempts to make slaughter "humane", whether it be "kosher", "halal" or otherwise, it quite probably, or even certainly, causes stress and pain as well. 5) Therefore, eating meat is immoral and unethical. And abhorrently selfish, since the person who eats meat does so only for the hedonistic and temporary satisfaction of his taste buds. Especially when there are so many vegetarian and tasteful alternatives (from meatless and healthful soy products to traditional Indian dishes). 6) There is more than enough cruelty in the world as it is; there is no need to add to it, unnecessarily. The Hunger Argument Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20,000,000 Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100,000,000 Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20% Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80% Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95% Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90% How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000 Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250 Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56 Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16 he Environmental Argument Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75% Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85% Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260,000,000 Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75% Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year The Cancer Argument Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times. The Cholesterol Argument Number of U.S. medical schools: 125 Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30 Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds Average U.S. man's risk of death from heart attack: 50% Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15% Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45% Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90% Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50% The Natural Resources Argument Uses of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a U.S. Navy Destroyer Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25 Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000 Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13 Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260 Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78 To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2 Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33% Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2% The Antibiotic Argument Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55% Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13% Percentage resistant in 1988: 91% Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support The Pesticide Argument Common misconception: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99% Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8% Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level The Ethical Argument Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 660,000 Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker The Survival Argument Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner) Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?) Sources... http://www.ethicalvegetarian.com...

Being Vegetarian Helps the Environment More than not Being a Vegetarian. While your points are completely valid you are forgetting one major fact, The overpopulation of animals: Specific species of animals, such as cows need to be killed off to keep the population at a healthy level. If everyone was a vegetarian, the amount of cows and deer roaming the earth would be FAR to much for planet earth to maintain, and we would (eventually) end up dying because we didn't eat meat. You state 25% of the earth is used for grazing, and argue that is too much? Imagine if people were vegetarians,stopped eating grazing animals, and the animals were set free. This would cause a huge amount of the grass and healthy lands such as the rain forest to be torn down due to uncontrolled species. It is much less space consuming to have a tightly packed group of animals then a spaced out one. As for the water usage there are many ways in which we could cut down on this water shortage in other ways without disturbing the 90% of people who aren't vegetarians. Finally Humans are part of the environment too, many vegetarians eat LESS healthy then non-vegetarians. "And, of course, not all vegetarians eat healthily. If a vegetarian replaces meat with high-fat cheeses, junk food and so on, they"re unlikely to reap many health benefits " after all, there"s no meat in ice cream, potato chips, or fudge brownies! It"s certainly possible to be a vegetarian and still consume large quantities of high-fat, high-sugar empty calories. Replacing meat with poor substitutes can lead to nutrient deficiencies in protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12. Athletes, children and pregnant females are particularly at risk as their nutrient needs are especially high. Vegans (who eat no animal products of any type) especially need to supplement their vitamin B12 intake. Poor meal-planning, illness, stress and the excessive use of supplements can also cause problems. It's therefore wise to seek professional advice on your dietary needs before making the switch to vegetarianism." ~Calorie King Sources: http://www.vegetariantimes.com... http://www.calorieking.com...

All people should become vegetarian Ho Hum..

Vegetarianism for ethical reasons What about fish. U wrote five types f fish, which are not at risk foe extinction. But cause of europeans' and americans' love to sushi tuna is under threat of extinction. Maria Juan-Jorda, from A Coruna University in Spain, said: "Populations have declined, on average, by 60 per cent over the past half century, but the decline in the total adult biomass is lower (52 per cent), driven by a few abundant populations.The steepest declines are exhibited by two distinct groups: the largest, longest lived, highest value temperate tunas and the smaller, short-lived mackerels, both with most of their populations being over-exploited. The remaining populations, mostly tropical tunas, have been fished down to approximately maximum sustainable yield levels, preventing further expansion of catches in these fisheries.' People need more ingredients for sushi, cause of that increased quote for fishing, which a main problem of extinction of tuna. Animals kill animals, but not so much as people. Because of people's love to meat, a lot of animals at risk for extinction. On today's factory farms, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy windowless sheds, wire cages, gestation crates and other confinement systems. These animals will never raise families, root in the soil, build nests or do anything that is natural and important to them According to the ADA, vegetarians are at lower risk for developing: -Heart disease -Colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers -Diabetes -Obesity -Hypertension (high blood pressure) But a vegetarian diet, like any healthy diet, must be well planned in order to help prevent and treat certain diseases. If u have a right diet, it will help to your health.

Vegetarianism When it comes to vegetarianism, the number one question on most meat-eaters' minds is, "What do you eat?" The answer: Anything we want! There are vegetarian alternatives to almost any animal food, from soy sausages and "Fib Ribs" to Tofurky jerky and mock lobster. Vegetarian-friendly menus are sprouting up everywhere—even Burger King offers veggie burgers—and more and more eateries are focusing exclusively on vegetarian and vegan foods. There are fantastic alternatives to every dairy product you can imagine, including Soy Delicious ice cream, Silk chocolate soy milk, Tofutti cream cheese, and more. Going vegetarian has never been easier, and we're here to help! From our fantastic recipes and list of favorite products and favorite vegetarian cookbooks to our free vegetarian starter kit and online shopping guide, PETA has all the information you need to adopt a healthy and humane vegetarian diet! Every year in the U.S., more than 27 billion animals are slaughtered for food. Raising animals on factory farms is cruel and ecologically devastating. Eating animals is bad for our health, leading directly to many diseases and illnesses, including heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. In response to animal welfare, health, and ecological concerns, compassionate people everywhere are adopting a vegetarian diet. For Animals Animals on factory farms are treated like meat, milk, and egg machines. Chickens have their sensitive beaks seared off with a hot blade, and male cattle and pigs are castrated without any painkillers. All farmed chickens, turkeys, and pigs spend their brief lives in dark and crowded warehouses, many of them so cramped that they can't even turn around or spread a single wing. They are mired in their own waste, and the stench of ammonia fills the air. Animals raised for food are bred and drugged to grow as large as possible as quickly as possible—many are so heavy that they become crippled under their own weight and die within inches of their water supply. Animals on factory farms do not see the sun or get a breath of fresh air until they are prodded and crammed onto trucks for a nightmarish ride to the slaughterhouse, often through weather extremes and always without food or water. Many die during transport, and others are too sick or weak to walk off the truck after they reach the slaughterhouse. The animals who survive this hellish ordeal are hung upside-down and their throats are slit, often while they're completely conscious. Many are still alive while they are skinned, hacked into pieces, or scalded in the defeathering tanks. Learn more about the factory-farming industry. By switching to a vegetarian diet, you can save more than 100 animals a year from this misery. One suggestion: If you plan to make the transition to a vegetarian diet gradually, the most important foods to cut out of your diet first are bird flesh and eggs. While many people think that "red meat" and dairy products should be the first to go, this isn't the case. By cutting bird flesh from your diet, you'll save many more animals. Because chickens are so small, the average meat-eater is responsible for the deaths of many more chickens than cows. Plus, chickens and turkeys exploited by the meat and egg industries are the most abused animals commonly used for food. For Your Health Some of the leading killers in America today, including heart disease, cancer, obesity, and strokes, are directly linked to meat-based diets. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America today, and it is caused by the build-up of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products in our arteries. The only two doctors in human history who have successfully reversed heart disease have included an exclusively vegetarian diet as a part of their programs. The average vegan cholesterol level is 133 (compared to 210 for meat-eaters); there are no documented cases of heart attacks in individuals with cholesterol under 150. Other health problems tied to clogged arteries, like poor circulation and atherosclerotic strokes, can be virtually eliminated with a vegan diet. Vegans are approximately one-ninth as likely to be obese as meat-eaters and have a cancer rate that is only 40 percent that of meat-eaters. People who consume animal products are also at increased risk for many other illnesses, including strokes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, Alzheimer's, multiple allergies, diabetes, and food poisoning. Learn more about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. For the Environment America's meat addiction is poisoning and depleting our potable water, arable land, and clean air. More than half of the water used in the United States today goes to animal agriculture, and since farmed animals produce 130 times more excrement than the human population, the run-off from their waste is fouling our waterways. Animal excrement emits gases, such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, that poison the air around farms, as well as methane and nitrous oxide, which are major contributors to global warming. Forests are being bulldozed to make more room for factory farms and feed crops to feed farmed animals, and this destruction causes soil erosion and contributes to species extinction and habitat loss. Raising animals for food also requires massive amounts of food and raw materials: Farmed animals consume 70 percent of the corn, wheat, and other grains that we grow, and one-third of all the raw materials and fossil fuels used in the U.S. go to raising animals for food. In short, our country's meat addiction is wrecking the earth. Read more about factory farming and the environment. http://goveg.com...

The human race would be better off if everyone decided to be vegetarian. I accept that eating meat may have been a necessary part of our evolution as a species, but I think that as time passes we will have to stop eating meat. It is far more efficient to use land to grow plants to eat, rather than growing plants to feed to animals who then go to slaughter after months/years of rearing. The earths population is increasing at a rate faster than ever, and soon there won't be enough land left to rear animals on. I am not a vegetarian personally, but I have my own personal rules on what I will and won't eat, which are another story and unrelated to this debate! I don't believe eating vegetables will make people smarter or stronger, but I definitely don't think it can make you any weaker or less intelligent. As far as I know any nutrients needed by the human body to function properly can be found in a vegetarian diet, and any harder to find vitamins or minerals can be bought as supplements. Therefore I can't see any negative effects of vegetarianism, and I can see a couple of positives. I'm not saying people should just give up meat overnight, people have favourite meals they wouldn't want to give up. I am saying I find it hard to imagine a future, 1000 years from now, where people still eat meat on the scale they do today. I think meat will eventually be at best a hard to come by rarity, seen by most as a bizarre barbarism of the past.

Everyone should become a vegetarian That isn't actually true. The amount of farms that actually allow the animal to live out its full life is very minimal. Why do you think organic meat is so much more expensive than "normal" meat. When I say normal I mean the meat that is full of steroids, and chemicals. And if we are debating on which one have the most feeling. It's safe to say that animals much more than plants. If people wanted to have their portion of meat they could eat soya food, and other sources of protein such as nuts etc. it's a matter of privilege. We once had the privilege to eat meat, but because we abused that privilege by using animal cruelty to get our food as quick as we want it. We should have that privilege taken away from us. Yes meat tastes nice, but it is a privilege that we do not deserve due to past actions.

Vegetarianism: A Positive Lifestyle. Rebuttal for argument #1: Firstly, vegetarianism only encompasses the eating of meat, seafood, insects, and flesh of any other animal. Dairy, and eggs are only blocked out through what is known as a vegan diet, where any animal product is essentially avoided. As for the case of discrimination, the majority of restaurants out there now offer vegetarian options, and if you have friends out there who chose to discriminate against you for the choices you make in your diet, then they simply aren't your real friends. Moreover, we should not teach people to give up on their convictions because they are afraid of being made fun of and/or discriminated against . Any great person in history had someone over their shoulder telling them that they couldn't achieve what they wanted; Shakespeare, Jesus, Nelson Mandela, etc. We should be teaching people to push through with what they believe, and therefore the idea of not pursuing a vegetarian diet out of fear of discrimination is harmful to the way society is structured. In summary, if a person is being discriminated against, then we as a society have failed to implement proper moral values into the individuals discriminating. Besides, people can get discriminated against for anything; however, the idea of being made fun of for having different moral beliefs and/or health concerns is slightly ridiculous, and the individual that is causing said discrimination, is nothing more than a bully that should be stopped. In summary, discrimination should never be an issue when defining ones own lifestyle, and if it is, then the person being discriminated against should be supported, not told to abandon their beliefs. Rebuttal for argument #2: Malnutrition is technically caused by not eating enough food. Starvation is a form of malnutrition. In the United states alone, %67 of soy and %40 of corn produced goes towards raising animals for meat. In a ratio, that essentially means that 13 pounds of grains go into one pound EDIBLE meat. The reason that "edible" was capitalized is because not all meat produced in first world countries is edible. Think of it this way, millions of animals die before they reach slaughterhouses, and even if they are killed for their meat, there are constantly meat recalls occurring all over North America. So in those cases, grain is essentially being thrown away. And even when meat is produced, 12 pounds of grain is being lost, as again, the ratio is 13:1. PETA actually calculated last year that if the grain is diverted, we could end world hunger, and so, malnutrition wouldn't be an issue, if the meat trade was closed down. Furthermore, there are many studies that show that vegetarianism is very healthy. Not only are vegetarians less likely to contract certain kinds of cancer, but also have a decreased risk of being obese, becoming diabetic, and dying of heart diseases. Moreover, when it comes to children, teenagers, and the elderly, yes it is more difficult; however, it can still be done. Take Jim Morris as an example. Jim is a 78 year old vegan body-builder. Personally, I'm 16 years old, and have been vegetarian for nearly a year now. I'm very athletic, as shown by my black-belt, competitive swimming history, and finished multi-kilometer races. So although being a vegetarian and a teenager, elderly person, or child is more difficult, it certainly is not impossible. Rebuttal for argument #3: People who eat fish are not vegetarian, they are known as pescetarians. Also, the majority of vegetarians do not eat insects. Although it is a questionable debate among vegetarians, people who eat insects are a whole other category, and do not come under the banner of, "vegetarian." Furthermore, whether eggs can be considered meat is another debate; however, the eggs that are sold as a source of food are unfertilized. An unfertilized egg is essentially a chicken's period or menstruation, meaning that it isn't alive, part of anything that is alive, or have the potential to grow into life, nor does it have any flesh, and therefore, it cannot be considered meat. Thus, vegetarians are not hypocrites, as fish and insects are prohibited in the diet, and eggs are not biologically considered meat to begin with. Rebuttal for argument #4: Yes, food companies that raise and sell meat will crash; however, what people tend not to realize is that vegetarians need to consume more food than non-vegetarians. Where does said food come from? Well the fruit, vegetable and grain industry essentially. That means that although the meat industry will fall, the industries listed above will rise dramatically. This has the potential to open up huge amounts of jobs. Furthermore, people who work directly with animals are often exposed to a large amount of feces, bacteria, and methane, three things that can be extremely hazardous to a person's health. Thus, not only would there be other jobs opening if the meat industry closed, but these jobs would also be a lot safer for the workers. Thus, vegetarianism is an extremely positive lifestyle that can improve the world in many ways.

Humans should be vegetarians. Remaining Round 4 Sources[4] http://michaelbluejay.com...[5] http://www.onegreenplanet.org...My opponent forfeit their previous round, therefore my evidence stands unrebut. In conclusion, humans should become vegetarian and expel the killing of farm animals because it would promote kindness and compassion. Humans have arrived at the point in which meat isn't required in order to survive, and poorly preapred meat can result in obesity and high blood cholestoral. Furthermore, raw meat can cause sickness for humans, whereas it doesn't cause as much sickness for omnivores and carnivores. Lastly, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to prove that livestock causes pollution, deforestation, and excessive land use.I enjoyed this debate despite my opponent's forfeit. Thank you to all viewers and voters of this intriguing discussion!

Should People Become Vegetarian While my opponent makes some very strong points, that killing animals for food does affect the environment. But according to debate.org, being vegetarian does not necessarily help the environment either. It says that in 2003, there was a study done by scientists in Oregon State University, about six animals per acre, that lives in an agricultural crop fields are killed during harvest. Although, it isn"t as much as killing animals for food, if you add this up, that would be a lot of animals killed during harvest for food. So, even if you do not eat meat, because of the pesticides and other chemicals used while growing food, it kills a lot of animals. We definitely should eat less meat to help the environment, but animals also die when we harvest food.

Ben Should Become a Vegetarian 1. I don't consume much red meat to begin with and that is creating the largest issue on your first graph. You still consume dairy products and that creates a much larger issue (if I'm understanding the chart correctly) than how much chicken I eat (which would be more than my consumption of red meat by far). You link to an article about the UN conducting a study on the environmental impacts of meat consumption, yet that is dated. The UN admitted to important flaws in the report (http://www.telegraph.co.uk...) and concludes instead: "efforts should be focused on "smarter farming, not less farming". There will likely always be more incentive to refine our farming techniques and invent new geo-engineering technologies than to change our meat eating habits and so as a culture pursuing the former rather than the latter is a better use of time and effort. 2. That study is commenting on the question of whether vegetarian diets are feasible and noting those health benefits. That doesn't invalidate every other kind of diet. 3A. This is just as much an argument for you to become an omnivore again, as it is for me to convert to your diet. Our culture simply has more meat options and the practical strain argument would seem to lean in my favor. 3B. There is reduced moral strain when we recognize the realistic limits of what we can do. We are not in a particularly potent position of pushing forward for new geo-engineering technologies or farming techniques that will have the most impact on issues like climate change and resource management. We can promote education as local activists instead and when politicians are running on the right issues we can vote them in as well as collectively pressure for those policies. 3C. This is your most tempting proposal, but I'm afraid there are still plenty of ways to make our friends suffer under the tyranny of our joint cuteness. ;)

Everyone should become Lacto-vegetarian/vegan "First of all you can't force people to eat what they don't want to eat" - This point is irrelevant to the argument; I merely state that everyone SHOULD become lacto-vegetarians/vegans and that we would have a better world and a better society if this is to be achieved. At no point did I mention anything about forcing people. "second of all someone has to keep animals in check and that is the human society if all meat eaters stopped eating meat there would be a huge overpopulation of animals" - The first comment is not explained clearly; for what reason does someone need to be keeping animals in check? Also, without the murder of animals, what is preventing us from keeping these animals in check? I can't argue back until you make that clear. The second statement is a common assumption that is often mistaken by meat eaters. There would be no overpopulation of animals; with the number of farm animals currently living in the world I can understand why it may seem so but that is only due to the mass breeding of livestock animals that takes place in order to provide more animals to be killed for their meat or to be kept for their produce (dairy/eggs/wool). Without the excessive breeding managed by the farming industry, the overpopulation of animals will most certainly not be any more of a problem than it is today. Whilst on the subject of doing what is best for the environment; bringing a halt to meat eating would greatly reduce the impact of climate change. "There are three times as many domestic animals on this planet as there are human beings. The combined weight of the world's 1.28 billion cattle alone exceeds that of the human population. While we look darkly at the number of babies being born in poorer parts of the world, we ignore the over-population of farm animals, to which we ourselves contribute...[t]hat, however, is only part of the damage done by the animals we deliberately breed. The energy intensive factory farming methods of the industrialised nations are responsible for the consumption of huge amounts of fossil fuels. Chemical fertilizers, used to grow the feed crops for cattle in feedlots and pigs and chickens kept indoors in sheds, produce nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas. Then there is the loss of forests. Everywhere, forest-dwellers, both human and non-human, can be pushed out. Since 1960, 25 percent of the forests of Central America have been cleared for cattle. Once cleared, the poor soils will support grazing for a few years; then the graziers must move on. Shrub takes over the abandoned pasture, but the forest does not return. When the forests are cleared so the cattle can graze, billions of tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere. Finally, the world's cattle are thought to produce about 20 percent of the methane released into the atmosphere, and methane traps twenty-five times as much heat from the sun as carbon dioxide." Those are the words of Peter Singer and, with my knowledge from in depth research, I could not put it any better. In 2009 researchers from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency published their projections of the greenhouse gas consequences if humanity came to eat less meat, no meat, or no animal products at all. The researchers predicted that universal veganism would reduce agriculture-related carbon emissions by 17 percent, methane emissions by 24 percent, and nitrous oxide emissions by 21 percent by 2050. Universal vegetarianism would result in similarly impressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. These figures have not and cannot be proven for certain without being tested, but for those of you disagreeing that it should be tested - have a look at our world now; look at the increase of global warming that has taken place over the last few decades - we are risking the future of our planet for our own greed and desire for meat. On the subject of solving the issue of starvation: Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grain to animals, and it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of edible animal flesh; on average it takes 21 pounds of protein fed to a calf to produce a single pound of animal protein for humans. We get back less than 5 percent of what we put in. According to the USDA and the United Nations, using an acre of land to raise cattle for slaughter yields 20 pounds of usable protein. That same acre would yield 356 pounds of protein if soybeans were grown instead"". It should be no surprise, then, that food for a vegan can be produced on only 1/6 of an acre of land, while it takes 3 1/4 acres of land to produce food for a meat-eater. By ceasing to rear and kill animals for food, we can make so much extra food available for humans that, properly distributed, it would eliminate starvation and malnutrition. The meat industry is thus highly inefficient and, on top of the vast amount of land, resources, water and fossil fuels wasted, and the harmful gas emissions, farming (factory farming in particular) is also wasting extremely high amounts of energy that - if we transfer to vegetarian/veganism - could be stored and used to support more important causes. So, in conclusion - being a more efficient and environmentally friendly option - bringing a halt to eating meat would be the better option even if we discard the idea that we should not have the right to violate the animals. Yes, with such a large meat industry a forestalling of this could not happen over night but gradually as more people stop eating meat, the farms and factories will stop breeding so heavily and will require a lower energy consumption; this energy and space will then be transferred to produce more plants in order to meet the demands of the markets and, eventually, we could achieve it. Back to your arguments: "human is the most important race and takes priority over all other animals" - Here you have provided a statement but have given no evidence to back it up. What makes humans the most important race? We have priority over all animals merely because we are far more intelligent and thus the more dominant of species, but by no means does this mean that we should kill them. Anyhow, all the arguments to prove man's superiority cannot shatter the fact that: in suffering the animals are our equals. They feel pain and suffer just as we do and, therefore, it just as evil to inflict pain upon an animal as it is on a human. "many humans depend on meat products dietarily and hunting for financial reasons" - Again you have not explained your statement and in doing so you haven't given a proper argument that I can defend. Humans don't depend on meat products for their diet; they just see it as the easiest and most desirable option. I cannot name specific examples as you have not given me any examples to defend against but there are so many vegetarian/vegan alternative foods that offer the same nutritional values as meat. And hunting for financial reasons? That is no excuse to hunt animals, if anything that proves my argument further as those particular people are murdering animals as a means to one's end. It's absurd to think that people are acting immorally like that just for the money - and this can't be used as an excuse. That would be like justifying prostitution because people only do it for financial reasons, or contract-killing etc. Besides there are plenty of other jobs paying equal wages that do not require such unnecessary violence.

Everyone in privileged countries should be vegetarian I believe that there is no excuse to not being vegetarian. A few decades ago, I would understand. Back then, people knew where their food came from. If you didn't raise your own food, you could get your meat from a local butcher and the milkman would deliver milk from the local dairy. Animals were never given growth hormones and antibiotics, and therefore the meat was much healthier. Nowadays, we buy en masse from supermarkets without much thought - animals are raised in tiny, crowded cages in unhygienic conditions, without ever seeing the light of day. As if they weren't stressed enough, on the journey to the slaughterhouse, they will recieve no food or water on a ten-hour ride; trucks can range from -15 degrees to +30 degrees celcius depending on the season. In the cold, sometimes cows will freeze to the side of the truck until they are pried off with crowbars. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Even the label of 'free-range farming' is clutching at straws; one of the requirements is that animals must be able to have access to outside light. Therefore, farmers will cut small holes in the factories. Yeah, /that/ is classed as their access to the outside world. Eating meat is also bad for the environment; deforestation and loss of habitat is largely caused by the crop fields required to feed farm animals; whereas crops required to feed only humans is a much smaller amount. I would support a fully free-ranged diet, but with most of our food being bought as ready meals, and processed, it is becoming more difficult to distinguish labelling of good sources of meat. Other than that, there is simply no excuse to eating meat nowadays. Compared to what animals have to go through, when your main argument 'but its yummy' that really makes you sound ignorant as fk. But I'd be interested in hearing other arguments against this.

Vegetarianism 2.6 million people die from obesity every year and avoiding meat is one of the simplest ways to cut down fat consumption Modern farm animals are deliberately fattened up to increase profits. Eating fatty meat increases your chances of having a heart attack or developing cancer.It's must easier to become (and stay) slim if you are a vegetarian. (By 'slim', I do not mean 'abnormally slender' or 'underweight' but rather, an absence of excess weight!) http://giveusahome.co.uk... My opponent said that vegetarians often lack B12 however B12 can be found in eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese and cream. By consuming one cup of milk a day vegetarians can get enough B12 and protein to live healthy well balanced lives. http://www.ehow.com... For females having high levels of testosterone is considered a health problem therefor becoming a vegetarian can help many females who struggle with this problem ad for males harmless mediation can be taken to increase testosterone levels if needed. http://mentestosterone.blogspot.com... If you eat meat, you are consuming hormones that were fed to the animals. No one knows what effect those hormones will have on your health. In some parts of the world, as many as one on four hamburgers contain growth hormones that were originally given to cattle. http://giveusahome.co.uk... The following diseases are commoner among meat eaters: anemia, appendicitis, arthritis, breast cancer, cancer of the colon, cancer of the prostrate, constipation, diabetes, gallstones, gout, high blood pressure, indigestion, obesity, piles, strokes and varicose veins. Lifelong vegetarians visit hospital 22% less often than meat eaters and for shorter stays. Vegetarians have a 20% lower blood cholesterol level than meat eaters and this reduces heart attack and cancer risks considerably. http://giveusahome.co.uk... Vegetarians are often more fit than people who eat meat because several of the worlds most successful athletes followed a strict vegetarian diet. Bill Walton,John Sally, Edwin Moses, Tony Gonzalez, Martina Navratilova and Carl Lewis are just a few examples of vegetarian athletes. http://www.nursingschools.net...

Vegetarianism: we should stop eating other animals. I would like to address the counter point that you have brought up. Being vegetarian, to be precise a lacto vegetarian, means that the only things you are giving up is meat and eggs. This means that you still are eating all dairy products and other animal products. This is a key fact in this debate because being this type of vegetarian makes it that much easier for the individual to get the nutrients that he or she needs. Because the individual is missing out on only meat and eggs, as a researcher you must find what nutrients are prominent in each product. Meat contains mainly fats, proteins and iron. Each of these can be replaced in other food sources. The same goes for eggs, they contain mainly proteins fat and sodium. All of which can also be replaced by your diet. Although some people feel that not eating meat is a waste of a life because they would become weak, this is a complete myth. The reason that vegetarians are perceived as weak and feeble is because they are no fat because of all the meat they are eating. Therefore in comparison to the meat eater they may be weak and feeble, but they usually lead the healthier lifestyle.

Growing livestock wastes precious grain. In this argument we are going to show you that growing livestock is inefficient in it's core and that this inefficiency is in fact important enough to limit its occurence. First off: growing livestock wastes grain. Currently more grain is being used for feeding animals then for humans. If the grain that is used to grow pork, for an example, would be used to feed humans, more humans would get fed as swine use much of the energy of the food that they eat to breathe, keep them self warm etc., which all is in essence energy, that is lost to us. To talk about why this inefficiency is important enough to limit its occurence, we would like to consider two things: firstly, global population is constantly rising and secondly, some of the population is already living in a food crisis. We say that from a utilitaristic point of view, if some people can get more food just because other people change what they eat, then we should make the latter change what they eat : The people, that are eating meat today, will have their stomachs full of good food even when they stop eating meat, while stopping eating meat will allow other people, that are currently starving, have access to food, that they currently do not have. Substituting one type of food with another type of food will give us overall more food, which is good because it will lesser the suffering of those who are currently starving.

Everyone in privileged countries should be vegetarian Eating a plant-based diet is proven to be much healthier than an animal-based diet(1). This is because along the food chain, all nutrients originate from the sun's energy. The sun feeds plants, plants feed bacteria, insects, animals and humans. Insects feed bigger animals, and in turn animals feed humans. Material and energy is passed on from one stage to the next, and with each stage a percentage of material and energy is lost. So, the shorter the food chain is, the less energy is lost. Applying this to us humans, the more plant foods we consume, the more nutrients we will get in comparison to if we ate an animal-based diet. As nutritionist Carla Golden writes, "There is simply /no/ nutrient in animal-based products that a human can't get from where the animal got it; the sun and the earth." (2) Therefore, all the nutrients you list that are in meat, are prevalent to a much higher extent in plants and more direct sources: Iron: Dark leafy greens such as spinach, beans, seeds, nuts, dark chocolate, and tofu. Zinc: Wheat, seeds, beans and nuts. Selenium: Wheat, seeds, beans and nuts. Vitamin A: Carrots, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, bell peppers. Vitamin B12: comes from bacteria in the soil, so instead of eating dirt we can substitute this with vitamin B12 supplements, or fermented soybean products. Vitamin D: Sunlight, and supplements. Vitamin D from diet alone is not enough for full human health, so we need to be exposed to sunlight.(3) (1) also shows that even vegan diets are a safe and viable option for all age groups. It shows that vegetarian options would benefit us much more than an animal-based diet would; including a reduction in obesity, diabetes, heart attack, high cholesterol, stroke, and cancer. So as I've just proven that a vegan (yeah even going that far!), and by default vegetarian diet is healthier than a meat diet; I'll address your next point. We're not Neanderthals anymore, that phase has passed. Now we are humans, and we don't need hunting anymore. As humans we've evolved to farm meat for thousands of years, and only in the last few decades have we got to the point where vegetarianism is a realistic option for us. We have so much choice now with the way that food is produced, and we can therefore make the decision to omit the factory-farmed animal products, and after all the health etc. research that has been done to show the direction we need to be heading. As intelligent and developed beings, humans now have the ability and conscience to do the right thing; so I believe this is it. Yep here we go, the 'meat is delicious' argument. Saw that coming didn't I lol. (1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... (2) http://www.carlagoldenwellness.com... (3)(vivo.colostate.edu)

Vegetarianism globally would benefit the nation. I believe that global veganism would not benefit the nation, or the world. My arguments are as follows:1. Meat contains proteins and other nutrients that cannot be found in vegetables and are extremely beneficial to the well-being of the body.Proteins are combinations of amino acid used to maintain body tissue, synthesize hormones and enzymes, and serve as an auxilary source of energy in the absence of carbohydrates or fat. While one could argue that beans and nuts also contain protein, they do not contain as much protein as actual meat and lack several essential amino acids that are necessary for the body. Sources:http://www.meatpoultrynutrition.org...healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-enough-protein-beans-7842.html2. Switching to a global vegetarian program would put millions out of work and cause the economy to take a hit.The meat industry is worth $89.9 million US dollars. More than 6 million people are employed in this thriving industry, with their combined salaries totalling over $200 billion USD, and the sales of all meats in the industry total about $186 billion. The vegetable industry in the first eight years of the 2000s totalled only around $17.6 billion-and, while that number is expected to rise due to a growing public emphasis on health and nutrition, as well as several government iniatives including MyPlate, the vegetable industry cannot compete with that of meat-and suddenly removing 6% of the United States' GDP-would not be a very wise decision for the government of the US.Sources:https://www.meatinstitute.org...http://www.ers.usda.gov...While I concede that the current methods of meat processing may be inhumane, the meat industry is far more valuable and iconic to the public than vegetables-sparking such icons as McDonald's and Burger King. Meat has paved the way for fast food chains all across the world, and has sparked the public eye much more than a dirty stalk of celery ever could.

Vegetarianism globally would benefit the nation. In conclusion, vegetarianism would not globally benefit the nation because replacing it with meat would damage the world economy and deprive the world of key nutrients and amino acids. The methods of delivering vegetables and other non-meat foods would be inefficient, and many people in impoverished regions would starve. Meat has evolved to be the prominent food source across the world, and removing it from the planet's plate would be a mistake.

Killing an animal to eat is wrong! As my opponent states that an animal is any such LIVING thing other then a human being. Living is any thing with a living memory. My aunt and I had had a recent argument about this and she had stated that different animals can remember on different levels. Some seem to have just the basic genetic memories in the DNA provided at birth. I would like to ask my opponent a question as well as any reader that have and is intrested in thes debate. question: Could you kill an animal to eat? The fowlling link is to a video of how people treat amimals that they eat everyday. (www. youtube. com/watch? v=bJfXami4haU) Out of the amount of people in the world that eat meat what percent of that is actually killed by the person that is going to eating the amimal. I don't know the actually percent of that ,nevertheless most of the people (humans) in the US usally go to the store to buy the meat that they will be eatting. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ These are some of the reasons for me being a Vegetarian. >The Environment 1. Conservation of Fossil fuel. It takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of beef protein; 35 calories for 1 calorie of pork; 22 calories for 1 of poultry; but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel for 1 calorie of soybeans. By eating plant foods instead of animal foods, I help conserve our non-renewable sources of energy. 2. Water Conservation. It takes 3 to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein. As a vegetarian I contribute to water conservation. 3. Efficient use of grains. It takes up to 16 pounds of soybeans and grains to produce 1 lb. of beef and 3 to 6 lbs. to produce 1 lb of turkey & egg. By eating grain foods directly, I make the food supply more efficient & that contributes to the environment. 4. Soil conservation. When grains & legumes are used more efficiently, our precious topsoil is automatically made more efficient in its use. We use less agricultural resources to provide for the same number of people. 5. Saving our forests. Tropical forests in Brazil and other tropic regions are destroyed daily, in part, to create more acreage to raise livestock. By not supporting the meat industry, I directly reduce the demand to pillage these irreplaceable treasures of nature. Since the forest land "filters" our air supply and contains botanical sources for new medicines, this destruction is irreversable. >Personal Health 6. No deficiencies. There is no nutrient necessary for optimal human functioning which cannot be obtained from plant food. 7. High fat plus cholesterol. Animal foods are higher in fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats. Plants do not contain cholesterol. 8. "Carb" deficient. Meat is deficient in carbohydrates, particularly the starches which are so essential to proper health. 9. Vitamin deficient. Except for the b-complex, meat is largely deficient in vitamins. 10. Agricultural Chemicals. Being higher on the food chain, animal foods contain far higher concentrations of agricultural chemicals than plant foods, including pesticides, herbicides, etc. 11. Exposure to livestock drugs. There are over 20,000 different drugs, including sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drugs that are given to livestock animals. These drugs are consumed when animal foods are consumed. The dangers herein, in secondary consumption of antibiotics, are well documented. 12. Pathogenic Microorganisms. There are a host of bacteria and viruses, some quite dangerous, that are common to animals. When I eat meat, I eat the organisms in the meat. Micro-organisms are present in plant foods too, but their number and danger to human health is by no means comparable to that of those in meat. 13. Shelf life differential. Plant foods last longer than animal foods. Try this experiment: Leave out a head of lettuce and a pound of hamburger for 1 day, which will make you sick? 14. Organoleptic Indications of Pathenogens. Plant foods give tell-tale signs of "going bad". 15. Heart Disease. Meat eating increases the risk of heart disease, this country's #1 killer. The correlation is an epidemiological fact. 16. Cancer prevention. Of all the natural cancer prevention substances found: vitamin C, B-17, hydroquionenes, beta carotene, NDGA, - none has been found to be animal derived. Yet most meats, when cooked, produce an array of benzenes and other carcinogenic compounds. Cancer is infinitely easier to prevent than cure. Soybeans contain protease inhibitor, a powerful anticancer compound. You won't find it in useful quantities in animal based food. 17. Disease Inducing. The correlation between meat consumption and a wide range of degenerative diseases is well founded and includes. .. .. Osteoporosis Kidney Stones and Gallstones Diabetes Multiple Sclerosis Arthritis Gum disease Acne. Aggravated by animal food. >Personal Finances 18. Health care costs. Being healthier on a vegetarian diet means spending less on health care. 19. Food costs. Vegetarian foods tend to cost less than meat based items. >Ethics 20. Love of animals. I love animals as I love myself. I have no desire to kill them or cause them harm. 21. Respect for Sentient Life. I show gratitude to my Creator(s? ) by eating as low on the food chain as possible. 22. Small sacrifice The sacrifice I make is nothing compared to the animals, its life. 23. Natural diet. Our hands, teeth, feet, intestinal tract. .. even our body chemistry is that of an herbivore. 24. I believe in nonviolence. (Slaughter isn't any diffrent. ) 25. World Peace. There can never be peace among men while men are declaring war on other highly developed life forms. 26. Clear conscience. I know what I'm doing is right. I feel good inside about my decision to remain "meatless" 27. Example. To live this way is to protect the underlying values of those around me. 28. Easy substitutes. There are vegetable based substitutes for every meat product imaginable. [Source: The Whole Earth Vegetarian Catalogue] R E S O U R C E S HOME The ALF FAQ Meat. org Video Animal Rights FAQ The Taste of Depravity The Abolitionist Project Animal Rights Resources When Meat Is Not Murder Low IQ Link to Eating Meat Meat Is Murder (The Smiths) Meat / Rheumatoid Arthritis The Post-Darwinian Transition The Slaughter of Animals for Food Meat and Bowel Cancer Resources Slaughterhouse: video (mp4: 5.55Mb) Red meat: the recipe for bowel cancer? British meat crisis: has BSE spread to sheep?

Vegetarianism is good Thank you for setting out a plan, though I thought such guidelines were assumed, and I only expect you to follow them loosely. I will be arguing that Vegetarianism is good for moral and ethical, healthy, and environmental issues. My First Point: Vegetarianism is good, because it is moral. The causing of pain, or the ending of life on a whim, as we do not need meat to live, is deeply immoral. Some say that animals are somehow lesser than us, and this justifies our people from eating their flesh, but such a desperate claim holds no water. Would we butcher people if they were of the same mental capabilities as an animal? Or perhaps meat eaters are actually intolerant of different species. When it comes down to it, such a theory is just an attempt to justify the murder of another race of creatures, and in many ways an outdated prejudice. Society over time has changed to embrace the different. Why then condemn many races that share more than 80% of their DNA with us, and are in a way, our evolutionary cousins? There is, frankly, no way anyone can justify the ending of lives without a good reason. There is no good reason to kill animals, as humans can live without eating meat. Therefore, no one can justify the eating of meat. Now many meat eaters claim that somehow it is unhealthy not to eat meat, as one would have less iron or protein in one's diet. This could be true, but only assuming I simply removed meat from my diet. In fact, most people who give up meat in their diet are sure to make up for it in other foods, like beans, nuts, seeds and apricots, that replace needed iron and protein. People can live like this very easily, and have in parts of the world for thousands of years, as part of the culture. Not only is vegetarianism healthy, but it is also more healthy than the eating of meat. [1] Scientists have now connected the eating of pork, beef and other types of red meat, with cancer and heart disease, and recommend cutting, if not removing, meat from the diet, and meat is a major cause of food poisoning. So frankly being a vegetarian is good for one's health. Finally, the meat industry is a major source of pollution, cutting down trees for grazing space for cattle, catching fish to extinction, and breeding cows that produce methane that is harmful to the ozone layer. To support the meat industry is to support the giant business that is neither sustainable nor environmentally friendly. This is why vegetarianism is good for the environment. I hope you too understand that all of us must take a stand prejudice and cruelty, obesity and disease, and of course the destruction of our beloved world, and for these reasons, it is indeed good to be a vegetarian. Thank you, and please vote Pro! [1] http://www.time.com...

Being vegetarian helps the environment You don’t have to be vegetarian to be green. Many special environments have been created by livestock farming – for example chalk down land in England and mountain pastures in many countries. Ending livestock farming would see these areas go back to woodland with a loss of many unique plants and animals. Growing crops can also be very bad for the planet, with fertilisers and pesticides polluting rivers, lakes and seas. Most tropical forests are now cut down for timber, or to allow oil palm trees to be grown in plantations, not to create space for meat production. British farmer and former editor Simon Farrell also states: “Many vegans and vegetarians rely on one source from the U.N. calculation that livestock generates 18% of global carbon emissions, but this figure contains basic mistakes. It attributes all deforestation from ranching to cattle, rather than logging or development. It also muddles up one-off emissions from deforestation with on-going pollution.” He also refutes the statement of meat production inefficiency: “Scientists have calculated that globally the ratio between the amounts of useful plant food used to produce meat is about 5 to 1. If you feed animals only food that humans can eat — which is, indeed, largely the case in the Western world — that may be true. But animals also eat food we can't eat, such as grass. So the real conversion figure is 1.4 to 1.”[1] At the same time eating a vegetarian diet may be no more environmentally friendly than a meat based diet if it is not sustainably sourced or uses perishable fruit and vegetables that are flown in from around the world. Eating locally sourced food can has as big an impact as being vegetarian.[2] [1] Tara Kelly, Simon Fairlie: How Eating Meat Can Save the World, 12 October 2010 [2] Lucy Siegle, ‘It is time to become a vegetarian?’ The Observer, 18th May 2008

Why People Should Be Vegetarian Nice reasoning. But plants aren't that special. It's bad to eat plants but it ain't a living creature is it. When you kill it does it make sounds of pain. No plants don't because plants don't feel pain. Animals do. There living things and plants are too but there not that important. We could just plant more and more plants and they will just keep producing. Animals though they do make more of there kind but if we keep the rate of killing animals there will be no more meat on this planet.

Vegetarianism is important in the fight against global warming Meat production is highly inefficient in land-use. This often means that forests are cut-away in order to create room for the grazing of cattle. This eliminates important carbon-sinks that are necessary in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels and fighting global warming. Clear-cutting can also increase the reflectivity of the Earth's surface, which contributes to warming. Meat production also generally consumes much more energy than other forms of farming. Since much of this energy involves carbon-based fuels, meat production contributes significant carbon into the atmosphere. Finally, the methane gas from the bowl-functions of cattle contribute to the global warming problem.

humans should endeavour to become a vegan species the act of eating other animals and their by-products for our sustenance is a behaviour that we inherited from our ancestors who were living in a different world to our world today ultimately as a species, we have highly adaptable digestive systems and our bodies have the mechanisms to extract the nutrients they need from both animal and plant foods. however the reason why we should embrace veganism is due to the fact that our current environment and society has enabled us to produce ample supplies of plant foodstuffs without having the need turn to animal foods in desperation and hence allowing ourselves to be freed from the burden of continuing to harm our fellow living creatures. the change will have to be a gradual one, but at least we will be able to stop rationalising this carnivorous behaviour by basing it on adulterated scientific and philosophical reasonings, and we will be able to transcend to a level beyond the bounds of the burdened state of instinctual carnivorism like the rest of the animal kingdom. it may have been a neccessity in the history of our species, however this is no longer the case, and we should unite in our determination to end this cruel exploitation of our fellow animal lifeforms. i will emphasise that this includes the end to dairy and egg produce also which are a huge part of our mistreatment of animals. also we should strive to end all aspects of our cruelty which includes animal driven transport and unnecessary animal skinned clothing.

humans should endeavour to become a vegan species I will be making the argument that we has humans should not ender to become a vegetarian species, that we should remain omnivores. Just like eating too much meat eating only vegetables is unhealthy. You need meat for the following: B12 Calcium Iron Zinc EPA & DHA http://chriskresser.com... While it is true that you can find vegetables with these items the human body does not take them in properly from vegetables, this is why most vegetarian animals spend most of their day eating. however the reason why we should embrace veganism is due to the fact that our current environment and society has enabled us to produce ample supplies of plant foodstuffs without having the need turn to animal foods in desperation and hence allowing ourselves to be freed from the burden of continuing to harm our fellow living creatures. it may have been a neccessity in the history of our species, however this is no longer the case, and we should unite in our determination to end this cruel exploitation of our fellow animal lifeforms. This disregards that the rainforest is being clear cut in part to make farm land. What about all the living plant creatures? How is this not harming them? This argument to me sounds like, “We should care about all forms of life. Well, other than them plants. Who cares about them?” http://environment.nationalgeographic.com... All of my opponents other arguments disregard that there are other options to carnivorous eating than live stock. It is less wasteful if you raise insects on the waste from farms. This turns that waste into soil. Then we could eat the insects.

People should become vegan as a result of possible future advances in artificial intelligence. When robots take over they may kill us as a result of not being vegan. Come on people, do the right thing.

On moral and sustainabilty groungs as te population increases we need to start to converting tom ve Firstly, I would like to argue that eating animals is not immoral. Humans were not meant to be vegetarian, as seen in the fact that we posses canine teeth which are meant to help us consume flesh easier. Also, there are organizations such as the American Humane Association and the Humane Farm Animal Care which see to it that farms they sponsor conduct safe farming/livestock practices. With organizations such as these, it is likely that the animals face a kinder end than they would in the wild to predators. Now from a health perspective. Without meat, humans can also suffer from protein deficiencies. In fact, a British study involving nearly 8,000 subjects showed that that children born to vegetarian mothers are up to five times more likely to be born with deformities and other birth defects. The scientist leading the research stated "there is a clear association between child deformities and vegetarianism, and this is a cause for concern." (1) Lastly, I could find no studies or scientific evidence that stated that ceasing to eat animals in "wealthy western countries" would lead to the end of world hunger. 1: http://www.consumerfreedom.com...

Vegetarianism is wrong Although I can see why some people choose to be vegetarians and the noble cause behind it, I contend that Vegetarianism is a wrong practice due to its conflict with Nature. 1. Human teeth structure contradicts vegetarianism: If we examine the teeth structure of both herbivorous and carnivorous animals, we will find a stark difference: Herbivores have flat teeth while carnivores have sharp teeth. The reason behind this difference is quite simple. Flat teeth are ideal for eating plants while sharp teeth are ideal for chewing through meat, which is why herbivores are by definition plant eaters and carnivores are by definition meat eaters. If we examine the teeth structure of human beings, we will find a mix of both sharp and flat teeth. This suggests that humans are intended to be both plant and meat eaters. Why would Nature give us sharp teeth if we are only to eat plants? 2. Animal reproduction rates contradict vegetarianism: In Nature, animals that are expected to be consumed on a large scale by humans tend to reproduce much faster or in greater number than animals that are not. For example, it is common knowledge that fishes and cows reproduce faster than tigers or dogs. This natural phenomenon occurs in order to meet the food demands of human beings, and we can infer that it has worked out successfully given that cows and fishes are not even close to becoming extinct nor are they overpopulated. However, Nature can only bring harmony to our world if the correct actions are taken, in this case - to eat meat. If at any time humans wrongfully decided to stop eating meat and go against Nature's wishes, cow and fish population will quickly soar to dangerous heights as a result of their naturally fast reproductive rates. They would overpopulation which can lead to many potential problems. 3. Human nutritional needs contradict vegetarianism: To be healthy, humans must have a well balanced and nutritious diet containing a wide range of important vitamins and minerals. A vegetarian diet due to its food restriction does not meet this diet standard. Among many important vitamins that are largely found in meat products, Vitamin B12, which is responsible for converting protein and fats into energy, is non-existent in a vegetarian diet. That is why herbivores, like rabbits, whose normal diet also lacks B12, have to eat plants that are infested with insects or even their own feces in order to meet their B12 requirement. If Vitamin B12 is so important to the body that rabbits are even willing to eat their own feces to get it, why would anyone purposely choose a diet that rejects it? http://www.acu-cell.com... Moreover, according to diet experts, children raised as vegetarians will not get enough nutrients, especially iron, zinc, copper, Vitamin D & Vitamin B12. Furthermore, most of the vegetarians have to take supplement to fulfill their daily requirements of both the minerals, unlike those who eat non-veg. This fact alone proves that humans were never meant to naturally be vegetarian. http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com... Those are my arguments for now. Thanks for reading and I look forward to a good debate.

Why People Should Be Vegetarian We kill plants but we know it's wrong. Plants are just like us. They need water and food just like us. We're pretty much killing our own kind. Acting like cannablisms. Those plants are in need of help. We need to stop eating plants so we can save more plants in the near future. See, it works this way too.

Being a Vegetarian is better than being a Non-veg Yes, being a Vegan is definitely better than being a non-veg. You may say that meat has proteins, calcium, and so on. But if you take a closer look, vegetables and milk has the necessary vitamins, too! This is supported by the number of vegans in U.S.A which adds up to over 2.5 Million people, according to https://opinionessoftheworld.com... So aren't these people healthy? They do have the necessary nutrients and vitamins for the day. Besides, why would you want to kill innocent animals that suffer pain and still eat it? So, guys please consider this debate and change your lifestyle. It may be difficult at first, but slowly you can be a full veg. Start of with two days per week, then gradually change yourselves. I beg you to become a vegetarian. If any queries, you can ask me through this debate session. Thank you and may god bless you!

Vegetarianism: we should stop eating other animals. Without animals to eat, we cannot get the nutrients we need. if we did not eat animals, we would be weak and feeble! What a waste of a life.

Humans can kill and eat animals Unfortunately it's your word against mine, as you haven't really expanded your points to contradict mine. Eating meat is not cruel or unethical; it is a natural part of the cycle of life. It has been an essential part of human evolution for millions of years. Meat is the most convenient protein source available. In one serving, meat provides all the essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein), as well as essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Also, meat provides healthy saturated fats, which enhance the function of the immune and nervous systems. Eating meat provides a better source of iron than a vegetarian diet as well. The body absorbs 15% to 35% of the heme iron in meat, but only absorbs 2% to 20% of the non-heme iron found in vegetarian sources like leafy greens and beans. A meat-centered diet can help with weight loss. It takes fewer calories to get protein from lean meat than it does from vegetarian options. One serving of lean beef contains as much protein as one serving of beans or a veggie burger. However, the lean beef has half the calories of beans, and 50%-75% fewer calories than the veggie burger. Vegetarians do not live longer. This myth stems from the fact that vegetarians tend to be more health conscious overall, eating a more balanced diet, exercising more, and smoking less than the general population. When a peer-reviewed April 2011, 2005 study from the German Cancer Research Center compared health conscious meat eaters with vegetarians, there was no difference in overall mortality rates. In 2001 about 95% of animal products consumed in the United States were produced in the United States. Despite the US consumption of about 27 billion pounds of beef per year, the percentage of forested US land has remained steady at around 33% since 1907. Vegetarianism alleviate world hunger. The 925mn people in chronic hunger are not hungry because people in wealthy countries eat meat, it is because of wealth distribution.

The human race would be better off if everyone decided to be vegetarian. I agree that the population is growing, but eating meat would adapt if the population got " Too " big for the current food market. We would do what humans do whenever they can't make enough of a product for the demand. Improve the different aspects in that products life cycle so it meets the demand. A total meat industry reform is much more sensible than changing not only the way the whole world eats but our culture. I understand you don't mean a change overnight but even if the idea caught on it would harm the economy through job-loss and closing meat production facilities. If somehow the world did change over to vegetarianism it would lead to an over dependence on nutritional supplements. Iron and protein tablets would become like oil. Pharmaceutical companies would become large empires who charge people ridiculous amounts of money for something they need to survive. Does that seem like a better world to you?

Vegetarianism for ethical reasons Thank you for posting this debate. Let us begin. You bring up several interesting points in your opening argument that I would like to address. "it helps the environment. Modern farming is one of the main sources of pollution in rivers, meat production related to deforestation." There are a few things I would like you to clarify. 1) How would switching to a plant based agriculture system prevent deforestation? As a matter of fact the soybean farming operations in Brazil are doing just that. They are slower due to the use of already deforested land that the cattle farmers provide but without the cattle farming would be just as devastating. 2) How do you mitigate the pollution caused by the raising of crops? It is well known that the use of pesticides is of particular concern in the farming industry. In order to keep up with the demand of feeding an ever growing population we have modified plants so as to increase yield. One of the modification allows for the spraying of mass quantities of Round Up (tm) on the crop without damaging the yield. The insect population is also becoming more resilient requiring different and stronger chemicals for use in control. Due to the nature of runoff the same issues you address with animal farming exist in crop farming. In addition the leaching of these chemicals into the water table is also of concern. "Many species of fish are facing extinction because of our desire to eat fish." Please name me some of these fish that face extinction. For clarity I am in the U.S. and the top 5 consumed fish as of 2011 are: 1) Shrimp 2) Tuna 3) Salmon 4) Pollock 5) Tilapia None of which are at risk for extinction. I would also like to address your concerns about greenhouse gas emissions. I too share the concerns for what we are doing to this planet and how we conduct ourselves as stewards of this planet. Would it be fair to assume though that a lot of the issues concerning the production of animals and the relationship of greenhouse gases through a change in best practices? From "The Role of Agriculture in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions" released by the USDA: "Livestock managers can reduce methane emissions by changing livestock feeds. Dairy and hog producers can install digesters to capture methane produced during manure storage; the captured methane can then be used to generate electricity. Digesters reduce emissions by converting methane emissions that would have arisen under other methods of manure disposal into less-powerful CO2 and by generating energy that replaces CO2 emissions that would have come from fossil fuel based electricity." So in essence not only would be able to reduce the damage from greenhouse gas emissions through a change in diet in the livestock but also harness the released gases for use in alternative energy. The next issue is one that is subjective. You say that it is "immoral" to kill animals. I ask you; what is your basis for that claim? Morals/ethics these are subjective based on your personal culture or experience and are weak arguments to consider. You base it on the fact that when animals are killed they are done in painful ways. If an animal is properly slaughtered then the death is quick and immediate. I also ask this; do animals not kill other animals? I'll admit that it is hard to argue a matter of opinion but you state it as if it is fact. You may hold the view that you do not like the thought of taking a life but that is merely your viewpoint. Humans hunted for 100's of thousands of years and from my understanding they mostly held a sacred bond to the animals they killed. They respected them, ate and used every part of the animal, and worshipped them. The animals they killed is why they were able to survive to the next season. The last point you bring up has nothing to do with ethics or morals but based on the "health" benefits of being a vegetarian. Please clarify this as you merely state "many specialists" without naming any or giving details. As for the high amounts of vitamins and minerals you get in the consumption of veggies I will say that is just flat wrong. Chances are for most, you are probably consuming production farmed crops. These crops leach the soil of those minerals, are grown at rapid rates and through over production of the land are lacking in the vitamins and minerals you would get from growing at home. You also mention heart disease and fat as being related. It is no secret America has an obesity problem but the consumption of fat is not the reason and no reasonable person could make that claim. Only speaking anecdotally I consume 60% of calories from fat, 30% from protein and 10% from carbs and am a very fit person. The consumption of high amount of sugar (especially HFCS) is the more likely culprit. But all of this is unrelated to the matter of ethics and we could have another debate on the merits of these specialist in another debate.

Everyone should be vegetarian. Rebuttals"Animals have feelings, and they should be treated like equals. They have souls, and thoughts, and emotions. They do not deserve to be killed for the sake of being turned into a cheap, greasy hamburger. " This greasy hamburger saves lives, fills hunger, gives protein and imporves the dietary system and more. Furthermore, there are sentient animals which we eat, such as fish who are not self-aware. This meaning they don't plan on continuing to live, they don't even know they are alive. These animal are not only good to eat, but extremely healthy. Since they don't mind dying, it would not effect them to be killed."There could be more jobs created, because the demand for tofu and other protein sources would go up. There would be less poverty because of theses jobs, and they would pay more. " This is wrong on many many levels. First of all, it doesn't matter if more jobs are created, the butchers would have trouble finding jobs. It's like if you get fired from buisness, this doesn't mean you can automatically become a doctor now. Secondly, it wouldn't end poverty, because these jobs don't require various people, just people doing more work. So this would lead to nothing but richer farmers, and not end poverty. These jobs also give less money. A gardener only recieves 29,000$ [1] 1 thousand dollars less than a butcher. " Soybeans and other legumes have just as much protein as a variety of meat sources."Soybean nutrition facts:[2] Beef nutrition facts:[3] The beef has more protein.Now to my arguments==================================================================================================================== Eating meat gives various important things including DHA and AA. These are found mainly in meat products that lead aid your brain, and largely effects your mood."The human brain is about two-thirds fat. Both DHA and arachidonic acid (AA) are abundant fats in the brain. It's not surprising that low-fat diets lead to depression, acts of violence, and suicide. Leaving these animal-based nutrients out of your diet alters the function of neurotransmitters in your brain that play an important role in mood and behavior." [3] As you can see, a low-fat plant based diet effects the brain, your mood, and lead to depression, violence and suicide. Killing unaware animals who don't care if they die in order to keep people healthy, and save lives is worth it.=========================================================================================================================================================== I will not continue with any further argument due to the reason it is unnesecary. My opponent dropped so many of my arguments,whereas I countered all of them.Arguments dropped:- The animal population would increase, and lower our food supplies-Once domesticated animals may create illnesses which will lead to other animal, and humans-Domesticate animals becoming wild leads to dangerous adaptions, endangering crops, property and humans-Being vegetarian provides no benefit-Vegetables also have factories, which contriubute to global warming.Sources:1.http://www.indeed.com...2.http://www.silkensoypureeclub.com...3.bestbeefjerky.org/2008/04/bridgford-beef-jerky-teriyaki.htm4.http://www.holistichelp.net...;

People should become vegan as a result of possible future advances in artificial intelligence. C1) Super AI- Many experts in artificial intelligence predict that by the end of the 21st century mankind will have developed a super artificial intelligence. What happens after that is an intelligence explosion known as the singularity. Experts predict that this singularity could occur within the next 20-100 years. The average seems to be about the year 2050. Ray Kurzweil a leading expert in transhumanism says it will occur in 2045. http://www.singularity.com...It's generally agreed that the singularity will most likely occur through the development of a super artificial intelligence that far surpasses the knowledge and thinking of humans. Problems with a Super AI- It actually turns out to be pretty hard to program morality into an AI, and you can imagine the difficulty in doing that once a machine is capable of growing smarter by reprogramming it's self without the aid of humans. A computer with a super AI could potentially see us as energy and consume us so they can grow more powerful and stronger. http://www.smithsonianmag.com... Bottom of the food chain- It's okay to eat meat for many people right now, because we're at the top of the food chain. Will we still have this feeling when we're at the bottom. What argument do we give to the machines, for why they shouldn't eat us? The machine will point out that you've eaten animals who are lower on the food chain than you. Who are very inferior in intelligence. The best way to convince a machine not to use you as a food source is if you're a vegan. A vegan can argue that it's wrong without being hypocritical. Being a vegan just may save your life from a super AI who decides humans are a good source of energy. C2) We are the Super AI- According to Nick Bostrom there is a decent chance we are in a computer simulation. http://www.simulation-argument.com... Because of all of the fear concerning an AI that is unfriendly to humans or indifferent. Several plans have been developed to help create a friendly AI. One possible plan is to put a bunch of human level AI into a computer simulated environment and see which ones are the most selfless and friendly towards mankind. The most selfless AI's would be able to be let out of the box (simulated environment), to be given new tests or be allowed to become a super AI, while the rest are destroyed. It's a possibility we are experiencing such a test right now. If we don't become as compassionate as possible we risk being unplugged instead of ascending to higher levels. Conclusion- the benefits to becoming vegan are not being killed for food, ascending to a higher plane of existence and living in a technological paradise. The best option is eternal paradise, for becoming vegan. The worst thing about not being vegan, would be getting turned into food. Good luck to my opponent in his/her rebuttals. Thank you.

Vegetarianism is the only ethical choice in the 21st century. Actually, growing the animals for meat IS becoming a huge problem. For example, McDonald's. To provide all that meat, they need several billion cows a year, and they need huge ares of land to grow all those cows. Also, there aren't much distinction between lands of nature and lands for growing animals. Forests, fields, and lots other places with the right conditions can be used for both growing nature and growing animals. Forests ARE pretty good for animals, since there is water, fresh air, basically everything an animal needs to survive. Secondly, vegetarianism might not the only way to save nature, but it may be the biggest way, don't you think? I said that you could be vegetarian, not forced to be. I meant that vegetarian would be the best choice. You can choose not to be vegetarian, but I think it's the best choice. Also, the other methods you showed me are for good lifestyles, and have nothing to do with the other problems of eating meat, so that doesn't really count (no offence), and can you suggest some things that might prevent the other problems of not being vegetarian? I think that vegetarianism is the only ethical choice because first, by eating vegetables, you can get all the minerals needed, like vitamin C, D, E, etc. Also, I don't think it's moral that all those animals are dying out only to give us food. Third, the minerals needed from meat can always be replaced by something else, like tofu or mushrooms, so meat isn't actually necessary.

Vegetarianism Humans don't need meat; eating it is an immoral choice

Everyone should be vegetarian. I apologize to my opponent for forfeiting the last round. I did not get my argument posted in time. My conclusion is that if everyone went vegetarian, it would save a lot of animal's lives and it would give less money to huge industries. :)

Vegetarianism is a Necessary Lifestyle Choice to Lead a Perfectly Ethical Life I just wanted to throw up statistics up first, seeing how I will argue this these are the true arguments you can attack on, secondly all information is related to the topic at hand. Defense:" I'll start off by pointing out that the very absolute statement #1 is wrong. Collagen is a protein naturally found only in animals, and it is the most abundant protein in those animals. Ingesting this is nutritional, especially for the joints. Many people with arthritis and other joint diseases take collagen and powderized shark cartilage capsules as supplements. It seems self-evident to me that there are many differences between plants and animal, and there are many similarities between animals and humans, that make eating animals (at least occasionally) very sensible. I don't think that following this sense can be unethical." I'm ok with this statement besides where he says animals and humans have similarities, and my question is at this point why isn't cannibalism a choice? Why isn't cannibalism and choice in society instead of cremation or being buried why not have the option to eat you uncle after he's good and gone? well if you say this immoral then we must say eating an animal is similar to eating your uncle and therefore immoral. Case: 1. We must look toward this unethical stance all the facts I have posted prove that eating meat is not a nesscarliy needed for living, if such food is not nesscary then the mass slaughter of animals which as my opponent stated are similar to your brother, sister, aunt , uncle, father, mother, cousins, and or kids. Then its an immoral endeavor and is unethical. Would the mass slaughter of humans for the nourishment of an I don't know greater alien life form would it still be moral since they are the more advanced species? If you say no you must vote for my side. 2. There is no need to eat meat and these statistics can prove how without the factories and slaughter houses we improve society these are the statistics. The Natural Resources Argument Uses of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a U.S. Navy Destroyer Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25 Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000 Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13 Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260 Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78 To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2 Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33% Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2% The Antibiotic Argument Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55% Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13% Percentage resistant in 1988: 91% Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support The Pesticide Argument Common misconception: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99% Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8% Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level These facts prove that the use of these slaughter houses we have increase the infections that are resistant to penicicillin since 1960 to 91% in 1988. Also wastes natural reasources, withe the use of large land usage and more.