Vegetarian Persuasive Speech

Going vegetarian or vegan can be a daunting task, but there's no reason to jump in head first! Meatless Mondays (or Wednesdays or Saturdays) can change the world. Meatless Mondays are great for the environment, your health, and the animals!

Environment

You might be surprised by how much water it takes for the food to get to your plate. The food we eat makes up about 80% of America's total water footprint. Virtual water is what makes up this water footprint. Virtual water is the amount of water that is embedded in products needed for its production so this includes to water, clean, and transport for example. Pound for pound, meat has a higher water footprint than vegetables, grains or beans. For instance, a single pound of beef takes,

Beyond water footprint, let's talk about carbon footprint! Beef produces 13 times the emissions of vegetable protein (beans, lentils, tofu, etc.) Once again that's a big difference! This is very simplified and does not consider all the pollution that comes from animal agriculture!

Health

Pant-based meals, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes and nuts, is rich in fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. A National Cancer Institute study of 500,000 people found that those who ate the most red meat daily were 30 percent more likely to die of any cause during a 10-year period than were those who ate the least amount of red meat. Other processed meats also increased the risk plenty, but the people who ate the least meat were least likely to die in the 10-year period.

Vegans and vegetarians do get enough protein no matter what the stereotypes say. Make sure you eat enough calories and you are sure to get enough protein. If you eat the same amount of vegetables as you would meat, that's not going to work! Most meat-free food is less calorie dense than meat so keep that in mind. Don't forget variety and you shouldn't have a problem with protein, iron, vitamins, or anything else you might be worried