Have you ever thought about going on a vegetarian diet? Well you might want to think again. So many people have different views on this topic. Physicians can argue forever between the pros and cons a vegetarian diet can have on a person. Vegetarianism isn’t necessarily bad for you, but others completely disagree. Are vegetarian diets as healthy as everyone claims? Vegetarians usually believe that their diets are very clean and have a great impact on the well being of their life, while others claim that the diet is completely harmful to your well-being. The following will explain the beneficial side effects and the harmful side effects of vegetarianism. Vegetarian diets are considered one of the most healthiest diets. Physicians recommend a vegan diet for better overall health. One of the reasons why is because vegetarians usually live longer than meat-eaters. According to the article, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a vegetarian diet is lower in saturated fats. (Physicians Committee, 1) Lower saturated fats in a diet aid to a healthy heart, resulting in a generally longer life span. There are different types of proteins. Plants and animals, when consumed, each supply us with different proteins. Replacing animal protein with plant protein lowers blood cholesterol levels. From the Physicians committee article, a study shown that adding meat to a vegetarian diet raises blood pressure rapidly and significantly. (Physicians Committee, 1). This information
Meals with more fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of several different cancers among many other diseases. Vegetarians generally have lower body weight than those who eat a significant amount of meat.
Some people choose a vegetarian diet for ethical and environmental reasons and some choose to be vegetarian because of food safety issues.
Vegetarianism has been around since as early as the seventh century B.C.E.. The civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization, they practiced tolerance towards all living things. Several Indian cultures and various religions (such as a ahimsā) also practice non-violence towards animals (“Vegetarianism”, Wikipedia.com). This used to be the sole purpose for being vegetarian, but nowadays people are becoming vegetarian for several more reasons. The ethical aspect is still a big reason in the decision. Health benefits and environmental aspects have now also become big reasons for the controversy over vegetarianism. People say that killing animals for food is not morally wrong and, is in fact, a crucial part of our lives. Another aspect is that, while in some ways vegetarianism is beneficial to the environment, it can also hurts the environment. Also, despite all of the health benefits involved with vegetarianism, there are also several health concerns connected with it.
Antioxidants and thousands of phytochemicals that protect the body and support good health. Overall vegetarians have a longer life expectancy and lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and the list goes on. But don’t just take my word for it, supports for vegetarian diets comes from numerous organizations including the American cancer society, American College of Cardiology, the Mayo Clinic, Harvard School of public and, the national institutes of Health which says, “Vegetarians may be missing out on grilled hamburgers at picnics, but they tend to also miss out on the major health problems that plagued many Americans”. Just look at the difference in heart disease the number one killer of American, which is twice its size, between those who eat meat and those who are vegetarian. The progression of some of the diseases can not only be halted but reversed in as little as just two to three weeks by switching to a plant based diet. Reducing and eliminating the consumption of meat and meat products with a greener diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts seed and whole grains will lead to a healthier world.
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 vegan or vegetarian can actually have you live longer. One reason why being vegan is better is because most of the time you are more health caucus. For example most people when they are vegan will not smoke because they're concerned it is a health issue. Another thing most people will exercise being more health cautious. After all being vegan or vegetarian can be a good thing after
The Vegetarian/Vegan diet is a very intense debate right now. There are so many people and organizations involved in the fight, and it gets very biased very quickly. On the one side, people claim that it is healthier for us to cut meat out of our diet. While the other side claims that it is healthier to keep meat in our diet. This debate gets very confusing, very fast. When looking into the science side of things, it is said that the human body needs meat and the nutrients that we receive from meat, which is why the vegetarian diet is not as healthy as it seems.
First of all, not eating meat is much healthier for the human body. Studies have proven vegetarians live longer than meat eaters. Just
One of which relates to cancer rates. It has been proven that the consumption of meat can increase the risk of colorectal cancer, the second deadliest cancer in the world (Chen 1). That being said, if meat were to be avoided, the rates of cancer would go down. The reason for there being lower cancer rates in non-meat diets is because they are lower in both saturated fat and cholesterol. Also, a plant-based diet can have higher levels of dietary fiber, vitamins C and E, flavonoids, and phytochemical. In addition, a plant-based diet is suitable for all people, from infants to full-grown adults (Craig 1). It is often misunderstood that a high-protein diet is beneficial for the human body; while this can be true, many people ingest the wrong proteins. It has been proven that an excess of animal-based protein will not only increase the risk of cancer, but also lead to cardiovascular diseases. This is due to an imbalance of nutrients in the body. On the other hand, plant-based proteins such as beans, nuts, and hearty greens contain a substantial amount of protein without any negative effects (Campbell 1). This data suggests that a plant-based diet puts the human body at less risk for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, a vegan diet is still considered healthy and thriving with the consumption of plant proteins. On the other hand, a diet that is highly saturated in fat has been linked to heart disease; this is most prevalent in people who eat meat. This is
Switching from an omnivorous diet to a plant-based diet has the positive effect of low intake of fat and various high doses of various nutrients. Vegan diets tend to have lower saturated fat, calories and cholesterol, but high magnesium, vitamin C and E, folic acid, iron, dietary fiber and phytochemicals (Craig, 2009). This combination of reduced fat and increased amounts of vitamins promotes health because it lowers the overall BMI which is favorable for the body and its health (Craig, 2009). Lower BMI is also associated with lower blood pressure (Key, Appleby & Magdalena, 2006), which is benevolent for patients with high blood pressure to ease the symptoms, and if dosed properly, it could even replace medication which must be taken every
Studies have shown that veganism can be a healthy diet if the person is receiving all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals as well as having a balance between what they are eating. Vegans also commonly have have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which heavily reduces the risk of them getting a heart disease. They also have a lower risk of being obese, getting some cancers and diabetes, in particular type
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
Not many believe that vegetarians can remain healthy. Most believe someday they will give in to meat. Many coaches or parents fear their teenager is going to collapse on the field or pass out in the middle of a test because they will become dangerously unhealthy with a vegetarian diet. Some worry their elderly parent will die from fragile bones; being too weak to even move. There are risks for those following a vegetarian diet, but there are ways to remain healthy, it’s just remembering what nutrients the body needs.
While there are numerous ways that a vegetarian diet can improve people's health most of them are based on the fact that Americans eat much more meat than recommended “According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Americans ate an average of 279.1 pounds of meat per person in 2005—154.1 pounds more than the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recommended annual maximum of 125 pounds from the entire protein group, which includes meat, eggs, soy products, nuts, and seeds” Vegetarians also consume much less fat and salt than those who eat meat. A diet with less fat lessens your risk of diabetes and heart disease. It also leads to a lower blood pressure, a lower chance of obesity, and it can even improve mood and focus. Because of this vegetarians often live longer than the than those with an omnivorous diet, “Vegetarians live on average almost eight years longer than the general population, which is similar to the gap between smokers and nonsmokers” (Huffington Post). That’s almost a decade more added
Along with the benefits of being vegetarian, there are some risks as well. Vegetarians have issues with lacking some nutrients such as protein, vitamin B-12, omega and zinc (Becoming a Vegetarian). This can be because the person has a carbohydrate filled diet. However, these nutrients