5 Reasons to Go Vegetarian

1. Environmental
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more. Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75. Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85.
 Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million. Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 sq. feet. Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year.

2. Cancer
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than 
once a week: 3.8 times. For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times. Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times. Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.

3. Cholesterol
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack.
 How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds.
 Average U.S. man’s risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent. 
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent. 
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent. 
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl.
 Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is
210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent.

4. Natural Resources
User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production.
 Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25.
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000.
 Years the world’s known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13.
 Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260.
Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calory of protein from beef: 78. 
To get 1 calory of protein from soybeans: 2. 

5. Antibiotics
Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55. 
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13. 
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91.
 Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban.
 Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support.

Abridged list from vegecyber