Paleo. Vegan. Atkins. Weight Watchers. South Beach. There are so many diets out there claiming to be the best. They all promote weight loss, high energy, easy to follow and overall, the best for your health. But which one really makes the biggest impact on us and the world we live in? Although there is a lot of controversy around it, being vegan is one of the best things you can do for your health, environment and economy.
You might be wondering, what is veganism? Veganism is a lifestyle, in which you consume no animal products. No meat, no fish, no cheese, no milk, no yogurt, no eggs, no honey. It sounds very restrictive but it can be very simple. It consists of eating a plant based diet, lots of fruits, lots of vegetables and lots of carbs.
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Carnivores have a large mouth opening and sharp pointed incisors that help them attack prey. they tear their food and can swallow without chewing. Carnivores also have small salivary glands,have acidic urine and they can metabolize large amounts of cholesterol and vitamin A. In their digestive system, their intestine is 1.5 to 3 times their body length, their colon is short, smooth, has alkaline and cannot metabolize cellulose (found in plants). Omnivores are very similar to omnivores. They have a large mouth opening, big fangs and molars that are meant for crushing. They tear their food and don't chew very much. They have small salivary glands, acidic urine, can metabolize large amounts of cholesterol and vitamin A. Their intestine is 3 times the length of their body and they too cannot metabolize cellulose. Humans however, are extremely different. We have small mouths, blunt canines not meant for ripping into meat, and flattened molars. We chew our food, not tear. We have large salivary glands and instead of having acidic urine, we have alkaline urine. Our bodies are made to only digest a small amount of cholesterol and vitamin A and our intestines are 9 times the length of our body. So, if you compare us with omnivores, we are vastly different. We were not made to eat animal products. That could be why generations ago, lifetime expectancy was much shorter than humans today are (cavemen life expectancy- 13. romans-26. 2001- 77). If we used to be filling our body with foods that we couldn't digest then it makes sense why we didn't live
Simplifying the Case for Vegetarianism is an article written by Andrew Tardiff as part of the academic journal Social Theory and Practice; published by Florida State University, Department of Philosophy in 1996. Tardiff was a part of the department of philosophy at Rhode Island College and wrote other articles, including A Catholic Case for Vegetarianism and Vegetarianism Virtue: Does Consequentialism Demand Too Little?
In her Salon.com essay, “Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian,” writer Laura Fraser uses her own life experiences to explain why she became a vegetarian, what it did to her, and why she decided to go back to being an omnivore. Fraser’s main idea was that even though being a vegetarian might be slightly healthier than a “usual diet”, and that people should not go against what they are made for. Fraser explains why being a vegetarian can be healthier for people in some places, why it is hard to be a full vegetarian, and why it is a good idea to not go against humans natural ways as a human being. By establishing her personal view and facts that she has researched, and appealing to emotions and logic in some ways, Fraser succeeds in writing an informal/argumentative essay about being an omnivore.
This is actually not true. A vegan diet is no worse or better than a meat diet, it all depends on how balanced your diet is (Anisman-Reiner). Like with any diet a person has to be sure they are eating enough and receiving enough nutrients that their body needs to run. In any diet a person can have too much bad and not enough good, if a person eats too many fats and processed food they could become at risk for many health issues; a person on either a meat or vegan diet can be affected by this. What many people don’t know is that on a vegan diet a person can get all the nutrients a person can get on the traditional meat diet. One thing that many people often wonder is “Where do you get calcium if you don’t eat dairy?” A misleading fact in today’s society is that you need dairy to get calcium but this isn’t true. Countless other foods have calcium and a person on a vegan diet will eat more of these foods than a non-vegan making it easy for them to get all the calcium they need. A person who consumes 2,000 calories a day should have the equivalent of
...y with occasional adjustments every now and then, does seem to produce some marginal benefits for overall health, promoting significant decreases in blood sugar, insulin, and cholesterol levels. The Paleo Diet however, is only just a quick short-term fix and certainly not for everyone. Anyone can lose weight on a diet but maintaining that weight loss is usually much easier said than done. It takes not only enormous will power and dedication but also incredible belief in the diet’s effectiveness to keep dieters going on their exhausting diets and most dieters, no matter the diet, eventually give up on their weight loss regimens. Given that it seems to make little difference in the end whether we restrict things in our pantries or not, maybe, the best diet in the world is just to have, as famously stated by Julia Child, “everything in moderation…including moderation.”
What is Veganism? Veganism is a diet where a person does not eat or use any animal-produced product. Veganism is described as an extreme form of vegetarianism. It is known that vegans were once called Pythagoras, first being mentioned by Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. The term vegan originated from Donald Watson, the founder of the Vegan Society. The rise of Veganism is often contributed to the media and religion; however, it can also be contributed to the overwhelming positive environmental health benefits.
The term vegan, devised in 1944 via Donald Watson, is referred to as an individual that follows veganism, which is the exclusion of all animal products to be consumed, predominantly in their diet (Kahn, 2011). Veganism is primarily supported due to preventing animal cruelty, as well as its health benefits and environmental consequences (Craig, 2009). Adolescence is referred to as the transition from childhood to adulthood, due to biological changes that occur via the onset of puberty (Ellis, 2004). Essential nutrients that are vital to be consumed during adolescence are proteins, which are in the category of macronutrients as they are required in large amounts, as well as calcium and iron, which are categorised as micronutrients, thus being required in smaller amounts (Bialostosky, Wright, Kennedy-Stephenson, McDowell & Johnson, 2002). Protein, calcium and iron are claimed to be essential nutrients in an adolescent female following a vegan diet as they are at higher risk to be lacked via plant-based sources if the consumption of these nutrients are inadequate, which may implicate negative effects on the growth and development during the pubertal growth spurt (Craig, 2009; Ilich-Ernst et al., 1998). This essay will be regarding to a 14 year old female named Jenny Brown, whom is currently following a vegan diet and is not consuming any supplementation in order to obtain adequate nutrition. As Jenny Brown is at the age of adolescence, this essay will discuss the biological changes that occur during puberty, followed on by a discussion on each of the vital nutrients including the macronutrient protein, as well as the micronutrients calcium and iron that are essential to be adequately consumed in order to attain nutritional competence ...
A person that avoids any animal products, as in any meats or animal-derived foods is considered a vegetarian. This is the general classification of a vegetarian. It is a challenge to classify a vegetarian; many variations were created to suit certain diets. Lactovegetarians are vegetarians that consume milk and dairy products. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy products, and some do consume honey. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians exclude meats and seafood’s but consume dairy products and eggs. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian eating pattern also consists of legumes, seeds and nuts. Vegans are the only pure vegetarians; they exclude all animal derived foods. There are also people that classify themselves as near vegetarians, for example macrobiotic diets. The macrobiotic diet consists mostly grains, legumes and vegetables and limited amounts of fish. There is also an instance where people will adopt being a vegetarian occasionally; this is called being a flexitarian.
There's little doubt that the Earth is in a crisis. The human population is hungrily burning through its resources while simultaneously destroying its ecological balance. While catastrophe seems imminent, there is one small change each person could make in life that would lessen the devestating impact and minimalize our ecological footprint: Veganism.
Pollan writes that while humans do not necessarily need to eat meat for survival, the desire to eat meat is “reflected in the design of our teeth and the structure of our digestion”(Pg 693). Much like wolves and other predatory animals, humans have canine and incisor teeth to tear off meat, along with molars to chew and break down food. If humans were not meant to consume other animals, than our front teeth would be less sharp and our molars more flat in order to adequately breakdown vegetation. The act of hunting other animals has also affected humans. Pollan states that, “Under the pressure of the hunt, the human brain grew in size and complexity, and around the fire where the meat was cooked, human culture first flourished” (Pg 693). Hunting has allowed humans to become complex thinkers as a result of having to create tools in order to successfully hunt prey. Pollan believes hunting has evolutionarily and socially created humans to be the way we are
While plant-based diet have been around for decades, veganism did not make headlines until the late 1990’s. ‘Vegetarian’ first appears in a title of an article on September 16th, 1852, five years after the Vegetarian Society was formed (Vegetarian Society). Although veganism has clearly risen in popularity in the 21st century, it can not be concluded that American’s view plant-based eating positively. Multiple articles have been published bashing the lifestyle. ‘Vegan’ first appeared in a title of an article on December 6th, 1998, fifty-four years after the first vegan society was formed (Vegan Society). The article was titled, “All Species Welcome At A Vegan Mixer.” The author wrote about veganism as a foreign idea and made jokes on vegan’s behalf. The second time veganism appeared in the New York Times was in December of the same year. The article exposed a vegan eco-terrorist group, giving all vegans a bad reputation. Two years later, on February 1st, 2000,
There are many kinds of diets on the wold. Vegetarian is a diet that limits what a person can eat by eliminating meat from their diet. These people have chosen to remove meat in their diet because of health, ethical, and religious reasons.
According to vegansociety.com, “ Veganism represents a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, other animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, other animals and the environment.“ People that follow this way of living are called vegans. The vegan diet is more a lifestyle choice and a philosophy than just a diet. The vegan life is the best way to live because it’s healthier, helps the environment, and is kinder to animals.
According to Bonnie Beezhold et.al found that vegans and vegetarians, “…report better mood than non-vegetarians, suggesting that even less animal food intake is associated with better mood” (293). Also, Beezhold et.al, “…have found that the risk of major chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes may be reduced by adopting a completely plant-based diet vs. an omnivore diet” (Beezhold et.al 289). Overall, the medical community has agreed that veganism is a healthy option to avoid disease, but their concerns are that vegans will be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals that the regular omnivores are not deficient in. If a vegan is deficit in a certain mineral or vitamin that person can take supplements to combat it. People can say that if I take supplements will that make me healthy even though I consume meat? No, because you are consuming meat and that can clog arteries and increase cholesterol. I think that veganism is probably one of the healthiest options available for everyone. I also think that it is the healthiest because you do not see people become fat off of eating vegetables and fruits. I also agree with Beezhold et.al findings which show that vegans have less stress and anxiety because of the food they ate. Beezhold et.al think this may be because omnivores consume meat and the food the animals were fed where “…higher in certain
At the age of five I questioned my grandmother why we do not eat meat. She told me that eating meat was against the Hindu religion and I never questioned her until today. A vegetarian is someone that follows a plant based diet consuming mostly fruits and vegetables. There are many different types of vegetarian diets, some choose to become vegan and do not even consume eggs or dairy products. Anti-supporters of the vegetarian diet believe that vegetarians are missing out on the vitamins and minerals that meat eaters are gaining. However, vegetarians believe that this plant based diet will lead them to a longer life, not only this but it is better for the environment and it will help save animals.
People choose a vegetarian lifestyle for many reasons. Health, environment, culture, religion and ethics are all factors that play into the decision to not eat meat. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish or poultry. Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products (Vegetarian Resource Group). As veganism becomes more popular as a lifestyle and as a means of weight loss there has become a great amount of debate as to whether or not this type of diet is considered healthy or harmful because it has the potential to lack important vitamins, minerals and of course protein.