The issue of vegetarianism has been debated over a number of years. I believe that eating meat is immoral and have many ethical, environmental and health reasons to conform to vegetarianism.
Eating animals, another form of life, is wrong; especially when animals raised for food are treated so poorly. Killing for food is cruel and unnecessary. Lobsters are not killed before they are cooked; they are boiled alive; new born calves are kept in confinement while they are underfed until they are ready to be murdered and turned into veal; cows are fed growth hormones so they produce more milk; in factories chickens are packed so tightly they can hardly move, their excretion falls through the stacked cages below. People do not even consider their meat to be dead animals let-alone think about the suffering they go through before they are killed. We have overlooked the commandment, "Thou shall not kill" and interpreted is as "Thou shall not kill other human beings".
Raising animals for food wastes resources. Food gives only a part of its energy to the eater. When chickens eat a grain, they get a part of its energy. When humans eat a chicken, they get only a part of the energy the chicken got from the grain. By cutting out the "middle chicken" and eating the grain directly, humans get more energy, and more people can feed. Other problems caused by raising animals for food include: Methane gas, grazing leads to a loss of topsoil, and land products produce much more food when it is used for farming rather than grazing.
It is just as healthy, sometimes healthier, to maintain a vegetarian diet. It can help to prevent/control a number of health problems including high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes. All the minerals and vitamins found in meat can be replaced. Protein can be found by combining legumes, grains and vegetables which also contain protein. Lentils, beans, peas and tofu supply iron. Calcium can be achieved by eating dairy products or soy.
