Should People Become Vegetarian? ProCon.org Beefs Up National Debate on Vegetarianism with New Website

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 2010, each person in the U.S. ate an average of 57.5 pounds of beef, 46.5 pounds of pork, and 82 pounds of chicken. Vegetarians, about 3.2% of the U.S. population, do not eat meat (including poultry and seafood). The U.S. Department of Agriculture includes meat in its food pyramid as part of a balanced diet, but it also states that a vegetarian diet can meet "the recommended dietary allowances for nutrients."

ProCon.org's 41st website, Vegetarian ProCon.org (http://vegetarian.procon.org) provides pros, cons, and nonpartisan research related to the question, "Should people become vegetarian?"

Many proponents of vegetarianism say that eating meat harms health, wastes resources, causes deforestation, and creates pollution. They often argue that killing animals for food is cruel and unethical since non-animal food sources are plentiful.

Many opponents of a vegetarian diet say that moderate meat consumption is healthful, humane, and that producing vegetables causes many of the same environmental problems as producing meat.  They also argue that humans have been eating and enjoying meat for 2.3 million years.

ProCon.org's vegetarianism website includes pro and con arguments, a detailed background on the issue, a video gallery, numerous photos, listed sources for all data cited, and a unique "Did You Know?" section which provides little known facts such as:

* Environmental damage caused by grazing livestock has been a factor in the listing of 171 species under the Endangered Species Act.

* The average American gets 67% of his or her dietary protein from animal sources, compared with a world-wide average of 34%.

* 2 in 3 vegetarians are vitamin B12 deficient compared to 1 in 20 meat eaters.

* A vegetarian diet can provide all 10 essential proteins (amino-acids) a person needs for optimal health.

For more information on vegetarianism, visit Vegetarian ProCon.org at http://vegetarian.procon.org

About Us

ProCon.org (online at www.procon.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity whose mission is promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.  Information is presented on 41 different ProCon.org issue websites in subjects ranging from medical marijuana, abortion, and alternative energy to the death penalty, illegal immigration, and health care reform.

ProCon.org websites are free of charge and require no registration.  The websites have been referenced by over 330 media entities, cited 36 times by the governments of 10 countries (including 17 U.S. states and seven U.S. federal agencies), and used in over 1,680 schools in all 50 US states and 35 countries.

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SOURCE ProCon.org