Source

Annotation

Summary

Your Choice- Why

Millions Of People
Are Choosing A
Better Way To Eat.
Davis, CA:
Humane League,
2015. Print.

The Humane League made a pamphlet stating facts

about being vegetarian and famous peoples input
about the importance of being vegetarian. They
stated that one out of every seven college students
has stopped eating meat-3 million students.
Animals
Male chicks are usually killed by being tossed into a
giant grinding machine alive. Chickens are able to
count as high as ten and have a sense of time. Egglaying hens spend their lives in a feces-filled cage
thats so small they cant spread their wings or
even turn around. Chickens are paralyzed before
getting their throats cut and if they avoid the blade
then they are killed alive in a scalding hot water
tank. Fish are often grown in crowded enclosures
and become stressed and bits off fins, tails, and
eyes of other fish. Pigs are intelligent creatures and
go crazy from being confined. They are killed by
being electrocuted or shot in the head with a metal
rod.
Health
Vegetarians are less likely to develop type 2
diabetes and have lowers cholesterol, blood
pressure, reduced body fat, and reduced risk of
cancer. You can replace protein that you would
normally receive through meat by eating foods like
beans, peanuts, and vitamin C.
Reasons
This website taught me that vegetarian foods are a
major source of nutrition. People are vegetarians
because of personal health, the environment,
economic/world hunger concerns, compassion for
animals, belief in nonviolence, food preferences,
and spiritual reasons.
Health
The health benefits include reducing the risk of
heart disease, colorectal, ovarian, and breast
cancers, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. There
are some health risks of becoming vegetarian are
being deficient in iron, Vitamin B-12, vitamin D,
calcium, and zinc. Vegetarians need to make sure
they are in taking enough protein, calcium, vitamin
D, iron, and vitamin B-12 that they would usually
receive from eating meats. Athletes can still be
vegetarians, although it may be harder for them to
take in their daily caloric needs. This website also
offered some alternative healthy foods to eat like
tofu, black beans, rice, and nut spreads.

This pamphlet helped

me realize that this is a
real issue and very
inhumane to do. By
showing pictures of
distraught animals and
describing what they do
to them made me feel
bad for them. I think it
was also a good idea to
include famous people
because they influence
a lot of people.

"Being a
Vegetarian."
Health Promotion.
Web. 24 Sept.
2015.
<http://www.brow
n.edu/Student_Ser
vices/Health_Servi
ces/Health_Educat
ion/nutrition_&_ea
ting_concerns/bei
ng_a_vegetarian.p
hp>.

Leitzmann, Claus.
"Vegetarian Diets:
What Are the
Advantages?" Diet
Diversification
and Health
Promotion. Ed.
Ibrahim Elmadfa.
Vol. 57. Karger:
Karger, 2005. 147156. Print.

Reasons
This source gives that the reasons for being a
vegetarian are health, performance, economical
issues, environmental issues, hygiene/toxicology,
religion, ethics, animal rights, cosmetics, and social
influences.
Health
The author states, another complicating factor is
the difference in recommendations for the same
nutrient in various countries. Like vitamin B12
which vegetarians need to make sure they intake.
The Oxford Vegetarian Study showed that
vegetarians had a body mass index of 22 while nonvegetarians had a 25; vegetarians also had 10%
lower serum cholesterol level and reduced mortality
from ischemic heart disease by 25%. There was
also a reduced risk for constipation, diverticulosis,
gallstones and appendicitis. Hu found that there is

This article leads me to

my next interest. I want
to more about the
health benefits and why
they are health benefits.

This website helped me

to better learn the
health benefits and
reasons why people
become a vegetarian. I
also learned what you
are losing by not eating
meat and what you
need to make sure
youre consuming.
This will lead me to my
next source. I want to
interview someone and
see what their reasons
are and what health
benefits they have
noticed thats affected
them personally.
This source gave me
valuable information on
the reasons and health
benefits of being a
vegetarian. The charts
in the chapter were
helpful visuals to see
the differences in
vegetarians and nonvegetarians. I also
learned that different
places around the world
have different set
standards of vitamin

Akers, Keith. A
Vegetarian
Sourcebook.
Toronto: General
Limited, 1983.
Print.

Kimball, Chad, ed.

Vegetarian
Sourcebook. 1st
ed. Detroit:
Omnigraphics,
2002. Print.

substantial evidence that plant-based diets can

play an important role in the prevention of
cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vegetarians not only
experience a deficiency in vitamin B12 but also
iron. A vegetarian diet of over two decades
contributed to a significant increase in life
expectancy of 3.6 years. A healthy vegetarian diet
is acceptable for all stages of the life cycle even
pregnant women and young children. Being a
vegetarian can prevent obesity, renal disease,
dementia, diverticular disease, rheumatoid arthritis,
osteoporosis, cancer, and hypertension diabetes.
Health
There is nothing nutritionally unique about meat;
all of the nutrients we need in our diets can be
found abundantly in any number of plant foods.
Most plants contain protein, which is equivalent to
getting protein from animals. Forming a protein
deficiency is hard to do for both vegetarians and
non-vegetarians since most foods contain it.
Vitamin B12 mainly comes from animal sources but
can be provided with supplements and from a few
other food sources. There is also evidence that
proves that some vegetarians have gone for years
with no vitamin B12 intake and had no harming
health effects. Dark green leafy vegetables are
excellent sources of virtually all vitamins and
minerals needed in the diet. Most cancers are due
to a diet with a lot of fat, protein and small amounts
of fiber, which is exactly how meat is.
Environment
Water pollution, soil erosion, energy shortages and
the destruction of forests are all problems in the
world today related to meat consumption. Grazing
cattle is one of the leading causes of deforestation.
The American way of life requires 2 acres of
cropland and 4.4 acres of grazing land per capita.
Livestock animals contribute to water pollution
because of their waste and the waste coming from
slaughterhouses.
Ethics
The argument that animals kill other animals so
why shouldnt humans can be argued with the
simple fact that some animals can only eat meat
therefore they have no other option. For humans it
isnt necessary that we eat meat because we can
live off of other food therefore the killing of animals
is unnecessary.
Religion
Hinduism- Believe in reincarnation and karma. They
believe that the cow is a sacred animal and they
shall never eat or kill a cow.
Buddhism- Believe in karma and reincarnation.
Mahayana Buddhist requires that you take 5 vows
and the first one is not to take the life of any
sentient creature.
Jainism- Believe in karma, reincarnation, and nonviolence. Non- violence is what they promote most
from a rock to a human. They formed a list of the
most important beings to the least important
beings on earth. It is worse to kill one higher up on
the chain than lower.

intake. Through that I

realized that it is hard to
create set boundaries of
what vegetarians are. I
also learned that there
are several types of
vegetarians even some
that still eat some meat.

Environment
The U.S. could fee 800 million people with grain
that livestock eat- David Pimentel. Animal protein
production requires more than eight times as many
fossil-fuel energy than production of plant protein.
Chicken meat production consumes energy in a 4:1

This book made me

realize that some people
argue that vegetarians
should not view animals

This book taught me a

lot about all aspects of
being vegetarian. I
didnt know that you
could not intake vitamin
B12 and not become ill.
It also made me realize
that hunting is a big
contradiction in nonvegetarians. Many
people dont support
hunting, yet they still
eat meat. I also liked
and agreed with the
arguments made
towards people who
argue that eating
animals is just a part of
life. They dont have a
say in what is going on
to them and can 100%
feel the pain. Plants
dont have nervous
systems therefore they
cannot feel anything.

Adams, Carol. "A

Very Rare and
Difficult Thing." A
Communion of
Subjects. Ed. Paul
Waldau and
Kimberly Patton.
Chichester:
Columbia UP,
2006. 591-604.
Print.

ProCon.org.
"Vegetarian
ProCon.org."
ProCon.org. 23
Jan. 2015. Web.
19 Oct. 2015.

ratio to protein output and beef has a 54:1 ratio.

Grain- fed beef production takes 100,000 liters of
water to make a kilogram of meat in comparison to
rice, which takes 1,912 liters and potatoes, which
takes 500 liters. Livestock are a main cause of soil
erosion, which we lose 13 tons of acres per year
where animals are fed grains. 272 million acres are
used for pastures and 30 million acres are used to
grow the grains that the animals eat. The U.S.
makes enough animal protein every year to provide
every citizen with 75 grams of protein a day, which
is 19 grams more than the recommended amount.
Reasons/Health
Often times vegetarians are health conscious
which means that they will exercise regularly, not
smoke or drink, and maintain a desirable weight.
Although being a vegetarian doesnt necessarily
mean that they are healthier, they often just obtain
a diet with lower fats since theyre not eating meat.
Often times vegetarians are people with higher
rank or more income since eating healthy is more
expensive.

on the same level as

humans but what about
those humans who are
starving and their
source of food is being
given to animals? Do
they believe that that is
fair and ethical then?
This helped me develop
one of my questions for
my interviews I plan on
giving. The small
amount of energy that
comes from animals just
doesnt seem worth it to
me.

Animals
This chapter begins with a story about a cow that
jumped a 6-foot fence to get away from a meat
packing industry and was loose for 10 days. The
cow was later found during a city parade and
everyone in the crowd was so happy that it was
free and that he was being transported to a safe
environment. After the people left the parade they
went to the baseball game and enjoyed baseball
and some hot dogs. The point here is that people
get upset about how cruel we are to animals but
dont think twice when it comes to eating one. This
chapter also talks about the idea of dualism. Which
suggests that one idea is superior to another. For
example, humans/ animals. They question why we
dont view animals as our neighbors. Many people
justify eating animals because they first believe
that they are superior to them so its okay and also
they tell themselves that the animals are
slaughtered in a humane manner. In order to get rid
of the feelings of guilt that the animals are
suffering is to change the non-human subjects into
non-human objects. SomeONE becomes
someTHING. Absent referent is the process of
separating the consumer from the animal and the
animal from the end product. We create alternate
names for food products to keep meat separate
from the fact that the animal was once living. Cow
becomes beef and pig becomes pork. Once the
existence of flesh is disconnected from the
existence of a nonhuman who was killed to become
that product, meat becomes unanchored by its
original referent (the animal), becoming instead a
free-floating image, a metaphor, unbloodied by
suffering. We classify meat as a mass term,
which means we classify all types of meat as one.
Essentially mass terms arent unique and have no
individuality. We are destroying individuals
(animals) and turning them into mass terms.
Animals
Unethical: In the United States about 35 million
cows, 115 million pigs, and 9 billion birds are killed
for food each year. Its inhumane to slaughter the
animals. There are laws that require the animal to
be unconscious before killed but some animals are
exempt from this and many slaughterhouses dont

This has surprisingly

been my favorite source
so far. I really like how
the author started off
with the story of the cow
because so many people
are hypocrites about
animal abuse. This
chapter really opened
up my mind to how
unintentionally we
convert things in our
minds. Everything this
author discussed makes
so much sense as to
why humans believe
that its okay to eat
animals.

This source to me was

kind of confusing
because on the pro side
it would say being
vegetarian can help you

Morris, M. "9
Reasons To Reject
Vegetarianism."
ListVerse. 5 June
2013. Web. 20
Oct. 2015.

Law, Olivia.
Personal
interview. 20
October 2015.

follow the regulations. Raising animals in such

confinement is cruel.
Ethical: Eating meat is a natural part of the life
cycle. Plants respond electrochemically to threats.
You can buy organic meat that is ensured that the
animals are raised and killed in a humane manner.
We have the right to eat and we should protect that
right.
Health
Unethical: You can receive all necessary nutrients
through other sources. Vegetarians have a reduced
risk of developing gallstones and kidney stones.
Vegetarians can absorb more calcium through their
bones.
Ethical: Meat is the most convenient protein source
available. Many vegetarians are vitamin B12
deficient, which you can obtain through meat very
easily. A meat-based diet can help with weight loss
because there are fewer calories in lean meat for
protein than vegetarian sources of protein.
Environment
Unethical: Overgrazing can cause erosion and harm
the plants and animals that already live there. A
vegetarian diet conserves water. Producing one
hamburger destroys 55 square feet of rainforest.
Ethical: Processed vegetarian protein sources can
cause more greenhouse gases than the
meatpacking industry.
Ethics
Unethical: Eating fish instead of other types of
meat is not any more ethical or environmentally
beneficial.
Ethical: The freedom to consume meat is a
fundamental liberty that the people must defend.
There isnt anything cruel about raising animals for
food because they have created cruelty free
organic meat.
Reasons-against
Our bodies are designed for meat and our society
as a whole have been eating meat since the start.
Humans also dont contain everything that you
usually see in herbivores. In the ancient times
children with a meat deficiency had smaller skulls,
so smaller brains. Evidence suggests that our
human brains developed because we ate meat,
which now allows us to make decisions i.e.
becoming vegetarian or not. Other primates eat
meat. Meat is delicious and many people cant live
without it. Studies have shown that eating meat
can help reduce aggression in humans.
Environment- against
Properly managed livestock can help create things
that would otherwise use a lot of fossil fuels.
Creating tofu uses more fossil fuels than organic
meat farms. The best way to maintain space for
wind farms or solar panels is by grazing animals.
Animals- against
We can now grow burgers in a lab setting. Even
though we arent able to mass-produce because of
the costs, we will eventually reach the point where
this can be made possible.

Animals
Olivia doesnt believe that it is ethical to hunt
animals for recreation. She wasnt aware of that
grains were being fed to animals for food over
starving humans and says that isnt ethical. Olivia

live longer and on the

con side it said being
vegetarian will not help
you live longer. I tried
to stay away from those
facts because I need to
create an argument. I
also feel as if some of
the cons were
opinionated. For
example, the idea that
eating animals is ethical
and that this is how its
always been. I did learn
that some people
believe that eating fish
was a better alternative
to eating meat. The
most outstanding fact I
learned was that
producing a single
hamburger destroys 55
square feet of rainforest.
That statistic really
opened my mind to how
badly we are ruining the
earth.

This source taught me

about the fact that we
now have the
technology to produce
meat without animals.
This source also made a
good point about
evolution and how
without meat our brains
could be different and
we may not have all of
the functions we utilize
today. The fact that
making tofu uses more
fossil fuels makes me
wonder if all vegetarians
are aware of this fact
and if they know do they
still continue to eat it.
This will be one of my
interview questions.
This interview made me
realize that some people
just arent educated on
the facts about

couldnt eat meat if she watched the animal being

slaughtered in front of her. She doesnt think about
the fact that the animal was once alive when she
eats it, except with steak because you can see the
blood. She said that she doesnt eat red meat but
will eat a burger if its good. She says that she
wouldnt eat cat or dog and theyre different from
other animals because they are household pets.
Reasons
She has never thought about becoming vegetarian
and wouldnt become one because she likes
chicken too much.
Religion
Olivia isnt religious therefore her religion does not
require that she is a vegetarian.
Ethics
She believes that its ethical to eat meat because
thats why animals are here in the first place and
she believes that animals are human prey. She also
stated that animals have evolved into food sources.

Lane, Annie.
Personal
interview. 20
October 2015.

Animals
Annie doesnt believe that hunting animals is
ethical for recreation. She also doesnt believe its
okay to feed grains to animals for food over
starving humans and wasnt aware that this goes
on. She has thought about becoming vegetarian
before especially because she wants to become a
vet and feels like its the right thing to do. However,
she couldnt because she likes chicken too much.
She couldnt eat meat if she watched the animal be
slaughtered in front of her. Annie wouldnt eat a cat
or dog and says they differ from other animals
because they are pets.
Religion
Her religion doesnt require that she is a
vegetarian.
Ethics
Annie believes that it is ethical to eat meat because
of the idea survival of the fittest. She thinks that we
should be able to eat them because people always
have. She doesnt think about the fact that what
she is eating was once alive and says that if she did
think about it she wouldnt be able to eat it.

Sanchez, Collin.
Personal
interview. 20
October 2015.

Animals
Collin believes that it is ethical to hunt animals for
recreation. He doesnt think that it is ethical to feed
grains to animals for food over starving humans.
However, he does think its necessary that we feed
those animals. He said that he could eat meat if he
watched it slaughtered in front of him. He also says
that he has personally done that himself. He
wouldnt eat a cat or dog and says they differ from

vegetarianism. When
she said that animals
have evolved into food
sources, which simply
isnt true. Animals
themselves have not
evolved into food; us
humans have given it
that idea. Also she said
that she couldnt eat
steak because she can
see the blood so she
obviously replaces other
animals she eats with
objects. (Pig-pork) This
makes me want to
interview someone with
a little more compassion
for animals to see their
views, so I picked Annie
Lane who is my
roommate and wants to
be a vet.
This interview showed
me two things. First that
when people associate
the fact that an animal
was once alive they
have a harder time
consuming it. She put it
off in her head and
doesnt allow it to affect
her eating decisions.
The second thing is that
people are (hopefully)
going to always answer
no to eating a dog or cat
but the fact that they
wont eat them simply
because theyre pets
seems contradictory.
People who own farms
most likely call their
pigs, hens, cattle, etc.
their pets too. Next I
want to interview a male
to see if their viewpoints
are different.
This interview showed
me that men seem to be
a little less caring than
women. He has
slaughtered an animal
and eaten it so he
doesnt seem to mind

other animals because they are domesticated.

Reasons
He wouldnt become a vegetarian because he is
worried about protein and vitamin deficiency. Collin
also thinks that eating meat is necessary for
muscle and bone growth. He has contemplated
becoming a vegetarian to be healthier for wrestling.
Religion
Collin isnt religious so he doesnt have any
guidelines telling him that he cant eat meat.
Ethics
He said that he believes it is ethical to eat meat
because other animals do it. Collin has consciously
thought about the fact that an animal was once
alive while he is eating it and says that it didnt
stop him from consuming it.

that the animal was

once alive. I also learned
a new reason for
becoming vegetarian is
to be healthier for sport
reasons. It also seems
that from all of my
interviews conducted,
religion doesnt seem to
be a huge reason.