The benefit of being Vegetarian - Research Paper Example

Introduction According to Greely (2009), vegetarianism involves people who prefer fruit and vegetable diets. Many people choose to become vegetarian for many different reasons. For many of them being vegetarian has its many health rewards from low cholesterol levels to toxin free foods. For others, vegetarian lifestyle has financial gains since it helps one to save money by not buying meat and its products. Others opt for this lifestyle because it is deemed environmentally friendly. Some people cannot imagine their day without eating meat, while others prefer to be vegetarian.

However, being vegetarian has many benefits because it saves environment and is financially sound. This paper aims at outlining the financial and eco-friendly benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle. Benefits of Being Vegetarian One of the main benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle, according to Melina & Davis (2003), is that it is considered to be environmentally friendly. This is because the food and water that is used in breeding animals for meat can be saved. Dr. David Brubaker, PhD, at Johns Hopkins Universitys Center for a Livable Future suggests that breeding animals for purposes of providing us with food is a peril to the planet since pollutes the environment and consumes a lot of resources.

The land used for animal farming can be rehabilitated to suit environmental needs such as planting trees and vegetative cover to serve as water catchment areas. Also, the land can be used to cultivate food crops so as to combat the crisis of global hunger. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization says that about a fifth of the global greenhouse emissions are due to meat factories and processing plants. Waste products from these factories also contribute in water pollution since most of them are discharged into water bodies such as rivers and streams.

Also, pesticides and insecticides used on animals to remove parasites can contribute to both land and water pollution, and as such the vegetarian lifestyle can help in the reduction of this kind of pollution. According to Iacobbo & Iacobbo (2006), another main benefit of being a vegetarian is that there are financials gains that emerge from this kind of lifestyle since meat is considered to be generally expensive as compared to fruits and vegetables. Food expenditures that are without meat products can be reduced by up to 25%.

Almost 10% of most American spending is on meat and its related products. A standard American family can spend up to a projected figure of $4,000 annually on meat products. Since the vegetarian lifestyle is healthy, one saves a lot of money by lowering their health care and health maintenance costs. Better health means that one can avoid diseases such as gout and high blood pressure hence money spent on treatment of the meat related ailments is saved. Also, financial resources spent on animal rearing for the purposes of meat production can be saved if people opt for this lifestyle.

Conclusion In summary, the vegetarian lifestyle can be a viable solution to the major global issues such as global warming, the global hunger crisis and the recent global financial crisis. Though it may be a bit difficult to convince everyone to adopt this kind of lifestyle, many can agree that its benefits are quite substantial and if opted for people can live a little bit healthier, financial stability can be more realistic, and the environment saved by reclaiming land lost through pollution by waste products from meat factories and chemicals used in the process.

References Greeley, A. (2009). The everything guide to being vegetarian: The advice, nutrition information, and recipes you need to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media. Print Iacobbo, K. & Iacobbo, M. (2006). Vegetarians and vegans in America today. Westport, Conn. Praeger. Print Melina, V. & Davis, B. (2003). Becoming vegetarian: The complete guide to adopting a healthy vegetarian diet. New York: Wiley. Print