Controversy of Vegetarianism- Pros and Cons

 

Vegetarian: a person who does not consume or believe in consuming meat, fish or in some cases any food derived from animals.  

 

There are many misconceptions about vegetarianism yet it is indeed becoming more popular even though about 5% of the nation actually practices this diet.  Also people build up false arguments about why vegetarianism is bad.   Studies have shown that eating veggies and grains and some dairy can be very beneficial but not eating meat(s) can also be slightly threatening to your health.

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Why Choose Vegetarianism

For health, people choose the vegetarian lifestyle and also because diets rich in veggies and fruits can be very helpful in decreasing the risk of diseases and cancers. They can also benefit less significant things such as skin or hair health.  Ethnicity may have an impact on a person’s beliefs such as animal populations with that also a strong revolt for non violence or a love for all life.  Practicing a religious belief that promotes all life.  Certain religions have a very strong belief in sacred animals.The economy has somewhat forced people to become vegetarians because they simply cannot afford meat products, causing them to find alternatives for their food supply.  Last reason is family and friends, if you know of a friend or a family member who chose vegetarianism you are more likely to consider it in the long run.

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What does a Vegetarian Diet Consist of?

A Vegetarian is divided into 3 main categories,  Veganism where a person does not eat meat, poultry, egg, dairy or fish products.  Then the Lacto – Ovo Vegetarian who only excludes meat but will consume other products.  Lastly the Lacto- Vegetarian who excludes meats, fish, poultry, or eggs but will only consume dairy.  In order to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy eating habit vegetarians have to consume more of one food groups than another.  Grains such as bread, pasta and wheat are good substitutes. Vegetarian diets contain healthy beneficial substitutes for an individual and their diet.

 

Pro Vegetarianism

The habits that vegetarians endure have been proven to help not only the individual but can also aid in the stability of their environment.  By choosing a lifestyle like this one person can decrease deforestation and prevent the earth from overheating. In addition to the world effects of vegetarianism, this diet- if popular enough can change world hunger for the better. A study that took place in 2012 found that eating meat can lead to higher risk in cancers.  Which means that a lower intake of red meats can add around 3 years to your life– this is only if you live by the diet for a while of course.  

Con Vegetarianism

Although going vegetarian can have many benefits for the body and health, there are other points of view if this diet is not taken seriously. The controversial idea would be that meat and meat products are not a cruel or not unethical to consume.  Every organism on earth will die at some point in time, so by consuming plant life a person might be considered a hypocrite.  According to some top arguments made by researchers who have studied this lifestyle they claim to say that vegetarian diet can cause the death of some animals too.

A Twist on a Simple Diet

With its strict dietary protocols, vegetarianism is a natural appeal for those leaning toward disordered eating. Cutting out certain foods and restricting certain foods may be good for your health. In some cases people adopt a vegetarian diet by cutting out ¨good¨ or ¨bad¨ categories in their diet. If taken too extreme vegetarianism could lead to restrictive or obsessive eating patterns. Just to be clear vegetarianism does not lead to eating disorders.   

Conclusion

To sum up the information you have read already, vegetarianism can be a healthy dietary change.  It can lead to a healthier individual and in some ways can benefit the environment etc.  It is a fact that there are many elements that can lead to the belief in this diet such as religion, personal beliefs and health basics.  The many different categories of this lifestyle include many food options for each diet.  Veggies grains and dairy may be vital for one and not any others.  With consuming minimal to no amounts of meat, dietary supplements are for nutrient substitutes as a healthy alternative.  Pros and cons of this type diet can be determined by your perspective of vegetarianism like in an individual, decreasing the amount of meat consumed can lower the risk of many cancers which would be a positive. Whereas a negative would include the fact that by saving animals and resorting to say plants either way an organism is being killed. Despite the controversial ideas about whether vegetarianism is good or bad, I find that it can be beneficial to those who take it seriously and in a healthy way.  This reading was not meant to promote vegetarianism or any other plant based diet in any way, I was simply gathering information about the topic.  I am not a vegetarian either I just thought that since I hear a lot said about the topic I decided to write some information about it.

 

Also check out this documentary!


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6 thoughts on “Controversy of Vegetarianism- Pros and Cons

  1. It’s not ‘hypocritical’ to be a vegetarian, because virtually ALL food has to grown or harvested. If you eliminate not only animal-based food sources but all plant-based ones as well, you are stuck with virtually no options at all.

  2. Overall, I do like your post. However I don’t like how you said, “Every organism on earth will die at some point in time, so by consuming plant life a person might be considered a hypocrite”. A vegetarian, or vegan, are not hypocrites for consuming plant life. Vegans and vegetarians refuse to eat animals because they are living things that feel fear, happiness, sadness and pain. A plant feels none of those things. A cow, for example, has a survival instinct and will struggle if you try to kill it, a tree doesn’t do anything when you take an apple off of it. Another example for you, an animal can think intellectually while a plant cannot.

      1. Also, I read the article you tagged in your comment. No where in the post does it say that the plant is responding due to fear, it is only responding to the cut off part of the plant. The chemicals that rush to the open ‘wound’ (if you want to call it that), are going to seal the opening so the grass can continue to grow. The plant didn’t just decide if it was going to save itself or not, it did it because it is just a natural process, such as humans shedding dead skin cells every day. The grass does it as a natural process, it doesn’t think through it.

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