cat. In western cultures, household pets are placed on a pedestal above farm animals, and we would never entertain the idea of eating our beloved pets. However, other cultures would eat a dog or cat before eating a pig. In my house, my mother has a portrait of our dog hanging up but she does not have one of me can you tell I am a little bitter? My – mother cannot even yell at our dog without feeling bad, but she can easily cook us pork tenderloin for dinner without feeling any remorse. I believe that the majority of people choose to ignore the truth that the animals we slaughter are sentient beings and can feel pain just so that they do not have to change the routines they are so accustomed to. Ignorance does not make consuming animal products ethical though. My second premise focuses on the nutritional aspects of both meat-based and plant-based diets. I believe that the slaughtering that farm animals go through is unnecessary because humans are able to survive and thrive off of a plant-based diet. Humans who participate in a meat-based diet consume approximately 40% fat (when the recommended daily value is less than 30%) and 25% protein (when the recommended daily value is 10%) (Engel, 878). Consumers of meat are more likely to suffer from heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and obesity than consumers of plant-based diets. In a study lead by Dr. William Castelli, researchers found that vegetarian societies have the “the best diet and they outlive [people who consume meat] by at (Engel, least seven years” 874). When I was a senior in high school, my grandfather had to undergo a triple bypass heart surgery that took a heavy toll on his health. Once he was released from the hospital, doctors recommended that he drastically change his diet in order to decrease his blood pressure and his chances of having to go through another surgery or suffer from a heart attack. Although my grandfather had a very difficult time doing so and was very
cat. In western cultures, household pets are placed on a pedestal above farm animals, and we would never entertain the idea of eating our beloved pets. However, other cultures would eat a dog or cat before eating a pig. In my house, my mother has a portrait of our dog hanging up but she does not have one of me – can you tell I am a little bitter? My mother cannot even yell at our dog without feeling bad, but she can easily cook us pork tenderloin for dinner without feeling any remorse. I believe that the majority of people choose to ignore the truth that the animals we slaughter are sentient beings and can feel pain just so that they do not have to change the routines they are so accustomed to. Ignorance does not make consuming animal products ethical though. My second premise focuses on the nutritional aspects of both meat-based and plant-based diets. I believe that the slaughtering that farm animals go through is unnecessary because humans are able to survive and thrive off of a plant-based diet. Humans who participate in a meat-based diet consume approximately 40% fat (when the recommended daily value is less than 30%) and 25% protein (when the recommended daily value is 10%) (Engel, 878). Consumers of meat are more likely to suffer from heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and obesity than consumers of plant-based diets. In a study lead by Dr. William Castelli, researchers found that “the vegetarian societies have the best diet and they outlive [people who consume meat] by at least seven years” (Engel, 874). When I was a senior in high school, my grandfather had to undergo a triple bypass heart surgery that took a heavy toll on his health. Once he was released from the hospital, doctors recommended that he drastically change his diet in order to decrease his blood pressure and his chances of having to go through another surgery or suffer from a heart attack. Although my grandfather had a very difficult time doing so and was very
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