Around the world people have different morals and standards for what food they will consume. Some people eat types of meat like cows, pigs, dogs and rabbits- but there are also people who will not eat any meat products nor drink milk from a cow. We cannot forget about people who eat poultry and fish, drink milk, but do not eat red meat( example. cow meat, pig meat). Along with that, some people do not eat any meat or fish, but will consume milk products. As you can see, there are many variations to the basic carnivores, omnivores, herbivores diets. People consume whatever they want to consume- they consume what is convenient, “whatever is in front of me and tastes good”(1) say Sean Bostrom, a Student at Norton High School. Some students like Nicole LaCouture believes “we all[her family] eat meat, we all do it and it would be difficult to stop”(2). So why do people switch, when do people decide to change from eating meat products and pursue a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle?
Some people find that they have intolerance to meat and animal products. It is possible to be allergic to meat, and milk(ex. lactose intolerant people cannot consume milk products). Along with people who can physically not consume animal products, people decide to stop eating meat after they discover the hidden health risks from eating mysterious meat. Lauren Erikson, a vegan who sometimes “cheats” said she made the switch after reading a book that enlightened her- “the book was trying to show how people in America suffer from some of the illnesses that we do by comparing us to china, who eat far less meat”(3). There have been numerous reports of illnesses from lack of quality meat; many people have been seriously injured or lost their lives due to meat industries not properly taking care of their products. Along with that, another common reason people remove meat from their diet is because they have seen the torture the animals go through. Most people are blind to how food ends up on their plates. Media has tried to challenge the food industries as much as possible, but many companies have strict tolerance of investigation- for the few books, websites, and movies that were allowed to be published- it showed to viewer how brutal the meat industry is. P.E.T.A (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the poster-child of animal protection believing “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way”(4), has played a big role of revealing how animals are treated around the world. They use compelling (usually video) evidence to show the viewer exactly how the slaughter of animals happen. After that, many people find it hard to continue supporting big meat industries.
In conclusion, the switch from a carnivore lifestyle to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is brought by curiosity. People are blind to how certain products end up as the food they eat, and they are blind to what is inside of that food. Once people begin to question what is common, they discover it is not what it seems to be. Adapting to a vegan lifestyle is not easy but people are making the switch because they physically have to, for their own health, or for ethical reasons.
Bibliography
1. Bostrom, Sean. Personal interview. January 16, 2014.
2. LaCouture, Nicole. Personal interview. January 16, 2014.
3. Erikson, Lauren. Personal interview. January 20, 2014.
4. www.peta.org
