More reasons to go vegan:

-The biggest killer in the United States is heart disease. A major risk factor for heart disease is high cholesterol and saturated fat. Saturated fats are largely found in animal products like meat and cheese, and cholesterol is found in animal products only.

-It takes 15 calories of cow feed to produce just 1 calorie of beef. (This is because the food that cows eat also gets used to keep their bodies warm, and to keep their bodies moving, etc.) That means that every steak that we eat gives us 200 calories, but wastes 2800 calories in the process. 2800 calories is enough to feed two starving children for one day. By cutting out the middleman (the cow), we can use that food directly and feed many more people than we are feeding today.

-The United Nations has confirmed that raising livestock is a bigger cause of global warming than the pollution emitted by transportation (cars, trucks, trains, etc.). In other words, becoming a vegetarian does more good for the environment than buying a Prius.




"If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you could do. It's staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty."
-Sir Paul McCartney




"Most vegetarian diets are low in or devoid of animal products. They're also usually lower than non-vegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer. Vegetarian diets can be healthful and nutritionally sound if they're carefully planned to include essential nutrients."
-The American Heart Association

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/deaths.htm
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr...
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4777 (less info)