What makes people vegetarian

In addition to meat, this includes eggs, milk and dairy products. Some vegans also do not eat honey. People choose vegetarian diets for many reasons, including personal preference and health concerns. Some adopt a vegetarian lifestyle for ethical reasons. Many vegetarians, for example, avoid meat because they do not want animals killed or harmed. These individuals may also object to the treatment of animals raised on industrial farms.

The environment is an additional concern for some vegetarians. Issues have been cited concerning all aspects of the environment: animal waste from factory farms may pollute the land and water, and trees and forests are cut down to make room for grazing cattle.

Religious beliefs also can play an important role in vegetarianism. For instance, followers of Jainism practice nonviolence also called ahimsa , meaning "do no harm" , and do not eat meat or certain vegetables, such as onions, potatoes and garlic. Funding came from Animal Charity Evaluators. Source: UC Davis. Search for:. Science Health Culture Environment. Share this Article. You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4. Eating plants over protein may cut heart disease risk.

Why Americans are eating less meat. In fact, some research suggests that vegans and vegetarians generally have better health markers than omnivores.

In fact, many health experts recommend plant-based diets to people who have heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and other health conditions. One big reason people give up animal products involves health concerns about animal protein, particularly red meat. For decades, public health officials and health practitioners urged consumers to eat less meat, especially beef and pork.

They cited health concerns such as heart attack, stroke, cancer and more. However, recent research revealed that people may have held the wrong conviction toward red meat for all these years, noting that the evidential ties between red meat, processed meat and illness were weak at best. Another long-held belief about red meat — that its saturated fat content clogs the arteries -- was also recently debunked.

Read more: Essential kitchen tools for vegans. That said, no dietary recommendation is appropriate for every person, so take the evidence and do with it what you will.

If you have poor reactions to animal protein, that's reason enough to try plant-based meat. And whether real beef or faux meat is healthier , well, that's the question of the decade and probably the next one. A vegan diet is worth trying out, especially if you're interested in the health benefits, animal welfare or potential environmental benefits.

This is a key reason for many people in their decision to start and continue a vegan diet. Many vegans strongly believe that all animals, including those that have long been staples in diets all over the world, have a right to life and freedom.

That's certainly a fair standpoint, and having emotional attachments with animals often contributes to that view. For example, research about the motives behind eating a vegan diet shows that having more pets early in life and a larger variety of pets, e.

If you're not ready to go full-out vegan but want to cut down on your consumption of beef for animal welfare reasons, replacing your typical beef burger with an Impossible Burger or a Beyond Burger the next time you eat out is a good start.

Here's a list of places that have the Beyond Meat Burger on their menu , and a list of restaurants that serve the Impossible Burger.