Why do some people choose not to eat meat?

It depends on the person.

Some people are allergic.

Some people don't like the taste.

Some people exclude it from their diet as part of some crazy 'lose weight fast' diet.

Some people avoid meat for religious reasons.

Some people, like me, don't eat meat because we don't want to put money into the pockets of those who are profiting from the pain and suffering of other living beings.

I am a vegetarian and i don't eat meat as I don't feel we should take an animals life to ingest its flesh. I use to eat meat and now been vegetarian for 6 years. I accidentally bit into a small salmon tart and the piece of flesh was foreign in my mouth, i knew i was eating flesh of an animal. I don't like animals being mistreated, but i don't picket or look down on people who eat meat. It is a choice. I watched a documentary on farming, slaughter houses and just looking at the animals lined up to be killed just put me off meat. Animals feel, think and play. Most farm animals are herds and thus they have structure, they depend on each other for safety and they know what is happening to their fellow slaughter mates. Also, think about this, if you own a pet (cat or dog) somewhere in the world those animals are eaten. I have 3 dogs too, and that helped me to realise i should not eat any animal.

Multiple reasons:

1) They are against killing animals

2) They are against current methods of raising and slaughter. If you 'youtube' or 'google' factory farms you will easily understand why so many people are vegetarian

3) It's great for the environment. Factory farms are the #1 polluter in the world. Not only that, but forests, land, and water sources are being depleted in huge amounts for the meat on our table.

4) It's healthier. Studies show that vegetarians are at lower risk for countless different types of diseases including cancer, heart disease, blood pressure issues, obesity, diabetes, etc. There is also some new studies showing that animal protein can be linked to even more diseases!

Honestly some people just don't like the taste. Others feel it's cruel and selfish to eat meat.

Oh my, I am so glad you asked...

1) ethics: so that I am not causing suffering to other creatures that have feelings (a nervous system)..

2) health: a whole foods plant based diet is the healthiest diet to live a long healthy life free of chronic disease. I believe the diet in dr Mcdougalls book "the starch solution" is a great way to describe a healthy vegan diet.

3) the environment: http://www.culinaryschools.org/yum/vegetables/

Less methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon emissions

Less water wastage

Less land is needed to make the same amount of food (1/10th), beef farms is the reason the amazon is being bulldozed.

4) money: it's pretty cheap to be vegan, especially a starch based whole foods diet... Brown rice, potatoes, bread, Veges, beans, and a few condiments... What a cheap way to eat.

5) antibiotic resistance, 80% of the antibiotics used in the US are used in animals... Ad this is not for sick animals... This is fed to healthy animals every day of their life... Because it makes them grow fat faster.... Problem.... Huge breeding ground for antibiotic resistant bacteria both in the animals and the people handling them.... Now the antibiotic resistant e.coli in the Europe outbreak for example.... From the sprouts... Due to the fertilizer which came antibiotic fed animals poop.

Please tell me that you're thinking about becoming a vegetarian or even better-vegan. That would make me so happy :-) Meat is a dead flesh, it's a body of an animal that wanted to live. Animals have soul, you can see it in their eyes and the way they love you. Eggs are chickens period. Milk is rape. Cow has milk only when she's pregnant, so they rape cows to get the milk, female baby cows are sent to make milk and male baby cows are sent to be killed. It's terrible. Google it, or youtube it for more information.

It is obvious to many meat eaters why most people become vegetarian, i.e. they don't want animals to be killed to provide them with their food. But many people can’t understand why anyone would become vegan: "Animals aren't harmed or killed in the production of eggs or milk so what's the issue? It's too extreme and you're just being difficult/petty. Being vegetarian is bad enough, why be so restrictive in your diet and miss out on all these yummy foods..."

It depends. Some do it for health reasons and others do it because they think its cruel to kill animals. Most vegetarians are hypocrites because they will eat eggs and fish.

They don't think it's a good idea, for various reasons. Ethics, dietary concerns.

It’s good for your health. If you don't eat meat, you can lower your cholesterol, lose weight, reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, or Type 2 diabetes, increase your energy levels, and reduce constipation. You’ll also smell better.

It’s good for the earth. The production of a quarter-pound hamburger requires 625 gallons of water, the destruction of 55 square feet of rainforest, and wastes 50 times more fossil fuel than would the production of the same amount of plant-based food. Up to 16 pounds of grain and soybeans are needed to produce one pound of beef. Of the grain grown in the United States, 80% is fed to animals to produce meat, milk, and eggs. That statistic is even more alarming now that we are also using grain to produce more fuel. Out of the huge amount of pesticide used on these grains, a percentage ends up on the food is destined for animals that are used to produce meat, milk, and eggs. The pesticide concentrates in the bodies of the animals. This pesticide is then eaten by people, and fed to their companion animals. The other 99% of pesticide ends up in the air that we and other animals breathe and the water that we and other animals drink. The meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Using animals to produce food is bad for the environment.

It’s good for your fellow humans. Besides costing in terms of water and fuel that much of the world cannot afford, a pound of ground beef will cost $2.88 this year in the United States, where its production is highly subsidized. It provides 1,152 calories, nearly 91 grams of fat, 78 grams of protein, and no fiber. A half pound of lentils mixed with a half pound of brown rice costs about $1.38 in the United States. They provide 1,587 calories, 8 grams of fat, 88 grams of protein, and 77 grams of fiber. Many scientists now believe that in the wake of a changing climate, the switch to a largely plant-based diet is necessary to avoid famine.

It’s good for your bank account. Spending less on groceries is great, but the biggest savings are long-term. By avoiding chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, you could save on such procedures as a $57,439 heart bypass operation, take far fewer sick days, and substantially lower your life insurance premiums.

It’s the right thing to do. Animals on factory farms lead lives of unimaginable suffering and die cruel deaths. Dairy cows spend years in a concrete stall or filthy feed lot before they are slaughtered. Calves and are quickly separated from their mothers, confined in tiny pens, and then killed for veal after only a few months of life. Baby pigs are castrated without anesthesia, taken from their mothers who are confined in tiny crates, and killed at just 7 months. Chickens raised for eggs are crammed in tiny cages and have their beaks clipped to prevent them from hurting each other due to stress from confinement. These animals are killed with a bolt to the head or a knife. Male chicks are thrown into trash bags to suffocate or ground up alive.

Meat and most dairy are deficient in carbohydrates, vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, and folate, omega-3 essential fatty acids, and fiber. Meat is not even particularly high in vitamin B12, and meat-eaters are at least as likely to have a vitamin B12 deficiency than vegetarians or even vegans.

Meat has too much fat, protein, acid, sulfur, cholesterol, toxins, pathogens, antibiotics, and hormones.