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Health benefits to being a vegetarian
Health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle
Health benefits to being a vegetarian
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Contrary to some opinions, eating a vegan diet doesn’t have to feel restrictive, boring, or mundane! In fact, eating healthy has never been so easy or so delicious. Thanks to modern technology, many people have access to a wide variety of healthy, animal-free, nutrient-rich foods at all times of the year, providing a rich basis for expanding one’s palate and enjoying a cruelty-free lifestyle. The exciting, healthy, and delicious recipes in this cookbook support a vegan lifestyle and provide a great resource for everything from quick-and-easy meals to tasty dishes to serve friends and family.
A common concern of those investigating the vegan lifestyle is getting adequate nutrition. The truth is, every approach to eating requires some conscientious thought to ensure that you get all of the nutrients that your body needs to thrive, and veganism is no different. You will need to make sure that you are getting enough healthy fats,
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Don’t get stuck in just a handful of your favorite vegetables to eat and prepare. Instead, get better nutritional coverage by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains.
• Get enough protein. Make sure to know how much protein your body needs for your age, height, weight, and physical activity level. Plan your meals so that you are able to meet your daily protein requirements with protein-rich vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes. Avoid overconsumption of processed faux meats, as these often contain preservatives, food dyes, and excess sodium. Whenever possible, take your protein from whole-food sources.
• Get enough Omega-3s. Make sure to include healthy oils and foods with this important nutrient in your diet. If you take an omega-3 supplement, make sure that you know what it’s made from. Fish oil is one of the most common sources of omega-3s in supplements, which can be problematic for vegans. Good food sources of Omega-3s include coconut oil, avocados, and many nuts and
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
After taking a closer look at the American diet, it 's clear to see Americans are in a lot of trouble. The average American diet is filled with lots of greasy fast food, large cuts of meat, salty junk food and sugar-laden sodas. This tradition is then passed on to the children and creates a legacy of ailments, disease and a lower quality of life. To many people, plant-based eating sounds like a death sentence. In reality, it 's all about getting creative with the foods you already like. It also involves intentional meal-planning and organization. However, your health is worth it. The ability to experience a better quality of life should be motivation enough to start changing your eating habits. Consider a few of these simple ways to incorporate plant-based eating into each meal without eliminating delicious taste.
Vegetarians don’t cut out animal products all together therefore their diet, although not containing meat or flesh of any kind is still more diverse and a better, healthier choice than that of a vegan while still holding on so some of their ethical concerns. Vegans do miss out on many nutrients that are ob...
About 20% of the human body is made up of protein. Because your body doesn’t store protein, it’s important to get enough from your diet each day.
Unless the intention is to shorten one’s lifespan, the Western diet, respectively, has it all wrong. On any given day, Americans are found consuming excessive amounts of meat and dairy products. While that may not seem like such a crime—it’s treason to their bodies. What people fail to realize is that they are allowing unnecessary trans fats, numerous carcinogens, and harmful bacteria into their bloodstream. This can lead to countless complications later in life. Whereas, if people avoided meat and dairy for fruits and vegetables, the health benefits from this type of eating habit would be astonishing. Although vitamin B-12, found in many meat products, is essential to make blood for the nervous system, there can be supplements that vegans take to ensure they are getting what they need. Vegan lifestyle is proven to be healthier as opposed to a meat and dairy lifestyle, because vegans are less prone to diseases, have a leaner and more energetic body, and their lifestyle mitigates the ecological destruction of the planet.
Eat as little meat as possible and opt for going to local farmer or restaurant that specializes in locally grown food when desired. Avoid eating eggs and milk in general (unless purchased from a small-scale farmer), but one shouldn't fret over those traces of milk or eggs found in most prepared foods.
Veganism is a diet that consists of eating NO animal products. This includes any animal meat, eggs, dairy products, and honey. They are also known to boycott any company associated with animal cruelty and/or animal testing. Veganism is also known as a wholefood, plant based diet. As well as saving the animals, veganism is also a way to tremendously decrease the waste of fresh water and the levels of pollution in our environment. Because of these restrictions, they eat only vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes. The main concern of skeptics, is whether or not this diet has a convincing source of protein. People who follow this diet rave about its benefits, not only in health, but in emotional wellbeing. They say that eating a clean diet like this one, keeps you energized and feeling amazing. Also, studies have shown that people on this diet have significantly lowered their risk for heart attacks, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, strokes, and cancer. While some people might think that this diet is extreme, there’s a diet that’s even more
A vegan diet is a diet full of plant-based foods. According to nursingdegree.net, “nutritional benefits come from a vegan diet full of foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, ...
Society has recently become increasingly obsessed with health and nutrition, as more and more individuals realize that they can dramatically change their quality of life by adjusting their diet and lifestyle. One such way that people have tried to pursue a healthier lifestyle, is by removing meat and other animal products from their diets, whether they become a strict vegetarian who eats no animal byproducts, or a lacto-ovo vegetarian who still eats eggs and dairy. As with any other lifestyle, research is always being done to see if the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and so far, the results of vegetarian diets have been encouraging. Vegetarian diets have proven to decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other health problems. With a little planning and dedication, a vegetarian diet will be healthier and more beneficial than a traditional diet that includes meat and animal products.
Meat offers a lot of important nutrients that keep the body functioning correctly. If one does not properly plan their diet, it can lead to considerable nutrient deficiencies (Phillips). Health risks include: inadequacy of calcium, low calorie count, decreased muscle tone, limited variety, and not enough fat (Meanley). Due to the majority of plants having an inadequacy of protein, vegans tend to combine their food (ex. Tortillas and beans) to provide all the necessary amino acids (Cherepa). It may take some creativity to find foods that go well together and provide the right nutrients; however it can be done. Vitamin B₁₂ and Vitamin D are two prominent nutrients that vegans in particular do not have proper intake of. Lacking Vitamin B₁₂ can be a risk to all ages because of its important role of keeping the brain and nervous system functioning normal, and also for blood formation. The main function of Vitamin D is maintaining normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. It also forms and maintains strong bones by aiding the body in absorbing calcium. Lack of vitamin D would impact the elderly most significantly, because they will be at high risk of acquiring hip fractures. In their old age, it is difficult for them to function and do daily tasks, but getting a hip fracture will limit their capabilities further and increase their dependency on others. Woman on a vegetarian diet during pregnancy need to be extremely cautious because of birth defects. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC) found that there is an increased risk of giving birth to a boy with hypospadias (a birth defect), if the mothers were on a vegetarian diet during pregnancy (Phillips). The key to a healthy diet without meat is to always monitor what one eats. It may be complicated, but it is necessary if one intends to go on a vegetarian
Critics of vegetarianism do not believe that going on a plant based diet is the healthier choice. According to Nancy Rodriguez , people need to have a balanced diet consisting of the basic food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Vegetarians are getting the important nutrients from vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy but are missing important vitamins that they would normally get from proteins, such as, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and calcium. These nutrients are available in other foods but vegetarians are not able to get it in large amounts as they would be in meat. This insufficient amount of nutrients could create health problems in the future, for example, not having enough vitamin D could lead to bad bone structure. It is true that becoming a vegetarian could lead to some nutritional problems in the body however; there are many more positive aspects in becoming a vegetarian than negatives.
Numerous people believe that a vegetarian diet is unhealthy for the reason that one is not consuming enough protein since there is a decrease in the consumption of meat. However, meat is not the only source of protein. Nuts and grains contain great amounts of protein, and by eating these in the place of meat, one not only gets protein, but avoids the harmful carbohydrates and fats that are in animal meats. Consuming supplements can also help gain nutrients if the diet is not providing enough. There are countless amounts of nutritional supplements that one can purchase, including fish oil and omega 3s. These can be fairly cheap if purchased at the right place, and easily give bodies the nutrients they crave to function.
Promoters of the vegan lifestyle emphasize that chronic diseases are diminished, protein can be obtained through vegetable sources, and animals would not have to be slaughtered if they have their way. They also list the following advantages of being a vegan.
When I was involved in sports I often ate very nutritious foods because I want to stay as physically fit as possible and eating right helped me do that. However, now that I don’t play sports and am a lot more concerned with school and work, making nutritious choices tends to fall to the back burner. Doing this assignment and taking this class in general have made me want to make more thought through decisions about what foods I chose to put into my body. I know eating a balanced diet makes people feel better mentally and physically, so it’s something I have been working on making a priority in my life once
Fruits and vegetables are important components of our diet. We take fruits in raw state or in the form of juices, while vegetables are taken in the cooked form or sometimes as juices. Fruits and vegetables provide us carbohydrates, proteins and various other important organic compounds. The juices are rich sources of minerals, vitamins and many micronutrients (calcium, iron etc.) essential for us. For example, iron deficiency in humans causes anaemia and anaemic persons are advised to take leafy vegetables e.g. spinach and apples which fills up the iron deficiency.