As my first two weeks of vegetarianism comes to an end, I have realized that this lifestyle is not very hard to maintain in the real world, or in a college environment (that is, if you have the means to do so). In learning about the macro-nutritional value of many non-animal products, I’ve been able to create meal combinations that fill me up in the same way that meat would. Getting to a comfortable place in my diet has allowed me to focus more on the ins and outs of the practice of nonviolent eating.

In continuing my research into the world of animal nonviolence, I located an article called Factory Farming: Misery for Animals on the Peta’s website, which touches upon the cruel practices of the meat industry. Many of the practices stated were ones I had never known existed, and frankly, they made me feel nauseous. A few of the unnatural practices of major factory farms include (though are not limited to), the use of antibiotics to speed up growth and keep animals alive in unsanitary conditions, genetic manipulation to aid in further growth and production rates of the animals, and the defeathering/hair removal of animals by means of boiling water, or the hacking and skinning of their bodies, all while conscious. It’s practices like these and the numerous others (storing animals in incredibly confined spaces, etc), that make me not only want to quit meat for good, but also figure out why there are not more vegetarians in the US.

Back in 2014, it was shown that vegetarianism in the US, (for all reasons, including non-violence) included about 2% of all people. This number seemed surprisingly low to me, especially considering the numerous publishings exploiting the ugly side of the meat industry, as well as the increase in mainstream health fads, etc. I found that this percentage (though one of the lowest in the World), was not incredibly far off from most other countries, whose percentages ranged from about 2-11%, according to World Atlas.

In India however, vegetarians take up a whopping 38% of the population, making them the most vegetarian friendly country there is. According to an article in the Huffington Post, there are various reasons for this difference in numbers, one of which includes the major presence of religion in India. The majority of Indian people are of Dharmic faith, meaning they practice one of the four primary Indian religions, (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism), all of which put emphasis on the idea of ahimsa, or nonviolence. Other reasons include the heavy use of agricultural practices in non-coastal Indian areas, (and therefore many vegetable based cuisines), as well as the higher cost of meat vs. vegetable products.

As I continue my personal journey of vegetarianism, my overlapping goal is to figure out some of the root reasons for the incredibly low rates of vegetarianism in the US, and attempt to uncover some possible ways in which we can push to increase the desire for adapting to a vegetarian diet in resistance of nonviolent practices.