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.
The consumption of meat and dairy products can lead to many infamous diseases, which vegans are virtually immune to. For individuals resisting type 2 diabetes, low-fat vegan diets improve glycemic control better than traditional Western diabetes diets of meat and dairy products (Barnard 255). While it is true that fruits are primarily composed of sugar, insulin levels will not spike because these are natural sugars, not refined. Additionally, a vegan lifestyle permits the control of blood lipid concentrations, thereby preventing cardiovascular disease (Barnard 258). In fact, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (Hirschler 157). Also, a lower intake of fats—from avoiding meat—w...
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...ulgence in this meal? They certainly do.
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I will first show the lack of validity and soundness to Howard’s claim that A) a vegan lifestyle is a healthier choice and B) his claim that one must switch to that lifestyle to enjoy these said benefits. To the claim made in A, Howard uses his own health problems he endured on his meat diet, and uses it as a constant variable comparing it to his now relative healthy lifestyle as a vegan. On first glance anyone who eats a calorie-laden, unbalanced diet and ends up weighing 300 pounds, as Lyman himself admitted, will have health problems regardless of his orientation to meat or vegetables. With this said his comparing analogy is inertly flawed and must be disregarded from the argument he presents. On march 8 before the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Mary K Young, MS.,R.D,NCBA Director of Nutrition Research and Information, presented the benefits of eating meat. Using Data from the 1995 USDA Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSI) she confirms that red meat enhances one overall diet quality. Young goes on to point out that red meat is the number one source for protein, B12, and zinc, number 2 source for B6 and third greatest source for iron, niacin and potassium. She also pointed out that red meat alone has the greatest concentrates of iron and zinc together. Also included cited in Young’s report was the research recently published in the Journal of the American...
Lundberg’s mother and her healthy ways had influenced Lundberg to start eating green. Her mother believed in having two vegetables with every meal and exercising daily. This healthy ritual led Lundberg to do the same for her family by preparing meals from scratch, because she knew that having good health did not just happen on its own (570). As an adult she took this ritual of health further by becoming vegetarian and later a vegan, saying “I look and feel better at fifty two then I did five years ago. For my health and well-being, becoming a vegetarian was the best thing I could have done.” (571) She ties her personal experience with what she expects everyone else to experience by making the same decision of not eating
The food industry is in a state of necessary revolution, for obesity rates seem to be rising exponentially, counties striving to develop have hit lack-of-food road blocks, and massive animal farms produce threats such as unethical treatment of animals and food-borne pathogen spikes. With these dilemmas revolving around the food world, it is natural for one to ponder, “Are human’s inherently omnivorous, eating both animal and plant based products, or were we suppose to be receiving nutrients solely from a vegetarian diet?” Kathy Freston, author of The Lean: A Revolutionary (and Simple!) 30-Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss, discusses her viewpoint surrounding the dilemma by writing “Shattering the Meat Myth: Humans are Natural Vegetarians.” Freston’s answer to the questions presented above
As healthy lifestyles have come to take over the minds of the general public, people have begun to pay increased attention to the food they eat, which in turn has sparked a renewal in vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is a term used to describe the practice of living on a diet consisting of nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables, with or without the use of eggs and dairy products. People usually associate vegetarianism with the hippy movement in the 1960’s; however, it was Frances Moore Lappé's iconic book, Diet for a Small Planet, released in 1971 that launched the vegetarian movement. Since 1971 vegetarian cookbooks, restaurants, and food brands have become popular and have enticed the likings of about 7 million Americans. Unfortunately, despite the growing popularity of vegetarianism most people living on a carnivorous diet laugh at the idea of giving up meat. Although omnivores are reluctant to give up their current diets, giving the vegetarian diet a chance even for just a month or two can bring about a number of positive consequences. By adopting a vegetarian diet a person is not only...
Wardlaw, G.M. and Smith. Contemporary Nutrition: Issues and Insights. 5th Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp 85, 2004.
This article details the benefits of a primarily vegetarian diet in primary prevention of heart disease.
Walters, Kerry S, and Lisa Portmess. Ethical Vegetarianism: From Pythagoras to Peter Singer. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1999. Print.
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 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
The health benefits of a vegetarian diet are hard to ignore. Vegetarians have a lower chance of developing many diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. Women who eat meat daily are more likely to develop breast cancer. According to an article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, “consumption of well-done meats and, thus, exposures to heterocyclic amines (or other compounds) formed during high-temperature cooking may play an important role in the risk of breast cancer.” Men are also more than almost more likely to develop prostate cancer than those who do not include meat in their everyday diets. “Up to 80 percent of prostate cancer is attributed to dietary practices, and international comparisons show strong positive associations with meat consumption” (Alexander, 2010). Vegetarians have also shown to have lower blood pressure, better digestion, and more energy than humans with a meat based diet. The effects of a vegetarian life style ...
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
Vegetarians tend to be healthier than those who consume meat. This is due to the prevalent unnatural chemicals used in the processing of meats, and eating these are unsuitable for the body. Meats already contain harmful amounts of cholesterol, and over-consumption of red meat can lead to early heart disease. Animals that are raised on farms for their meat are not treated well, and this mistreatment can lead to harm in the meat they are producing. Although one life choice cannot change one’s environmental
Having a healthy dietary method can reduce the chances of receiving many health diseases. These health diseases include obesity, heart disease, and cancer. By consuming certain foods and nutrients in one’s diet the risk factors for these health diseases can be reduced. A healthy dietary method that is beneficial to reducing and/or improving these health diseases is the vegetarian diet. The vegetarian diet follows a dietary pattern that is characterized by the consumption of plant-like foods and the avoidance of flesh foods (meat, poultry, and fish). The foods in this diet provide the body with many essential nutrients. This is why many health benefits have been associated with the vegetarian diet. This dietary method has been linked to reducing the causes of obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
More than fifteen million people in the United States of America are vegetarians. The consumption of eating meat, dairy, and eggs have been strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and asthma. Meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegetarians. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy and slow down your immune system. Vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends, making them less vulnerable to everyday illnesses such as colds, and flues. There’s a bonus also to becoming a vegetarian - you live longer on average six to ten years! The oldest person in the world was a vegetarian - living until 117 years! Vegetarians grow taller and have higher IQs than their classmates. They are also at a lower risk for heart diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Even older people who switch to a vegetarian diet can prevent and even reverse chronic mental diseases!
This does not mean they are at a disadvantage health wise. One also must not assume they are not for animal rights or environmentally conscious. Non-vegetarians do not believe eating meat is unethical. Non-vegetarians consider animals a natural food source. They also believe it is their right to eat whatever they choose. While it is true factory farms do exist, ethical treatment is on the rise due to awareness of factory farming. “US slaughterhouses must conform to the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) which mandates that livestock be stunned unconscious before slaughter” (ProCon). Many non-vegetarians consume game meat, which aides in avoiding steroids and antibiotics used in most factory farming. Non-vegetarians ingest a lot of iron from meat based products through their diet. Iron is a central part of hemoglobin which carries oxygen in the blood. Although vegetarians claim to receive all essential nutrition through a plant-based diet, studies show otherwise. Studies have shown that vegetarians are more likely than non-vegetarians to be deficient in iron (Opposing viewpoints). Along with iron, another essential part of a healthy diet is the consumption healthy saturated fats. Saturated fats enhance the function of the immune and nervous system. Saturated fats are found in animal products including meats and dairy products. Even though consuming excess amounts of saturated fats is deemed unhealthy, saturated fats are essential to carry fat-soluble vitamins in the body. The key to consuming saturated fats is moderation. “The recommended maximum consumption of saturated fat is ≤10% of calories in the diet” (EUFIC). A non-vegetarian, meat centered diet can also lead to weight loss. Because it takes fewer calories to ingest protein from meat products, weight loss can be achieved with a meat based protein centered diet. Consuming