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10 Facts About Vegetarians…You Didn’t Know! From the health pros and cons to its ancient history…stay tuned to number 1 to find out 10 facts about vegetarianism!
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Transcript Provided by YouTube:
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From the health pros and cons to its ancient history…stay tuned to number 1 to find out
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10 facts about vegetarianism!
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Number 10: Most Vegetarians…Fail At Being Vegetarians.
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Let’s be very honest here, the reason that most people become vegetarians is because
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they want to have a healthier life, and to that end, it’s a noble endeavor.
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But there’s just one problem, any diet, or change in meal style, requires commitment.
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Not just to eating better, but sticking to the plan that you have laid out for yourself.
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And not surprisingly, a lot of people can’t do that.
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Sure, they’ll make a New Year’s Resolution to become a vegetarian, and they’ll start
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off that way, but then they’ll crave some of their former diet, or get a whiff of a
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burger joint and say, “I’ll go back just for this meal”…and then they’re done.
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This is human nature, but what’s surprising is that a study was recently done on vegetarians
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and it was discovered that around 84% of people in America who try to be vegetarians revert
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to their old ways in under a year!
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To be fair, some of it wasn’t as simple as “not doing the deed”, but rather, there were
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relationships that brought them back to meat and other things, finances, health (yes, it
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makes sense), and other personal reasons.
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So don’t fault a person for trying to be a vegetarian, but do congratulate anyone who
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can keep to their commitments.
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Number 9: India = Vegetarian?
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There are always contrasts to people all over the world.
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What works in one country won’t in another, or vice versa.
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And likewise, a culture will embody something much more than another country would.
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So what’s surprising here is that there is a country in the world that is highly associated
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with being vegetarian, as a majority of their people choose that lifestyle.
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And that country…is India.
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Now, those who know the history of India know that they’re a very spiritual nation, and
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they’ve fought hard for their freedom, which may have led to them being one to appreciate
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the food style that is vegetarian.
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However, what might surprise you is how much of the “vegetarian population” is Indian.
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In fact…it’s 70%!
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10% would’ve been surprising, 25% would’ve been shocking, but 70% of the vegetarian world
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are Indian?
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That’s a lot.
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Especially considering the massive population size of India.
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History shapes us in many ways, and this proves it without a doubt.
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And many associate the origins of being vegetarian to both India and Greece.
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Number 8: The Many Reasons.
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Before we talk about the reasons of vegetarianism, take a moment to like this video and join
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When I say the word “vegetarian”, what do you think of?
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Yes, you think of a person who only eats vegetables and other non-meat products, but what about
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WHY they are vegetarian?
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Well, the obvious answer is that they want to eat better and be more healthy.
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But the truth is that while that is a very big motivator for someone becoming vegetarian,
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it’s hardly the only one.
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In fact, there are numerous reasons why people become vegetarian, it just depends on who
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the person is.
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A very popular one that has arisen in the last couple decades is that of people who
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became vegetarian due to the treatment of animals.
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After all, if you eat meat, that meat has to come from an animal.
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And there have been many cases of animals being abused and mistreated in order to get
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the most meat from the product and the most profit from those who would buy it.
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Then, there are people who don’t eat meat because of religious beliefs, or because of
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cultural or family traditions.
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There are a wide array of reasons to become a vegetarian and, in the end, the choice is
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up to each person.
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Number 7.
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The Pythagorean…Diet?
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When you hear the word Pythagorean, you likely think of the Pythagorean Theorem, which is
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a very popular math equation in the world today, and for good reason!
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But the surprising fact of the matter is that Pythagorean was also associated with what
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would today be considered being vegetarian.
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Oh yeah, the Greeks were big into this, and all because of him…more or less, and it
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was only in the 19th century that vegetarian became a term around the world.
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Before then, it was the Pythagorean Diet.
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But here’s the trick, you see, Pythagorean was a brilliant man, but the reason he became
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a vegetarian was rather weird.
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You see…he believed that humans, after they die, would be resurrected…as animals.
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And since you eat animals…you technically are eating your ancestors, and that idea did
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not please him at all.
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So, he dedicated himself to eating plants, honey, and bread.
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Technically speaking, when he tried to showcase his Pythagorean Diet, he was met with resistance.
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The Greek culture had a long-time love of meat for various reasons, so abandoning it
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was…well, wrong to them.
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But, he did have some followers, and thus the diet was allowed to spread until they
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became known as vegetarians.
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Number 6: 6 Degrees Of Vegetarian.
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Much like there are various levels of government, academics, sports, and more, there are also
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different levels of vegetarianism.
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I know, right?
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You’d think that it’s as simple as don’t eat meat, but it’s not.
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There are spinoffs and offshoots that people follow, and that makes them all a type of
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vegetarian even if they don’t follow those same rules.
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You already know of a big one, Vegan.
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The difference between a vegetarian and a vegan is that a vegetarian will eat products
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that come from animals, but not animals eat the animal, itself.
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This would include items such as milk, or cheese.
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A vegan, on the other hand, won’t touch any food that has come from animals, so they’ll
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only eat and drink things that are born from nature, and nature alone.
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Another offshoot is that of Fruitarianism, where a person only eats fruits, nuts, seeds,
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and plants (without killing said plants of course).
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So if you want to be a vegetarian, that’s fine, just be sure to know what kind you want
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to be.
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It will heavily affect what you eat.
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Number 5: Vegetarians Do Eat Meat At Times.
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You might be looking at this title and going, “Wait a minute, that’s not right!
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Vegetarians don’t eat meat!”
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And you’re right, and you’re wrong.
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As I noted earlier, there are various levels of being a vegetarian, and there are some
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out there who truly believe that it’s ok to eat meat…in moderation.
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A great example of this is when a vegetarian goes from being “fully devoted” to “eating
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in moderation”.
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They’ll eat meat, but because of the lifestyle they had before, they’ll refuse to eat as
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much meat as they used to.
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So they’re still a type of vegetarian, just not the one you’re expecting.
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Of course, there are some who take this a bit weird, such as kangatarians.
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What’s a kangatarian?
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Well…it’s a group that only eats Kangaroo meat.
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Don’t ask me how they get it, I don’t want to know.
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But what I do know is that this actually happens, and I’m glad I’m not one of them.
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What’s their justification for eating the meat?
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Well, they claim that because there are no farms or containment areas for kangaroos (which
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is true), it doesn’t count as much as “harming animals”.
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They also think that they’re greener than other animals that are used for meat products.
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What a world.
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Number 4: Smarter Kids To Become Vegetarians?
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If you put enough scientists into a room, they’ll eventually think of a theory that
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sounds incredibly crazy, and yet, they’ll find enough evidence to prove that it’s true.
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In the cause of the United Kingdom, there is a study that claims that a child with an
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incredibly high IQ will become a vegetarian once they grow older.
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While this sounds crackpot, there are plenty of smart people out there who are vegetarians,
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and that’s just the truth.
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But, obviously, not all kids fall under this stereotype or umbrella.
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The idea is somewhat intriguing though, that they’ll be smart enough to either determine
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that they need to eat healthier, or go the activist route and eat non-meat products in
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order to respect the animals of the world.
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Either way, it’s surprising that someone thought of this.
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Number 3: Being A Vegetarian Does Help Your Body.
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You often hear of plans to help you get healthier, but the question almost always arises, “Does
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it actually work?”
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And this has certainly been asked of those who partake in being a vegetarian.
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Now, the obviousness of eating greens versus a lot of meat in order to be healthy is obvious.
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What isn’t obvious, though, is that it helps your metabolism in a big way.
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Because the meat isn’t weighing down your body, the metabolism speeds up, and thus you
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process food better, and through that, you lose weight, get more energy, and more.
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If you are a vegetarian, you burn fat 16% faster than a person who eats meat.
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That’s the difference between losing a few pounds, and a lot of pounds.
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So yeah, being a vegetarian is definitely good for your body.
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Number 2: Being A Vegetarian Can Hurt Your Body.
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That being said, there is a catch to not eating meat, or, in other words, being very basic
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with what you eat.
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Your body requires a lot of vitamins and minerals in order to function properly.
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One of them is B12, which can be found in various products, but mainly meat, fish, and
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dairy products.
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As noted earlier, there are forms of vegetarianism that require you to not eat these things,
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and thus, you’re depriving your body of B12.
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While it’s true that you can get B12 as an individual vitamin, the amount you would take
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isn’t enough to supplement what you need.
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And not having B12 can lead to depression, fatigue, weakness, nausea, constipation, anemia,
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heart disease, and even stroke.
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Vegans suffer the most from B12 deficiency.
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So if you’re going to be a vegetarian or vegan, you best be ready to get your B12 in some
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fashion, and monitor your health regularly.
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Number 1: Vegans and Vegetarians Fight…Often.
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It’s part of human nature to not like someone that doesn’t share your values.
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And it’s true that vegetarians and non-vegetarians don’t get along.
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But what’s truly surprising is that Vegans and Vegetarians apparently don’t get along
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either.
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“But shouldn’t that not be the case because they have the same values?” you might be asking.
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Well…not exactly.
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Remember, Vegans don’t use ANY products that come from animals, Vegetarians don’t mind
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as much in some cases, like diary and other such byproducts.
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In the eyes of Vegans, it’s the Vegetarians, not the meat-eaters that are the biggest threat
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to their animal rights causes.
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In a way, Vegetarians are a kind of middle ground in this food debate, and Vegans don’t
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appreciate that middle ground.
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Everyone’s got a viewpoint, and sometimes that’s the only viewpoint they want to see.
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What do you think about vegetarianism?
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Let us know in the comments below and…take care!
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This post was previously published on YouTube.
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video