Why Go Vegetarian, Well, Why Not?

Paper written for school, scored a 98 on it :)

            The vegetarian diet, a lifestyle consisting of consuming no meat what so ever, is one of the healthiest diets in today’s society. However, many stubborn meat-eaters claim that this type of diet is extremely unhealthy and causes numerous health problems. They often question how a vegetarian can stay healthy while it seems as though they eat almost nothing when in reality, they are eating just as much as the typical meat-eater, just without the meat. A vegetarian diet is much healthier for the human body, the economy and of course helps save the lives of innocent animals! Like any other diet, “…the key to a healthy vegetarian diet is to read food labels and plan meals with a variety of foods that meet your calorie needs” (Gleason). With many studies proving that this particular diet can help prevent many life threatening illnesses such as cancer and heart conditions, as well as deplete obesity and reverse diabetes, you most definitely cannot go wrong! Not to mention, the more vegetarians in the world means less harmful toxic chemicals and a huge reduction of harsh animal treatments, plus an overall healthier you. One may ask why go vegetarian? Well, why not?

            Still, the typical stubborn meat-eater questions the vegetarian diet. They believe those who don’t eat meat have nutritional deficiencies. Even with the mock meats and substitute products sold in grocery stores, the nutritional values don’t match up. Meat eaters think vegetarians do not get enough iron, vitamins and protein as well as calories, which would result in severe health conditions. They believe to achieve the same amount of nutrition, one must eat excessive amounts to catch up, and everyone knows that too much of anything is unhealthy.

            First things first, on average, a vegetarian lives about seven years longer than the typical meat-eater. According to Norine Dworkin, a journalist from the Vegetarian Times magazine wrote “…the China Health Project… found that Chinese people who eat the least amount of fat and animal products have the lowest risks of cancer, heart attack and other chronic degenerative diseases.” Still, many question how nutritional a simple vegetarian diet can possibly be. Without the use of meat, poultry or fish (sometimes eggs and milk- depending on what some believe in) how could one possibly get the same amount of nutrients, if not more?

            Without the use of animal products such as meat, poultry and fish, meat-eaters argue that the vegetarian will not get enough iron and become anemic. It is just as easy to become anemic or to develop a vitamin deficiency while eating a meat based diet as it is following a plant based diet. For example, while a meat eater consumes one serving of beef, he or she consumes 15 percent of iron based on daily values according to www.fatsecret.com. On the other hand, a vegetarian can eat one serving of black beans (prepared as a side dish) and consume 11 percent of iron. There is only a four percent difference and besides that, the beans contain more nutritional value compared to the serving of beef. The beef will contain about 288 calories per serving compared to the beans having only about 91. Unlike beef having zero percent Vitamin C and only one percent calcium, the beans contain four percent Vitamin C and three percent calcium. Vegetarians eating a variety of “whole foods” such as beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables will have no need to worry about having an iron deficiency or insufficient amount of vitamins while avoiding the trans fat in meat.

            The list of benefits of becoming and living the lifestyle of a vegetarian is endless. Not only will it make one feel better mentally knowing they didn’t have to kill an animal to provide the family meal, the physical aspects of it are astonishing! The simple vegetarian diet will provide one with a sufficient amount of vitamins A and C through common fruits and veggies, but also Vitamin E. This vitamin can be found in leafy green vegetables as well as grains and nuts. This will not only provide one with the benefits of healthy skin, but also for the eyes, brain and heart. Vitamin E can even help prevent the dreadful Alzheimer’s disease! Besides the fact that these fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, produce contains absolutely no saturated fat or cholesterol. It is completely full of antioxidants, protecting the most vital organ in the body, the heart. Norine Dworkin states in her article, “the average American male eating a meat-based diet has a 50 percent chance of dying from heart disease. His risk drops to 15 percent if he cuts out meat; it goes to 4 percent if he cuts out meat, dairy and eggs.” With a diet that can prevent life threatening heart conditions how could one go wrong?  

            Not only does this diet prevent heart conditions but can easily reverse diabetes. With the lower caloric intake and the consumption of essentially no fat in a vegetarian diet “obesity is rare... as a matter of fact, vegetarians are about 10% leaner than omnivores” (Vegetarian Statistics: How Healthy Is a Vegetarian”). Although just because a vegetarian diet is lower in calories, one still must be careful of what they eat. Eating too much cheese, bread and junk food such as chips, cookies, soda etc could in turn cause weight gain, although that is not typically the case. Following a healthy diet is always the right way to go; so before one goes to eat the junk food, think again.

            Cancer rates in the United States are unbearable. Living a vegetarian lifestyle could easily help reduce one’s chances of getting cancer in their lifetime. A diet “including red meat, heavily cooked or char-grilled meats, and processed meats such as sausage and salami can increase cancer risk” (“Vegetarian Diets and Cancer”). Following a diet that does not consist of meat can help prevent breast cancer as well as prostate cancer. Studies have shown that cancer death rates are up to 50% lower in vegetarians than meat-eaters. According to Dworkin’s article, “the National Cancer Institute says that women who eat meat every day are nearly four times more likely to get breast cancer than those who don’t.” Eating more greens and less flesh works wonders for those at risk for cancer! How could this be a turn off for one thinking about becoming a vegetarian?

            Typically a meat-eater also tends to think that the vegetarian lifestyle is too costly. Grocery shopping becomes a hassle and hard on the wallet when it comes to mock meats and substitutes.

            Funds are not an issue in the vegetarian’s life; actually, it costs less to eat a plant based diet than to eat meat! By cutting meat from your diet, you’ll find that plant proteins are cheaper than animal proteins by far. Scott McCredie states “the cheapest cuts of beef, such as ground round, average $3 per pound in U.S. cities (lean and extra lean); boneless chicken breasts cost $3.40 a pound; and canned tuna is about $2 per pound.” Tofu averages to be about $2 per container, a pound of tomatoes comes out to be 99 cents as well as a five pound bag of onions or potatoes are around $3. A typical vegetarian meal can cost under $8.  

            Naturally, animals are supposed to be a part of the food chain. Meat-eaters do not understand the concept of becoming a vegetarian if the animals are here for us to eat. So one may ask, well then, what’s the big deal?

            The big deal is the harsh animal treatments. Every hour in the United States, about 660,000 animals are slaughtered for their meat. These animals are not put to death painlessly. Animals are “neglected, mutilated, genetically manipulated, put on drug regimens that cause chronic pain and crippling, transported through all weather extremes, and killed in gruesome and violent ways”  (“Animals Used For Food”). The animal treatments farmers use are beyond cruel. Not only are the animals treated poorly, but are drugged with antibiotics, artificial hormones and steroids.

            For example, chickens are one of the top mistreated animals on the farm. About 40,000 chickens are stuffed into one single shed. Because chickens cannot handle being around so many other birds, they peck at each other literally to death. Bones and wings break easily nearly paralyzing the birds. Within these harsh living conditions, many diseases are easily spread from chicken to chicken. A writer from The New Yorker, Michael Specter visited a chicken shed and wrote, “I was almost knocked to the ground by the overpowering smell of feces and ammonia. My eyes burned and so did my lungs and I could neither see nor breathe... There must have been 30,000 chickens sitting silently on the floor in front of me. They didn’t move, didn’t cluck. They were almost like statues of chickens, living in nearly total darkness, and they would spend every minute of their six-week lives that way” (qtd. in “The Chicken Industry”). Farmers pick only the “healthy” birds to be sent to the slaughterhouse, so the remaining “unhealthy” chickens are thrown to waste. Not to mention, these chickens aren’t the size of a normal chicken as they are bloated from steroids and hormones to produce more meat.

            Drug use in animals is absolutely horrid. Factory farmers inject animals with hormones and antibiotics to keep them “alive” and “healthy” but in reality they are only used to make the animals bigger to produce more meat. Hormones are used in animals to speed up the growth. Because the animals are injected with this means the meat eater will too consume the hormones. Consuming This will not only “disrupt the natural balance of your hormones, but some of the hormones given to animals have shown to cause tumor growth in humans” (“57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan”). Besides that, pregnant women can be greatly harmed by these hormones. Her baby will end up with too many hormones and will hit puberty before he or she is supposed to.

            Antibiotic use in animals is just as harmful as hormones. The antibiotics factory farmers use in animals are the same antibiotics humans are treated with to cure common illnesses. Too much consumption of antibiotics creates immunity to it and eventually when prescribed such medications, they won’t be an effective treatment. Frederick J. Agulo of the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, “It’s clear that the use of Virginiamycin to promote the growth of food animals is a hazard to human health” (qtd. in Kaufman). Why would one want to consume antibiotics when they don’t need them, when more than likely, it will just harm them?

            Clearly a vegetarian diet is the healthiest way to go. By preventing illnesses such as heart conditions, cancer and even reversing diabetes and obesity, how could one go wrong? Consuming fruits and vegetables instead of meat products can be one of the best choices one can make, and even possibly save one’s life! A vegetarian diet is by far healthier for the human body, the economy and helps save millions of innocent animals. So put aside what the typical stubborn meat-eater may say. Vegetarians are healthier in every way possible! Besides, wouldn’t it feel great to know an animal wasn’t killed to provide the family meal?

 

 

 

Works Cited

Dworkin, Norine. "22 Reasons to Go Vegetarian Right Now - Benefits of Vegetarian Diet."             Editorial. Vegetarian Times Apr. 1999. BNET. CBS Interactive. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.             <   ol1>.

Gleason, Matt. "A matter of choice: Vegetarian diet calls for healthy options." Tulsa World           (OK) 08 Mar. 2009: Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 21 Mar. 2011.

Kaufman, Marc. "Antibiotics in Animal Feed--A Growing Public Health Hazard." Organic           Consumers Association. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.        <

McCredie, Scott. "Go Vegetarian to save Money - MSN Money." MSN. Microsoft. Web. 28 Mar.             2011. <            oSaveMoney.aspx>.

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"Animals Used for Food | PETA.org." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The   Animal Rights Organization | PETA.org. PETA. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.          <

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"Vegetarian Diets and Cancer - Caring4Cancer." Caring4Cancer - Comprehensive Information and Resources. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <   cancer.htm>.

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