It would be beneficial both to the environment and to the general well-being of Americans if we would simply cut down our intake of meats and poultry. Vegetarianism is a rising trend in the United States today, especially among teenagers. A poll taken by the National Restaurant Association in 1991 found that about 20% of the population looks for restaurants that offer meals for vegetarians. Even Jeff Juliano, the original Ronald McDonald, spokes-clown for McDonald's fast food restaurants, has switched to a vegetarian diet (Robbins). It would be ignorant to assume that this lifestyle, becoming increasingly popular among our youth, does not have its advantages.

Meat-eaters are generally quick to attack vegetarians' decision not to include meat in their diet. Even today, they are reluctant to believe that it is possible to live a long, healthy life exclusively on vegetation. In one publication, for example, it was suggested that a...