“Do you want to have this?” I offered the beef jerky to my friend. “No way! Don’t you know it’s from a dead animal?” I had this conversation when I was at a party in Japan with some foreign friends. Obviously, this person is a vegetarian. She does not eat any kind of animal flesh, does not drink milk or eat cheese, and does not wear leather fabrics. It was my first time talking to a vegetarian. I was surprised and asked curiously. “Yeah, I know it is from a dead animal, but almost everyone eats it here. Why don’t you?” She explained seriously that when she imagined it was from a dead animal, she felt very sick. She did not like depriving anything of its life.

It does not seem easy to become a vegetarian. You have to create ways to cook delicious food without the taste of animals, like consommé and bonito soup. Furthermore, you have to be careful of the menu when you order in a restaurant. For me, this activity seems like a pain. I love animals, but I also like eating some of them. So far, I have not felt like I should quit eating meat completely. However, as a result of my conversation with my friend, I began to wonder what makes some people become vegetarian. Improved health, ethical issues, and ecological concerns are three reasons why people become vegetarian.

First of all, many people try to be vegetarians to maintain good health. Vegetarianism can prevent people from getting certain diseases. Castleman (1995) mentions that many studies prove that meat, especially beef, pork, and lamb, likely increase the percentages of heart disease and cancer. He states that the number of vegetarians who die from heart disease and cancer is definitely lower than the meat-eaters. For example, from heart disease, 28 percent fewer vegetarians die than omnivorous do, and 39 percent fewer die from cancer. The National Cancer Research Institute has found that meat-eating women get breast cancer almost 4 times more than women who do not eat meat or eat little (“Why Be a Vegetarian? ” 1999).

Moreover, there are other diseases that meat-eaters are more likely to get than vegetarians, such as hypertension, gallstones, constipation, and diabetes (Cerrato, 1991). Consequently, vegetarians may live longer than omnivores. Dworkin (1999) cites a Loma Linda University study that says vegetarians live an average of 7 years longer than those who eat meat. Another positive health point of vegetarianism that Dworkin gives is the fact that vegetarians tend to be slim and their bones can last longer. Recognizing these health benefits, many people are becoming vegetarians.

However, although people know these positive points of vegetarianism and want to be healthy, there are some opposing opinions concerning the health benefits of vegetarianism. Some people are concerned about the lack of nutrients in a diet without meat. As we know, protein is indispensable to live. Meat, eggs, and dairy products cannot be ignored in the diet because they are the only source of vitamin B12 (Cerrato, 1991).

The deficiency of vitamin B12 causes anemia and serious neurological damage. In addition, we also need to get essential amino acids, and nine of these can be absorbed from animal proteins. If we eat only vegetables, we have to carefully combine certain kinds of foods, such as red beans or lentils and rice, to get these nutrients. Meat can satisfy nutritional requirements easily, and people who don’t like to spend time thinking about their meals prefer the easier way of eating meat.

In addition to health benefits, ethical beliefs lead some people to become vegetarian. Religious practice and animal rights are two ethical arguments commonly made. First, religious belief usually has a powerful influence in the believer’s life. In an effort to persuade people to become vegetarian, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has argued that Catholic priests, Southern Baptists, and even poultry producers who call themselves devout Christians should be vegetarians because Jesus himself was a vegetarian (“Preaching Christian Vegetarianism,” 1998). Another example of vegetarianism in Christianity is in Genesis.

Adam named the animals, but he was able to eat only the “green plants” as food in Eden (Gen. 1:29). When these examples are used as arguments for vegetarianism, they imply that Christians have an obligation to follow the examples given in the Bible if they want to consider themselves true followers of Christianity.

A second ethical argument that some people consider is animal rights. Imagine how chickens who are going to be slaughtered are crammed into cages. According to Moran (1989), these chickens have had their beaks cut with a hot knife. This painful process includes destroying sensitive tissue in the beaks. Poultry producers use this method to stop the chickens from committing cannibalism. However, farmers cause this cannibalistic behavior by forcing any into tiny cages. The chickens never fly or walk freely until they are killed. For pigs, it is also a nightmare to be born in factories.

Today, many pigs bite their tails off (“Why Be a Vegetarian?”, 1999). They are bored and frustrated, and finally, go insane. In cases where the farmer cannot solve the biting problem, the mauled pig might be attacked and killed by the other pigs in the small pen. This pig cannot be sold, and it becomes troublesome for the producer. As a result, pigs’ tails are routinely cut off. They are also forced to stay in darkness until feeding time. I believe that nobody can say that this treatment is humane. People who support animal rights to advocate vegetarianism consider animals as living creatures that are the same as humans. They were not born to be killed or treated in inhumane ways.

On the other hand, in spite of knowing these unethical conditions, some people emphasize the supremacy of human rights, which weakens the importance of vegetarianism. Christians who eat meat point out the contradiction of stories in the Bible. According to Witherell (1994), killing and eating animals is not only not forbidden in the Bible, but for some important occasions, it is advocated. For example, after the flood, God announced that there was a difference between humans and all the other creatures. The animals gave their flesh as food for Noah and his families (Gen. 9:3-4). This suggests humans’ superiority over all others. In response to the argument that raising animals to kill them is unethical, Achor (1996) points out that some people justify eating meat by thinking this way, “at least the animals had happy lives before they were killed” (p. 68). Actually, we use this phrase when we argue about owning pets, too.

“They are fed and living safely. What’s the matter?” For people who believe in humans’ superiority, even religious and ethical reasons lose their strength.
There is one more practical reason to advocate vegetarianism. Meat-eating seems ecologically quite wasteful. In research, it has been proved that raising animals to eat is surprisingly wasteful of land and food (Robinsong, 1995). Every minute, 20 acres of land are collapsed for our meat industry. Calculating the amount, it means that the destruction of the land is 28,000 acres per day. In other statistics, it is said that cattle require an incredible amount of water to mature (Castleman, 1995). Approximately 50 percent of the water consumed in the United States is used for domestic animals.

In some areas, the rate is much higher. For example, 75 percent of the water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which is the main source for the High Plains, is for raising cattle. Thinking of water, we can compare it with meat. One pound of meat takes almost 2,500 gallons of water (“Why Be a Vegetarian?,” 1999). One serving of chicken takes 408 gallons of water, and one pat of butter takes 100 gallons (Achor, 1996). Achor gives the astonishing result of a calculation of the cost for a pound of hamburger. She says that the real price is about 35 dollars. The cost includes, among other things, payment for water, which is required to produce enough greens to feed cattle.

However, somehow, people do not want to be vegetarians. Even though these statistics exist, most people do not want to know the truth or feel ambiguous when they learn what is involved in producing a piece of meat. When they buy a single pound of meat, they see just the “meat,” but do not imagine the real cost of the meat.

After I finished this research, I felt that I was in a misty forest. What is important for me? What am I supposed to consider when I think of vegetarianism? Health and animal rights are convincing arguments. However, I still sometimes eat meat without hesitation. I dare to say that I do not even feel pity for the animals that are slaughtered to eat. How am I different from vegetarians? For them, I might be a cruel murderer. Even though I do not commit the slaughtering directly, I do indirectly by increasing the demand for meat.

Likewise, if I become a vegetarian, I will indirectly improve life for others. For example, when people decide to become vegetarians in order to improve their health, it may also seem like they care about others. In fact, it is just fortunate that their lifestyle will not be harmful to other creatures. This is also true for people who become vegetarians for ecological reasons. They want to reduce wasteful activity, and it consequently helps animals’ lives. Vegetarianism is a habit that allows us to reflect on our life. I cannot say that everyone has to be a vegetarian, but I am learning to respect vegetarians for their reliability as unselfish people. Vegetarianism could be one of the solutions that help this chaotic world become more humane.