Many nonvegetarians wonder what drives vegetarians to give

up meat and adopt an entirely different lifestyle.

There is no single answer to this question. Nonvegetarians

become vegetarians for a number of different reasons - some

even for multiple reasons.



Most vegetarians claim that they became a vegetarian for

one of three reasons.



The first reason, which most vegetarians claim, is that

they have ethical problems with eating meat. Most disagree

with how chickens are debeaked, forced to live in small

cages, and are then slaughtered when they do not produce

eggs fast enough.



Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and

stressful environments animals are forced into; and

the hormone-laden feed used to make them grow faster

and produce more.



People who become vegetarians for this purpose often

draw ethical boundaries in different spots, depending on

their personal beliefs. For instance, some staunch vegans

wont consume yeast, wear wool, or even eat certain

vegetables, such as carrots, that require killing the

plant to harvest.



On the opposite side of the spectrum, some vegetarians--

sometimes referred to as pseudo-vegetarians--will actually

eat fish and chicken on a regular basis.



The second biggest reason vegetarians claim for not eating

meat is that it conflicts with their dietary preferences.

Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture

and taste of meat; others do not eat it because it is high

in cholesterol and often contains high concentrations

of hormones and preservatives.



The third and smallest group of vegetarians cite

environmental reasons for not consuming meat. They complain

that consumption of meat causes farmers to continually

deforest land to create grazing land for cattle.



In addition to these three major groups, there are a number

of other smaller groups of vegetarians who stopped eating

meat for entirely different reasons.



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