ANSWERS:

Danica, age 19: That was the rudest way I have ever heard a question asked. It sounds more critical than curious. Just not eating red meat does not make you a vegetarian. The website is run to educate people on the benefits of not eating meat, which includes the benefit of the life of the animal that would have been killed. The conditions of these animals are horrible, and that needs to be made public. But, every person's reasons for being a vegetarian are different; just because they are not yours, doesn't mean you can be critical. I personally stopped because I just plain old didn't like it. There is no profound meaning behind my vegetarianism, but it doesn't make it any less relevant. Maybe if you looked at some of those cruelty stories, you'd understand why it repulses people into dropping the meat habit. Of course it's healthier to not eat meat, but like I said, everyone has their own reasons.

Rachel, age 16: Caring about the "poor little animals" is what got many of us into vegetarianism in the first place. We were not thinking of ourselves when we began but genuinely trying to ease the burden of our fellow beings. Don't think that we are sentimentalists or soft just because we care - it's harder to confess to being veg for an animal's sake than for our own. For some reason it's more acceptable to be vegetarian when you began doing it for yourself (not that taking interest in your health is a bad thing - many people don't!)

But to answer your question - that's certainly not all we care about! For me personally (and for lots of us here), I began to care about other veg-related issues once I stopped eating meat and could see what a negative impact it has in the world. Somehow, by its very nature, vegetarianism makes us more globally aware.Vegetarianism is a remedy for:

Animal suffering
Economic/social injustice
Environmental devastation
World Hunger
Health epidemics (obesity, some cancers, etc).

And finally, a personal note of encouragement: if you're concened about your health, don't just give up red meat! If you can give that up, you can go all the way! There are even more benefits to be gained by going completely veg. Dairy also tends to be a problem because people don't know how to eat it in moderation! I was one of them. After I went vegan, I lost 20 pounds and my bad cholesterol now hardly registers on the chart.

Laura, age 15: Yes, several people pick up veggie diets for health reasons- no artificial hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol, etc. Although in my opinion, the vegetarianteen.com site is largely based on animal-rights topics. But there are others out there! Most people pick up veggie diets for a combination of reasons- environmental, ethical and nutritional. So you're not the only one.

Marlee, age 12: Well, I'm not 'all about' health, but it has had a major impact on my decision to go veg. I believe health is a lot more important than most people think. But I'm also in it for the animals' sake.

Tiffany, age 18: My reasoning behind not eating meat went from ethical to health to more strongly ethical than anything. I think the two (physical/ethical) reasons go hand in hand. Not eating meat is a great benefit to health, but knowing that one is not contributing to and supporting the suffering of upwards from 25 billion animals a year (in the U.S. alone) can also play a great role in emotional health. I think a vegetarian lifestyle benefits all areas of one's life, whether it be physical, emotional, mental, or just overall well-being. I sense some sarcasm in your "poor little animals" remark, which I don't believe is appropriate. If you wish people to respect your physcial health reasoning behind not eating (red) meat, then you should respect others' concern for the "poor little animals," perhaps the reason they do not eat meat.

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