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Pros And Cons Of Vegetarianism

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Is a vegetarian diet healthier than a meat eating diet? Becoming vegetarian certainly has pros because of its potential health benefits. However, becoming vegetarian also has its cons because it can cause the human body to become deficient on some of the body’s needs such as iron. With that, there are many advantages and disadvantages to vegetarianism that could make or break the choice of becoming one.
A vegetarian lifestyle is known to provide the body with many health benefits. According to “Becoming a Vegetarian,” “Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians tend to consume less saturated fat and cholesterol and more vitamins C and E, dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals), such as carotenoids …show more content…

This is not only for the nutritional needs, but to make sure the dieter is not consuming fats in replace of the nutritional diet. In this case, it all comes down to the proper diet being enforced. Becoming a vegetarian, but consuming fat cakes would not be benefiting vegetarianism. However enforcing the appropriate diet would indeed benefit the body because as “Should People Become” says, “According to a peer-reviewed 2003 Oxford University study of 37,875 healthy men and women aged 20-97, 5.4% of meat eaters were obese compared to 3% of vegetarians. Meat eaters had an average Body Mass Index (BMI) 8.3% higher than vegetarians.” With that, it can be seen that vegetarianism in general, causes the dieter’s body mass index to be lower than a meat-eating dieter. This is because of eating healthier food with lower calories and maintaining a strict diet.
On the contrary, following a vegetarian diet can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Vegetarians consume proteins through legumes and nuts, but these items often fall short of providing the body with its imperative needs (Stein et. al.). A complete protein source like animal products, give the body amino acids that are essential. Protein is needed for the body in order to build/repair tissues and have strong bones, muscles and more. Yes, protein can be consumed through other food choices, however those choices do not fulfill the body with a

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