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Amanda Wallert
Eng 122
Informative Research Paper
April 8, 2010
Vegetarianism or Meat Eating
Vegetarianism has become a trend that seems to be increasing in our society today. Many people wonder what it is and why would someone choose this lifestyle over eating animal products in their diet? There are many reasons that someone would choose a vegetarian diet. It is important first to identify what type of diet that actually is, and how it is different from most diets in western society. There are definitely some benefits to eating a vegetarian diet; however, meat eating must also have merit since it is the dominant palette in Western Society.
Vegetarianism is the practice or theory of eating only fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. It is practiced for moral, ascetic or nutritional reasons. In Western society today meat in many different forms is readily and economically available, yet the current trend shows a growing number of voluntary vegetarians around the world. In the United States roughly three to four percent of the total population consider themselves vegetarian. The origins of modern day Vegetarian philosophy and its influences can be traced back nearly three thousand years. Many vegetarians are people who have understood that to contribute towards a more peaceful society we must first solve the problem of violence in our own hearts.
Russian philosopher Count Leo Tolstoy once said, “ If a man earnestly seeks a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from animal food.” Socrates and Albert Schweitzer also supported and wrote about a diet free from animal products. The earliest
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archeological data we have that suggests a voluntary partial vegetarian die is the Old kingdom of Egypt. There are hieroglyphic inscriptions, which suggest the avoidance of eating some animals. The priest avoided eating pig for its lack of cleanliness, and cow for their belief that is was a...