Reasons People Become Vegetarians
Many non-vegetarians wonder what drives vegetarians to give up meat and adopt an entirely different lifestyle. There is no single answer to this question. Non-vegetarians become vegetarians for a number of different reasons – some even for multiple reasons. Most vegetarians claim that they became a vegetarian for one or more reasons.
The most mentioned reason, which many vegetarians claim, is that they have ethical problems with eating meat. Most disagree with how chickens are debeaked, forced to live in small cages, and are then slaughtered when they do not produce eggs fast enough. Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and stressful environments animals are forced into and the hormone laden feed used to make them grow faster and produce more.
Vegetarians come in a variety of types who practice their beliefs in varying degrees. Some object to destroying plants for the purpose of harvesting vegetables for consumption like carrots for one. The strictest variety do not even eat yeast products and object to wearing wool made from animal fibers. Far less strict are the pseudo-vegetarians who do not consume meat but are open to eating fish and chicken.
Another reason vegetarians claim for not eating meat is that it conflicts with their dietary preferences. Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture and taste of meat; others do not eat it because it is high in cholesterol and often contains high concentrations of hormones and preservatives.
A group of vegetarians offer a another purpose in not eating meat: environmental factors. They argue that, in order to meet the appetites of meat-eaters, farmers must progressively clear more and more land to allow cattle to graze. These reasons aside, there are still more vegetarians who give up meat consumption for completely different concepts.