Opinion
What's the Beef With Eating Meat?
written by SARAH THARP
illustration by ANNETTE DRAPAC
When it comes down to it, little is known about the vegetarian lifestyle, especially in the United States—one of the world's largest consumers of meat.
As a meat eater for most of my life, I never took the time to explore other diet options or learn about the food I was putting into my body. However, this past summer, I was introduced to some of the major reasons people give up eating meat and discovered that the consequences of my diet do not affect only my personal health.
I think in our culture, there is a lack of public awareness about the negative repercussions of eating meat. For many vegetarians, including myself, there is not one significant reason they gave up meat, but more so a specific moment where they became aware of all of the negative repercussions that led them to make this dramatic lifestyle change. Therefore, I hope to provide some insight about vegetarianism or, for some, perhaps that "moment" when they consider not eating meat.
VEGETARIANISM AT OHIO UNIVERSITY
For Ohio University sophomore Caitlin Feller, the moment she decided to stop eating meat occurred when she and her sister went to Warped Tour in 2008 and discovered what really goes on behind the scenes in the meat industry.
"My sister and I saw this pamphlet about vegetarianism," she said. "The next day we both just kind of said, 'Hey, let's try to be vegetarians.'"
Vicki James, another OU sophomore, gave up eating meat for similar reasons. "I became more aware of what all goes into the meat that is produced," she said. She had learned facts about vegetarianism while surfing PETA's Web site.
Both noticed changes in their health almost immediately. "I lost a couple of pounds right away," James said. "You definitely feel cleaner, especially not eating the red meat."
Feller explained that she "definitely had a higher level of energy."
Both James and Feller both agree that maintaining their vegetarian diet is easy to do at OU. In 2009, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals named OU one of the most vegetarian-friendly campuses in the United States for the second year in a row.
James was intrigued by PETA's 30-day vegetarian challenge that she found on its Web site and considered becoming a vegetarian over the summer, but decided to wait to scope out the dining halls at OU before she committed. "I wanted to make sure I didn't decide to be a vegetarian and then I come here and there would be nothing for me to eat," she said.
After discovering that OU is very accommodating to the needs of vegetarians, James made the transition and said, "I've never had an issue with finding something to eat."
According to dining hall staff members and many students, the dining halls and food markets provide many options for vegetarians. "A lot is driven by student demand. We don't have huge amount of vegetarians but the vegetarians who are at Ohio University are very vocal about what foods items that they want to be seeing," said Executive Chef Matt Rapposelli, who is part of a team that puts together menu items for the university's dining halls.
The dining halls serve three different hot food entrees for each meal every day, and one is always a vegetarian option. "There are multiple vegetarian options in all of the dining halls for every meal," he said. "There are hundreds of vegetarian choices and combinations."
Feller agrees that the campus dining halls provide a wide range of choices for a vegetarian diet. "I think they do a pretty good job," she said. "I like the fake chicken Oriental dishes that they have. The orange chicken and broccoli is really good."
James enjoys the veggie burgers and stir-fries at Nelson Dining Hall, which can also be found in the other dining halls on campus.
Because of the responsiveness of OU's dining hall services, Ohio University is a campus where a vegetarian can always find a meal.
So why do students like Feller and James go vegetarian? Below are some of the most well-known reasons that people make the choice to not put meat on their plates.
HEALTH BENEFITS
In the U.S., the top causes of death are linked to diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Both of these are components of meat—especially red meat.
According to Kathy Wise, a registered dietitian and director of health and wellness at Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio, saturated fat in meat is its primary health issue. "Saturated fat contributes to elevated cholesterol levels, development of plaque and blockage of arteries," Wise said.
She explained that lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol can lead to a number of health benefits, including lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels, lower risk of heart disease, hypertension and type II diabetes, and also lower rates of cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research have both recommended that people reduce the amount of red meat they consume and that they avoid eating processed meat.2
Health benefits are also related to the fact that vegetarians consume more fruits and vegetables than meat eaters. The saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" seems to ring true regarding oncologists as well. Fruits and vegetables protect against cancer of the lung, mouth, esophagus and stomach.2
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The consumption of meat affects not only a person's health, but also contributes to some of the world's largest environmental issues.
In the past 50 years, over a fourth of the rainforests in Central America have been burned and cleared to raise cattle for beef production.3 Deforestation is not limited to Central America—it is occurring worldwide. Deforestation also destroys the homes of all its inhabitants, which is happening to an alarming 1,000 species annually.4 Thus, the price of a eating a steak or hamburger comes at the expense of thousands of species of animals, not just the life of the cow that is consumed.
Recently, the theory of global warming, which focuses on the negative effects of greenhouse gas emissions, has become a growing issue.3 Cattle production is a significant part of this proposed problem, generating three of the four major greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.3 The burning of the world's forests to create enough land to raise livestock also contributes by releasing billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.3
Water scarcity and pollution are two additional issues related to meat production.3 Water is required to not only hydrate animals, but also to grow the food to feed them. Water scarcity and pollution plague Third World countries while developed nations provide their cattle with gallons and gallons of it. It is estimated that a person would save more water by not eating a pound of beef than by not showering for one year.6
In an article about cattle and the environment, Greenhouse Crisis Foundation President Jeffrey Rifkin said, "In the United States, cattle have done more to alter the environment of the West than all the highways, dams, strip mines and power plants put together."3
WORLD HUNGER
An estimated 925 million people suffer from starvation and/or malnutrition5, and about 40 to 60 million people die from these conditions annually.3
As almost a billion people are starving, cattle are being fed pounds upon pounds of grain and other foods in order to grow large enough to be slaughtered. The larger the animal, the more meat can be sold, which results in larger profits for the meat industry.
Out of all the corn grown in the U.S., humans consume only 20 percent. The remaining 80 percent is used to feed livestock.4 Grain and oats are two other crops that are grown primarily to feed U.S. livestock. As many as 1.3 billion humans could be fed with the amount of grains and soybeans that the livestock consume.4
It is hypothesized that if everyone decided not to eat meat, world hunger would not exist because the resources used to raise and feed livestock could instead be utilized to provide food for humans.6
ANIMAL CRUELITY
Animal cruelty is one of the major reasons people decide to not eat meat. Because people in the U.S. and elsewhere have domesticated cats and dogs, the idea of eating a family pet for dinner can seem deplorable and almost taboo. Though cats and dogs can feel the same amount of pain as cows and chickens, many people still eat the latter two, which are often inhumanely slaughtered.7
More than 16 billion animals are killed for food annually in the U.S.7 PETA said that these animals "are neglected, mutilated, genetically manipulated, put on drug regimens that cause chronic pain and crippling, transported through all weather extremes, and killed in gruesome and violent ways."7
Until the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958, there wasn't a law in place to regulate how animals were slaughtered in the U.S.8
The law that is currently enforced is the Humane Slaughter Act of 1978, which determined two methods of "humane" slaughter. The first method "requires that livestock are rendered insensible to pain on the first application of the stunning device before being shackled, hoisted, cast or cut."8
The second method is in accordance with ritual slaughter requirements, in which the animal's throat is cut with a knife to sever the major arteries and veins.8
An investigative article by Joby Warrick in The Washington Post revealed the extreme brutality involved in slaughtering animals. The article stated that "hogs, unlike cattle, are dunked in tanks of hot water after they are stunned to soften the hides for skinning. As a result, a botched slaughter condemns some hogs to being scalded and drowned."9
Warrick also spoke with slaughterhouse worker Martin Fuentes, who told him that "the [slaughter] line is never stopped simply because an animal is alive."9 According to the article, Fuentes said that he has seen "thousands and thousands of cows go through the slaughter process alive."9
Though it may be hard to believe, millions of animals are slaughtered without protection from our federal laws. What goes on in slaughterhouses is not regulated 24/7, and often, the law is broken and the animal experiences every sensation of its death.
Vegetarianism is a lifestyle that can be relatively easy to follow and can quickly improve one's personal health and wellbeing. If enough people convert to vegetarianism, it has the potential to help end many of world's largest environmental problems as well as help lower the prevalence of many diseases.
FOOTNOTES
1 Variyam, J. N. (1999) Role of Demographics, Knowledge and, Attitudes. America's Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. (pp. 281-294) Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov
2 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. (2007). Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. Washington DC: AICR. Retrieved from http://www.defeatcancer.info
3 Rifkin, J. Cattle and the Global Environmental Crisis. Retrieved from http://www.mcspotlight.org
4 Robbins, J. (1987), Diet for a New America. How your food choices affect your health, happiness,
and the future of the earth. Walpole: Stillpoint Publishing.
5 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2009). Global hunger declining,
but still unacceptably high. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org
6 Noga, Tina. (2008, Mar. 25). Global Hunger: The more meat we eat, the few people we feed. Earthoria. Retrieved fromhttp://www.earthoria.com
8 USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services. (2009). Humane Handling of Livestock and Good Commercial Practices in Poultry. Retrieved from http://www.fsis.usda.gov
9 Warrick, Joby. (2001, Apr. 10). They Die Piece by Piece. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://animalrightskorea.org
