A new diet called vegetarianism has been a pretty hot topic in the news recently. Surprisingly, it's not as recent as many would think. Vegetarians were first introduced to ancient Greece and India around the end of the 6th century BC. This diet was created primarily for religious reasons at that time. Countless studies have been conducted recently showing that a vegetarian is significantly healthier than an individual who consumes meat. A vegetarian is someone who does not consume meat in any way. They get all the necessary nutrients one needs from fruits, vegetables and grains. Many have adopted this lifestyle for various reasons such as “economic, religious, ethical and health considerations” (Kumar Kaushik). Becoming a vegetarian not only benefits an individual for health reasons, but it also benefits the planet environmentally and also reduces the number of animals slaughtered for our meals. Vegetarianism should become a global lifestyle not only because vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters, but also to help the environment in the near future. These are just a few of the many reasons why a vegetarian lifestyle is superior for health, environmental and ethical reasons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThose who practice a vegetarian lifestyle are significantly healthier than those who eat meat. Eating meat is not necessary for a healthy diet, all vitamins and supplements can still be obtained by eating the correct vegetables, fruits and grains. “The American Dietetic Association, a fairly centrist group, has proclaimed that 'properly planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.'” Vegetarians are proven to have a much lower risk of cancer, heart disease, mortality, stroke and diabetes than meat eaters. Many fruits and vegetables have “anti-cancer properties”. Some examples of these foods are broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, grapes, berries, etc. These same fruits and vegetables also reduce the mortality rate caused by heart disease. Nuts and grains consumed in greater quantities are linked to a lower chance of developing diabetes. Not only are vegetarians at a lower risk of harm to their health, but this diet is also beneficial for those who want to reduce their weight. “It has been shown that a properly applied vegetarian diet is the most effective way to reduce body mass (expressed as BMI)…”. Obesity is more common among meat eaters than among vegetarians. Meat is high in saturated fat and a multitude of additives and preservatives, making most people tired of eating meat. The health benefits of vegetarianism are very compelling considering the lower rates of poor health and reduced body weight simply by eating fruits, vegetables and grains. Another reason why vegetarianism is considered a better lifestyle is because it is better for the environment in many different ways. . In the article “There is no reason to eat animals”, written by Lindsay Rajt, she explains how terrible the meat industry is for the environment. “Animal agriculture is one of the world's largest sources of CO2 and the largest source of methane, which is more than 23 times more potent than CO2 when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere.” These animals produce significant quantities of these harmful gases, such as dioxidecarbon, methane and nitrous oxide, in the air causing many environmental problems. One of the major environmental problems of the meat industry is the cause of global warming/climate change due to all carbon dioxide. When an individual replaces meat with vegetables, fruits and grains, he not only reduces the emission of carbon and other harmful gases, but also reduces the effects of climate change. Another reason why a vegetarian lifestyle is better for the environment is because the meat industry causes pollution. This pollution occurs in water and is caused by animal feces and the addition of hormones and antibiotics. The crops used to feed these animals also involve a significant amount of pollution, due to pesticides and fertilizers. According to Downtoearth.org, he explains: “Farmed animals produce approximately 130 times more waste than the entire human population of the United States. Because factory farms don't have wastewater treatment systems like our cities and towns do, this concentration of liquid ends up polluting our water, destroying our topsoil and contaminating our air." Pollution caused by, and from, these animals' feeding is extremely dangerous to our waterways and ecosystems. When these pollutants enter waters, they can lead to algae blooms, killing large numbers of fish and negatively affecting human life. The effects that the meat industry causes on the environment are not only extremely dangerous, but also preventable by switching to a plant-based diet. The final reason why vegetarianism is superior is for ethical reasons involving animals. In the meat industry the way animals are treated is inhumane. These animals are fed drugs to accelerate growth and keep them alive. The conditions in which they are kept would kill them, but the drugs they are forced to take somehow keep them alive. Some examples of drugs administered to these animals include: penicillin, erythromycin, and inorganic arsenic. According to Downtoearth.org this explains how negatively these antibiotics/drugs affect humans. "USDA researchers found that '...eating two ounces of chicken per day - the equivalent of one-third to one-half of a boneless breast - exposes a consumer to 3 to 5 micrograms of inorganic arsenic, the most toxic element.' Daily exposure to low doses of arsenic can cause cancer, dementia, neurological problems and other disorders in humans”. but they continually suffer in these places and are treated inhumanely. These animals experience feelings almost identical to humans, so they suffer immensely from pain. In the book Vegetarianism, Miller explains some examples of how inhumanely these animals are treated “In an egg factory, the (economically worthless) male chicks are summarily put through a grinder” (Miller pp. 135). 15 times the amount of milk they would produce under normal conditions." These are just a couple of examples of the mistreatment these animals suffer to provide us with meat. Some popular misconceptions about vegetarianism explain that vegetarians don't get all the right vitamins and nutrients by eating only vegetables, fruits, and grains; and red meat is not harmful to an individual. True, a diet consisting only of vegetables, fruits and grains provides a quantity.