Speech Maranda Gaines

          93% of the American population consumes meat as part of their every day diet. Only 5% of Americans are vegetarians and another 2% are completely vegan. Rather than labeling these people as critical, preaching hippies who need to get over this “fad” or “diet,” the underlying facts for their life changing decisions should be considered. Eating an excess of animal products creates threats to our environment and takes a toll on our bodies, not to mention the harm done to the animals themselves. By reducing our meat and dairy intakes, we can lower or even eliminate the dangers associated with a meat- eating lifestyle.

When evaluating the decisions of a vegetarian or vegan, the environmental hazards are not usually the first reasons thought of. However, a meat-centered diet greatly affects the environment, while a non-meat centered diet has a lesser effect.  Livestock alone are responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. On top of that, pollution is increased by meat eaters, as 3 times the amount of fossil fuel is needed to produce their diet in comparison to one without meat. This pollution includes the transportation of livestock feed, the transportation to slaughterhouses, and the fuels needed to power the slaughterhouses themselves. Eliminating or simply reducing the consumption of animal products could significantly shrink the human footprint on our world. This means, the earth could better provide for its inhabitants since the amount of fossil fuels guzzled up would be smaller. Using the land more productively reduces the impact of the human footprint as well. In fact, on one acre, 40,000 pounds of potatoes can be produced while only 250 pounds of beef can be produced. 70% of previously forested land in the Amazon, cleared for farm land, holds only livestock. No grains or vegetables are grown here. Instead, the land is used to produce meat where a far larger amount of a healthy food could have been produced. The meals we eat have a great impact not only on our bodies, but in affecting our available resources and land.

Often times, the most commonly known reason for veganism is the treatment of the animals.  Raising their offspring, digging in the grass, rolling around in the dirt and mud, basking in the morning sun, even eating and drinking at their own free will. Unfortunately, this pretty picture is only a fantasy to never be outlived by the majority of livestock animals. When we eat meat and other animal products, we are supporting the meat industry and what they represent. The animals on factory farms will never see the sun or feel the grass. Instead, the innocent animals are crammed with thousands of others in filthy crates and cages, unfamiliar to their natural habitat. Actually, these are not animals, but rather machine made objects, produced for maximum output and profit. Would so many of us support their suffering by eating their flesh if we knew the quality of their living? The guilty consumer resorts to an alternative- organic animal product. But what does organic really mean? The animals at organic farms are under strikingly similar conditions if not the same as the “oh-so-cruel” and inhumane factory farms. Castration, dehorning, and other medical procedures take place at both farms, without pain killers. An animal will qualify as “organic” as long as the feed is organic. The “organic” animals, along with the industrial factory farm animals, are still drugged from the moment they are born, to grow at the fastest rates possible. They will often die before they reach the slaughterhouse due to the strain on their bodies.  The “lucky” animals that make it to the slaughterhouse often have their necks slit while still conscious. Some are even conscious as their bodies are skinned. The unsanitary farms and slaughterhouses greet the presence of parasites and diseases. We put into our bodies what is put into theirs. By eating their meat, we’re almost embracing the torturous and short-lived lives of these animals.

Not only are the animals themselves suffering, but our bodies are under attack as well. “[A vegan or vegetarian diet] can prevent and even reverse 70% to 80% of existing symptomatic disease.” (Professor T.Collin Campbell) What is put into the animals’ bodies is essentially put into our bodies. The growth hormones, which can lead to disease and infection in the animals, can be no better for our bodies. The high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in animal products are associated with heart disease and high blood pressure. The risk of an average American male of dying of a heart attack is 50%. However, if the average American male was a vegetarian, that risk would be 15% and 4% if he were vegan. The greatest concern of those considering a meat-free diet is the question of “where would my protein come from?” 90% of protein is actually being wasted by cycling grain through livestock. The quality of protein is more important for our bodies than the quantity but instead, a majority of our quality protein is put towards producing a diseased and toxin filled protein found in animal products. High protein diets with an unbalance of other key nutrients found in a plant based diet are linked to cancer. The “recommended” increase in our protein consumptions actually come from the US Department of Agriculture. Coincidence? I think not. According to Yale and Harvard research groups, high consumptions of dairy are associated with common bone fractures and osteoporosis. “Plant-based eating, done well, is associated with reduced risk of all chronic disease, and more vitality. Specifically the literature suggests reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity. An optimal plant-based diet is very powerful medicine indeed.” (Dr. David Katz, director of Yale University Prevention Center)

It is time now for a change in the outlook of this “hippie” lifestyle. Eating meat and other animal products does not make proper use of the world and resources around us. The suffering of the animals isn’t worth the damage done to both their bodies and ours. It is time to make the decision for yourselves. Does the ephemeral taste of meat, consuming an excess amount of disease causing protein, outweigh the negative impacts on the environment and the health of your own body? The risks are unquestionably high for only a simple taste. Cutting back and eventually eliminating the meat and dairy from your diet could save the environment, the animals’ lives, and your own life.