Have you ever thought about becoming a vegetarian? There are lots of reasons to go meatless these days, and in this series, Jessica Banti shares some of her reasoning for making the switch and becoming an herbivore.

I am perhaps one of the unlikeliest of people to end up becoming vegetarian.

It is not surprising to me that when I made the decision to go vegetarian, a number of my friends reacted with the inevitable question: why? Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a picky eater. Growing up, most meals in my family consisted of the meat (the main show - the biggest part of the meal), the potato, and an additional vegetable option. Sometimes we might have had pasta or rice, but this was the standard fare in my house.

Even throughout college I resisted breaking from my meat-and-potatoes dining mold. After all, I went to school in the Midwest, so I was simply carrying on my eating tradition. Post-college, I slowly but surely began trying new foods. And as my horizons broadened, the possibility that I may one day go meatless began to evolve.

Over the past year, reasons for becoming a vegetarian started to grow in number. Namely they were (and are): the environment, scarcity of food and world hunger, inhumane treatment of animals, and health.

In the interests of transparency, I must admit that my overall "four reasons" happen to be the four arguments cited for cutting back on meat in The Better World Handbook. Most of the statistics I cite in this series are from that book. To be honest, when I first read the book, the chapter on eating did not convince me to become a vegetarian, but it did help me to eliminate the "meat must go in every meal" habit I was stuck in. Through reading other books and accounts of some of these same principles, I did eventually become convinced that I should be a vegetarian. Some of these reasons weigh more heavily that others, but they were all important factors in my dietary switch.

Over the next few weeks, I'll take you on the journey that led me to become a vegetarian. I'll share with you facts and figures I've found that make the case for vegetarianism quite convincing. So, grab a fork, pass on the sausage, and get ready to learn.

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