They say college changes people.
After almost 20 years of being an omnivore, I stopped eating meat (a result of taking an ethics of eating class). While I understand that eating meat may not be for everyone, consider some of these points that changed my mind:
1. One hamburger patty can contain meat from over 100 different cows.
2. Four companies own 84% of all American meat.
3. Meat is the perfect host for a wide array of unsafe microorganisms. I’ve had E.Coli before…foodborne illnesses are no joke.
Photo by Lauren Thiersch
4. This guy wrote about his experience undercover in a slaughterhouse.
5. I visited one of the largest slaughterhouses on the east coast and saw every part of the process (they slaughter 205 cattle/hour)!
6. I even saw slaughter in person.
7. I realize that taking life from an animal is a big deal, especially when they’re this cute:
Photo by Lauren Thiersch
8. It’s easy to forget that meat comes from an animal when it’s packaged and shelved so neatly:
Photo by Zoe Zaiss
9. Therefore, not eating meat gives me a kind of moral clarity.
10. Vegetables are awesome.
Photo by Daisy Dolan
11. Fruit is even more awesome.
Photo by Alex Weiner
12. Americans eat more meat than people in any other country.
13. A meat-free diet (or even beef-free diet) easily reduces carbon footprint size.
14. I can still eat lots of baked goods.
Photo by Lauren Thiersch
15. Especially cookies.
Photo by Katherine Carroll
16. Scientists are figuring out how to produce meat without killing animals.
17. There are even vegetarian butchers now.
Photo by Lauren Thiersch
18. More and more people are becoming vegetarian-that means more meat-free options for us!
19. Chipotle added tofu to their menu (sofritas) and it tastes great.
20. Going vegetarian is surprisingly not as hard as you may think. You can do it.
Giving up meat for even one day/week makes a world of a difference. Give it a try!