Ethics of Meat Eating

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body’s need, and this can cause people to become weary and sick. Another argument may be that people are meant to eat meat. It is said that since the beginning of time, humans have been hunters. People would go into the wild, hunt their meals, take it back to the cave, and eat it. People may argue that this is how people have always done it and that this is how it should continue to be.

There are many facts that prove the people who think that eating meat is acceptable wrong. Yes, there are certain nutrients and minerals in meat, but the lack of meat in the diet can be substituted in other ways. Vegetarians need more vitamins and minerals, like calcium, which can be found in soy products, which are popular in a vegetarian diet. People who do not eat meat also need to find another source of iron and zinc, since these are usually attained through meats. It is very easy to get all of the vitamins and minerals that are needed, just talk to a doctor about what a vegetarian diet should consist of. Doctors and nutrition specialist can help plan out meals and inform vegetarians what vitamins they need from not eating meat. “Any normal variety of plant foods provides more than enough protein for the body’s needs” (Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health). To the people who disagree with vegetarianism, we have been hunters since the beginning of time, but we have evolved. We no longer have the need to go out into the forest and kill animals to eat for dinner. We have a substantial amount of fresh vegetables available at many local stores, garden, or farmers market. Also, our teeth are not made for the toughness of meat. If you compare our teeth to that of a lion, a carnivore, and that of a donkey, a herbivore, we have more similarities with the donkey. The carnivore’s teeth are sharp and made to shred meat to eat and the herbivore’s teeth are made to grind vegetables.

Many people are not aware of where their food comes from and what these foods do for their bodies. If more people knew the abuse and mistreatment that animals went through, the health benefits of vegetarianism, and the effect of meat on the environment, not to mention how unhealthy the food in front of them is, I believe that a lot of people would switch to some kind of vegetarian.

Works Cited

Fraser, Laura. “Why I Stopped Being A Vegetarian.” Practical Argument: A Text and

Anthology. 2nd Ed. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: 2016: 2016. 686-689. Print.

Gladden, Laurel. “The Ethical Epicure; Another Look at Meat.” Practical Argument: A Text and

Anthology. 2nd Ed. Eds.Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: 2016 512-516. Print.

"Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health." The Physicians Committee. N.p., 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.