Introduction
Vegetarianism is the practice of consuming plant-based diets such as fruits, vegetables, without or with the inclusion of eggs or dairy products, and with the ruling out of meat including poultry, seafood and red meat. At the same time, abstaining from animal slaughter by-products, such as animal-derived gelatin and rennet, may as well be put into practice but vegetarianism may be implemented for diverse reasons. Numerous American skeptics refrain from eating meat out of reverence for better healthy life but such moral enthusiasm has been codified under a variety of religious viewpoints, together with the perception of animal rights. But the billion dollar question begs. How is vegetarianism superior to a standard form of diet, especially in the context of American people? As Americans grow into progressively conscious of their health, the vegetarian diets are becoming accepted and more common especially with the realization that their diets have too much saturated fats which cause cholesterol, as well as too many calories and sodium. The meat diets are one reason why the American’s suffer from stroke, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and several forms of cancer and heart diseases (Mangels, pg 145). Many health practitioners suggest that vegetarians are at lesser risk of contracting lung cancer, obesity, atomic or reduced muscle tone, alcoholism and constipation. They aver that there are less risks of getting coronary artery disease, hypertension, gallstones and type 2 diabetes for the vegetarians. The doctors argue that the life span of non-vegetarians as compared to vegetarians is to some extent higher, but also add that this is influenced in the United States of America by their embracing of numerous healthy lifestyle routine, such as abstinence or restraint in the use of alcohol, smoking, resting sufficiently, being physically energetic, seeking regular health examination, and getting assistance when there are health complications. Vegetarian diets are thought to lessen the risk of coronary artery disease which is chiefly due to their lesser saturated fat. They also do not have animal protein and cholesterol, but they increase foliate which in turn decreases antioxidants such as vitamin C and E and homocysteric levels. Some people suggest that some soluble fiber which contained in numerous vegetables and fruits reduces the threat of coronary artery disease. Nevertheless, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes that it is not feasible to differentiate the consequences of these soluble fibers, from those of some other food elements but the vegetarian diets may possibly be effective in the prevention and treatment of some renal diseases. The naysayers will be surprised to know that research shows that some plant proteins may perhaps boost the survival rates and decrease the renal blood flow, slow the renal damage, as compared to non-vegetarian diets. The level of animal fat is a risk aspect for coronary artery disease, and numerous studies have been made so as to analyze these levels in meat eaters in opposition to non-meat eaters by using 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to study intensity of the lipids. Vegetables from the cabbage family cruciferous family have been known to reduce cancer, while with diets containing high fiber and low saturated fat is believed to decrease the risk of contracting cancers of the rectum and colon. Vegetable diets with high fiber contents have been known to reduce the risks of getting cancer. Research has been conducted on the effects of vegetable proteins, particularly, the soya protein, which was to lower the occurrence of prostate, breast, and colon cancers in some Asian nations. A vegetarian diet helps to lower the occurrence of hypertension than with non-vegetarian diets and type 2 diabetes mellitus is less probable to cause death in vegetarians, since the intakes of complex carbohydrates are higher and body mass indexes is lower. Some health practitioners suggest that vegetarians have lower morbidity and mortality rates of getting the risks of suffering from degenerative chronic diseases. For the benefit of naysayers’, they have reason to be wary of becoming vegans who have the risk of getting inadequate mineral and vitamin levels. The deficiencies of vitamin B12 are found in vegans, and this may lead to permanent nerve worsening. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition established in 1988 that the elderly individuals should be more cautious when they become accustomed to vegetarian diets, since their bodies might absorb vitamin B12 inadequately. Vegans who eat eggs, no meat or dairy products may possibly have low calcium intake and vitamin D. Children being deficient in vitamin D might cause rickets, while the lack of calcium may lead to having osteoporosis later on in life. Vegetarians are in addition at risk of getting anemia, due to iron deficiency because of not eating animal products, and the high dietary fiber foods such as bran and soy protein. The dietary fiber in these diets in reality slows down the iron absorption. The efficiency of protein should also be guarded against, as it may lead to the loss of muscle mass and hair loss, as well as the abnormal buildup of fluid. At the same time, care should be taken to make sure that proper caloric ingestion is undertaken by all vegetarians. Some people suggest that vegetarians do not have to eat the animal products in order to have enough protein in their diet as plant proteins by themselves give sufficient non-essential and essential amino acids, so long as the source of caloric intake is high sufficient to meet energy requirements and the dietary protein are wide-ranging.. The vegetarian diets are a healthy substitute to a meat-based diet and when they are planned properly, and eating ant food diets can give all the nutritional elements required for a healthy adult life-style. A ‘child’s vegetarian diet, conversely, should be queried critically, as numerous minerals and vitamins which are found in meat are fundamental to a child’s health and growth.’ (Simoncic, pg 198).
Thesis Statement
Research has shown an encouraging association with vegetarianism diets and healthy standards of living characteristics, and if accepted will permit a physically active or sedentary individual to grow his or herself physically or mentally, and thus advance longer in life as per the provisions of Standard American Diets. Since any kind of food is directly linked to our health, it goes without saying that individuals have started to pay careful consideration to the food they devour. This novel consciousness has ignited renaissance of vegetarianism, which is an uncomplicated advance to the attainment of a healthier way of life through the rejection of animal foods. Many people consider that vegetarianism has philosophical justification which is associated to the belief of non-slaughtering of animals and the reality that all kinds’ life must be protected and respected. In hypothesis, such a situation means that an individual is motivated to live in harmonization with all the humanity, a characteristic that by itself can advance to healthier standards of living (Annika, pg 98) . A small number of medical professionals would dare dispute that a high percentage of fat is one of the chief causes of high blood pressure and heart attacks. The naysayers would be interested to know that ‘for a regular American man, the threat of dying of a heart attack is 50%, while for a vegetarian this possibility is only 15% (Young, pg 223). The majority of cancer researchers reveal that vegetarianism lessens the risk of cancer and that the consumption of meat increases the threat of breast cancer for women who devour meat on a daily basis in contrast to those who eat the same less than once a week by 3.8 times. Men, who are accustomed to consuming eggs, meat, and animal foods daily, will risk contracting prostate cancer by 3.6 times as compared to those who irregularly eat these products. Conversely speaking, the frequent consumption of butter or eggs leads to bigger risks of contracting cancer as compared to those who have totally stopped eating the animal products. Breast cancer threat increases by 3.25 times with cheese and butter consumption and 2.8 times for those eggs. These statistics imply that even a limited decrease in the quantity of meat consumed might lead to a reduction of cancer risk, which is food for thought for naysayers to rethink of becoming favorable in towards vegetarianism.
History on vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is a philosophy or principle of adhering to the diets based on plants such as fruits, nuts, seeds, roots, vegetables, and many more. It is generally added with or without some of products such milk, honey, or eggs and there are many influencing factors to choose this mode of food habits. Some of these are related to aesthetic values, health, religious beliefs, environmental, cultural values, ethical, and many more. There are many products such as cakes, chocolate, and many other related products that are considered in this category as vegetarian (Brenda, pg 105).The initial records of lacto-vegetarianism are thought to be from early Greece and India in the 6th century BCE. In the Asian illustration the diet was intimately associated with the notion of non-violence towards animals which is termed as ahimsa in India and the idea was advanced by and philosophers and religious factions. Amongst the Egyptians, Hellenes and others, and Asia, it had medical or Ritual purification functions (Mangels, pg 254).
Varieties of vegetarianism
There are a number of types of vegetarianism, which include or exclude various foods such as; Ovo vegetarianism, which includes eggs but no dairy products; Lacto vegetarianism, which includes dairy products but no eggs; lacto-ovo vegetarianism or Ovo-lacto vegetarianism, which has dairy and animal products such as, milk, honey and eggs; Veganism, which excludes all the animal products and flesh, including eggs, honey and milk but the diet might leave out whichever products tested on animals or any clothing from the animals; raw veganism, which has only uncooked fresh fruit, seeds, nuts, and vegetables which must simply be cooked up to a certain degrees of heat. The other vegetarianisms are fruitarianism, which allows only nuts, seeds, fruits, and supplementary plant substances which are collected without damaging the plant; macrobiotic diets, which consist more often than not of beans and whole grains; Buddhist vegetarianism, which is also known as Su vegetarianism that does not have any animal products and vegetables in the alliums family with the distinctive aroma of garlic and onions, leeks, shallots, or scallions. The other category known as Jain vegetarianism comprises of dairy products but except the honey, and eggs, including root vegetables. In the 'ovo-' collections, there are scores of individuals who decline to eat fertilized eggs, but nonetheless such feature is characteristically and not exclusively dealt with. Some people consider that he time has come to visualize our pattern of food habits and customize them to make this world a peaceful, respectful, and killing-free place for all the living beings of this universe. Many individuals argue that meat includes protein and other matters that are absolutely essential for their health and assists them to grow big and muscular. Research shows that men in particular might be apprehensive that if they give up meat eating completely, this may perhaps leave them undernourished and thin. Scientists specify that the muscle meat of animals comprises an average of 21% protein, 3-30% fat, 1% mineral salts such as calcium, table salt, and phosphoric acid, 70-75% water, and vitamins, 0,5% carbohydrates, with protein, fat, and carbohydrates being effortlessly replaceable with plant food. The naysayers should note that this study shows that animal fats have high concentration and there is a risk of over consuming proteins with the disproportionate ingestion of meats. Protein, which is the chief aim of meat eaters, is obtainable from soy beans, grain, and many assortments of nuts, and so vegetarians who consume these products furnish their bodies with all the required nutrients. Consequently, there ought not to be any fear that a vegetarian diet will dispossess a human body of getting the necessary nutrients (Higgins, pg 67).
Conclusion
It is significant to think of preventive measures which are required to lead a healthy life by consuming plants which have fiber, potassium and vitamins. If these precautions are not observed adequately, there are possibilities of encountering many diseases such as hypertensions, diabetes, kidney-related, liver, lung, as well as cancer. There is also a possibility of lesser amount of risk related to cardiovascular disease for vegetarians and that the life expectancy of vegetarians is higher than that of non-vegetarians. At the same time vegetarians are at lesser risk of contracting a number of serious diseases such as cancer, and will not go through inadequate controls over what kind of quantity of meat one should eat to remain healthy. To the naysayers, these are strong opinions in favor of vegetarian diets that may assist many individuals to improve and advance the quality of their lifestyles (Higgins, pg 167).
Peter Emery, Tom Sanders, Molecular Basis of Human Nutrition. Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2002.
Brenda Davis, The New Becoming Vegetarian. Book Publishing Company, 2003.
Young, V. Plant proteins in relation to human protein and amino acid nutrition, 1994.
Annika Waldmann, Jochen W. Koschizke, Dietary Iron Intake and Iron Status of German Female Vegans: Results of the German Vegan Study, 2004.
Simoncic, R. Influence of vegetarian and mixed nutrition on selected hematological and biochemical parameters in children, 1997.
Mangels, A. American Dietetic, Association. Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets, 2009.
Higgins, K. Vegetarianism; the pros and cons of a meatless diet. In: Shlundt, David. Weight Loss in America. Vanderbilt University, 1998
