The Dangers of a Vegetarian Diet

Why eat meat that contains chemicals, growth hormones, and perservitives when you can just cut all that out? Being a vegetarian is a way of life and a superior choice when you are trying to be healthy. Health is the number one concern of people today. So many people play into health gimmicks on a daily basis and many of them are scams and do not work. If our number one concern is health then why would we not cut out a major health issue such as meat?

How vegetarianism negatively affects our health: What are the downfalls to cutting meat from your diet? Many studies have been done trying to condone whether or not changing an omnivorous diet to a plant based is a safe and beneficial substitute. Every diet you choose comes with pros and cons, but what are the cons, and are they serious enough to potentially gain any sort of benefit from a vegetarian diet. 3... ... middle of paper ... ...e to hyperhomocysteinemia, which is defined as high levels of homocystein in the blood due to the deficiency of vitamin B12 (Krajcovicova-Kudlackova 658). Frank Phillips wrote an article titled “Vegetarian Nutrition” that explains the lack of vitamins a majority of vegetarians receive.

“Each year, more and more studies confirm the fact that eating meat…can greatly increase…chances of developing conditions such as high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.” (“Nutrition and Staying Healthy” 2) Diets that include meat are linked to higher risk of diseases. Studies have shown that by being a vegetarian, a healthier life can be attained. In order to live a healthy life, people must be vegetarian. Many people think that to get all essential nutrients, eating meat is necessary. Eliminating meat from a diet does cause a large source of nutrients to be unavailable but by eating the right foods and planning a diet, it is possible to “be as healthy as, or healthier than, most meat eaters.” (“Nutrition and Staying Healthy” 2) The most common concerns of nutrient deficiencies in vegetarians are with protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12.

“Why Go Veg?.” Vegetarian Times. Cruz Bay Publishing Inc, n.d. Web. 23 Apr 2014.

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The Vegetarian Resource Group, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. "Vegetarianism."

There is someone in your life who you want to encourage to eat more healthfully for a variety of reasons; there are many strategies you can use to persuade someone to try to eat more healthfully. According to helpguide.org eating vegan is not about stern diet philosophies, staying extremely small, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. It is mainly about feeling good, improving your mood, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible. We all know someone who could live a better and longer life if they ate healthier. Alia Butler article from Livestrong.com believes poor diets deficient in the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need can take a negative toll on your overall health.

It is hard living life to the fullest if people have to make decisions especially the big ones. Vegetarians always have to worry about their health and whether being vegetarian is the healthier choice. Some people say that vegetarians are the healthier choice, but there is some evidence suggesting that being a meat eater is much healthier. Some people go vegetarian for health and environmental issues, and some others take the historical side. Some people have had a hard time deciding whether or not it is either a healthy practice or a harmful practice.

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.

When an individual chooses to adopt a type of vegetarian or vegan diet it is usually because of the positive impact it has on the individual's health, the positive impact it has on the environment, and the positive impact that it has on the animals. In the United States there are many health issues, but through adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet, individual's health can be significantly improved. It is often thought that vegetarians and vegans are lacking in nutrients that humans bodies need, but this manner of thinking is due to the lack of knowledge that individuals have about these type of diets. There have been links made between red meat and processed meat to things like cancer,coronary artery disease, and both types of diabetes, this is why cutting back on these can lead to health benefits. These health risks can be prevented by keeping a healthy weight and diet, but many people think that you have to include red meats, and other animal products in your diet.