“But where do you get your protein? ”

“You don’t get all your vitamins you need!”

“I could never give up meat; I love it too much!”

“I went vegetarian once but I was too tired.”

These are all complaints frequently faced by vegetarians. Despite these common protests, vegetarianism can be a very healthy and happy way of life.

A vegetarian diet is better for you and the earth. Educate yourself on the facts:

Health Benefits :

Contrary to popular belief,  meat is not the only source of protein. There are many effective meat substitutes that have as much protein if not more than meat.

According to PETA .org  (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), “Scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health tested supermarket chicken flesh and found that 96 percent of Tyson chicken was contaminated with campylobacter, a dangerous bacterium that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year.”

Prevention.com states, “A compound found in red meat (and even used as an additive in some energy drinks) called carnitine has been found to cause atherosclerosis, the hardening or clogging of the arteries, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine.”

Love Animals:

Ohh, you love animals right?

Chicken-“The frustration of chickens living in such tight quarters sometimes leads to fighting. To lessen this problem, factory farms burn or slice off a portion of each hen’s beak (without painkillers). Hens who become sick do not receive veterinary care—at best, they are euthanized; at worst, ignored and left to die slowly.” ASPCA. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

Cows– Veal calfs are removed from their mothers and put into a cramped crate and slaughtered at 5 months. Pregnant pigs are in tight cages that don’t allow them to turn around. “Dairy cows often have 2/3 of their tail removed without painkillers,” says the ASPCA.

Pigs– Pigs are extremely smart, in fact more intelligent than dogs. The ASPCA says that “Pigs tend to be extremely curious and mentally engaged, but their barren surroundings cause them extreme frustration. The tail-biting that sometimes results leads farms to cut off pigs’ tails without painkillers. Farms also castrate baby male pigs—without painkillers—because consumers don’t like the smell and taste of uncastrated males”.

Save the Earth:

“A staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture,” says PETA.”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 gasses, such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which poison the air around farms, as well as methane and nitrous oxide, which are major contributors to global warming,” they explain.

Additionally, “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,” continues PETA.

You love meat too much to be a vegetarian?  Well, I love animals too much to not be a vegetarian!