Meat : The Real Cost

As Americans become increasingly more health conscious, vegetarian diets are becoming more and more common. Produce-aisle signs stating eat 5 a day for better health are beginning to pay off, along with the USDA-DHHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which state: Many American diets have too many calories and too much fat (especially saturated fat), cholesterol,and sodium. They also have too little complex carbohydrates and fiber. Such diets are one cause of America’s high rates of obesity and of certain diseases-heart disease, high blood pressure,stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer http://www.childsecure.com/veggie.htm

Some individuals may have chosen to be Vegetarian for health purposes, or out of respect for animals. The health benefits of not eating meat may reduce the risk of a Heart Attack, Cancer, and Type 2 Diabetes. Meat contains saturated fat. Consuming excessive amounts of meat may cause clogged arteries. Clogged arteries force your heart to beat faster, in order to pump blood through the arteries, resulting in high blood pressure. Compounds broken down in meat produce fatty build up causing clogged arteries, and in some cases resulting in a heart attack. Preservatives, such as nitrate, are used to prevent bacteria in processed meat, and are known to cause cancer. Red meat is high in iron and may diminish insulin’s effectiveness of converting sugar into energy causing diabetes.

Being a vegetarian can be difficult for many. It could be tough getting protein if one cannot eat the meat they’ve eaten all their lives. For example, “Humans are taxonomically omnivorous and meat provides several essential nutrients unavailable in plant sources. Meat is specifically valuable as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, protein and highly bioavailable iron” (Bat & Fayaz). Although nuts carry plenty of nutrients and protein, they have very small serving sizes and many are allergic. As well, people can be very picky, which would be hard for someone to receive their daily nutrients if they do not like foods such as beans or tofu which many vegetarians rely on for their protein. Although these alternatives do supply protein, sometimes it is not enough, and vegetarians have to consume supplements such as protein pills to grasp their missing nutrients.

Before reading chapter 7, "Proteins", I had always viewed vegetarianism as a lifestyle that seemed nearly impossible to maintain. However, after reading the chapter and seeing the sheer amount of ways that one could get creative and mix and match complementary non-animal proteins to form complete protein meals, I quickly changed my mind.

Meat gives people more calories and nutrients than plants because, “Meat is the best source of protein than plants” (Freedman). Plants give people lots of protein so if people are just eating protein then they are not getting carbohydrates and if people are not getting carbohydrates then people are not getting energy. Everybody needs energy to function to make it throughout the day, energy is our main source (Freedman). Protein is healthy, but protein will not let people function. People who just eat protein and think they can get away with it, it is not. It will eventually hit them. Another thing that is very important is that if everybody is eating plants and do not kill animals then it will mess up the animal chain (Kluger). People should always eat meat, messing with the animal chain can be very bad. That could lead to either a lot of animals overpopulating or animals will not have time to reproduce.

“3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet. . . [and] 0.5 percent, or 1 million, of those are vegans, who consume no animal products at all” (Vegetarian Times). Viewing these numbers in retrospect, the number of people taking this course of lifestyle are not a lot. Having a plant based diet is not quite what most people might think. Most people will argue this diet does not provide the essential proteins a person might typically receive from a diet involving meat. They might also add the diet will provide natural vitamin B12 which is only found in meat and poultry. Though these arguments are not fully true, there is always alternatives to receive proteins and vitamin B12. People can always eat other foods to get the proteins their bodies need. However, not receiving vitamin B12 is not a bad thing. A person will just have to pay more attention on their protein intake. If they do not that is when complication arise. Switching to a plant based diet is better for anyone’s life

Dr. Michael Greger provides an eye-opening statistic regarding the link between health and nutrition when he states that, “The #1 killer in the US – heart disease – was found to be almost nonexistent in populations with diets centered around whole plant foods” (“Greger”). Even though the idea that a plant-based diet is the best option for many reasons, many groups still passionately contest it. However, recent research in nutritional and environmental science has established that a more plant-based, or vegetarian, lifestyle is the way society needs to go. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines vegetarian as, “one who eats no meat” (715). Society is showing a trend towards more people adopting plant-based eating. This trend can be seen playing out in the popular media via celebrities who openly discuss their vegetarian lifestyle choices and also in popular television shows whose characters talk about being vegetarian in the dialogue of show.

While it is certainly a widespread stigma that vegetarian diets (including any diet lacking in meat or animal protein) increase risk of vitamin deficiencies, however, the American Dietetic Association has proclaimed that “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases” (ADA 1).

In 2016, the idea of obesity and health is still a topic that is discussed universally. Through 2015 and 2016, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have been silent killers, and still easily preventable ones. According to the Center for Disease Control, heart disease has killed 611,105 people in 2013; whereas diabetes has killed 75,578 (Death and Morality, CDC). A study at the John Hopkins School of Medicine says that, “Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the US. About 1,400,000 people die from cardiovascular disease annually. The American Heart Association estimates that 2,600 Americans die of cardiovascular disease every day” (Cardiovascular Disease Research, John Hopkins Medicine). The

A major advantage of vegetarianism is the improvement of personal health for the long run. Meat eaters showed a 300 percent risk of colon cancer in a Harvard investigation whereas a study done by England and Germany displayed a 40% less cancer risk for those committed to a vegetarian diet (“Vegetarian Foods”). Vegetarianism helps reduces the risk of cancer. Moreover, research shows that meat consumption often allows overabundance of protein in the body which leads to “kidney stones, osteoporosis, and . . . heart disease” (“Vegetarian Foods”). A vegetable diet with grains, beans, and other protein sources help maintain a balance of protein. Additionally, a rising obesity rate concerns an overwhelming amount of people who desire to lose weight (in a healthy way). Many can turn to a vegetarian lifestyle which keeps their weight and health in check. A research study showed how plant-based diet helped “people with type 2 diabetes to lose weight . . . and improve their metabolism” (“Vegetarian Diet”). Basically, a vegetarian diet even promotes healthy weight loss.

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

Humans can't thrive in a healthy manner without proper nutrient and food consumption. There are multiple regimen options in this day of age, but my main focal point is vegetarian and vegan. Vegetarian regimens have a wide spectrum of diets just in itself already, including: Ovo-Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Lacto-Vegetarian, Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian, Pollotarian, and Vegan. Now I could go into depths about each one of these forms of vegetarian but instead of drowning the purpose of this essay on side material I'll only discuss three of these associating with vegetarian diets, those will be: Ovo-Vegetarian, Pescatarian, and the Vegan diet. Now, Ovo-Vegetarian excludes meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy, but eggs are still on the menu for this option, unlike Pescatarian which excludes meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allows fish to be consumed. These two are the most common form of a vegetarian diet in today's world that doesn't exclude all animal products unlike veganism. Veganism is

Healthy lifestyles have come to dominate minds of many people in our society today, a fact that has increased many lives to recognize many exciting trends in all aspects. As food is directly important to our health, it is no wonder people today take concern in what they intake due to health risks such as heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer. In particular starting a vegetarianism diet instead of  eating fast food products would easily attain a healthier lifestyle. Most Americans suffer from diseases due to lack of food choices which could easily be fixed. Having said people should start taking their health more serious if wanting to live a longer and happier life, which is why starting a vegetarian diet also becoming a vegetarian will not only help in their health wise but also in seeing a difference.

Vegetarian Diet: A vegetarian does not eat meat or fish, but there are different types of vegetarian. Some consume eggs and dairy products, while the strictest kind, vegans, eat no animal produce at all, including honey. Some people call themselves vegetarians, but they consume fish. Scientists say it is not necessary to eat meat to get all the nutrients needed for good health. A person who chooses not to eat meat may enjoy better health, because they will eat more plant-based foods, and because they may be more active in making healthy choices. Vegetarian diet has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer, leading to a longer life expectancy. It may lead to weight loss. Around 6 percent of people in the United States describe themselves as vegetarian.

In addition, being vegetarian can change one’s mind, can increase our spiritual desires and can help to prevent cancer and other mortal diseases. Some vegetarians are for religious reasons, or because they believe that eating should not kill animals; others consider the vegetarian diet is healthier not only for the body but also for the spiritual development benefits. “But there are many people who adopt vegetarianism simply because they believe will favor their health” (Anderson, L.V.) From this last point of view, the vegetarian diet has many aspects in its favor: generally contains less fat