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Vegetarian 101
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 beaks seared off with a hot blade, and male cows and pigs are castrated without
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.
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.
Request a vegetarian starter kit to get started today!
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