Go Vegetarian and Save the Planet

Today I'm going to give you an introduction to vegetarianism. It is so good for the planet; every environmentalist has got to do it!

First, there are a few types of vegetarians. Here are the main ones:
Vegan: no animal products (meat, eggs, dairy, honey) but who can eat grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, soy products, vegetable oils, and sugar!
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: no meat, but who eats dairy, eggs and honey, and plant products
Lacto Vegetarian: they make the exception of milk
Ovo Vegetarian: they make the exception of eggs

Going vegan is really important for you to do. Animals are being obscenely abused this very minute and we must do something to help them! I for one do not want to eat my friends. Plus, eating animal flesh and their by-products is just plain unhealthy.

Of course, this is an enviroment blog. But did you know that going vegan is good for the environment, too? So if animal abuse and heart disease isn't enough for you, please read on.

Did you know...?

• It takes 14 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of wheat, BUT it takes 441 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef. That means the grain takes more than 31 times less water!
• Animal agriculture is very inefficient because the crops that are grown for the animals lose their energy as they go through the animals. After all, the animals burn almost all of that energy in everyday living. If humans ate the crops instead and stopped breeding animals to eat it for us, world hunger would be greatly reduced.
• Who wants to save the rainforest? I do! :) But unfortunately, much of the rainforest that is being cleared is to make way for cattle grazing. In fact, in order to produce 1 rainforest-cleared hamburger, creatures from 20-30 plant species, 100 insect species, and dozens of other animals are destroyed. There are 121 different species that have become endangered due to cattle grazing.[http://www.chooseveg.com/extinction.asp]
• Runoff from factory farms creates dangerous waters for fish and swimmers and when the wind blows all the toxins over to villages, the humans living there have been reported to have suffered from headaches, illness, and inability to breathe.

So now I hope you are able to make the right decision. This is just the beginning (or a continuation) of your journey through vegetarianism and veganism. Here are a few links to get you started:

• Excellent website for more information, recipes, and help getting started: chooseveg.com
• Vegan starter kit: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/vegan-starter-kit.aspx
• Teen health wesite about veganism: http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vegan.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle
• Teen health website about vegetarianism: http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vegetarian.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle
• An article that I wrote on veganism: http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/environment/article/291427/Have-a-Heart-and-Go-Vegan/

Enjoy!