View From a Vegetarian - Animals are Friends NOT Food

I became a vegetarian because I’m concerned for the animals and the way they are killed. In non-vegetarian families, some children may decide to become a vegetarian because of concern for animals, the environment, or their own health. I love animals and don’t like seeing them hurt.

There are many reasons why people decide to become vegetarians. Many people decide to do it for their health; they want to be in better shape. I became a vegetarian when I watched the news and saw how some chickens were wrongly killed because they thought they had some weird disease. Spraying them with large
amounts of water killed them. It was later found out that they didn’t have any disease at all. I also saw pigs killed by being hit in the head with a metal object.

Vegetarianism is the theory or practice of living on a diet made up of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products. There are different
kinds of vegetarians that include:

- Ovo-Vegetarian: eats eggs; no meat
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: eats dairy and egg roducts; no meat
- Lacto Vegetarian: eats dairy products; no eggs or meat
- Vegan: eats only food from plant sources

Other categories include pesco vegetarian, eats fish, but no other meat; and pollo vegetarian, eats poultry but no other meat. If you want to be a vegetarian make
sure you eat from all the right food categories.

Being a vegetarian is a big step, and it may take hard work for some people, but it didn’t for me. At first I got tempted and felt like if I took a little bite of meat it wouldn’t hurt, and I could start all over again. But, you also have to think of the promise you made not to eat meat no matter what.

While you are looking at meat, do you ever think about where it came from? A lot of factory farms own sheep, chickens, pigs, and cows. These animals suffer so much that they are better off in the wild. They are forced to live in tiny cages where they can’t move. These animals suffer from an intense boredom so severe that
it can lead to self-mutilation, and also to self-destructive behavior. Worst of all, they are slaughtered with no regard or guilt.

Laboratory animals are also in severe pain. They can’t stand being in their cages, and they lose their mind and the will to live. They are tested with medications, make-up, and perfume that give them severe effects mentally and physically.

I often get teased about being a vegetarian. People may think it’s stupid, and they might think, "Who cares about animals?" My brother and cousins have often teased me with names like "hippie." I get mad, but I try to control myself. The only thing I care about is knowing that I’m doing something right, that makes me happy and helps save animals.

You might think that you have to eat meat to stay healthy. According to the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), studies have shown that vegetarians have lower cholesterol than meat eaters; they also have fewer cases of heart disease. High consumption of meat and dairy products can lead to diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, clogged arteries, obesity, asthma, and impotence.

Sometimes the hardest part of being a vegetarian is eating all vegetables and creating feasts that are made of only veggies. I sometimes get bored of them and wish I could eat some meat. It isn’t really that hard at home because my mom cooks vegetable soup, beans, and lentils. But, then I come to think that a vegetarian really is someone who likes eating vegetables.

Slavery and racism were encouraged by society, and now they are morally wrong. Today our society encourages meat eating and factory farming, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. Being a vegetarian is my personal choice.