“No animal needs to die in order for me to live.” -Howard Lynan

For centuries man has pondered and fought over the third degree of what we were meant for, how we function, and how we survive. These questions have lead to the separation and widespread variety of how people care for themselves in order to prove fittest for survival. One of the most experimental variables is that of the dietary lifestyle. The two most prominent being that of an omnivorous dietary lifestyle and that of a vegetarian dietary lifestyle. For clarification purposes a basic overview of dietary definitions will be provided so as to avoid confusion or upset. To begin, an omnivorous dietary lifestyle is that of any person who consumes meat and uses any animal product of any form. The next definition set will be a bit more lengthy as it has many layers. Firstly, a vegan lifestyle is that of any person who does not consume or use animal products in any way, shape, or form. Nextly, is that of a vegetarian lifestyle. A vegetarian diet is that of any person who does not consume any meat by any means. However, they do consume animal derived products such as eggs and dairy. Finally, that of the most controversial form of a vegetarian is that of a pescaterian and a pollotarian. These two types, in order to provide the most accurate argument with the least amount of debate, will not be regarded as vegetarians in the following due to the fact that meat is still being consumed.

An omnivorous type of diet has been in practice since, in essence, the beginning of life itself. Though not officially stamped by a time period, it is widely represented through cave drawings and many artifacts thus allowing the acceptance of the assumption. Having this piece of information allows us to see just how long this method has been in practice and in popularity.

Also having never been officially documented, the first uproar about a vegetarian diet dates all the way back to Ancient Greece. It’s important to cover this so as to clarify that vegetarianism has been around for a much longer span of time than most may actually consider. During that time period it’s fame was recognized by many famous, and quite important, members of the society itself. One of which being Pythagoras. Due to this, it was called the "Pythagorean diet" until the title of “vegetarian” took over in the 1800s. For an insert of a fun fact, some other people of impact that have advocated for a vegetarian diet are Leonardo da Vinci, Mohandas Gandhi, and Paul McCartney. These people too believed in the ideals, purpose, and gravity behind being a vegetarian. The following arguments that will be made can be broken down into the following main topics: Morality and Religion, Medical, Anatomy & Physiology, Evolution, Environment & Ethics, and finally, though on a smaller scale, Economics, Dietary Preferences, and Social Stigmatisms. For now, we will start on the high ground of ideal diversity that is religion and continue to progress from that point.

To start, when you think of religion what do you picture? A celestial being? A rules list? A choice or a divine purpose? Religion is usually best defined as a particular system of faith, belief, and worship. Most always, this system is created upon several ideals, more commonly recognized by its community as morals. With our diversity of thought it’s hard to completely generate such an argument as that of the moral compass and where it’s “rights” and “wrongs” lie. However, the more renowned religions will be the source of comparison and elaboration due to the fact that the texts and beliefs may show either a contradicting or correlative support of either of the two diets. The three religions that will be discussed are: Christianity, this is the overall blanketing of all religions such as Baptists and Catholics that also fall under that religious title; Buddhism, this consists of any follower of Gautama or The Awakened One; and Jainism, a religion originating in India which encourages the strive for followers to live a harmless life.

To begin, Christianity is one of the most sundry yet coherent religions of all. Separating into several reorganized sub-religions, it is often hard to make a comparison unless they are viewed as an overall whole and studied by their most sacred common that is their religious text. There are some conflictions that make this aspect more difficult than that of others to resolve. For example, consider Genesis chapter one verses twenty-nine through thirty: And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. This provides an obvious backing for a vegetarian lifestyle. If more backing is needed then too consider Genesis chapter nine verse four: But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. These as well as many more of the Biblical texts support the claim that Christians are meant to be vegetarians as that is what God has provided for the world. For many contemporary Christians vegetarianism is usually rooted in ethical concerns about the abuse of creation, historically Christians who chose not to eat flesh also saw their diet as a path to greater spirituality and increased sanctity.

Another point up for brief mention is that many are beginning to study whether or not Jesus himself was a vegetarian. If this is truth, then the Christian community, who strives to be one with their divine leader, will ultimately need to consider that of a dietary change that could ultimately, and historically benefit their spiritual growth, as seen through that of a common Christian tradition formally deemed as fasting. However, until we are able to completely unscramble the meanings of all the teachings throughout the bible, one is left up to their own study and jurisdiction about how the Lord might act if he were to walk about the Earth today. That said, the next two religions have a bit less grey area than that of Christianity.

The next idealistic group is that of the Jainas. With as many as four million followers, Jainism is a religion originating in sixth-century BCE India that emphasizes complete non-violence and asceticism. This belief even bleeds into their diets. Their definition of life is quite a bit deeper than that of most in the fact that, to the Jainas, living organisms even encompass bacteria and other microorganisms. Atop of this there are many other restrictions that must be followed in their diet so as to ensure the safety of each and every living being. However, those aside, Jainas live a strict and zealous vegetarian lifestyle and claim to feel a deeper sense of fulfillment. Jainas are strongly against the ill treatment of animals of every sort and try to combat that treatment by going out of their ways to prove harmless to them while also showing us that we don’t have to abuse and kill innocent creatures to find fulfillment; whether it be our stomachs, our hearts, or that of our disturbed minds. They believe that a peaceful life is our choice and it's up to us to choose it. What do think?

To close is to say that if you happen to belong to a certain faith then do consider researching into all that you are. Through this you may learn new things about your religion and may even deepen your faith. Religion being of one of, if not, the most broad and misunderstood entities makes it all the more desireable to look into. It benefits you to be knowledgeable about who you are and what you believe. Not what someone else tells you to believe. Following this will be encompassing one’s health and the evolution of our species into naturally herbivorous lifestyle.

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival of life on earth as much as the evolution of vegetarianism.” Albert Einstein

Suppose your religion has no correlation with your dietary lifestyle, what would be your reasoning for considering the switch? Perhaps considering yourself and your health would be a more reasonable action. This, in fact, is one of the most popular reasonings for people who choose to become vegetarians. What you put into your body is crucial to ensuring that you live a healthy and long life. This is most commonly expressed through dieting. People struggling with weight at any rate tend to try many different forms of dieting from juice detoxes to fasting there are many different methods. However, for the most part, these methods are not long-lasting, which thus defeats the purpose of the diet in the first place. Most people appreciate a diet that they can enjoy as well as maintain. In fact, according to Phillips in 2004 changing to a vegetarian diet may lead to a change in body composition with results showing vegetarians typically had a BMI approximately 1-2kg/m2 less than non-vegetarians. While a vegetarian switch may not work for everyone, it certainly has proven to be just what many people needed. Also, these people range for all sorts of people, from those simply trying to maintain a healthy weight to award-winning bodybuilders. This is just a simple health issue that can be easily maintained. Yet, believe it or not, the dietary switch is also needed for other more serious health issues such as diabetes, cancer, and coronary heart disease.

Diabetes is a serious metabolic disease in which the body is unable to produce any or enough insulin which causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. A vegetarian diet can help lower high cholesterol levels and can also be beneficial in avoiding and managing type 2 diabetes. Also, a vegetarian diet helps prevent many forms of cancer such as stomach, bowel and colon cancer. An Adventist Health Study in 2012 assessed the link between different types of vegetarian diets and the overall cancer incidence. Statistics showed a clear association between vegetarianism and a lower risk of stomach and bowel cancers. This association was clearest with a vegan diet, where there were lower incidences of all cancers. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians showed a decreased risk of cancers of the colon, and vegan women had fewer female-specific cancers according to Tantra Mango-Bartley in 2012. The World Cancer Research Fund highlights strong evidence that links red meat to higher risks of cancer. Finally, The largest study ever conducted in the UK compared rates of heart disease between vegetarians and nonvegetarians and discovered that vegetarianism can reduce the risk of heart disease by 32 percent. This study also showed that meat eaters had a 47 percent increased risk of heart disease while The Adventist Health Study assessed the link between vegetarian diets and reduced mortality and found that vegetarians, vegans and 'pesco-vegetarians' were 12 percent less likely to die in a six year follow up than non-vegetarians. Vegetarian men had more to gain than women, with significant reductions in cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease according to Orlich in 2013. All of these things considered, it is important to decide for yourself what is best for your health, and know that it never hurts to try. There are many other reasons that remain unlisted but are important to consider such as the environment and the animal cruelty that needs to crucially be addressed. Some less popular arguments, but certainly worth mentioning also include lighter spending because of less cash spent on meat, dietary preferences such as a meat texture issue or an allergy. All of these things considered, it is up to one to choose for themselves what works best for their lifestyle.