What if: The world went vegetarian

[Ayselipera]

Ummm I don't think animals like cows and chickens would overpopulate. They're only bred to be eaten. Since we wouldn't have a need to eat them anymore I don't see why anyone would bother breeding them.

Anyway I could definitely do it if I had to. The hardest thing for me would be to give up seafood (Which some people count and some don't, but whatever!), but I'm sure I could get over it over time. I've had veggie products before though like veggie burgers, hot dogs, and chicken patties and they tasted great to me. The only thing I don't like about them is how high in sodium they are, but honestly I'm probably one of the few people who makes a stink about that.

Being vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean we'd be healthier either though. I have a few vegetarian friends who eat absolute junk food 24/7. You just have to go about it the right way if you truly want to be healthy.

 

[Alice]

I'd like to be a vegetarian, just based on not wanting to hurt animals, but I'm just so picky when it comes to food that I can't do it. I have tried, but it just isn't possible.

I suppose if I didn't have a choice, I'd be able to adjust, so I probably wouldn't mind too much if this happened.

 

[donavannj]

I'd think there'd be chaos at first if it were a sudden change because people would be at a loss for where to get proteins and people would reject change, and since many people exist mainly on meat (I'm not talking the developed world, here, I'm talking third-world countries), there would be a lot of people dying of starvation, and the economy in the developed world would hit the fan because there is a sizeable industry related to processing food produced from animals. Eventually things would settle down as we shift toward the nuts, fruits, and veggies that are high in protein for sources of protein, but that's not a guarantee. The chaos could last because such foods would be in high demand and costs would therefore rise.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

If the world went vegetarian, we'd all die of boredom. The following quote almost perfectly sums up my opinion on vegetarianism.

Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, imagine that the body is a temple that should not be polluted by animal protein. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food.

I like vegetables, but aside from eggplant and possibly beans, there isn't much that comes off to me as a satisfying meal.

You're also going to need to take supplements in most cases.

I'd like to be a vegetarian, just based on not wanting to hurt animals, but I'm just so picky when it comes to food that I can't do it. I have tried, but it just isn't possible.

I suppose if I didn't have a choice, I'd be able to adjust, so I probably wouldn't mind too much if this happened.

I want to treat the animals we raise better, not because I feel bad about us killing them. But, because they taste better when you're nice to them :p A happy cow is a yummy piece of beef.

So. A big issue here is overpopulation, but are we really treating it the way it deserves? A common misconception is that overpopulation is bad. But overpopulation is a wonderful thing.

People. Everyone loves people. People create jobs, which in turn create a thriving economy. And what is better than that? Of course, it does come at a price - pollution, driving animals out of their natural habitats. However, this will happen anyway, and is a necessary if undesirable rung in mankind's ladder to success.

Also, at least here in the West, our population is aging and birth rates lowering. We should want more people.

 

[Alley Cat]

Then society would undergo a change that would do practically nothing to us but cause great discomfort in adaptation period. We probably will go primarily vegetarian when we wipe out our sources of meat.

Also for all those: It's morally uplifting to be a vegetarian, consider this: Is it not a justification for us to survive? Not to mention the fact that PLENTY of the animals used for meat are genetically engineered in ways that will ensure their death, so we might as well as thank the life that they never got to live and use them to better ourselves, don't let that thing die in vain when we didn't give it a fighting chance to begin with.

It is evident, however, that humans are omnivores, as we were given incisors to rip and tear food, canines to rip and grip and food, and molars to chew and chomp food. Plants are soft and don't need to be torn by incisors, we can just go straight to chewing with our molars, thus canines and incisors would be an obsolete trait, but since we do have them, it's proof that we eat meat, as well as vegetables.

I would also think that a lot of animal populations would begin to pick back up due to them not being hunted and fished and trapped so much. Maybe they would grow too strong without anything to oppose them. But honestly, humans going vegetarian would probably do a lot to save the environment, but good luck getting something like this to actually happen.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I would also think that a lot of animal populations would begin to pick back up due to them not being hunted and fished and trapped so much. Maybe they would grow too strong without anything to oppose them. But honestly, humans going vegetarian would probably do a lot to save the environment, but good luck getting something like this to actually happen.

There are other ways of solving that besides going vegan. The problem is largely with fishery stocks, not so much livestock. What we would need to do is make everything use sustainable seafood.

There isn't a lot of it at the moment, but that market can and will grow. I'd like that change to go much more rapidly than it is, but that's hard to do without changing attitudes. Maybe legislate it. (X% of fish available for consumption must be sustainable) And have that percentage increase every few years.