Vegetarian diet and mental disorders

I'm still puzzled as to why there would be any widespread agenda against vegetarianism, given the relative scarcity of meat. It's heavily subsidized and still expensive, and a lot of people would be very unhappy if increased demand caused prices to go beyond the reach of the average American.

Environmentalists are probably also quite happy with the idea of more people following a vegetarian diet.

Problem is that this is where environmentalists (who probably tend to be vegetarians too) are misguided. No good can come from raping the land of nutrients and high density farming to feed everyone an all vegetarian diet. Forests will be cut down, topsoil depleted, animals displaced and killed just to raise huge factory farms that do more to harm the environment than to protect it.

Pound for pound animals provide more nutrition and have less impact on the environment when it comes to grazing land vs clearcut farmland.

You didn't factor in the extra water required to raise the animals. One of the biggest sources of beef subsidy is water subsidies.

I'm still puzzled as to why there would be any widespread agenda against vegetarianism, given the relative scarcity of meat. It's heavily subsidized and still expensive, and a lot of people would be very unhappy if increased demand caused prices to go beyond the reach of the average American.

Environmentalists are probably also quite happy with the idea of more people following a vegetarian diet.

Problem is that this is where environmentalists (who probably tend to be vegetarians too) are misguided. No good can come from raping the land of nutrients and high density farming to feed everyone an all vegetarian diet. Forests will be cut down, topsoil depleted, animals displaced and killed just to raise huge factory farms that do more to harm the environment than to protect it.

Pound for pound animals provide more nutrition and have less impact on the environment when it comes to grazing land vs clearcut farmland.

You didn't factor in the extra water required to raise the animals. One of the biggest sources of beef subsidy is water subsidies.

As opposed to all the watering that plants need in 1000s of acres of farmland? Additionally, if you are feeding a cow (or other animals) what they are designed to eat and not *kitten* grains and feed they drink much less and get lots of water from grass. That's not to say that they don't require water, but so does farmland.

Ok, I tried to stay out of this but India? Really? India is ranked 2nd in the world of the number of children suffering from malnutrition. The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the highest in the world...
You'd think being a vegan country they'd be healthier than that.

Doesn't India have a third of the world's poverty? That might be a better explanation for the malnutrition.

And for not eating meat.

I'm still puzzled as to why there would be any widespread agenda against vegetarianism, given the relative scarcity of meat. It's heavily subsidized and still expensive, and a lot of people would be very unhappy if increased demand caused prices to go beyond the reach of the average American.

Environmentalists are probably also quite happy with the idea of more people following a vegetarian diet.

Problem is that this is where environmentalists (who probably tend to be vegetarians too) are misguided. No good can come from raping the land of nutrients and high density farming to feed everyone an all vegetarian diet. Forests will be cut down, topsoil depleted, animals displaced and killed just to raise huge factory farms that do more to harm the environment than to protect it.

Pound for pound animals provide more nutrition and have less impact on the environment when it comes to grazing land vs clearcut farmland.

You didn't factor in the extra water required to raise the animals. One of the biggest sources of beef subsidy is water subsidies.

As opposed to all the watering that plants need in 1000s of acres of farmland? Additionally, if you are feeding a cow (or other animals) what they are designed to eat and not *kitten* grains and feed they drink much less and get lots of water from grass. That's not to say that they don't require water, but so does farmland.

You have to water the plants to feed to the cow, then water the cow, as opposed to just watering the plants, harvesting, and eating.

I'd be willing to bet that grass (and yes you can specifically grow drought resistant grass in hotter climates) takes way less water to grow than a field of, lets say lettuce or cabbage.

I'm not against vegtables and growing them, far from it, I just think that trying to feed everyone on a vegetarian diet would necessitate the destruction of more natural environments and death of animals through that destruction than is let on. To say the world could be fed on a vegetarian diet is silly at best in my mind.

I wish I knew happy Vegans and vegetarians. All the ones I know, got a holier than thou attitude and bought apple products. They became a bunch of pretentious a-holes.

Not sure if sarcasm...but I agree! I have a guy that works for me that used to be a vegetarian and he's be the first to tell you that part of what drew him to the diet was that he could lord is moral superiority over other people he met. He's older now and decided to give that up and eat meat. He's a lot healthier now, and much less of a little prick.

Not sarcasm at all. Here in the SF Bay area, all the vegans and veggies I come across (and personal friends who switched), all act like they were gods gifts to the world and that everyone else is beneath them. I lost friends over it, its ridiculous really.

This whole 'making fun of vegetarians' will only stop when there's more of them I think. No one makes fun of vegetarians in India. There are hundreds of thousands of strictly vegetarian restaurants, both high and low end (with menus over 5 pages long) and supermarkets and convenience stores that are completely vegetarian. It is an accepted thing, a normal thing. That is mostly due to the fact that millions are vegetarian there.
I'm non- vegetarian and everyone constantly tells me, "If you're gonna eat meat, eat it once or twice a week." Can't do that though...

Ok, I tried to stay out of this but India? Really? India is ranked 2nd in the world of the number of children suffering from malnutrition. The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the highest in the world...
You'd think being a vegan country they'd be healthier than that.

Yes it is ranked 2nd in the world for malnutrition in children, but what does that have to do with anything I said? Malnutrition is from not getting enough of ANY food, vegetarian or otherwise. I spoke about vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism, not malnutrition.
Also, there's a difference between vegan and vegetarian. India has never been vegan. People there look at you like you're crazy if you say you don't drink milk and eat milk products.
And fyi, being vegan, vegetarian or non-vegetarian does not have anything to do with being healthy. You can be healthy regardless of what you are. Please read carefully what I said.