If a plant based diet has all the nutrients an omnivore diet has, why are we still eating meat? Many say that it’s easy to be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, but a well-planned vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients and more. Vegetarianism not only is beneficial to your health, but to the environment too. Vegetarianism is a lifestyle where you cut out all meat and fish from your diet, but still consume milk (lacto), eggs (ovo), or both (lacto-ovo). It’s commonly confused with pescatarianism, where you still eat fish, but no red meat or poultry. Like pescatarians, pollotariansVeganism, is where you don’t consume any animal products (meat, poultry, fish, and dairy.) Flexitarians eat a mostly plant-based diet, but occasionally eat meat or fish. (Craig). …show more content…
Pythagoras, a mathematician, advocated vegetarianism. During that time, a meatless diet was known as the “Pythagoras Diet”. In the 1800s, vegetarianism started to become a popular term. The demand for meat began to rise in the 1950s because of post war prosperity. Because of the little grassland left to support the rising livestock herds, farmers began using grain and soy, rather than pasture grasses. In the 1960s, soy bean production in the U.S. tripled that of China. Some well-known vegetarians include, Russel Brand, Paul McCartney, Ellen DeGeneres, Mohandas Gandhi, and Leonardo da Vinci (procon.org). People who are against vegetarianism believe that vegetarians don’t get enough nutrients in their diet. Vegetarians and vegans could easily become deficient in vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, and the fatty acids EPA & DHA, and vitamins A & D that are fat-soluble. Vitamin B12 deficiency is the most common among vegetarians and vegans which could lead to fatigue, weakness, memory loss, anemia, neurological, and psychiatric problems. In Western vegetarians, zinc deficiency can fall below the recommended levels
In brief, a vegetarian diet is one that avoids all animal flesh. The vegetarian diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and other protein-rich foods. A vegetarian diet is also one laden with grains. There are four different categories of vegetarianism. These include the vegan, the lacto-vegetarian, the ovo-vegetarian and the lacto-ovo vegetarian. Vegans exclude all animal flesh, eggs, or dairy products including foods that contain these products. The vegan diet includes all beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits, grains and the infinite number of foods made by combining them. Many vegans do not eat processed foods using animal products, such as refined white sugar. A lacto-vegetarian diet allows dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter while excluding animal flesh and eggs. In the ovo-vegetarian diet, eggs are included but not dairy products. The last type of vegetarian is a lacto-ovo vegetarian. The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products. Finally, because vegetarian diets exclude animal flesh and restrict eggs and dairy, it can be difficult to ensu...
Being vegetarian opens up so many doors for people. For those who do not know what a vegetarian is or are confused on what they do or eat let me inform you that being a vegetarian simply means that you go off of plant-based diets. Although there are several kinds of vegetarian diets, it is all based on what type of food you are consuming. For example, a strict vegetarians or vegans avoid all foods of animal origin, including meat, poultry, fish, diary products, and eggs. Many people become a vegetarian for different reason according to the Calorie King he states, “being vegetarian means different things to different people, and people follow a vegetarian diet for different reason including health, religion, and ethical beliefs.”(Deusen p.1)
Every day across America millions of people wake up to start their morning. Throughout the day the vast majority of these people will consume meat, but 3% will replace the pig, cow, and chicken products for vegetable or fruit made meals (Harris). These vegetarians all have many different reasons to make this choice. This decision is a huge change in one’s life and is not without questions. Some people may wonder why would anyone abstain from the amazing food that contains meat. This essay will briefly explain the history of vegetarianism, the reasons for vegetarianism, and answer questions about vegetarianism. Vegetarian diets are all around better than diets containing meat because of three main reasons; the abuse of animals, the environmental damage, and the health benefits for humans.
“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” stated Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, 460-377 BC (Silverstone 15). Every American should live by this quote, but things have drastically changed since Hippocrates voiced that divine statement . Nowadays peoples personification of health has nothing to do with what we consume on an everyday basis. Our generation, most certainly will drive straight to McDonalds’s for a Big Mac without hesitation of the harm it is doing to your body. Education of health is essential; people need to learn what they are eating and how it will affect them in the long run. Due to mega rich corporations and institutions, they are keeping all of us in this denial because of pouring millions of dollars into efforts to keep us from knowing what is truly going on (Silverstone 16). Whether it’s to help reduce your risk of diseases, or purely to attain better health, leaving farmed animals entirely out of your diet is an effortless decision with life-long benefits. Plant-based diets will strengthen your immune system, beautify your skin, increase your energy, and reduce risk of various diseases (Silverstone 1). Being vegetarian is a step in the right direction by protecting your health, animals, and the environment.
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.
The amount of people becoming vegetarians these days is growing. There are a few different types of vegetarians for example; the lacto-ovo vegetarian doesn’t eat any animal products except milk and eggs. Another type of vegetarian is the vegan, they exclude all animal products.
Many people have always wondered why people who had always ate meat their entire lives, decide to become vegetarians. People would presume that they wanted to lose weight, become healthier, or even just to try it out. Several would say non-vegetarianism is healthier and could help your body; however, vegetarians can be healthy too by what they eat and how much they eat of that particular food. Although I eat meat and I’m not a vegetarian, being a vegetarian can help your body in more ways than one and have many advantages in helping your body. Many become vegetarians to remove non-healthy things from their body, are animal lovers, or even religious or cultural reasons.
One question that doesn’t bother me is when people ask about the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan. A vegetarian is somebody who doesn’t eat meat, that includes seafood. A vegan is somebody who doesn’t eat anything that comes from animals, such as milk, eggs, sugar.
A United Nations report states that land used for animal agriculture, both for grazing and production of crops fed to livestock, takes up an astounding 30% of land on Earth. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") To meet the industry’s demands, over 260 million acres of forest in the U.S. have been cleared to grow grain fed to farm animals. ("Meat Production Wastes Natural Resources") With that in mind, the meat industry also dumps disease-causing pathogens through animal waste that pollutes water and forces the need for waste lagoons to be constructed, which are susceptible to leaking and flooding. ("Facts about Pollution from Livestock Farms”) Scientists say that about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gases are released by said agriculture industries, which is a growing concern for climate change and global warming. (Silverman) The meat industry uses one-third of all the fossil fuels consumed in the United States. (Moore) There is no question that farming animals has a negative effect on the environment and steps should be taken to mitigate air and water pollution risks and future deforestation. If animal agriculture was phased out, land used for animal grazing could be returned to forest land and some of it converted into fields for cultivating crops for humans. A global shift toward veganism, resulting in the elimination of the meat and animal agriculture industries, would protect the environment from various detrimental effects.
People have used the argument that eating meat plays an important role in the overall health of a human and it is the way the cycle of life is meant to be, but this is not the case. Eating meat is unnecessary. Becoming a vegetarian could save countless animals from unnecessary suffering, improve human health, and help preserve numerous natural resources.
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.
...ming I will be willing to contribute in any way that I can, and becoming a vegetarian will help the environment a great deal. Becoming a vegetarian can also lead to becoming a healthier person and living a healthy lifestyle. And lastly, the way animals are killed and treated in factory farms are unethical and they should not be treated the way they are just to create a meal for the next person.Consider that the animal you are eating was a vegetarian and the meat contains all the minerals and vitamins of the plant foods it ate when you eat it. Along with fats yourbody needs in substantial amounts to stay healthy.....more on the fats later. Meat is as close to a complete meal as you can get because of this.
The vegetarian diet is one that provides the body with many essential nutrients. These nutrients include fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. All of these nutrients aid in providing the body with the minerals that can help to prevent health diseases. As can be seen with the vegetarian diet there are many health benefits that can prevent, or be treatment for, health diseases. According to the American Dietetic Association the vegetarian diet is healthy and recommended for obtaining the nutrients needed for better health. A vegetarian diet is low in cholesterol and fatty acids and these are the factors that contribute to many health diseases. The nutrients that the vegetarian diet contains are beneficial and reduce the chances of becoming obese, getting heart disease, and being diagnosed with cancer.
In conclusion, vegetarianism benefits many part of our life. A healthier body, a better environment, and more fair treatment of animals are all requites of becoming vegetarians. It is hard to change eating habits, but it is not impossible. There are many kinds of food that vegetarians can choose today. The taste of the non-meat food is not all bad and some of them maybe much better than imagination. It is not wise to deny being a vegetarian before trying to be. With more and more people adopting the vegetarian diet, the world will be a better place in the future: animals will be treated better; global warming will be alleviated; fewer people will be starving, and ultimately, people will be healthier and be living longer. Therefore, people should start action before it is too late.