To the meat-eaters who are offended by my diet,

You tell me, “How the hell can you not eat bacon? I honestly cannot live without bacon.” I know, I know, I know, meat is just so delicious that it is physically impossible to live without. Of course I miss certain foods and I’d be lying if I said I don’t randomly crave things like buffalo chicken dip or a rack of BBQ ribs, but when I think about the implications of my diet, it makes me able to offset those cravings. In 2013, 7.35 billion different animals were slaughtered for consumption by people in the U.S. alone. That’s a lot of lives. Lives which in most cases are not raised in cruelty-free conditions. So I think I can hold off on those cravings in order to reduce my personal contribution to those practices and you really have no place to judge me for that.

You say, “Do you even get any protein in your diet? Not eating meat is unnatural.” The funny thing is that when I became a vegetarian, I actually started actively seeking sources of protein more than I did when I ate meat. Even when I had meat products as an option I didn’t eat them that much, so I really wasn’t getting nearly enough protein. Now I can say that I get plenty throughout every day. As for the unnatural part, well, everyone has their own specific diets, and by saying that excluding a certain food item or group of items is unnatural is really hypocritical. Maybe you think veggie meats aren’t great since they are processed. I hate to break it to you, but a majority of foods that we eat today are processed, whether they are entirely artificial or covered in pesticides during production or fed growth hormones. There are plenty of unnatural meats too. Have you ever heard of Slim Jims? What about hot dogs and sausages? And please do not even get me started on the pharmaceutical farming industry, which fills your beloved meat products with loads and loads of hormones and drugs to make it grow faster.

Oh, and don’t forget my favorite: “The system of farming cruelty already exists, so what’s not eating meat going to do help those animals?” I’d just like to point out that this is my own personal choice not to eat meat. No, it won’t end the horrible system of meat farming in America; however, for every person who opts into the vegetarian lifestyle, it creates at least a little less demand for the products. If enough people choose not to eat meat or reduce how much they eat, then it could drastically affect our current meat industry. The system might exist, but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be able to do what I can to stop contributing to it.

Finally, here’s the thing -- maybe my diet for some reason makes you uncomfortable, and I guess you are allowed to have that opinion. However, when your opinion is simply just a criticism of me for making a lifestyle choice which saves lives and is actually sustainable for the future of our planet, it really just makes you look like a fool. So the next time you plan on commenting on how unhealthy and unnatural it is for me and other herbivorous humans to exclude tortured carcasses from our diet, you should probably just think about how unethical, unsustainable, and unhealthy your own diet is.

Sincerely,

A vegetarian who is fed up with your unwarranted judgement