Hitler was a funny sort of vegetarian- given that he sometimes preferred to eat meat! Presumably all the other (at least major) Nazis then ate meat ALL the time- otherwise we'd have heard ALL about it.... Really strong point there Jose...

Margaret, Cambridge, England

Hitler wasn't a vegetarian actually! It's a myth. Do some digging...

Bob, London,

World Peace? Hitler was a vegetarian.

No Cancer? What did Linda McCartney died of, then?

Omnivore is the way to go.

Jose Sandoval, Mexico, Mexico

This is a great article, and all these points are science-based. The best site for all this info, with documented sources, is www.GoVeg.com. Check it out.

To see how farmed animals are treated, check out www.Meat.org.

David Sellers, London,

Sorry. I belong to PETA. People who eat tasty animals.

Desmond Taylor, Houston, USA Tx

humans have evolved as omnivores - we are designed to eat meat, vegetables, berries, nuts etc. we do need to have more respect for the animals we raise for food though.
and hitler = vegetarian is a myth, apparently he loved sausages. he sometimes went temporarily vege as a detox ...

elizzar, nottingham, uk

this article is fundamentally wrong. and the reasons against eating meat are so annoyingly narrow minded it is impossible not to wonder wether a vegeterian diet , besides giving you a 'Superior Morality stand' also severly damages your Common Sense...

irena, oxford, england

The overzealousness of some vegans in extolling the virtues of their diet sometimes borders on the self-righteous. They are indigent people here -- and elsewhere -- for whom even the occasional chicken dish is a luxury. Eat free range chicks then to assuage yr conscience. It's all about MODERATION!

SD Goh, PJ, Malaysia

Less heart disease, less of certain cancers, less gallstones, less famine, less rainforest destruction, less intolerable suffering of animals on factory-farms, less antibiotic resistant superbugs, yet still people want to eat flesh. Such ignorance.

Mary Day, Aylesbury, Bucks

Hitler was a vegatarian, a non smoker and a secret lemonade drinker.

If that tells you anything then it must be that facism is just plain WRONG.

Patrick Usher, norwich,

10 Reasons to Give Up Being Vegetarian

1. Lamb Chops
2. Bacon
3. Crispy Duck
4. Chicken legs
5. Pork Sausages
6. Fillet Steak
7. Sirloin Steak
8. Rump Steak
9. See number 2
10. Who wants to be a vegetarian?

Lee McLaughlin, Barrow-in-Furness, UK

Chas 'A nice dish of dog is ok' sure its fine, after being caged, deprived of water and boiled or skinned alive and beaten to death. I live in China and as a western veterinarian, am very aware of the lack of appropriate slaughter methods for many species around the world. A good & accurate article

heather Bacon, Chengdu,

I don't agree on the 'acquired taste for meat'; human beings have been eating flesh ever since, well before introducing wheat in their diets. Animal proteins are an important element in our nutrition, yet their use should be commensurate to our need. Most of us do little physical exercise if any ..

Enrica, Genoa, Italy

Great article. Britain is moving towards vegetarianism at a pace. The latest figures from the Government show that consumption of pig meat and poultry has fallen considerably, as we killed over 9 million fewer animals last year for meat in the UK. Oh, and Hitler wasn't a vegetarian - he ate meat.

Justin Kerswell, Bristol,

Actually, Hitler was not a vegetarian, but that is the kind of thing people like to say as if it negates vegetarianism entirely. Stalin was a meat eater and he was no angel either.
See: http://www.actionforanimalsnetwork.org/hitler_not_veg.htm

This link has source quotes

marie, London,

'It must have taken a helluva heart for the man to pronounce frogs legs were delicious'

They ARE delicious, have you ever tasted them, or are you one of those people who are revolted by them just because it is a Frog??

Delphine, Largs,

Wot, no more bacon sarnies? no thanks!

Sarah, London,

Paul McCartney's opinions on ANYTHING don't interest me at all.

Sarah, London,

Shame there is so much divide and suspicion between vegetarians and meat-eaters. Surely it doesn't have to be all or nothing? If people who do enjoy meat only committed to eat it once a day instead of twice, that'd be half the problem solved...

Cecile, London,

Hitler's doctor said that he was vegetarian on health grounds...only that he ate sausage sometimes. This does not sound like a vegetarian diet to me. Hitler also did not smoke on health grounds.

Miriam, London,

Poppycock, and anyway, who says it's world vegetarian week? I hate do-gooders telling me that meat is bad, meat rocks, I'm going pure carnivor all week in protest...

Doug Bates, St. Albans,

i was always under the impression the reason cats and dogs were not eaten (and chickens were) was not because of their intelligence, but due to the fact they are carnivores, and their digestive system carries more risk of food poisoning?

adam, london,

Vegitarian food is nice, just as a meat is nice. I eat both, and have no hang ups at all.

There is also the other 'moral' argument that vegans should not wear any animal product, use any product with animal based ingridients, and should therefore avoid wool, leather, gluten etc...

Rachel, York, UK

1 I doubt that there would be enough for everyone even if there is no animal feed being produced
2 there are (organic) alternatives, not all animals are treated this way
3 Let's talk about the amount of Pesticides and other crap that is being dumped on the veggies every year

Delphine, Largs,

Back bacon from a decent butcher, a proper loaf of bread, brown sauce, black pepper - maybe a fried egg too. Sorry, there's nothing in this world that would persuade me to give up bacon!

Paul, London,

4 fine, no maore bird flu, a few thousand other diseases that can mutate and kill you
5 Like Chas Hong Kong, said Dog and other animals are eaten in other countries
6 I agree whit this one, honestly
7 I doubt that Vegetarianism is the ultimate diet

Delphine, Largs,

Getting slimmer isn't a case for not eating meat. Neither is cancer/heart disease. Veggies/vegans can be fat and do get cancer/heart disease.

Moderation.

John, London,

what absolute rubbish!

especially number 7. i have lost wieght now ( a stone) since i have intoduced meat into my diet. I am no longer anaemic ( I was a vegetarian for 18 years) and we are part of a food chain. That means that there is nothing wrong with having meat in your diet.

Vikki, Barnet ,

'Hitler was a vegetarian. Diet does not determine morals!'

It's an urban myth, I'm afraid. Hitler may have been a lot of things, but he was not a vegetarian.

Clare, Birmingham, UK

I feel physically ill if I don't eat meat, and a meat free diet for only a few days makes me tired, weak and lethargic. But don't let that get in the way of a good opportunity to feel superior about being veggie and forcing your own preferences and predjudices on others.

Sally, Fleet, UK

Rose, I think Dominic was referring to No. 8.

RNC, Haywards Heath,

Good nutrition, in which part the availability of cheap animal protein should not be underestimated, has played a key role in the massive reduction in tuberculosis over the last century. Well fed people don't die of TB.

Arnold Ward, Weybridge, Surrey, UK

"If you wouldn't eat a dog, you shouldn't eat a chicken" - a well made dish of dog is OK. Quite nice, in fact. It's eaten all the time in some areas of China (and other places). If one does not want to eat something, don't. There shouldn't be any moral argument about eating food, only wasting it!

Chas, Hong Kong,

I can find no mention of a lack of Vitamin B12 in a vegan diet. This is a serious omission and newbie vegans should do research.

Also, there is a mix and match attitude in text and comments between vegetarianism and veganism. Do people understand the difference and the ramifications.

Jilli Roberts, Hobart, Australia

Excellent article. I hardly ever eat meat nowadays - on health rather than moral grounds - and feel a lot healthier for it. For some reason I feel more mentally alert and less sluggish than I did when I ate meat most days.

Dominic, er. nobody suggested that diet does determine morals...

Rose , Salwa, Kuwait

'It must have taken a helluva heart for the man to pronounce frogs legs were delicious' and if it had not been the famine a few million years ago on earth man would have still been eating cereals for breakfast and spinnach & carrots for lunch.
Glad to join David Sellers this week for a cause.

Ganesan Kannuchamy, London, the UK

Hitler was a vegetarian. Diet does not determine morals!

Dominic, Bristol,

This is a superb piece. Thanks so much to the Times for being willing to address this issue, and so well and succinctly!

I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm going to go vegetarian this week, and I eat vegetarian 3-4 days/week. I never ever eat chickens; the way they're treated is just too horendous.

David Sellers, London,