Is Vegetarianism just a fad?

Vegetarianism has always existed and indeed is the normal way of life in many Eastern countries following religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Although many famous Westerners such as Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and George Bernard Shaw were vegetarians, until recently, vegetarianism has been thought of as a 'fringe' philosophy in the West, often ridiculed. In the 60s and 70s, however, many young people started turning in that direction, usually for moral and ethical reasons. Then in the late 80s and the 90s, medical research began to discover relationships between meat eating and certain life threatening diseases, and doctors started recommending that patients cut down on their meat consumption.

At present, according to various studies, there are more than 12 million people in the United States who consider themselves vegetarians. Many others make serious attempts to cut down on meat, and 'eat vegetarian' at least twice a week.