For nearly a year now I've eaten hardly any meat. I've had it probably less than 10 times over the past year, and only whenever I feel like it's worth it.

There are a variety of reasons why I cut back significantly, some which have already been stated, but I'll say 'em again.

It's environmentally friendly: About 51% of all greenhouse gases come from meat. From the gas required to farm all of the food for animals to eat, to the methane created by said animals (methane traps 20 times more radiation than CO2), to the transportation of said animals and their meat. So much of this waste would be eliminated if we just ate what the animals ate i.e. plants.

I believe animals are sentient. Have you ever sincerely looked at a non-human animal and attempted to speak with it telepatchically? It's kinda eerie actually. I went to a cattle round-up the other day and saw bulls have their testicles removed. The bellows from them were proof enough for me of being able to feel pain and emotion.

Not that all meat is bad, but do you really want to eat chickens raised in this environment:

They're not sitting because their tired. They're pumped with so many growth hormones their legs can't support their weight. And since bio-magnification is a thing, that stuff seeps into you when you eat them. My youngest sister had to switch to organic milk because she began to develop when she was 4. Switching made all the difference.

But the realization that not all meat is raise in such conditions is where I"ll make exceptions. For example, my roommate last year brought home some venison his brother killed with a bow and arrow. The deer led a full life and wasn't grown for the sole purpose of being killed. It ate a natural diet. So I ate some. Another exception I'll make is if it's damn good. There's a BBQ place in Kansas City I eat at every time I go home. I feel terrible after I eat it because I've not had meat in so long that I'm no longer numb to how bad meat makes the body feel. But I do come from the school of thought of everything in moderation is a good thing. So once a year I might have some BBQ from Kansas City Joe's (formerly Oklahoma Joe's).

I don't think humans were made to be vegetarian, nor do I believe we're meant to eat as much meat as the typical American does. But with the state of affairs concerning current meat production, I'm more than content to eat my veggies. Never felt better.