The Health Benefits Of Vegetarianism?

Humans were not made to be carnivorous creatures, their features and body structures are not fit for hunting, instead the body is perfectly made for gathering. “The molars of a carnivore are pointed and sharp. Ours are primarily flat, for mashing food.” Explains Douglas Graham, author of 80/10/10, an adult has an intestinal tract that is around 30 feet long, “this allows for the slow absorption of sugars and other water-borne nutrients from fruit.” Carnivores however have much shorter digestive tracts, “this is necessary to avoid rotting or decomposition of flesh inside the animal.” Even though humans weren’t originally made to consume meat, vegetarianism hasn’t always been as common as it is today.

Vegetarianism gained popularity in the 2000s, increasing up to 7% since the Second World War when vegetarians only took over 0.2% of the population. This change was due to a “shift in motives for being vegetarians.” Such motives “include, amongst others, ethical and ecological issues, health concerns, sensory and

“With any diet, provision of adequate amounts of nutrients depends primarily on the nature and variety of the foods selected (Phillips).” Deficiencies can occur in any diet, but can easily be prevented by consuming foods that are fortified with important vitamins and minerals.

People have all of this information at their disposal and yet only 7% of them are vegetarians. They could add up to ten years of their life just by avoiding meat and yet they continue to consume it, and three of the top ten killers in America can be avoided by a vegetarian lifestyle. Once someone converts to vegetarianism it is also more likely for them to create other healthy habits which would increase their life expectancy even more than ten years. Vegetarianism is a healthy lifestyle and someone can sustain themselves without the support of eating