Jordan Younger, a vegan, became very well known for her blog, The Balanced Blonde. She loved the popularity and felt great after choosing to become vegan. The diet seemed to work well for her. Her stomach felt lighter and she was losing weight as she had hoped. What she didn’t realize is that this newfound diet was actually hurting her body more than helping it. Younger became obsessed. Every night she suffered anxiety thinking about what she would eat the next day. Each day it kept getting worse. Her lips had turned blue, her hair began to fall out, and she had several vitamin deficiencies. She finally realized that she needed professional help. Jordan Younger found out she had an eating disorder called orthorexia. After finding out about this, her life changed forever.

Many people in our world blindly believe that veganism and vegetarianism are better for us and the environment. However, countless amounts of people do not know the cons of switching to these diets. Although vegetarianism can be a very healthful choice for us as humans, there are also some disadvantages of it on our environment.

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Healthy for Humans

Nutritional Benefits. A vegetarian diet consists of many vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to our health. They tend to contain more whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables. These have higher amounts of dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins C and E, potassium and magnesium. They also have lower amounts of unhealthy things including saturated fats, and cholesterol.

Preventing Diseases. Vegetarian diets are known for lowering the risk of certain diseases or illnesses. An article by Boston University explains that on average, vegetarians tend to be more physically active compared to their non-vegetarian comparative. This lowers the likeliness of developing some illnesses or becoming overweight or obese.

According to some studies by Harvard and Cambridge University, regular meat consumption can increase the risk of developing several different types of cancer by copious amounts. Since the vegetarian diet tends to have lower amounts of saturated fats, vegetarians are at a lesser risk of being diagnosed with cancer. Non-vegetarians tend to have a higher intake on specific animal fats, which have been linked to the disease.

Other studies done by Boston University showed that vegetarians are less likely to develop diabetes. Even with people who already have diabetes, a vegetarian diet can help. An article from The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine also explains that this diet, typically lower in fat and higher in fiber and complex carbohydrates, allows the insulin in our bodies to work more adequately.

Overall, the vegetarian diet can be much healthier for us as humans. There are several nutritional benefits that come with it. It also helps prevent or reduce the risk of certain illnesses or diseases.

Vegetarianism seems perfect, doesn’t it? There are tons of health benefits that come with the vegetarian diet. What could possibly be wrong? The effects on the environment. People don’t realize that their vegetarian diets may actually be hurting our environment. Ironically, a lot of people switch to vegetarianism because they believe that it is a better choice for our environment.

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Unhealthy for the Environment

Greenhouse Gas Emissions.  Greenhouse gases are defined as any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere. These gases can lead to global warming. The more greenhouse gases we emit into our atmosphere, the worse it is for our environment.

Paul Fischbeck, a researcher and professor at Carnegie Mellon University says, “Eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse gas emissions than eating bacon.” The study from CMU showed that many common vegetables require more resources per calorie than certain types of meat. It also explains that when the typical American diet is replaced with a vegetarian diet, the greenhouse gas emissions can increase by six percent.

Energy Use.  All forms of energy use have an impact on our environment. This energy can also contribute to the greenhouse gases, which can again cause global warming. Global warming can have many negative repercussions on our current environment. It can hurt our plants and animals.

The same study from Carnegie Mellon University showed that on average, the vegetarian diet could increase the energy use by 38 percent. This energy use can hurt our environment a lot from all the greenhouse gases it emits.

In vegetarianism, there are pros and cons. Many people in our world are oblivious to the downsides of becoming a vegetarian. On the positive side, vegetarianism is very healthy and nutritious for our bodies. It can help prevent certain illnesses or diseases. On the negative side, a vegetarian diet can be worse for our environment rather than one that includes meat. Vegetarianism causes more greenhouse gas emissions, which can lead to global warming. These diets also use more energy, which also lead to more greenhouse gas and global warming.

Nowadays, people don’t do enough research before they make a life changing decision. It is very crucial to find out information about something you want to do before you act on it. This information will help make important decisions. There are many aspects to the topic of vegetarianism. There are both good and bad in it. Vegetarianism and its possible effects on our environment need to be considered before someone switches to this type of diet.

There will always be people who are for Vegetarianism and people who are against it. Now that you know both the positive and negative sides of it, it’s your turn to make a decision.

Post by AnnaA, Featured Image by Jill111 on Pixabay