A school of salmon swims up the river, wading into the river's natural flow. Their waters, once crystal clear, are now polluted; polluted by all the waste and rubbish placed in their society. Their habitat has been disrupted, their niche has been offset and their ecosystem is now ruined. Like their waters, our judgment and senses are now confused by food industry pollutants and their influence on our food consumption. “Our task must be to liberate ourselves […] by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” (Albert Einstein). To preserve the earth and all its humanity, society might consider switching to a vegetarian diet, or at least that's what Albert Einstein believed. In its crudest form, vegetarianism can be described as the exclusion of meat from one's diet. According to “The Case Against a Vegetarian Diet,” contained in the article Vegetarianism, some may argue that meat is an essential element for human health based on evidence that vegetarians have a higher risk of vitamin B12 and iron deficiencies; however, a vegetarian diet, if managed correctly, can pose more health benefits than risks. Over the years this custom has become increasingly popular. There are many reasons why one may decide to follow this code of ethics; however, the most common include: moral, religious, or health-related reasons. Morally, one may feel obligated to practice vegetarianism due to the inhumane treatment of animals throughout the food production process. The United States has a large population to satisfy and the problem is that countless numbers of animals are raised just for food consumption. Animals such as cows, chickens, pigs and turkeys are subject...... center of paper....... Ed. Thomas M. Maddox, MD, MSc. WebMD, 03 January 0335. Web. 29 April 2012. Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians, comp. Vegetarianism and the main religions of the world. Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians, 2005. Print."Vegetarianism." Online collection of opposing points of view. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Network. 4 April 2012. Vegetarianism: birds. Adapt. PETA. Vegetarianism: investigations. PETA, late 2000. Web. April 12, 2012. Vegetarianism: cows. Adapt. PETA. Vegetarianism: investigations. PETA, late 2000. Web. 12 April 2012. Vegetarianism: pigs. Adapt. PETA. Vegetarianism: investigations. PETA, late 2000. Web. April 12. 2012. .