VEGETARIAN ESSAY

By McKinnon Schissel, Grade 12

When it comes to vegetarianism, my opinion is very torn. Personally, I am an earth and animal friendly girl. Animals own a big part of my heart. It truly makes me tear up, even cry, whenever I see or hear of a dead animal. In fact, I am the type of girl who freaks out and makes a whole scene in the car whenever squirrels run out into the road and almost get hit. I do not see how people enjoy going out and killing poor innocent animals and bringing them home for food. It makes me so sad knowing innocent animals are killed every day at the expense of humans and their desires. Although, I do not have much room to talk because I eat meat and enjoy it quite a bit.

Growing up, I have been surrounded by meat lovers and men with major hunting hobbies. My dad, uncles, cousins, grandpas, and family-friends all go hunting. Every time they try to talk about their hunting around me I have the exact same reaction. I make comments about how terrible it is and I tear up. No matter who I am talking to about killing these innocent animals, the response is the same. “God made animals to kill other animals,” or “It’s the circle of life, McKinnon,” is what I hear every single time. Without their hunting or the animal hunting of others, I would not get to eat the meat that I enjoy eating every day.

For example, two of my favorite foods are tacos and chicken. I eat chicken more than I eat any other food. I get chicken at every restaurant and fast food place. I truly do not know what I would do if could not eat chicken. I have a big heart for animals, but I do not let that stop me from eating meat. Although that doesn’t mean this can’t change.

Because I have grown up eating meat, it seems impossible to give it up. I have never been a big salad girl, so I would not know what to order at any restaurant. Despite this, a part of me still thinks I could be strong enough to give up meat and become a vegetarian. Between my determination and love for animals, vegetarianism is not entirely an impossible option for me. In fact, more than 25 animals are saved each year because of a vegetarian. This statistic warms my heart. Knowing I am saving animals and benefitting the environment is a good enough reason for me to go vegetarian, but something is stopping me.

I know a couple vegetarians and when asking them why they chose vegetarianism, they had roughly the same answer: their health, the environment, and for the innocent animals that get killed in the process. These are all normal answers, but there was one more answer that stood out, which was that they did not like the feeling or texture of meat in their mouth. Out of all the reasons to go vegetarian, this is the one I do not understand.

I love animals. Sometimes I think that I love animals more than humans. It hurts my heart knowing innocent animals suffer and die every day. I truly wish deep down that there was another way to eat meat without killing these poor creatures. Although no matter how much sympathy I have, I continue to eat meat at the end of the day. I agree and stand by every single reason to be vegetarian, but for some reason I cannot get myself to become one. Maybe one day, with a little more research and thought, I can settle my conflicting opinion on vegetarianism and maybe even become one.

Why I Am Vegan
By Anuragini Barman, age 13

I believe that being vegan is one of the best ways to save the world. Being vegan saves animals, the planet, and our bodies.

In the United States alone, approximately 9 billion chickens and 29 million cows are killed per year according to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)¹. That is more than 1 million chickens an hour. If people stopped eating animals, imagine how many innocent lives could be saved!

Raising livestock accounts for 14.5% of the total human-created greenhouse gas emissions on our planet according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization ². Decreasing meat consumption is a huge and easy way to slow global warming.

Being vegan is a great way to stay healthy. Studies show that vegans and vegetarians have stronger immune systems and are less likely to get certain diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer ³.

I have been vegan my whole life. I have always understood why my parents and I are vegan, and I have always been proud that we do everything we can to help animals. I choose to be vegan because it is a great way to change the world.

I am very lucky that my parents are vegan. Having the support of your family and living in an all-vegan household makes being vegan really easy. However not everyone is so supportive. Some of my relatives in India do not approve of my being vegan. They worry that I do not get enough nutrients like protein. On the contrary many plant foods such as beans and tofu are loaded with protein, and vegetables and fruits are full of nutrients! When my mom is not around, they try to smuggle me milk or cheese, or even meat. I always decline as politely as possible and remember that their intentions are good, even if misguided.

While I do not pressure people to become vegan, I do share the benefits and how easy it is. Every two months I present a show on Facebook and YouTube called So Many Kids in the Kitchen ⁴ with five of my friends. We show kids how to make easy, yummy, heathy, vegan meals.

I think that the reasons for being vegan are obvious. You just have to find out what non-vegan foods are really made of. On a camping trip a few weeks ago, one of my friends asked why I eat vegan marshmallows instead of regular ones. When I told her that non-vegan marshmallows have gelatin, which is made from ground-up skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments of cows, pigs, and other animals, she said that she would never eat a non-vegan marshmallow again.

Being vegan saves animals, the planet, and our health. It is super easy to be vegan, and there is really no downside.

¹ peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food, accessed April 28, 2022

² fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode, accessed April 28, 2022

³ see, for example, vrg.org, pcrm.org, or nutritionfacts.org

⁴ somanycooks.com

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