Growth problems. Animal population problems. Disease. These are all problems caused by being a vegetarian, that is, one who only eats vegetables. There are different degrees of being a vegetarian. To one extreme, is a person who eats nothing associated with animals (no yogurt, ice-cream, or even anything that has come in contact with meat or another animal). The opposite are those who just eat vegan most of the time and will still eat animal bi-products. Then there are others who are in between. Being a vegetarian is not natural. Since the beginning of time, humans have been consuming animals. A vegetarians diet lacks energy, calcium, zinc, and vitamins (B-12 and D). Without supplements, severe medical problems can arise. Also, those supplements are usually man made and do not require some of substances, still un-identified, in meat. A carnivorous diet has always been in American history. Turkey is eaten on Thanksgiving, not Tofu Surprise. Fish on Fridays, not salad. Pop and son would go hunting in the winter for fresh game to eat, they wouldn't go picking berries and roots. Those who could not or would not eat meat did not survive. Studies have been done by M. J. Lentze, a German who found that vegetarianism causes impaired growth in children five years or younger. Vegan children even fail to grow as well with supplements that exceed the Recommended Daily Allowance. It is true that many vegetables contain a high amount of protein, but the amount is not even close in comparison to meat. To get the same amount of protein from vegetables as you would from just one pound of meat (although most people don't eat this much meat anyway!), you would be eating for hours. Most people become vegetarians because of the Animal Rights Movement (ARM). But in fact, the movement has "elevated ignorance about the natural world" according to Richard Coniff. If you give rights to animals, you should give rights to plants. Think of how they feel, often they are consumed before they even die! If we all went vegetarian, the animal population would increase dramatically. In fact, if there were too many animals, us humans would starve because the animals require a large amount of plant based food. The Greeks knew that moderation is good. Too much of anything is bad. That is how many Americans live, they have a little bit (or a lot of) everything. I am not saying that the government should ban being a vegan, but I do think education is important. Few know of the ramifications of being a vegetarian. Sadly, when one parent becomes vegetarian, not only does the spouse end up having to follow along, but so do the children. This in effect causes growth to be impaired in the children. Doctors should talk to their patients about their dietary habits. To save money is not a good reason to be vegetarian. A human being can receive a diet that reduces the risk for chronic degenerative diseases without becoming a vegetarian. The best thing to do is to reduce the amount of fat in one's diet, although not totally eliminate fat since your body needs it. Thanksgiving is often the only exception for vegans, except the occasional trip to McDonalds and/or Burger King in secret. As for the young bachelor vegan, being a vegetarian inconveniences the hostess of the night. Not all people (in fact, very few) know how to cook vegan style. When little Johnny goes to Jane's house for dinner, Jane's mom will cook pot roast. What will little Johnny do for dinner? How could he not eat the food? He wants to make himself look good in front of Jane and her family... what a problem. It was also an "in" thing at one point, it may still be, for teens to be vegan. We are still growing, we should not deprive ourselves of meat, and the vital nutrients in meat. It would probably be going too far to treat it as an eating disorder, but in some cases, it should be. I knew a girl who found herself over-weight all the time. At one point she decided to not eat meat or fat, but she still ate salads and other assorted vegan meals. Immediately we saw a decrease in her weight, but we also noticed the lack of energy she had, and the depression. It got to a point where she even looked at or smelled fat/meat, she would vomit. I do not know if she ever obtained counseling, but in her case, she had a problem. I am sure there are many others out there. It is not normal to be vegetarian. It is not healthy to be a vegeterian. It is not the American way to be vegetarian