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Arianna Alfano

Ms. Lithgow

English 12 British Authors

05 November 2018

Persuasive Speech: Vegetarianism

Topic: Vegetarianism

Specific Purpose: To persuade my peers to follow a vegetarian diet or at least cut down on the

consumption of meat, being that vegetarianism is a superior diet that has a multitude of health,

environmental, and moral benefits.

Central Idea: Vegetarianism allows for people to live healthier lives, protect the environment,

and save innocent animals that do not deserve to suffer.

INTRODUCTION:

~ Attention Getter: Imagine this, it’s your birthday and your friends promise that they are

taking you out to celebrate. So, you get into their car and they drive you to the city. In the city,

you do a plethora of activities you had always dreamed of experiencing—all on your friend’s

credit. You went shopping on fifth avenue, saw a Broadway show, and, now, you’re at an

incredibly fancy restaurant with only two options on the menu. One of which is an $65 dry-aged

16-ounce New York strip steak with truffle, bacon mashed potatoes and parmesan encrusted

asparagus, and the other is the $34 vegetarian option which is a rice bowl with an array of

roasted, seasonal vegetables, legumes, and egg. Being that your friends are paying, you believe

that the option you are going with is obvious. When the waitress comes over, and she asks you

what you would like, you respond “the steak dinner, please.” Your friends smile, and as you

await the arrival of your dinner, you cannot stop imagining how wonderful the meal will be.
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After 20 minutes of waiting, it arrives and exceeds every expectation you possibly could have

had for it. It’s juicy, buttery, and melt-in-your mouth good. In fact, it’s so delicious that every

Friday and Saturday for the next 3 months, you attempt to recreate the dish. The only issue is that

what was once a wonderful dish that you enjoyed has turned your life into a nightmare. Within

the past few months, you’ve gained over 30 pounds. Now, you’re medically obese, which comes

with a host of other medical issues that are ruining your life. You soon realize that with every

meat dish you produce, you are actually supporting a business that rapes and murders animals on

a regular basis. Additionally, you learn of the horrendous environmental impact that comes with

supporting the meat industry. Soon, it seems, your life has spiraled out of control… all because

you did not even consider the vegetarian option.

Relevance to Audience: No matter the way you justify a meat-based diet, there are some facts

that will always outweigh the positives of carnivorous consumption. Every person that consumes

meat, regardless of metabolism or exercise, is more likely to be plagued by a multitude of

diseases, some of which include cancer, obesity, and heart disease. Additionally, the moral and

environmental aspect of vegetarianism makes it a superior diet. Through meat consumption, we

are not only hurting animals and supporting an industry that kills them for our pleasure, but we

are also supporting the destruction of the Earth—our one true home. Everything that we know

and love is at risk when we kill animals for food.

Credibility Material: I have been a vegetarian for nearly 5 months now, and have had a

transformational breakthrough in my health, mentality, and environmental impact. Personally,

having followed a vegetarian diet for even such a short period of time, I have been able to lose

nearly 60 pounds. That’s an insane transformation that I can solely attribute to eating cleaner

foods and not including processed meat products in my diet. Even beyond physical health, I feel
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as though I’ve grown to be more mentally healthy. With the absence of meat in my diet, I not

only feel less guilty about my meals, but I also feel better about myself. Finally, not only has

vegetarianism led to me no longer supporting industries that add to the damaging effects of

greenhouse gases and environmental problems, but I have also started a garden and consume

more fresh foods which also prevent me from leaving an even larger carbon footprint

Preview of Speech: I want to demonstrate to you the hideous effects of a carnivorous diet over

the course of a long period of time and the ways in which a vegetarian lifestyle change cannot

only reverse these problematic effects but also save innocent animals and the environment.

TRANSITION: Very often people claim that meat is good for you. Think about all the times

your grandmother has made you chicken soup when you were ill or how your parents pushed you

to eat meat as a child because you needed more protein. In reality, meat has a number of harmful

effects on the body.

BODY:

I. Going on a vegetarian diet allows for you to live a healthier, longer life.

a. According to MedicalNewsToday, the two most common causes of death include:

1. heart disease and 2. Cancer.

i. Both cancer and heart disease are attributed to a poor diet that involves

meat consumption.

1. In fact, a 2018 study has updated the numbers to state that eating

meat regularly is associated with a 60% increase in the risk of heart

disease, while plant-based proteins are found to have positive heart

benefits (Newsweek).
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a. Vegetarians only have approximately a 15% chance of

dying of heart disease, according to research conducted by

Dr. Dean Ornish (Collective Evolution).

2. According to the World Cancer Research Fund, it has been

established that there is strong evidence that eating red meat,

processed meat, and Cantonese-style salted fish all are associated

with an increased risk of cancer.

a. Consuming dairy products, as one would on a vegetarian

diet, can decrease the risk of certain cancers—principally

colorectal cancer.

b. Heart disease and cancer are most often attributed to obesity.

i. Obviously, obesity can occur on any diet.

ii. With vegetarianism, one might overindulge on pasta or cheese on the

regular.

1. However, even with that being the case, it is incredibly more

difficult to overeat on a vegetarian diet than on one that includes

meat.

iii. Overall, a meat-eating diet is higher in protein and, especially, fat which

means that eating too much meat can easily cause excessive calorie

intake—putting you at higher risk for obesity.

1. As explained by Mr. Wenpeng You, a researcher who has tried and

tested the hypothesis of obesity being linked to meat-consumption,

“Whether we like it or not, fats and carbohydrates in modern diets

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are supplying enough energy to meet our daily needs. Because

meat protein is digested later than fats and carbohydrates, this

makes the energy we receive from protein a surplus, which is then

converted and stored as fat in the human body.” (The University of

Adelaide).

iv. According to Oransi, the average BMI of vegetarians is 25.7, while

average BMI of meat-eaters is 28.8.

1. Over 3 points lower on the BMI scale!

c. One might believe with all the facts on slimming down on a vegetarian diet that

you might be essentially starving, but this could not be further from the truth.

i. As should be common knowledge, an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet means that

you can eat absolutely anything but meat.

1. Not a limited number of choices.

a. Vegetarians can eat dairy, eggs, honey, veggies, fruit,

pulses, legumes, and wheat.

b. Even if you wanted meat, there are a plethora of vegetarian

mock meat options.

2. Your health will be positively affected but you likely won’t want

to give up after a week, like other diets.

ii. Vegetarians are more likely to consume great quantities and lose weight

because there are less calories per cubic inch in vegetables than in meat.

iii. Vegetarians are also healthier in that they have to check labels often,

making them:
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1. Less likely to buy processed food

2. Knowledgeable about what is going into their food

TRANSITION: Overall, you can eat more, weigh less, and live a longer life on a vegetarian

diet. However, there is so much more that goes into why vegetarianism is a great lifestyle that

everyone should, at least, attempt to incorporate into their daily life.

II. Go vegetarian and help save the planet!

a. Feeding people grains instead of animals can fight world hunger

i. The earth’s population is about 7.4 billion

ii. It’s no secret that the solution to world hunger comes with vegetarianism

1. In 1997, Cornell ecologist estimates that “If all the grain currently

fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by

people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly

800 million,”

iii. Currently, this number has grown and it has been estimated by PETA that

nearly 9 billion people could be fed if we ate the grains ourselves, instead

of feeding it to cows to then eat.

1. PETA states that it takes 13-20 pounds of grain to produce about 1

pound of beef.

a. 1 pound of grain has enough calories to sustain a person for

a day.

b. Could be feeding 13-20 people per day rather than

producing just 1 pound of beef.

b. Vegetarianism can aid in halting climate change.

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i. Climate change: shift in worldwide weather associated with an increase in

average temperatures (Wired).

ii. Carbon dioxide and methane all are greenhouse gases that cause climate

change

1. Carbon Dioxide

a. According to PETA, it takes on average 11 times as much

fossil fuel to produce a calorie of animal protein as it does a

calorie of grain protein.

b. Vegetable food sources are more “climate efficient.”

2. Methane

a. The US Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that

animal agriculture is the largest source of methane

emissions.

i. Occurs because industry packs together large

numbers of animals in small spaces who release

quite a bit of gas when digesting food.

3. Much of our forests (260 acres according to OneGreenPlanet) are

cut down to create room for animal agriculture.

a. Less resources to “clean up” the nasty effects of meat

industry.

i. Emissions can’t be absorbed by trees which

worsens the effects of climate change.

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c. Water waste is much more likely in the meat industry than in the plant agriculture

industry.

i. About 50% of all water used in the US goes to the meat industry

(OneGreenPlanet).

1. We need water to survive.

2. If we didn’t mass produce animals for our consumption, we

wouldn’t be using so much water on animals alone.

ii. 1 pound of meat takes quite a bit of water to produce.

1. 2,400 gallons (OneGreenPlanet).

a. Equivalent to 6 months of showers.

iii. 1 pound of wheat only takes 25 gallons of water to produce

(OneGreenPlanet).

1. Less water needed daily to sustain a vegetarian diet than a

carnivorous one.

TRANSITION: Even if saving the planet weren’t enough, just imagine the moral benefits that

come with vegetarianism. Vegetarians have compassion for animals. They recognize that

animals that are slaughtered every day for food consumption are just as lovable as those we

choose for pets.

III. Save the animals! Vegetarianism is a true boycott of the industry that murders and hurts

animals regularly.

a. It has been found that pigs are among some of the most intelligent animals on the

plant (Huffington Post).

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i. Cognitively intelligent and share traits with animals we consider most

intelligent.

1. Found to be socially similar to dogs and chimpanzees.

a. Intelligent, aware, emotionally and socially sophisticated

beings.

ii. Why would we consume such intelligent loving creatures for food? Would

you eat your dog? Your cat? Because both of those animals are about as

intelligent, if not less intelligent, than pigs.

b. According to Humane Facts that works in association with Well-Fed World, in

the animal agriculture industry, even before slaughter, animals have to face

horrendous conditions.

i. In order to facilitate confinement of these animals in such stressful,

crowded, unsanitary conditions, painful mutilations like cutting off the

horns of cattle, cutting off the beaks of chickens, and docking the tails of

sheep, pigs, and dairy cattle are routinely performed.

1. My question is, would you do these things to your dog or cat?

Would you brand them with a hot iron or cut off their tails just to

gain control of them? Is that fair to the animal?

ii. Unnecessary pain and suffering.

iii. Doesn’t allow animals to live the life they were meant to live—the ones

where they are able to roam where they desire and not have to live without

tails or with burn stamps on them.

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c. Animals are ill and uncared for a majority of their lives in the animal agriculture

industry.

i. Upon slaughter, over 80% of pigs have pneumonia (OneGreenPlanet).

1. Pigs are not the only animals for whom are ill-cared.

2. Veterinary care is almost never administered to animals.

a. Disgusting to think about eating carcasses.

b. Worse to consider eating an animal that was so ill to begin

with.

ii. Chickens often cannot walk due to genetic manipulation

(OneGreenPlanet).

1. Their bodies are too heavy and large for their legs.

2. This is where the term “chicken legs” come from.

3. Broken legs lead to diseases and pain for chickens living in such

tight corners (49 square inches).

a. Inhumane to eat animals in the first place, but worse to

make them suffer like this.

TRANSITION TO CONCLUSION: Overall, I urge you all to consider a transition to

vegetarianism.

CONCLUSION:

Summary Statement: I understand how hard it is to give up meat. It did take me a couple of

years to completely transition to a vegetarian lifestyle, but at least giving up meat some days is

better than not taking a stand at all. Nobody is perfect, and this lifestyle change is not something

that many can do overnight. However, in attempting to eat less meat you are not only helping to
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improve your own health but are also positively impacting the environment and lessening your

support of the meat industry.

Wow Statement: So, if nothing else, I hope when you go to an incredibly fancy restaurant with

your friends on your birthday, you will pass on the steak dinner and, at least, consider the

vegetarian option.
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Works Cited

Clark, Anne. “16 Facts That Show How Going Vegan Helps Stop Climate Change.” People for

the Ethical Treatment of Animals. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -

Foundation, 29 November 2015. Web. 31 October 2018 < https://www.peta.org.uk/

blog/how-going-vegan-helps-stop-climate-change/>.

“Fight Climate Change by Going Vegan.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - Foundation, n.d. Web.

31 October 2018 < https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/global-warming/>.

Gander, Kashmira. “Study Finds Meat Proteins Increase Heart Disease Risk, Plant-Based Diets

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“Less Meat, Longer Life: New Study Reveals Drastic Benefits of Vegetarianism.” Oransi. Better

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“Meat Consumption Contribution to Global Obesity.” Adelaide News. The University of

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“Meat, Fish and Dairy Products and The Risk of Cancer.” American Institute for Cancer

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www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/exposures/meat-fish-dairy>.
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Nichols, Hannah. “The Top 10 Leading Causes of Death in the United States.”

MedicalNewsToday. Healthline Media, 23 February 2017. Web. 30 October 2018

<https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929.php#kidney_disease_causes>.

“Pigs Are Highly Social and Really Smart. So, Um, About Eating Them….” Huffington Post.

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2015/06/15/are-pigs-intelligent_n_7585582.html>.

“Shocking Facts About Factory Farmed Animals.” OneGreenPlanet. OneGreenPlanet, 2014.

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shocking-facts-about-factory-farmed-animals-infographic/>.

“Standard Practices.” Humane Facts. Well-Fed World, n.d. Web. 5 November 2018 < http://

humanefacts.org/practices/>.

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us-could-feed-800-million-people-grain-livestock-eat>.

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the-heart-disease-rates-of-meat-eaters-compared-to-vegetarians-vegans>.
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“What Is Climate Change? The Definition, Causes and Effects.” Wired. Wired, 15 May 2018.

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