There are some rather common myths that come up when the topic of vegetarianism is discussed, and I hope that I can help clear up some of these common misconceptions:

1. Vegetarians don’t get enough protein. This myth is probably the most common myth about vegetarianism, yet it is completely false. If elephants, giraffes, and even cows (which we eat) get enough protein from plants, why couldn’t we? To say that cows can get enough protein from plants, not only survive but give us protein as well, and we cannot is illogical. This is common sense. In fact, all food has protein – and we only need 2.5-10% of our calories from protein anyway. If that isn’t enough, just Google vegetarian bodybuilders.
2. Humans are biologically designed to eat meat. If you actually look at our bodies, we have far more in common with herbivores than with carnivores. Our bodies are designed to have the capability to eat meat for survival reasons. Our canine teeth aren’t canine in the sense of meat eating animals; they are the same as the front teeth that plant eating animals, like cows and horses, have (and they can also be called canine. These teeth are canine only in name. We sweat through skin glands like herbivores, whereas carnivores have to release body heat through their tongues. Even our saliva and stomach acids are different from carnivores, yet the same as herbivores. The biological evidence seems to suggest that we are meant for a primarily vegetarian diet. For a full analysis on the human body when it comes to eating meat, look here.
3. Hitler was a vegetarian, therefore it is bad. Besides the fact that this is just bad logic, or lack of any at all, it is a common point brought up by people who attack vegetarianism. Although Hitler claimed to be a vegetarian, he never actually purged meat from his diet. He did reduce it, but he never stopped for a significant length of time. It is believed that he did this only to raise public opinion about him. Even if he had fully committed, this would not negate the benefits of vegetarianism. There are some other very influential people that actually fully committed to vegetarianism, some of them are: Saint Jerome, Mahatma Gandhi, Adam Young from Owl City, Alanis Morissette, James the brother of Jesus, the Apostle Matthew, Billy Idol, Brad Pitt, Aristotle, Deepak Chopra, Doris Day, Orlando Bloom, Sandra Oh, Samuel L. Jackson, Ruben Studdard, Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Voltaire, Weird Al Yankovic, Plato, Prince, Plutarch, Rob Zombie, Shania Twain, Albert Einstein and many others. Here is a more extensive list.
4. It’s too hard to go vegetarian. This may seem to be a daunting task, going from a omnivorous diet to a vegetarian one, but it is actually much easier than it seems. Contrary to common belief, vegetarians don’t eat only salads, they have wide variety of choices. Most supermarkets have vegetarian options, and most college cafeterias do as well. Even restaurants often have vegetarian options, and if not that is a time when a salad comes in handy! Not only that, but you can find a variety of resources on the internet that you might find helpful. Of course, you may think you will get weird looks, but family and friends should be supportive of you, and if they are uninformed on vegetarianism, help to inform them.

I hope that this has cleared up at least a few of the myths about vegetarianism, because they are far too rampant. Whether it is for the animals, the environment, religious reasons, other people, or for your own health, vegetarianism is a good choice.