Vegetarian Solution - Part 1

The choice to become a vegetarian is one of the most positive, far-reaching decisions you can make to impact your personal health and the health of the environment. The reasons to choose a vegetarian lifestyle are as diverse as they are compelling. The arguments against being a vegetarian are, for the most part, based on myths, tradition (i.e. because people were raised a certain way), and the economic and political interests of those who profit from the sales of meat. If you are reading this article, you are already a part of the vegetarian solution by becoming more aware of the impact of your choices. Even if we are preaching to the choir and you have already chosen vegetarianism, knowledge of what we will be discussing in this series may help secure your decision and help you to lovingly convince others that they should consider doing the same.

If you are not already vegetarian (or even if you are), being exposed to the harsh reality of the real cost of meat is enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable. By “real cost” we are referring to the physical, environment, and economical costs that are not factored in to those 99 cent cheeseburgers. We are talking about the unclean, inhumane, and utterly repulsive treatment of millions of helpless animals each year. We are talking about the contaminated and dwindling water supplies. We are talking about the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of rainforests. And we are talking about a population suffering from diseases of excess (such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes) while simultaneously suffering from malnutrition. The real cost of our society’s addiction to meat is enormous, but all of these problems, and more, can be remedied by the vegetarian solution.

But to truly embrace the vegetarian solution, we must have the willingness to see the truth, no matter how unpleasant in may be. For most of us, to be happier, healthier, and to contribute to the overall well-being of animals, humanity, and the planet we live on, change is necessary. We should not be afraid of being made to feel uncomfortable by seeing the reality of what is happening in the world around us. Our lives will actually start to change for the better when we experience this uncomfortable awareness. When we look beneath the surface, rather than blindly accepting what we are taught in schools or through the media, it can awaken our desire to change and our determination that we can make a difference. By realizing and accepting the consequences of our choices and taking responsibility for the impact we have on the planet and all of its creatures, we can begin to solve many of the problems we face in the world today.

Stay tuned for the part two of the Vegetarian Solution, as we explore these issues in more detail.

Footnotes

At Down to Earth, we have held true to our values and our vegetarian commitment for over 25 years. Vegetarianism is a choice each of us can make to improve our health and the health of the environment and we feel it is our duty to educate people about the countless benefits of a plant-based diet.

If you would like to become a vegetarian, but are not sure where to start, we will do everything we can to help you. Come to our free vegetarian nutrition classes and vegetarian cooking classes, take a guided tour of our store, and be sure to take advantage of the awesome vegetarian recipes on our website.