Dear Editor:
In response to your article "Vegans ditch dairy in favor of environment, animal rights" (Feb. 25), it was wonderful to read about all of the different reasons why Tufts students have chosen a vegan diet, and each of them are valid in their own right. In regards to the "vegansexual" trend, nobody likes the idea of limiting their dating pool. However, it's understandable why vegetarians and vegans would prefer to date each other over their meat-eating counterparts.
Across the board, vegetarians benefit from lower levels of cancer, stroke, heart disease, impotence (that's right, cholesterol stops the flow of blood to all vital organs), and recent studies even show that they smell better! It's true.
According to the National Institutes of Health, "results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the odor of donors when on the non-meat diet was judged as significantly more attractive, more pleasant and less intense."
Of course, while this is a perfectly logical reason to adopt a meat-free diet, there are more significant factors at play. Animals killed for food often suffer in unimaginable ways, including being skinned and dismembered while still fully conscious.
If these kinds of abuses were inflicted upon cats or dogs, it would result in felony cruelty to animals charges. This is the product of an industry that views animals as property and items to be butchered and sold rather than living, breathing creatures.
Fortunately, with so many delicious vegetarian dishes available these days (especially in Boston), including vegetarian BBQ "riblets" and vegan pizzas, there is really no excuse for continuing to support this kind of cruelty. For more information on vegetarianism, visit www.peta2.com to request a free vegetarian starter kit, as well as stickers and a DVD.
Ryan Huling
PETA2.com College Campaign Coordinator
