Human beings are omnivorous, they can eat both plants and animals. What works for one person may not work for the other person. Vegetarians diet may be adopted due to chronic diseases, religious beliefs, ecological, economic and ethical. The diets are based on whole grains, fruits and vegetables that are low in fat, a great source of fiber that boost vitamins and minerals. Choosing a vegetarian diet has led to care of the environment, raising animals to specifically kill them for food has resulted to incredible waste and devastation of our precious resources. Also, studies have shown that a vegetarian diet can lead to positive changes affecting the body. In this essay, I will try to convince why it is reasonable to be a vegetarian.
Past researchers have identified consumption of meat has hazardous to human health, increasing the risks to heart diseases, colon cancer, and breast cancer. Vegetarian diets combined with exercises helps reduce blood pressure and risks to heart attacks. Eating animal products can cause the body to excrete more calcium and uric acid, which form stones in the kidneys and gall bladder. Vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce the likelihood of stone formation.
However, many people desire energy yet connects this with eating meat. Eating animal products reduces energy, scientific studies showed that a vegetarian diet improves energy, it is also a source of nutrition to human body. These foods are gradually digested easily, providing a steady source of glucose to the blood. Being overweight is also a significant of energy drain, vegetarian diets have beneficial effects on weight reduction, and low rates of overweight and obesity in vegetarians have been confirmed by various studies. According to one study, vegetarians weighed an average of 10 pounds less than the general population.
In addition, by choosing vegetarianism, a person avoids toxic and contaminated foods. Stress hormones and toxics, when terrified animals are put to death their bodies release all kinds of toxins and hormones. These fear and stress hormones instigate violent behavior in human beings. Mad cow disease is a disease caused by cow cannibalism, this is the practice of feeding dead and diseased animal parts to another animal of the same species; if infected by humans, it causes memory loss, loss of body control, and then death.
Moreover, vegetarian diets reduce depression, according to researchers, a vegetarian may be happier than a non-vegetarian counterpart. Researchers discovered that a vegan had lower scores on depression tests and mood profiles compared to meat and fish eaters. There is one element of freshness to most vegetarians’ foods, especially when it comes to organic produce. If it is bound to cleanse the minds and keep thoughts positive. When humans consume animal flesh, its necessarily at odds with nature and fellow living beings, it’s scientifically linked with violent ang aggressive behavior.
In conclusion, eating meat is bad for people and the environment. In contrast, a healthy vegetarian diet is delicious and nutritious, an ideal source for the human body. By choosing to be a vegetarian, you achieve optimal health and the happiness of a peaceful life with friends in the animal world. Vegetarian diets are economical, helping to conserve soil, water and forests. It also has its positive factors regarding health and peace of mind.
References
Pilis, W., Stec, K., Zych, M., & Pilis, A. (2014). Health Benefits and Risk Associated with Adopting a Vegetarian Diet. Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny, 65(1).
The moral status of animals and their rights are controversial topics that regularly provoke debates among philosophers. The question is whether it is morally appropriate to use animals for food while causing suffering during the process of raising them in the context of the meat industry. If animals are sentient, they can be perceived as subjects for moral concern, and they can have a moral status that prevents people from treating animals as objects or resources for satisfying their needs, because animals feel pain and suffer (Vaughn 496).
This reasoning is often used by vegetarians and vegans in addition to the fact that some cultures and religions promote vegetarianism as a morally appropriate way of living. Although representatives of many cultures eat meat despite their vision of animals’ moral status, specific aspects associated with religion, ethnicity, traditions, and other cultural features lead some people to become vegetarians or vegans and to support animals’ rights because of their personal ideological views or beliefs.
Ethical Issues Associated with Vegetarianism and Veganism
When people choose to become vegetarians or vegans, they often explain their decision with reference to ethical concerns and the idea of sentience. Vegetarianism is defined in this context as a person’s refusal to eat meat and all products and dishes where meat is used, but they can eat eggs and dairy products, as well as fish in some cases. Veganism is associated with a lifestyle where a person does not use any products or goods that can be produced using animal-related materials.
They do not eat meat, eggs, or dairy products, and they do not wear clothes made of fur and leather, among other materials (Prisco 123). The significance of acknowledging the concept of sentience in this context is the fact that vegetarians and vegans accept the idea that animals are like humans when they feel something. Therefore, it is impermissible to kill these beings for food or for satisfying humans’ needs without taking animals’ rights and experiences into account.
In comparison to vegetarians, vegans are inclined to protect animals’ rights in the most active forms, and by avoiding animal-related products, they demonstrate respect for sentience as it is found in all living and feeling creatures. Still, the problem is that, even accepting their specific lifestyle as morally right and opposing “tyranny of human over nonhuman animals,” both vegetarians and vegans can act unethically in relation to people who are close to them (Vaughn 495).
In declaring the moral status of animals and their rights, vegetarians and vegans can violate the rights of their family members and friends while prohibiting their children from eating meat and other animal-related products, or while condemning their friends for not sharing their ideas. These ethically controversial situations can lead to health problems in children, unstable situations in families, and personal conflicts (Wells). Moreover, when vegetarians and vegans become activists protecting animals’ rights, their opposition can take aggressive forms, leading to unethical decisions.
Differences in Cultures and the Moral Status of Animals
It is important to note that vegetarianism or veganism can become not only the personal choice of an individual, but also a prescription for whole communities because of certain cultural and religious views. In this sense, Jainism is a religion that prohibits its adherents “from harming even the simplest of life forms,” and it is “deeply ascetic” (Srivastava). Not only Jains but also Buddhists accept the idea of nonviolence, and a lifestyle without eating any meat is followed by many adherents.
Hindus also keep vegetarian diets in many cases because of the vision that vegetarianism can be associated with spiritual life. In Judaism, there are debates regarding killing and eating animals, and these religious and ethical issues historically resulted in developing a range of rules and principles under which killing and eating animals can be permissible (Srivastava). For their part, Muslims do not consider vegetarianism as required for their religious practice in most cases.
However, the position of Christians requires further analysis because they are allowed to eat meat according to the modern Christian tradition, but they were vegetarians during the Middle Ages (Srivastava). According to Oppenheimer, more Christians are becoming vegetarians today because of reinterpreting the Bible and focusing not only on the religious but also on the ethical aspects of killing animals for food. Thus today, “animal welfare is a lively topic among Christians in the United States and England” (Oppenheimer).
When it comes to vegetarianism or veganism, it is possible to state that the moral status of animals is different in various cultures and religions, and representatives of diverse traditions have their specific arguments to explain or protect their position, because there are cases when their choice needs to be supported by rational argument when vegetarianism affects people’s health or social relations.
The suffering of animals is viewed in many religions and cultural traditions, including aboriginal cultures and Hinduism, as an evil that should be avoided because animals are not inferior to people in their rights. As a result, people who share such views believe that vegetarianism is an appropriate behavior associated with their vision (Armstrong and Botzler 54-56). Vegetarianism related to religious views is often a collective action that reflects a community’s vision regarding animals’ rights.
However, the alternative view is that vegetarianism associated with philosophical or ethical ideas is usually an individual action that demonstrates a person’s reaction to the issue of animals’ moral status, but it can rarely affect the situation from a utilitarian perspective. If a person becomes a vegetarian or a vegan to influence the actions of the meat industry, it is almost impossible to expect significant results from this initiative in terms of protecting animals’ rights and decreasing the number of livestock animals killed for food annually (Wells). Still, for many cultures, the focus on animals’ moral status is an everyday reality that has deeper roots than the ethical interpretation of this problem.
Conclusion
Different aspects associated with religion, ethnicity, cultures, and traditions can cause people to become vegetarians or vegans. As a result, they not only support animals’ rights, but they also develop certain ideological views or beliefs that can explain their positive vision of the moral status of animals from the perspective of sentience. However, it is also important to note that vegetarianism and veganism are not a choice for all people who support the idea of animals’ rights.
Therefore, many people continue to eat meat even when they view animals’ needs and emotions as significant and worthy of moral consideration because they believe that their individual actions cannot change the situation. Moreover, one must admit that vegetarianism and veganism are difficult choices for many people because of associated ethical issues that are related to the acceptance of this lifestyle in society.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Susan J., and Richard G. Botzler, editors. The Animal Ethics Reader. 3rd ed., Taylor & Francis, 2016.
The theory of reasoned action has been used to explain vegetarianism as a consumer trend. It suggests that shifts in consumer demand are explained by pre-existing attitudes (Gaol, Mars & Saragih 2014). If this philosophy is extrapolated to the vegetarianism trend analysis, the theory of reasoned action suggests that the rise in the number of vegetarians stems from people’s tendency to associate vegetarianism with good health. Therefore, respect for good health is an attitude that vegetarians have and that motivates them to embrace a lifestyle that supports the same values of improved human wellbeing (Davis & Melina 2014).
The motivation-need theory has also been used to explain vegetarianism as a consumer trend. It suggests that people purchase products to fulfill five levels of need, which are basic, safety, love/belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization (McGuffin 2016; Fallatah & Syed 2018). Vegetarianism is a basic human need because it is about food, which is at the lowest level of the Maslow model. The need for good health is also intertwined with food as a basic need because good health is dependent on it. Therefore, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests that vegetarianism is informed by the need for people to be healthier.
Lastly, the psychoanalytic theory is another model that explains vegetarianism. It suggests that consumer trends are informed by how much they appeal to people’s feelings, hopes, and desires, as opposed to their rationality (Gunter & Furnham 2014). These basic principles of the theory postulate that an increase in the number of Chinese vegetarians is informed by its strong emotional appeal as opposed to its rationality (Bernstein 2018).
Stated differently, the consumption of meat products is rational but vegetarianism is more emotionally appealing because of its immense health benefits. Consequently, the trend is popular because it appeals to people’s emotions as opposed to logic.
Current Situation of Chinese Vegetarianism
An evaluation of the vegetarianism trend in China suggests that several demographic factors influence the trend. Age, gender, and intelligence are the two most impactful variables explaining the trend.
Gender and Education
Several researchers have reported significant gender variations among vegetarians (Appleby et al. 2016). For example, an American study, authored by Thomson (2014), suggested that 79% of vegetarians in the country were women. The study also postulated that gender differences in dedication, commitment, and health consciousness largely explained the low number of men who supported vegetarianism (Thomson 2014).
This gender divide is further highlighted by statistics, which show that women are 60% more likely to be vegan compared to men (Thomson 2014). Although gender differences predict vegetarianism, the education levels of both men and women also influence the trend. Notably, researchers have suggested that high levels of educational achievement are associated with vegetarianism, while low levels of education are linked with meat consumption (Stewart 2015).
The impact of education on a vegetarian diet can be explained by the improved access to information and knowledge about the benefits of vegetarianism among educated people, while those who have a low educational achievement have limited access to the same information. Therefore, high education levels increase access to information that supports the lifestyle.
Age
The increase in the number of people who identify with the vegetarianism lifestyle has grown in the past decade (Allès et al. 2017). According to some researchers, young people primarily support this lifestyle. A recent report authored by Marsh (2016) suggested that about half of all vegetarians were young people aged between 15 and 34 years. Comparatively, only 14% of vegetarians are aged over 65 years (March 2016).
Generally, these statistics show that vegetarianism is a trend that has been well received by younger people compared to their older counterparts (Campbell & Campbell 2016). This lifestyle may stem from the tech-savvy nature of younger demographics, which allows them to access information regarding the health benefits of vegetarianism (Cofnas 2018). Therefore, many young people are knowledgeable about its advantages and choose to change their lifestyles accordingly.
Intelligence
Another dimension of vegetarianism that has been explored by researchers is the role of intelligence in determining whether a person will be vegetarian, or not (Myles 2017). Broadly, this view has supported the idea that people who have high intelligence scores have a similarly high probability of being vegetarian compared to those who have low intelligence scores (Cai 2015).
For example, it is estimated that vegetarians have a mean intelligence quotient (IQ) of about 108, while people who consume meat products have a lower IQ of about 100 (Cai 2015). Figure 1 below shows that the difference in IQ levels between both groups of consumers is significant enough to support the assumption that IQ levels explain the vegetarian lifestyle.
Figure 1. Relationship between Vegetarianism and IQ
Generally, the insights provided above show that intelligence, age, gender, and education explain vegetarianism. Nonetheless, there is a gap in the literature, which stems from the failure of researchers to contextualize these predictive factors among Chinese consumers.
Reference List
Allès, B, Baudry, J, Méjean, C, Touvier, M, Péneau, S, Hercberg, S & Kesse-Guyot, E 2017, ‘Comparison of sociodemographic and nutritional characteristics between self-reported vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters from the nutrinet-santé study’, Nutrients, vol. 9, no. 9, pp. 1023-1024.
Appleby, PN, Crowe, KE, Bradbury, RC & Key, TJ 2016, ‘Mortality in vegetarians and comparable nonvegetarians in the United Kingdom’, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 103, no. 1, pp. 218-30.
Bernstein, R 2018, Top consumer behaviour theories. Web.
Cai, Y 2015, Does eating meat make people stupid. Web.
Campbell, TC & Campbell, TM 2016, The China study: revised and expanded edition: the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implications for diet, weight loss, and long-term health, BenBella Books, Inc., London.
Cofnas, N 2018, ‘Is vegetarianism healthy for children,’ Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, vol. 54, no. 5, pp. 572-579.
Davis, B & Melina, V 2014, Becoming vegan: the complete reference to plant-based nutrition, comprehensive edition, Book Publishing Company, New York, NY.
Fallatah, RH & Syed, J 2018, A critical review of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Web.
Gaol, FL, Mars, W & Saragih, H 2014, Management and technology in knowledge, service, tourism & hospitality, CRC Press, New York, NY.
Gunter, B & Furnham, A 2014, Consumer profiles (RLE consumer behaviour): an introduction to psychographics, Routledge, London.
Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat, poultry, fish, and other animal byproducts. Vegetarians are classified into three main categories. These are the vegans, the lacto vegetarians, and the Lacto-ovo vegetarians.
The lacto vegetarians take plant products and dairy products while the Lacto-ovo vegetarians take plant products, eggs, and dairy products, and the vegans exclude all animal products in their diet. Thus a vegetarian diet is mainly composed of plant products which include beans, peas, grains, lentils, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and the like. Vegetarians can get the required nutrients if they ensure that their diets have a variety of foods (Collins 1).
Most people who become vegetarians do so to become healthier and lower their chances of catching diseases. Others become vegetarians due to the cost involved in rearing animals or due to environmental concerns. Others are forced by financial limitation to be vegetarians since they cannot afford meat and others dispute the mistreatment and killing of animals.
There are also some people who become vegetarians due to their religions. Whatever the motivation, vegetarianism has a lot of benefits on the lives of the people who practice it. Let us have a look at the interrelationship of vegetarianism with health, religion, and economy (“Vegetarianism’s benefits” 1).
Vegetarianism and health
When vegetarian diets are planned well, they supply the nutrients that are required for healthy living. Thus most people who choose vegetarianism are enticed by the numerous health benefits that are associated with it. These include the reduction of the chances to get diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, etc. Therefore, health complications and risks have made the vegetarian community grow (Flynt 1).
The greatest of the stated vegetarian health benefits is the reduction of the chances of getting heart problems. This is because the cholesterol levels of vegetarians are lower than those of non-vegetarians. The above fact can be explained by the higher amounts of saturated fats in meat than in vegetables.
Moreover, cholesterol accumulates in blood vessels leading to heart problems and strokes. On the other hand, the components of fruits and vegetables like folic acid, potassium, etc. enables them to reduce the chances of getting myocardial infarction and other complications. The soluble fiber in some vegetarian diets like carrots is known to reduce serum cholesterol. Lastly, flavonoids present in vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. limit the chances of cardiovascular disease (“Vegetarianism’s benefits” 1).
Even though diabetes is still incurable, vegetarianism characterized by complex carbohydrate and fiber intake checks diabetes. This fact has been proven, and patients are normally advised by their doctors to take vegetables, grains, fruits, and legumes to check their blood sugar levels (Dworkin 1).
The fact that vegetarian diets prevent the occurrence of cancer is also a big plus to the practice of vegetarianism since cancer is incurable. The occurrence of cancers, especially epithelial, is normally checked by the consistent balancing of vegetarian diets, especially the proportion of fruits and vegetables in the diet. Chemicals like flavonoids, ellagic acid, etc. found in vegetarian diets protect people from cancer (Dworkin 1).
Apart from the explained contributions to health, vegetarian diets are also instrumental in checking blood pressure, aiding digestion, removal of body toxins and betterment of overall health. Vegetarianism also prevents other disorders like obesity, osteoporosis etc (“Vegetarianism’s benefits” 1).
Vegetarianism and religion
As stated earlier, some people become vegetarians due to their religious beliefs. Vegetarian Christians argue that eating meat is both unchristian and immoral. Even the bible states in Corinthians 6:13 that both the “meat” and the “belly” shall be destroyed. Therefore, although religious vegetarianism is not that common among Christians, a number of Christians promote it for religious reasons. Vegetarianism is an integral part of religions whose origin is ancient India.
These include Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. In Buddhism, authorities, and scriptures advocate for vegetarianism while, it is compulsory for people in Jainism. The same is true with Hinduism. Additionally, Hindus avoid beef because cows are sacred in their religion. Thus beef consumption is unpopular among Hindus.
The relationship between nonviolence and spirituality expressed in Hinduism scriptures also discourages meat consumption and thus encourages vegetarianism. Their beliefs of reincarnation and karma are also contributors to Hindu vegetarianism (Karen 1).
Other examples of religions that support vegetarianism are Chinese Taoism and Judaism. For the Chinese Taoists, nature is sacred and therefore, they are not supposed to destroy nature. This acts as advocacy for vegetarianism. On the other hand, the Torah, scripture of Judaists, has evidence that supports the practice of vegetarianism. For instance, in Genesis 1: 29 – 30, all creatures were commanded to be eating plants.
Judaism also prohibits the mistreatment of animals. The Judaists are supposed to reduce the burdens of overloaded animals and allow the animals to rest on Sabbath. This consideration of animal rights has also had a substantial contribution to vegetarianism among the Judaists (Karen 1).
Economics of vegetarianism
Professional critics of vegetarianism argue that if a person becomes vegetarian, the contribution the person will make is that he will reduce the demand for meat. Arguing from an economist’s point of view, the price of meat will reduce leading to more meat consumption. With this argument, meat consumption is not affected by vegetarianism. However, this argument is based on the assumption that meat consumption depends entirely on demand and supply (Collins 1).
Non-vegetarian diets are, arguably, uneconomical. Considering land as a factor of production, one ton of beef will be produced in a piece of land that has the potential of producing more than ten tons of nutritious vegetables. Additionally, only 4-16 % of the food consumed by cattle will be converted to flesh foods. Flesh products are also more expensive to buy than plant products. This is partly due to the fact that a significant percentage of their composition is water.
Also notable in this section is the fact that, due to the high cost of meat in some regions, people are forced to be vegetarians. In these regions, vegetarianism is exercised through the choice of cheaper food like beans, nuts, etc. over meat. Animal products, specifically beef, are consumed occasionally to check the cost of food. The high cost of meat can be explained by the lengthy process involved in the production and processing of meat.
Consumption of meat can, thus, be viewed to have triple cost effects on the consumer. Therefore the consumer pays for the production of the meat, he/she pays for the cost incurred in cleaning the environment in which the meat was produced and he/she pays the costs that are brought about by meat-related health problems. The rearing of animals for meat also leads to environmental degradation that may have adverse effects on the economic lives of people (“Vegetarianism’s benefits” 1).
Conclusion
Given the health benefits of vegetarianism like prevention of heart problems, cancer, diabetes, obesity, etc. vegetarianism should be more popular than it is today. This is because most of the stated health complications that are prevented by vegetarianism are incurable. The effects of animal products on human health should make non-vegetarians to closely monitor their diets or better still, become vegetarians. Apart from the health benefits of vegetarianism, it also has economic benefits.
These include the fact that vegetarian food is relatively cheap, the vegetarian food also cuts down medical costs by preventing diseases and it arguably, conserves the environment. Vegetarianism has also been instrumental in the discovery of new, cheap and healthy meals thus alleviating starvation.
The relationship between vegetarianism and religion is indubitable. A lot of religious scriptures have ideas supporting vegetarianism. Examples of religions that support vegetarianism have been stated as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Jainism and the Chinese Taoism. Therefore, the spiritual requirements of these religions attract a myriad of followers to vegetarianism. These followers, in turn, enjoy the valuable benefits of vegetarianism.
The practice of vegetarianism should be carried out with great care. Vegetarians should make sure that they balance their diets to obtain all the required nutrients. Care must be taken to ensure the consumption of foodstuffs containing enough amounts of proteins, iron, vitamins, fats, etc. Conclusively, the motivation of vegetarianism should be the health benefits that are associated with it. In this perspective, many people will be drawn to vegetarianism and it will positively impact their lives.
Works Cited
Collins, Anne. “Health Benefits of Vegetarianism.” 2007. Web.
Dwokin, Norine. “22 Reasons to Go Vegetarian Right Now.” 1999. Web.
Flynt, Cheryl. “Vegetarianism.” 2010. Web.
Karren, Louis. “Vegetarianism and Religion.” 2009. Web.
The Christian Vegetarian Association. “Vegetarianism’s Benefits.” 2005. Web.
Iron deficiency is a common deficiency in the world; in fact, it is the most common in the world (WHO, 2002). It is a pity that women are at a higher risk of this disorder due to the monthly loss of blood through menstruation. This means that women should be more careful in their intake of iron-rich foods and supplements if any to keep this nutritional disorder at bay. It is even more tasking for women who are vegetarians.
This paper is on the business of outlining the various aspects of the vegetarian diet and how it is deficient in providing sufficient iron for women in Australia. It also states how the problem can be approached.
Significance of iron at a glance
Nature
Iron is a compound formed by the coming together of the following elements: hemoglobin, cytochromes, myoglobin and the enzymes that assist in the redox reactions. It can exist in various forms hence its ability to attach itself easily to oxygen, sulfur atoms, and nitrogen. Most of the body’s iron exists in hemoglobin, a quarter of the rest exists as metabolized iron-ferritin in the liver and the rest is found in the muscle tissue and selected enzymes.
Requirements
For one to have an adequate supply of iron in the body, they have to take at least 1mg per day while women on their menses need 1.5 mg per day. This is not a fixed value since people vary and some might need a little more intake than others might. For pregnant mothers they must take 4 to 5 mg per day especially in the last trimester (Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, 2005). Growing children are more active and require a bigger amount and so do adolescents.
Factorial modeling is the criterion used to measure the amounts of iron required by individuals of different ages, sex orientation and physiological states. It suggests daily intakes according to the degree of basal losses (mandatory excretions by skin, sweat and urine included), losses due to menstruation (females), and extra doses needed in growth, by marooning adolescents and expectant mothers. The model seeks to make sure an individual gets the right amounts enough to sustain and not to culminate in excesses that may lead to further complications (Bothwell et al., 1979).
Symptoms of deficiency
A lack of iron in the body leads to three of the following. First, one could end up having low iron stores due to low serum ferritin. Secondly, one could develop an early deficiency in iron, which is because of the inefficiency of the serum ferritin in transmission. This could develop further to anemia caused by a lack of iron in the body.
These conditions are evidenced by the following symptoms: for expectant mothers it could cause unexpected outcomes in terms of the child. For instance, it could cause the child’s immunity to dwindle inefficiency, the child might also start walking or making movements at a later age than usual. The child’s rate of acquisition of knowledge and even the thought processes involved may be reduced a great deal. That also applies to adults. Iron deficiency leads to a general reduction in the functionality of a person; they do not function at the same capacity anymore.
Nutrition in New Zealand and Australia
The main sources of food that provide iron are meats, poultry, fish and the whole grain (cereals). There are conditions that will influence the rate and amount of iron absorbed during digestion in the body. The first factor is the number of iron stores in an individual whether low or high. The second is the amount of iron in the meal and the components of the same.
Iron gotten from animal foods like poultry meat and fish can be either heme or non-heme while that from plants is non-heme. The bioavailability of heme is higher when consumed by humans than that of non-heme.
Vegetarian diet consists of plants mostly fruits cereals and vegetables. There are four categories under this umbrella. There is the Lacto-vegetarian whose diet includes all the dairy products except eggs. Second is the ovo-vegetarian, which is opposite to the lacto-vegetarian, in this one, one eats eggs but not the dairy products. A lacto-ovo-vegetarian is a combination of the two, one eats both dairy products and eggs alike. A vegan diet is the most extreme and strict of them all, there is no consumption of any animal products whatsoever.
The diets contain same amount of iron as non-vegetarian meals but are lower in bioavailability. Animal products contribute the most amount of zinc. Absorption of the iron and zinc in vegetarians is also poor (Hunt, 2010). Bioavailability simply means the ability of the chemical composition of iron to be absorbed. It is possible to have two sources of meals with the same iron content but different amounts of bioavailable iron. Vegetarian diets contain no heme iron, which is the most absorbable form of iron as compared to non-Heme iron. People that consume enough red meat have large amounts of heme iron while those that consume less have high amounts of non-heme iron.
Non-vegetarians get an almost full supply of these nutrients depending on the diet. The vegetarians tend to take a lot of dried legumes and dried beans in excess as compared to refined grain products. As a result, the efficiency in the absorption of nonheme iron in the body is reduced. Ascorbic acid and carotene in vegetarian diets act as enhancers in place of those that would normally be provided by meat and fish but they do not function as well, in the same capacity. Furthermore, the absorption of the non-heme iron is reduced by the presence of phytic acid, which is found in the nuts, legumes and grains that are in a vegetarian diet. Other components that have the same influence include polyphenols found in cereals, vegetables, spices and coffee, even eggs ( Hunt, 2003, p.634S).
Subjects and age
Hermatocrit or haemoglobin
Trasferrin Saturation
Ferritin
Australian adults, >30 y (29) British children and adults (30) Canadian women, mean 52.9–15.3 y (31) US college students (32) US adult males, 21–52 y (33) US adults, mean 29.3 y (34) US college women, mean 28.9 y Australian adults, 17–65 y (25) British (Indian and Caucasian) women, 25–40 y (36) New Zealand adults (37) Canadian young women, 14–19 y (38) Chinese men and women, mean 20–24 y (39) British children, 7–11 y (40) Australian women, 18–45 y (41) US and German adults, females:males 2:1 (42)
NS NS NS NS NS – ↓2 – NS – NS ↓in F2 ↓2 NS –
– – NS – NS – – – – – NS NS – – –
– – – ↓ in F2 – ↓ ↓in F ↓ ↓ NS ↓ – ↓ ↓
NS-not significant
F-females
The above table is a representation of mineral bioavailability from vegetarian diets as extracted from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Hunt (2003, p. 635S). A study was done to compare the status of iron availability in vegetarians and that of nonvegetarians (control groups).
From the above table the experiment that was done to acquire the above results, it was observed that female vegetarians have fewer reservoirs of iron than those on a nonvegetarian diet. This however did not prove at all that prevalence of anemia caused by lack of iron in female vegetarians was higher than in female non-vegetarians, this was because of a study done in Western countries.
It was advised by the ‘Dietary Reference Intake’ that vegetarians should increase their level of intake of iron in food by a whole eighty percent so as to compliment the amount of iron bioavailability that they get from their diet which is a meager ten percent. In comparison to the eighteen percent that a non-vegetarian gets from a Western diet, this was awfully low.
The amount of iron recommended for males is 14mg Fe/d that they can easily garner from their meals though vegetarian. It becomes much difficult for females whose is 33 mg Fe/d to attain this from the diet solely. They need the supplements to have the minimum required amount of iron, this is necessary especially for women of childbearing age. Women on contraceptives use fewer amounts of iron according to studies (Tetens et al., 2007, p. 444). This is called for because attempts to plan a diet rich in iron have only been able to supply 11 to 18 mg/d of the required amount. The intake of these supplements has to be continuous to be effective on women with low iron stores.
When a woman has low iron stores, they are more susceptible to a deficiency in other elements in the body. It has not been proved yet that low iron stores with the absence of anemia could lead to reduced vigor inactivity. This reduced functionality can however be caused by a deficiency in hemoglobin in the blood. To make sure the state does not come to that, women who are low in iron stores should go for hemoglobin screening so that when the supplements are being made they are made to measure specifically for the respective women. This could go a long way in reducing the negative effects of supplements if not doing away with them.
Some of the side effects of using supplements are the slowing down of the process of assimilation of iron from the diet (Roughhead & Hunt, 2000) and an increase in levels of stress (oxidative) because of the iron that is unabsorbed in the bowels( Lund et al.,1999). Supplements also cause constipation and in some cases nausea and vomiting. They also cause stool to assume a black color and abdominal cramping preceding that. In minor cases, there have been cases of diarrhea. To reduce the extent of some of the side effects one can take the tablets with meals.
If a person chooses to go for the supplements, they should be careful to get the right prescription that will last three months since that is the time one takes to recover from low iron stores. This conclusion was because of analysis of the facts that it takes men and women around three years or two on the lower side to recover from depleted stores of iron. Supplements help reduce this period per se (Deakin, 2010).
Iron supplements come in two forms the ferrous and ferric. Those in the ferric form are difficult to absorb into the body, however, the ferrous ones are assimilated more easily. The ferrous include ferrous gluconate, ferrous fumarate, and ferrous sulfate. A dose of 100mg per dosage is advisable for three months or longer. In critical cases, bigger doses of 300mg/d have been administered which is an amount way above what a normal human needs for physiological needs. Studies have been done in the past and it has been discovered that supplements administered on a daily basis do not prove to be more effective than those given three days of a week spaced out. This research was done on athletes to increase the amount of serum ferritin and to some level hemoglobin. In another study done in Malaysia, 624 females in their adolescent stage and suffering from mild cases of anemia were given 120mg of iron supplements to take on one day every week. It was found out that the results were similar to those of taking half the amount of supplements every day. The replenishing of iron stores in terms of hemoglobin and serum ferritin was identical for the two cases (Deakin, 2010). Some scientists like the idea of a daily intake, which they say replenishes the iron stores faster than weekly doses.
Some other ideas put forward to help in the absorption of iron from vegetarian food is to improve the methods of preparing various foods. For instance, one could invest in buying pans made of iron. After investing in such, they can be careful to buy acidic foods that will dissolve the iron while cooking. The other way is by eating foods that are rich in ascorbic acid to help the process and to shun those that are rich in phytic acid. Limiting things like coffee or tea during meals is also essential unless of course taken in between meals. It takes time to improve the serum ferritin levels in the body so that is why supplementation is vital since foods only cannot cater for the iron stores (Heath et al., 2001).
High serum ferritin causes the iron storage disorder known as hemochromatosis (Tuomainen et al., 1999). A high intake of iron is known to inhibit the absorption of other essential elements such as zinc and calcium in the body. It is also known medically to raise the chances of having colorectal cancer. In general, whether vegetarian or not, men and women who are past menopause are advised to avoid supplements that provide iron and artificial foods (Hunt, 2003, p. 636S).
The iron injection is a fast way of getting iron stores back to normal but could easily lead to iron overload. This in turn could translate into higher susceptibility to anaphylactic shock, which is triggered by the same, it can cause death.
Zinc is also considered an important nutrient that is left out in huge numbers when individuals sorts into a vegetarian diet. Plants that are rich in this element unfortunately are also coincidentally flourishing in the greatest inhibitor of its bioavailability-phytic acid. These include foods like nuts grains and several legumes. Its bioavailability is also increased by protein obtained from the vegetarian diet. High intakes of calcium may inhibit the bioavailability of zinc. In a study that was undertaken by scientists where the diet was controlled, the substitution of meat with carbohydrates saw the amount of zinc assimilated by women past menstruating age go down in amount by 1.6 mg/d from a high of 3.6 mg/d to a 2.0 mg/d. This was in relation to the zinc content of the diet that was greatly reduced.
Zinc and iron are greatly connected in more ways than known by most people. The dilemma comes in when one has to decide whether to take supplements for the iron or the zinc deficiency (Whitaker, 1998). Further studies have to be made to prove the nature of interaction that exists. The effects are most likely to be felt if an individual takes the supplements without dietary support. A high intake of calcium components affects the assimilation of both iron and zinc (Hallberg et al.,1991).
Conclusion
Vegetarian women do not get all their iron requirements in abundance as required by their physiological activities as stipulated in the factorial modeling. A vegetarian diet does not contain all the needed sources of iron that a non-vegetarian meal has. A deficiency in this nutrient causes decreased cognitive abilities in both children and adults it causes children to develop at a much slower rate than usual. Among others, it causes a person to function at a lower efficiency than they normally would among others effects such as anemia and iron depletion in the blood contributing to low hemoglobin count.
The non-heme form of the iron component is what the plant foods provide. This is not a bad idea only the amounts that can be accessed cannot be compared to those of an omnivorous diet by any standards. This causes a major problem in the absorption since the bioavailability of non-hemes is quite lower than that of hemes. This condition can be improved by the intake of more foods rich in the compound and by improving cooking methods. Improving cooking methods here could consist of buying pans that are ironware and cooking acidic foods rich in ascorbic acid so that the acid dissolves the iron. Another is by reducing intake of coffee and tea with meals but instead taking food with more enhancers (Hunt, 2002).
If all fails and there is no recovery or if it makes it an important need of quick recovery, one can then opt to use iron supplements. They come in both tablet form and as injections. These can be ferric or ferrous. Ferrous is easier to absorb than ferric. Since according to studies it takes three years or more for a man or a woman to recover iron stores almost completely, the supplements are meant to reduce this time to a little over three months. The doses can be taken weekly or daily depending on urgency of results and the amount of activity one is involved in. Because women are involved in this report, they are advised to take more frequently to get the 33 mg/d they require or more for those menstruating and those who are in their final trimester.
These injections have side effects: They could lead to an iron overload since they are taken frequently and other complications such as hemochromatosis and inhibition of other essential elements such as zinc and calcium. Women and even men are cautioned against this because it raises a risk of anaphylactic shock, which is fatal in most cases. High iron intake also raises the risk of colorectal cancer and overconsumption is advised against. The use of iron supplements is not always a recommended first choice since it slows down the intake of iron in the diet and other effects such as constipation and nausea.
List of References
Bothwell TH, Charlton RW, Cook JD, Finch CA., 1979. Iron metabolism in man. Oxford: Blackwell Scientifi c,.
Deakin V., 2010, Iron depletion in athletes. In: Burke L, Deakin V. eds. Clinical sports nutrition. 4th Edn, Sydney: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Chapter 10, pp. 248-251.
Hallberg L, Brune M, Erlandsson M, Sandberg AS, Rossander-Hulten L., 1991, Calcium: effect of different amounts on nonheme- and heme-iron absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr;53:112–9.
Heath, A-LM, Skeaff, CM, O’Brien, SM, Williams, SM & Gibson, RS, 2001, ‘Can dietary treatment of non-anemic iron deficiency improve iron status?’ Journal of the American College of Nutrition, vol. 20, pp. 477-484.
Hunt, JR 2002, ‘Moving towards a plant-based diet: Are iron and zinc at risk?’ Nutrition Reviews, vol 60, pp. 127-134.
Hunt,JR 2003, ‘Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from vegetarian diets’, American Jounral of Clinical Nurition , vol. 78, pp. 633S-639.
Lund EK, Wharf SG, Fairweather-Tait SJ, Johnson IT,1999, Oral ferrous sulfate supplements increase the free radical-generating capacity of feces from healthy volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr;69:250–5.
Roughead ZK, Hunt JR. 2000, Adaptation in iron absorption: iron supplementation reduces nonheme-iron but not heme-iron absorption from food. Am J Clin Nutr;72:982–9.
Tuomainen TP, Kontula K, Nyyssonen K, Lakka TA, Helio T, Salonen JT, 1999, Increased risk of acute myocardial infarction in carriers of the hemochromatosis gene Cys282Tyr mutation: a prospective cohort study in men in eastern Finland. Circulation;100:1274–9.
Tetens, I, Bendtsen, KM, Henriksen, M, Ersboll AK & Milman N 2007, ‘The impact of a meat- versus a vegetable-based diet on iron status in women of childbearing age with small iron stores’. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol.46, pp. 439-445.
Whittaker P., 1998. Iron and zinc interactions in humans. Am J Clin Nutr;68(suppl):442S–6S. WHO. The World Health Report 2002. Reducing risks, promoting healthy life. World Health Organization, Geneva.
Background of the Vegetarianism and Unproved Reasons Why it is Bad for Health
It is possible to notice that Vegetarianism, as a trend, is widespread today and has thousands of supporters. However, despite its popularity, there is no common opinion in society regarding it, which leads to the rise of various contradictory statements about the phenomenon. False health claims that “Vegetarianism is bad for health” are supported with numerous declarations, which do not have scientific evidence of their credibility. It is possible to find many Internet resources that mistakenly display Vegetarianism as a lifestyle, which influences adversely.
One of the unproven claims is that the brain is being deteriorated through vegetarian diets. Reinagel (2019) claims that “creatine is important for brain functioning and vegetarians have lower creatine levels,” which implies the existence of direct dependency between degradation of cognitive abilities and the absence of meat protein intake (Is a vegetarian diet bad for your brain? section, para 1.). The other unsupported, with references on studies argument, is that “Vegetarians had a 20% higher rate of stroke than meat-eaters’ ‘ (Doheny, 2019, Downsides to Eating Vegetarian/Vegan? Section, para. 1). The third unsupported statement, which is common throughout web resources, is that plants do not contain saturated fat in sufficient quantities. According to the article “How vegetarianism is bad for you and the environment” (n.d.), “Plant-based sources tend to be low in saturated fat, a component of the brain and a macronutrient vital for human health.” (Eating meat is unhealthy section, para. 2). This source also claims that plants contain much insoluble fiber that cannot be digested and can lead to abdominal discomforts, malabsorption, and toxic accumulation (“How vegetarianism is bad for you and the environment,” n.d.).
The fourth argument is related to the necessary micro-elements, the absence of which can trigger various diseases. Some resources claim, without evidence, that vitamin D3 can only be taken with meat, while a vegetarian diet is deprived of it and can cause brittle bones (Schreiber, 2016, Low Vitamin D section, para 1). Simultaneously, Vegetarianism provokes the lack of calcium, micro-element zinc, which is responsible for immune function, and iron, which is vital for blood cells producing (Schreiber, 2016, Not Enough Zinc section, para 1). Finally, it is possible to find resources that provide readers with subjective, unproved claims based on personal experience. Several negative consequences of being vegetarian, such as leading to the impossibility for women to become pregnant because of hormone levels deterioration, are claimed in the article by Campbell (2019). (The return of bacon section). In addition, the author provides another negative influence she experienced, which is reduced bone density (Campbell, 2019, More long-lasting adverse effects section, para 3). Therefore, websites, social media, and posts usually provide readers with unverified information, the irrelevancy of which is discussed further.
Scientifically Supported Arguments that Vegetarianism may has a Positive Influence on Health
On the other hand, credible sources support the usefulness of a vegetarian diet with scientifically proved evidence. According to Amit (2010), one of the arguments that Vegetarianism does not cause effects of deterioration on health is that “a variety of plant foods can provide all of the essential amino acids required for healthy adults (p. 304). This claim, which is opposite to the one mentioned in the previous paragraph, one, reveals the usefulness of the diet from the perspective of micro-elements containing, based on studies, appropriately cited. The second source shows that a Vegetarian diet can be prescribed for high blood pressure. Based on studies conducted, Garbett et al. (2016) claim that “a significant decrease in the prevalence of hypertension was associated with a vegetarian diet when compared with a non-vegetarian diet” (p. 455). Moreover, the other article dispels the myth that Vegetarianism negatively influences subjective well-being (SWB). According to Pfeiler & Egloff (2020), “The findings provided evidence that vegetarianism has, overall, no relationship to SWB” (p. 17). The myths associated with a potentially negative effect Vegetarianism may cause on the immune system and gut microbiota are also revealed in other credible studies. For instance, Zhang et al. (2018) claim that “vegetarian diets might provide certain benefits to our health through modulation of the immune system and the gut microbiota” (p. 11). Finally, the study conducted by McDougal et al. (1995) shows positive influences of vegetarian diets, such as total cholesterol reduction, regardless of the age of gender, weight loss for all of the experiment participants, and fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p. 493). It is possible to notice that multiply credible sources prove the usefulness of Vegetarianism and refute all the unvalidated statements provided by web resources.
Why it is Important to Check the Sources of Information
The sources of information are vital for any research conducting, as they form an insight into a specific topic. It is especially significant for healthcare professionals to know how to distinguish credible sources, as this form of information can be crucial for treatment. Simultaneously, data is being constantly changed and improved, which complicates its correct utilization and obligates validating it during the research (“Evaluating Health Information,” n.d.). Sources such as magazines, TV stories, and advertisements may not be accurate. Only resources, which provide links to studies they are based on and correspond to criteria of credibility, can be considered reliable ones (“Finding reliable health information,” n.d.). It is necessary to evaluate sources per five benchmarks: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage, to ensure their reliability that directly influences the quality of care (Evaluating Information Resources, 2018). Therefore, the checking of sources of information is the primary ability health care professional should possess and utilize for the compliance of their knowledge with recent, significant findings, which is vital for patients’ well-being.
McDougall, J., Litzau, K., Haver, E., Saunders, V., & Spiller, G. A. (1995). Rapid reduction of serum cholesterol and blood pressure by a twelve-day, very low fat, strictly vegetarian diet. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 14(5), 491–496. Web.
Food is an integral part of the human experience and human beings must eat in order to survive. Human beings are omnivores by nature, which means that they can consume both meat and vegetables. However, there exists a subgroup that abstains from eating animal or fish flesh.
This people are called vegetarians and their practice is called vegetarianism. Key, Gwyneth and Appleby (1999) elaborate that the vegetarian diet is based on cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables. Vegetarianism has become more mainstream in recent decades with more people taking up this dietary practice. The prominence of vegetarianism is mostly attributed to the many benefits obtained from this practice. This paper will set out to discuss the most significant benefits of vegetarianism.
Benefits of Vegetarianism
A vegetarian diet can help in the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. While family history is a risk factor in some diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, dietary patterns can also increase or decrease a person’s risk of developing these conditions.
Research by Hart (2009) found out that people who ate meat were 29& more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate no meat. A vegetarian diet rich in fruits and vegetables can be effective in the prevention and management of cardiac disease. Research indicates that the risk of death from heart disease was 24% lower in vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians (Hart, 2009). This is because vegetarian diets have lower cholesterol levels than non-vegetarian diets.
The vegetarian diet also offers some levels of cancer prevention with research indicating that vegetarians have lower cancer rates than the general population. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and in spite of enormous research efforts and many treatment options, there is still no guaranteed cure for the disease.
anou and Svenson (2011) assert that in spite of the prevalence of cancer in the past decades, it is still a largely preventable disease since 90% of the risks are rooted in the environment and lifestyle choices of an individual. Research indicates that “70% of cases of colorectal and prostate cancer, 50% of cases for breast, endometrial, pancreatic, and gallbladder cancers” may be linked to the dietary habits of an individual (Lanou & Svenson, 2011, p.1).
Dietary patterns are therefore important modulators of cancer risk in an individual. A non-vegetarian diet is made up of high levels of meat intake and studies have linked meat to a variety of cancers. The vegetarian diet greatly reduced risk of cancer since the diet is rich in whole plant foods and low on fats and sugars. This is an important point considering the fact that there is a correlation between higher levels of body fatness and increased risk of cancers.
Vegetarianism helps individuals to avoid the public health threats posed by meat consumption. A common habit in livestock factory farming is the indiscriminate feeding of antibiotics to farm animals. The rationale behind this mass feeding of antibiotics is to prevent diseases and promote growth.
However, this practice raises negative health risks in human beings who consume the meat. Henning (2011) confirms that the meat product sold to consumers is laced with residues from the antibiotics that are routinely fed to livestock. McCarthy (2010) warns, “Every inappropriate use of antibiotics in agriculture is potentially signing a death warrant for a future patient” (p.13).
This concern is echoed by Henning (2011) who asserts that the mass production and overconsumption of meat now represent the single greatest threats to public health. Meat consumption is responsible for the increase in “antibiotic-resistant human bacterial illnesses”. Since the vegetarian diet is free from meat, the individual is free from the risk of antibiotic resistance that meat consumers face.
A vegetarian diet promotes mental health in the individual. Research indicates that a people on a meat-free diet experience a calmer disposition and are less vulnerable to anger. Vegetarian diets are associated with feelings of serenity, reduced aggression, increased compassion for others, and a sense of mental stability.
Kaza (2005) suggests that these states of mind may come from the reduced intake of toxic hormones and pesticides from animal products and eliminating the intake of animal adrenaline that is released at death and persists even in processed meat. Vegetarianism therefore increases mental health and enhances mental clarity in the individual. He/she is therefore able to be more productive in life because of the mental benefits accrued form the vegetarian diet.
A vegetarian diet will help to offset the environmentally destructive nature of intensive livestock production. Livestock production has many deleterious impacts on the ecosystem’s health with cattle ranching contributing to soil erosion, degradation of stream habitat, deforestation, and desertification.
Henning (2011) asserts that cattle ranching is the primary reason for reforestation in the Amazon with the rising demand of beef being deemed as the single greatest contributor to deforestation worldwide.
Henning (2011) marks out the livestock sector as the single greatest source of freshwater use and pollution in the US with these animals producing ten times more waste than the human population.
However, unlike human waste that is cleaned through waste treatment facilities, livestock effluent is allowed to leak into aquifers and waterways every day. A vegetarian diet would greatly mitigate these negative implications of livestock production on freshwater resources.
Meat consumption contributes to climate change, which has been acknowledged to be a global environmental problem. Specifically, meat production leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. As the enormous quantities of manure produced by cattle decay, they produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas.
For this reason, Harrison (2007) observes that eating meat comes at a cost to the environment with the average meat consumer increasing his/her carbon footprint significantly. Global warming will negatively affect the food resources of the world since it will turn previously arable land useless for agricultural purposes. Adopting a vegetarian diet will mitigate this harmful emission and prevent the climatic changes.
Vegetarianism is necessary to ensure the food security of the world. While the world’s supply of food is today adequate to feed the entire human population, there is increased concern over the ability of the world to feed itself in future. The increasing human population is already putting pressure on the food supply.
The meat intensive diet is especially to blame for the additional pressure on the world’s fragile food resources. Henning (2011) records that the world has experienced a four-fold increase in meat production since 1960. As it currently stands, large tracts of land are dedicated to cattle grazing.
Farm animals consume the greatest share of cereal productions therefore requiring increased cereal production, which puts a strain on the land resources. In contrast to this, a vegetarian diet would only require 25% of the energy used to sustain a red-meat rich diet (Brown, 2010). Vegetarianism therefore reduces the pressure on land and water resources therefore guaranteeing sustainability.
Vegetarianism will help avoid the unnecessary suffering that animals are subjected to through factory farming. Over nine billion animals live in factory farms in the US each year to provide for the demand for meant in the country. The conditions under which these animals live are generally miserable with animals being confined in small cages or overcrowded pens to maximize profits.
Nobis (2002) reveals that the animals are kept on a constant regimen of antibiotics to ward off death and disease. All this suffering by the animals is unjustified since humans do not need to eat meat and other animal products in order to survive. Vegetarianism will remove the need for animal products and this degrading factory farming will not be necessary.
Vegetarianism is more economical than a meat-based diet. To begin with, the cost of maintaining a vegetarian diet is cheaper than maintaining meat-based diet. Henning (2011) declares that the seemingly low costs of meat are the result of agricultural subsidies by the government to meat producers. The taxpayer eventually pays for these subsidies therefore increasing the financial burden for the taxpaying citizen.
The meat-based diet is associated with a number of health issues and the person engaging in this diet will therefore spend significant amount of money on health care costs. In addition to this, the person will suffer from negative economic effects in terms of lost jobs and revenue due to the deleterious effects of meat eating upon health. Practicing vegetarianism will ensure that a person does not suffer from the negative economic effects that a meat-based diet is bound to result in.
Discussion
There has been a changing attitude towards vegetarianism in America in the last five decades with more people adopting vegetarian diets. People are discovering that it is possible to thrive on a non-meat based diet and that eating meat is nutritionally unnecessary. This combined with the knowledge that meat-eating costs more to the global supply of food than it provides is making people reconsider their eating habits.
Even so, vegetarianism has not been able to effectively challenge the primacy of meat in many American homes and many people still hold the view that meat and vegetables complement each other. However, as the many advantages of a vegetarian diet become known to the general population, it can be expected that the segment of the general public practicing vegetarianism will increase significantly.
Conclusion
This paper set out to give a detailed discussion of the benefits of vegetarianism. It began by defining vegetarianism as the practice of not eating animal flesh. The paper has documented the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. It has shown the strong correlation between meat-based diets and health problems and highlighted the fact that vegetarians are less prone to these health problems and tend to outlive meat-eaters.
The paper has also discussed the significant negative environmental impacts that a meat-based diet causes. It has also highlighted that the meat-based diet consumes too many resources and is therefore unsustainable. Considering the numerous health benefits accrued through vegetarianism and the harms that a meat consuming diet brings to the environment, all humans ought to practice vegetarianism.
References
Brown, L. (2010). How to feed 8 billion people. The Futurist, 44 (1), 28-33.
Harrison, C. (2007). Vegetarian with benefits. Proquest. Web.
Hart, J. (2009). The Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 15(2), 64-68.
Henning, B. (2011). Standing in Livestock’s ‘Long Shadow’ The Ethics of Eating Meat on a Small Planet. Ethics & The Environment, 16(2), 1085-6633.
Kaza, S. (2005). Western Buddhist motivations for vegetarianism. Worldviews, 9 (3), 385-411.
Key, T.J. Gwyneth, K.D. & Appleby, P.N. (1999). Health benefits of a vegetarian diet. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 58 (2), 271 275.
Lanou, J.A. & Svenson, B. (2011). Reduced cancer risk in vegetarians: an analysis of recent reports. Cancer Management and Research, 3 (1), 1–8.
McCarthy, K. (2010). Plant-Based Diets: A solution to our public health crisis. Washington: World Progressive Foundation.
Nobis, N. (2002). Vegetarianism and Virtue: Does Consequentialism Demand Too Little? Social Theory and Practice, 28 (1), 135-155.
The term “vegetarianism” may be understood differently among different people. However, the vegetarian diet generally does not include the consumption of meat. There exist various types of vegetarian practices; ranging from the most strict to the less strict one. The most restrict group consists of vegans.
This group consumes only those foods that come from plants and these include the grains, nuts, beans, fruits and vegetables. The other group consists of the lacto-vegetarians and these ones consume dairy products on top of the foods from the plants. The third group consists of “Lacto-ovo-vegetarians” who are similar to the lacto-vegetarians but they also consume the eggs in addition.
The other group is the “pesco-vegetarians who eat similar foods to those eaten by the “lacto-ovo-vegetarians” but on top of these, they also eat fish. The least strict group consists of the “partial-vegetarians” and these consume all kinds of foods apart from the red meat. People decide to become vegetarians for a variety of motives. There are those who want to live longer, to live healthy lives, or play their part in the society of bringing down the level of pollution.
This paper is going to look at the health benefits one can obtain by becoming or being a vegetarian. It is going to be argued that; Being a vegetarian is good for health since it leads to the prevention of obesity and overweight, developing strong bones, prevention of heart disease, having cancer protection, having diabetes prevention and also enables one to have more energy in the body.
The paper is going to be arranged in sub-topics with each of them supporting the argument. The conclusion section is going to give a summary of the main points in the discussion.
Obesity and Overweight
Being a vegetarian enables one to reduce chances of becoming obese and overweight. It is pointed out that “64 percent of adults and 15 percent of children aged 6 to 19 are overweight and are at risk of weight-related ailments including heart disease, stroke and diabetes” (“Why go veg?”, 2012, p.1).
A research that was carried out between the period starting from the year 1986 up to the year 1992 by the director and president of the “Preventive Medicine Research Institute”, Dean Ornish, in California established that the people who were overweight and followed a vegetarian diet and which was low in fat were able to lose, on average, twenty four pounds within the first year and were able to keep off that weight five years thereafter (“Why go veg?”, 2012, p.1).
They were able to lose weight without engaging in counting the carbs or calories and also with no engagement in the measurement of the portions or having a feeling of hunger (“Why go veg?”, 2012).
Strong Bones
Becoming a vegetarian enables one to build strong bones. Every time there is no adequate calcium in one’s blood in the body, a person’s body will have to seep the calcium from the bone that is there. Following this, the metabolic consequence will be that one’s skeletons will turn out to be permeable and in the course of time become weak.
A larger number of the practitioners in the healthcare field propose that a person should engage in increasing his or her calcium ingestion through the manner in which nature designed and this is through foods. The foods as well supply nutrients like vitamin D, magnesium and phosphorous among others which are essential to enable the body to carry out absorption as well as utilization of calcium.
It is reported that “people who are mildly lactose-intolerant can often enjoy small amounts of dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and lactose-free milk” (“Why go veg?”, 2010, p.1).However, in case one may avoid the dairy products altogether, they can still obtain healthful calcium dose from the “dry beans, soymilk, and dark green vegetable such as broccoli, kale, collards and turnip greens” (“Why go veg?”, 2012, p.1).
Heart Disease
By one becoming a vegetarian, they reduce the risks of getting heart disease. It is pointed out that eating vegetables and fruits on a regular basis brings down the level of the risk of “ischemic heart disease” (Craig, 20034, p.1).
Following a survey that was conducted sometime back which involved surveying forty seven thousand Italian people, it was established that “persons in the highest tertile of vegetable consumption had a 21 and 11 % reduced risk of myocardial infarction and angina, respectively, compared with those in the lowest tertile of vegetable consumption” (Kafatos, A., et al, 1997, p.1882).
Moreover, the findings that were presented following a study that was conducted in Britain indicated that the day to day eating of fresh fruits contributed towards having a twenty-four percent decrease in the mortality that results from heart disease as well as a thirty-two percent decrease in mortality resulting from the “cerebrovascular disease”, in comparison to less regular eating of fruit. It was further established that the day to day raw salad eating contributed to having a reduction of twenty-six percent in deaths resulting form the heart disease (Key, et al, 1996, p.777).
Another study involved investigating the lifelong vegetarians; it was found out that this group of people had a twenty-four percent “lower incident and lifelong vegans had a 57 percent lower incident of coronary heart disease compared to meat eaters” (Thorogood, et al., 1987, p.352).
There are a number of factors in vegetables and fruits which offer achievable protection against the cardiovascular disease. Among these factors we have “folic acid, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, carotenoids, phystosterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenolic antioxidants” (Craig, 20034, p.1).
The vegetarian diets are usually as well somehow lower in cholesterol and in saturated fat. The people who are vegetarians usually do have the levels of blood cholesterol that are lower. The food plants that have much soluble fiber are apples, dry beans, and oats among others are helpful in bringing down the amount of serum cholesterol in the body. Moreover, a large number of flavonoids found in some plant foods have wide-ranging organic properties which bring down the chances of one developing heart disease.
The flavonoids offer the protection to the LDL cholesterol against oxidation. Moreover, it helps in inhibiting blood clots formation, and “have hypolipidemic effects and anti-inflammatory action”(Manach, et al, 520, p.520). Studies conducted in Europe indicated that the people who had the highest flavonoids consumption “had 60 percent less mortality from heart disease and 70 percent lower risk of stroke than the low flavonoids consumers” (Keli, et al, 1996, p.641)
Cancer Protection
Being a vegetarian enables one to be protected against cancer. A report that was presented by the “World Cancer Research Fund” in the year 1997 presented a recommendation that people should lower the risk of being attacked by the cancer disease by selecting mainly the “plant-based diets” which are rich in various fruits as well as vegetables and also rich in the legumes and “minimally processed starchy staple foods, and to limit the intake of grilled, cured and smoked meats and fish” (Craig, 20034, p.1).
More than two hundred studies that have been conducted have given a revelation that frequently eating fruits as well as vegetables offers remarkable protection against the cancer disease at a large number of sites. Those individuals who eat a lot of fruits as well as vegetables “have about one-half the risk of cancer, especially the epithelial cancers”(Craig, 2003, p.1). It is also pointed out that it was also found out that “the most cancers were 20 – 50 % lower in those with high versus low consumption of whole grains” (Craig, 2003, p.1).
Several plant foods have been found to have the properties that are cancer protective (Craig, 2003). These foods include the umbulliferous herbs and vegetables, the cruciferous vegetables and other vegetables and fruits. Other such foods include the several nuts, beans and several seasoning herbs.
Such foods have the cancer-protective phytochemicals like “carotenoids, flavonoids, isothiocynates, allegic acid, glucaates and phenolic acids among others” (Craig, 2003, p.1). The compounds that are beneficial change the pathways as well as the actions of the hormones which are associated with cancer development, facilitate stimulation of the immune system and they also possess antioxidant activity (Craig, 1999).
More Energy
Being a vegetarian enables one to have more energy. Having good nutrition facilitates generation of more utilizable energy “to keep pace with the kids, tackle that home improvement project or have better sex” (“Why go veg?”, 2012, p.1).Having a large amount of fat in blood implies arteries will not open in an appropriate way and also that the muscles will not obtain adequate oxygen.
The consequence of this is that one will feel zapped. The balanced vegetarian diets are “free of cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging animal products that physically slows us down and keep us hitting the snooze button morning after morning” (“Why go veg?”, 2012, p.1). Therefore, since the plant foods have large amounts of complex carbohydrates, they help in giving the body much energy.
Diabetes Prevention
Vegetarians are at a lower risk of becoming diabetic. It is pointed out that consuming more nuts and whole grains is associated with having “lower rates of diabetes” (Craig, 2003, p.1). In one of the large studies, it was established that consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with the occurrence of diabetes in an inverse way, especially among women (Ford & Mokdad, 2001, p.34).
Men as well as women who reported of rarely or never consuming green leafy vegetables or fruits had “higher mean HbA1C levels than those who had more frequent consumption” (Sargeant, L.A, et al, 2001, p.344). High levels of vegetable and fruit consumption tends to make a great contribution towards facilitating the prevention of the diabetes disease.
Conclusion
Being a vegetarian is good for health since it leads to the prevention of obesity and overweight, developing strong bones, prevention of heart disease, having cancer protection, having diabetes prevention and also enables one to have more energy in the body.
Considering the case of obesity and overweight, it has been found out that the people with these conditions who become vegetarians are able to lose a substantial amount of weight within the first year and over time, they are able to attain healthy weight. Moreover, vegetarians develop strong bones because of the availability of adequate calcium in their bodies which are obtained from food plants such as dark green vegetables, dry beans, and turnip greens among others.
There can also be prevention of cancer through the vegetarian diet. Several plant foods have been found to have the properties that are cancer protective which include such foods as the umbulliferous herbs and vegetables, the cruciferous vegetables and other vegetables and fruits and other foods include nuts, beans and a variety of seasoning herbs. In addition, heart disease can be prevented by one making a decision to become a vegetarian.
Eating vegetables and fruits on a regular basis brings down the level of the risk of “ischemic heart disease”. Everyday consumption of fresh fruits leads to a decrease in the mortality that result from heart disease and also a reduction in mortality resulting from the “cerebrovascular disease”. Furthermore, diabetes can also be prevented by one becoming a vegetarian.
Eating fruits and vegetables was associated with the occurrence of diabetes in an inverse way, especially among women. High levels of vegetable and fruit consumption tends to make a great contribution towards facilitating the prevention of the diabetes disease. Last but not least, the vegetarian diet enables one to have more energy in the body. The foods coming from plants are rich in complex carbohydrates and they supply much energy in the body.
References
Craig, W.J.(1999). Nutrition and Wellness. A Vegetarian Way to Better Health. Berrien Springs, MI: Golden Harvest Books.
Ford, E.S, & Mokdad, A.H. (2001). Fruit and vegetable consumption and diabetes mellitus incidence among U.S. adults. Prev Med, 32(1),33-9.
Kafatos, A., et al. (1997). Heart disease risk-factor status and dietary changes in the cretan population over the past 30 y: the seven countries study. Am J Clin Nutr, 65(1),1882-6.
Keli, S.O, et al.(1996). Dietary flavonoids, antioxidant vitamins, and incidence of stroke: the zutphen study. Arch Intern Med,156(1), 637-42.
Key T.J, et al. (1996). Dietary habits and mortality in 11,000 vegetarians and health conscious people: results of 17-year follow up. BMJ, 313(1),775-79.
Manach C, et al.(1996). Bioavailability, metabolism and physiological impact of 4-oxo-flavonoids. Nutr Res, 16(1), 517-44.
Sargeant, L.A, et al.(2001). Fruit and vegetable intake and population glycosylated haemoglobin levels: the EPIC-Norfolk Study. Eur J Clin Nutr, 55(1),342-8.
Thorogood, M, et al. (1987). Plasma lipids and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in people with different diets in Britain. Br Med J, 295(1), 351-3.
While most people agree that population growth is closely connected to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), which are harmful to the environment, as they lead to global warming, a rare individual believes that he or she can make a difference in the matter.
However, contemporary dietary habits have a significant impact on environmental sustainability, as meat production industries are resource-intensive and considerably add the emission of nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and methane. Additionally, transportation and preservation of animal products are connected to plastic industries and refrigeration, which are also immense contributors to the GHG discharge. Therefore, every individual turning to a diet, which consists of locally produced plant-based nutrients, can make a noticeable impact on the environmental situation.
Background
Traditional western diet maybe not only unhealthy but also dangerous to the global environment. Food and Agricultural Organization states that “adopting sustainable diets at a global level is urgently needed” (Lacour et al. 2). Indeed, livestock is considered to be accountable for almost 18% of GSG emission, as it requires substantial energy to produce feed and fertilizers, breeding activities, electricity use, and resources to build farms (Lacour et al. 2). Livestock farming is also closely connected to the loss of biodiversity, as natural ecosystems are destroyed by farms used for grass and feed crops (Lacour et al. 2). Therefore, a reduction of animal product intake worldwide can sufficiently improve the environmental issue.
It is also worth considering the location of the food production, as it helps to understand the accompanying harms of meat production. Animal products are time-sensitive and can get spoiled very quickly without specialized packaging and refrigeration. The need for additional packaging is associated with excessive plastic production, which can in turn also be a reason for environmental problems. Polyethylene is characterized by very slow decay, and there are no efficient and widespread methods of its processing to lighten the adverse effects it produces.
Additionally, the production and use of refrigeration facilities to transport and store animal products are also harmful to the environment. In brief, turning to a diet that consists mainly of locally produced foods has the potential to reduce the associated harms of traditional food provisioning methods.
Discussion
Vegetarian and vegan diets are associated with lower GHG emissions compared to omnivorous ones. According to Lacour et al., food habits of consuming no animal products produce 2.5 times less GHG than diets rich in animal products (8). At the same time, vegetarian and pesco-vegitarian people contribute 46%-54% less GHG than omnivorous men and women (Lacour et al. 8). Therefore, it can be stated that pro-vegetarian food choices are generally more environment-friendly. Even though most contemporary researchers of the matter agree with this statement, some still believe that there is not enough evidence.
Fossil energy consumption and land use are also significant concerns of the environmental activists. According to Lacour et al., livestock farming requires more electricity and other energies than plant product yielding (7). Hence, the amount of GHG emitted by power plants and farm machinery is less in comparison with meat production. At the same time, vegetarian products require less land to feed the global population. According to Lacour et al., a 35% reduction in meat consumption can lead to “a 24% decrease in diet-related land use” (7). Additionally, vegan diets may lessen land use by up to 50%-60% if adopted globally (Lacour et al. 7). These statistics lead to the conclusion that more land can be preserved in its natural state, which leads to improved biodiversity.
Some researchers believe that most studies in the field of diet choices influencing environmental situations are based on hypothetical data. According to Rosi et al., eating habits’ effects on the environment have been analyzed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to single foodstuffs or food groups (1). LCA can fail to reflect the real-life choices of people and their actual effect on the environmental situation (Rosi et al. 1).
Rosi et al. also state that interdisciplinary research is needed to acquire a more realistic picture of the issue (2). In their study, they found no statistically essential differences in effects on environmental situation produced by omnivorous, lactovegetarian, and vegan diets (6). In summary, the method utilized by most specialists in the sphere can be considered outdated, and the results acquired from their research should be revised.
While there are obvious benefits of conducting interdisciplinary studies, there is no accepted framework for such researches. Rosi et al.’s approach lack universality, as it is based upon a limited cohort of 153 Italians. Moreover, the study does not discuss the energy intake of food procession and associated adverse effects of animal products transportation in storage. Even though the study is a valuable insight into the matter, it can be used only to inform the general population that individual eating habits can lead to degradation of the environmental situation.
At the same time, LCA is a reasonable approach approved by most of the researchers in the sphere. In short, while the influence of dietary habits on the global environment is a complicated matter, LCA is a well-established method to acquire relevant scientific data.
Before coming up to a conclusion, it worth mentioning that all the statistics presented in the paper are extrapolations based on data gathered from unprepared people. In practice, environmental effects may differ considerably, if the proposed strategy to replace animal products with agricultural ones is accepted globally. Additionally, such a shift may lead to adverse economic effects, as livestock farming is a considerable contributor to the global financial system. However, pro-vegetarian diets are considered to be healthier than omnivorous ones and are more likely to be able to feed the global population in the future. Therefore, the question of whether a plant-based diet can improve the environmental situation may require further research.
Conclusion
The environmental state of the Earth is a matter of concern due to the greenhouse effect, decrease of biological diversity, and pollution. While some of the approaches towards improving the situation are straightforward, such measure as the reduction of animal products consumption worldwide is a matter of discussion. While there is an immense body of evidence supporting the idea that a global shift towards pro-vegetarian diets can improve the environmental situation, all the conclusions acquired from these studies are extrapolations that may not be representing the actual situation.
However, the approach utilized by most of the authorities in the matter is globally accepted as a relevant method of obtaining scientific data. Therefore, the transition to a plant-based diet consisting of locally produced foods can ensure the preservation of the ecological balance and improve the health status of the global population.
Works Cited
Lacour, Camille, et al. “Environmental Impacts of Plant-Based Diets: How Does Organic Food Consumption Contribute To Environmental Sustainability?” Frontiers in Nutrition, vol 5, 2018. Frontiers Media SA. Web.
Rosi, Alice et al. “Environmental Impact of Omnivorous, Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian, and Vegan Diet”. Scientific Reports, vol 7, no. 1, 2017. Springer Nature. Web.
Below is a Television Advertising script comprising a Television Product promoter
TV Presenter: Have you ever wondered what are options are available out there as substitutes for the lover of juicy meat products, Well today we bring to our top food products review to present one food product that will transform your diet and health, What do we have today Mr. Davis ( ask the promoter)?
Promoter: Do you know that you can not fool a meat lover with any vegetarian product?; but for health-conscious consumers, the Grilled Garden Burger is a premium healthy food alternative to the meaty counterpart:
TV Presenter: So what does this burger contain?
Promoter: The standard 71g garden Burger has 90 calories from fat 30 and has absolutely o saturated fat. The Burger has also high health value owing to its zero levels of Trans fat and cholesterol (with a raised voice and eye contact). The burger also comes with significant nutrient components of Sodium (500g-21%) and potassium (280mg-8%). The total carbohydrate of the burger amounts to 6g which is 2% of the whole production unit.
Presenter: Ok, tell us about the fiber and other important components as well.
Promoter: Dietary fiber component of the burger is at a significant 20% owing to its organic composition and contains zero sugars. The burger also comes with valuable protein content of 12g comprising 23% percent of the entire production unit. The product has a six percentage calcium component as well as ten percentage iron component.
Presenter: So what Ingredients make up this salacious burger?
Promoter: Well you’ve got soy protein concentrate with water for hydration, canola oil, textured wheat protein (wheat gluten, wheat starch), contains two percent or less of modified vegetable gum, yeast extract, natural flavor, onion powder, autolyzed yeast extract, salt, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, vinegar, lactic acid), toasted sesame oil, spice, caramel color, lactic acid, gum acacia, citric acid, succinic acid, yeast.
Presenter: I’m sure our listeners would want to know how best to prepare this, take through some of the best methods of preparing the burger.
Promoter: Well For the best results the garden Burger has to be kept frozen until it is ready to be used. For the reasons of food safety and quality, the burger must be heated to a minimum Internal Temperature of 1600.
For the stove, method follow the following steps:
The Frozen patties must be removed from package.
Both sides of the pattie can be then sprayed lightly with cooking oil.
One pattie must be placed in a non-stick skillet and must be cooked over medium temperature for up to five minutes.
The pattie must be flipped and cooked for up to five minutes.
After the fourth stage, the hot burger must then be carefully removed from the skillet.
Cool the burger for a short while of up to five minutes before serving depending on room temperatures.
Presenter: OK What about the microwave method?
Promoter: Ok I was coming to that, for the microwave method the following steps must be followed or the best results:
The pattie unit must be removed from the package.
The pattie can then be placed on a microwave-safe plate. At this point, the pattie must be covered to cook at high temperature for up to two minutes and two and a half minutes.
After the preceding stages then remove the hot product from the microwave.
The hot product has to be cooled before it can be served; there you have you Grilled Veggie Burger.
Presenter: , Thanks a lot Mr. Davis we appreciate your coming and the information you have shared with us.
Promoter: Oh thanks too for inviting me, you are most welcome!
Presenter: .
There you are, if you want to get on a healthy diet and replace those unhealthy meaty food products Mr. Davis has just detailed to us one of the great alternatives I hope you will make the most of the information, thanks for watching , staying with us for next program, bye for now { exit}.
Target Audience and the Ad Genre
The advertising genre has been drafted in persuasive tone which is meant to sway the opinion of target audience that the Garden Veggie burger is a healthy alternative to meaty food products in the category o burgers. The persuasiveness of the advertising piece is accumulated through the presentation of a detailed and scientific breakdown of the value attributes of the Veggie burger. Aspects like nutritional value and components and detrimental substance quantities are presented in the premise of convincing the target audience that the product is a good choice over other related food products. The target audience of the ad is health-conscious consumers who are particularly keen on reducing meat and meat foodstuffs intake or eliminating meaty foods from their diet. The ad message will be highly welcome in Christian consumer circles where there is pervading advocating for vegetarian diets over meat diets.
The purpose of the ad is to raise awareness of a new product that has been modeled as a health alternative to unhealthy meaty food products in the burger category. By extension, the purpose of the ad is to furnish listeners with the merits of the product by detailing its healthy ingredients. The listeners are also furnished with the best ways of the preparing the veggie burger. The tone of the adverts is persuasive as evident through the use of rhetorical questions like, “Do you know that you can not fool a meat lover with any vegetarian product?”
The ad is also enhanced by the verbal skills enlisting the raising of the voice where the promoter is emphasizing key points like the burger has zero cholesterol levels. This is done in numerous points where the promoter effectively puts more weight on the key points he seeks to reinforce. What makes the ad effective is s amount of details present to the audience. The ad is not alike any typical food product ad where there protracted focus on mere comical concepts but the ad hits directly on the actual merits through a detailing of the ingredients and the preparation methods. The ad is structured in genre that has elements that fulfill product review genres and atypical TV advertisements.
The ad genre is drafted from a product review slot which will be aired on a Christian television channel that has the identified target audience as of the ad as their subscribers. As a product review, the genre has been composed in the conceptual framework regarding the writing of product reviews. Such aspects relating to product review writing which have been entailed include in-depth detailing of particular aspects of the product under spotlight such nutrition value sand components also exemplified is the presentation of the cooking tips for the veggie garden burger for both the stove and microwave methods.
The presentation of the product review ad genre on the TV channel will boost the awareness campaign of the new fast food entrant, The Grilled Garden Burger by the Grrillos restaurant enterprise.