Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

The Benefits of Vegetarianism

Good Essays
640 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Benefits of Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat. It is a lifestyle that is adopted for various reasons. Vegetarianism is also a very broad topic, and it addresses broad issues such as mental and physical health, ethics, spiritual and emotional health, and the environment. Whether it be for ethical reasons such as animal rights, religious beliefs, or other reasons, one of the most common motivations to adapting a vegetarian lifestyle is in the health benefits it offers. It has also been proven in one university study that vegetarians scored higher on exams than meat eaters. Many people find that refraining from eating meat promotes many health benefits, such as prevention against heart disease, a lower body mass index, and less incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Heart disease has become a common killer, claiming the lives of about 50% of Americans. Adopting a vegetarian lifestyle helps to prevent this danger. Researchers have found a correlation between those who eat meat and an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, which is a precursor to heart disease. A 2008 study in Germany showed that vegetarian men and women actually had a longer lifespan than those who ate a carnivorous diet, which is shock-full of cholesterol. Since cholesterol is found only in animal products, such as meat, dairy, and so on, plant foods are virtually cholesterol-free. The strongest and most effective cholesterol-lowering agents are soluble fiber, unsaturated fats, and phytochemicals, which are all found almost solely in plant foods. Lowering the risk of heart disease through vegetarianism is definitely a large benefit of the animal-friendly lifestyle, prolonging the life of those who adopt it. Body mass index is another big benefit of vegetarianism. With obesity on the rise all over the world, but especially in the United States, people are searching for more and more ways to keep their weight at a minimum. Vegetarianism can help one achieve this goal, with a recent study comparing people’s eating habits both before and after vegetarianism. The study results showed a change in the participants’ waist and hip measurements, as well as skin fold measurements of body fat. Although their weight did not change a great deal, they became noticeably leaner. Unfortunately, research has also proven that meat eaters have a higher body mass index than their vegetable-eating opposites, putting them the closest to the possibility of being overweight. Another great benefit of vegetarianism is the lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s has been shown to be one of the many diseases related to the consumption of meat. According to the American Alzheimer’s Association, “…between 6 and 8% of the population over 60 has Alzheimer’s disease, and the rate has been increasing steadily”. A study conducted in 1993 found that people who ate meat, including fish and poultry, were over 50% more prone to becoming demented than vegetarians, paired with depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Whether it is one’s goal to lower their risk of stroke or heart disease, to lose weight and maintain a lower body mass index, or to avoid the threat of dementia, coupled with depression and anxiety, vegetarianism is definitely one of the safest routes to take when it comes to one’s health and well being. In the words of Albert Einstein, “Nothing will benefit human health or increase chances for survival of life on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.” Vegetarianism is a lifestyle that should be adopted by those looking for optimal health benefits, whether they are looking to improve pre-vegetarian health conditions, enhance already-ideal health, or avoid future health hazards they may bring about by the excessive consumption of animal products.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    People in today’s world are always looking for ways to stay healthy and be fit. It is very crucial to have a balanced diet so that disease is at a lower risk of appearing later in life, therefore, people in society have been creating diets geared towards their own interests. Two common forms of dieting are vegetarianism and carnivorism. Carnivores eat meat, while vegetarians substitute that protein for something else. Many tests comparing the two has proven that being vegetarian not only affects the body in a positive way, but is also good for the mind. Overall vegetarianism is a good way to stay healthy, have less risks of diseases, and help save resources here on Earth because of the harmful toxins from…

    • 1303 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benefits Of Vegetarianism

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The most important reason I believe being a vegetarian is good because you help save the lives of animals. Many people,…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many meat eaters believe that eating meat is healthful and humane, while many vegetarians say it is not. Facts and evidence shows that being vegetarian (not eating meat) could potentially be healthier for people. Evidence from studies show that if someone is a vegetarian they can still get all of the protein, vitamins, etc. to live, being vegetarian can reduce the risk of health issues, and that it saves resources. Being vegetarian is a smarter choice than eating meat because of many reasons that help save people and Earth. Studies at Harvard and many health associations help to prove this.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Individuals that follow a vegetarian diets are at a subject to, “ lower blood cholesterol levels. Lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, lower risk of hypertension, lower risk of type II diabetes, lower BMI (Body Mass Index) and can have an overall lower cancer rate”.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benefits Of Veganism

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many people in today’s society will say that veganism is one of the healthiest lifestyle changes a person can decide to make. Veganism is a concept that may be hard to understand at first, and even harder to perform successfully. Reasons why this may true are that there are many restrictions that come along with a vegan lifestyle, but alongside these restrictions there are benefits for one's body, and the planet as a whole. Vegan lifestyles have turned from a fad to now a fact, and it’s time for people to be able to comprehend what it all entails.…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Eating Meat

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” Paul McCartney stated in a video he made to motivate switching to vegetarianism. Like Paul McCartney, many people today are switching to a vegetarian or even vegan diet and with good reason. Environmentalists and scientists have shown, through extensive research, that meat industries are over-producing animal products, and in addition, are a major cause of environmental problems such as global warming and world hunger. Another good motive is the unimaginable cruelty these animals suffer, that represents torture one could never imagine for their own pets or peers. As importantly, being a vegetarian has numerous health benefits. Animal products contain bacteria and contaminants that have been shown to cause fatal illnesses. Cutting meat and animal by-products from your diet and adopting a vegan one is a healthy lifestyle choice because it can reduce a number of environmental impacts, it makes for a better ethical choice, and it can improve your personal health greatly.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Published in the Forum of Nutrition, Leitzmann 2005 looked at the positive effects of a vegetarian diet. He stated that a growing body of scientific evidence indicates that wholesome vegetarian diets offer distinct advantages compared to diets containing meat and other foods of animal origin. The benefits arise from lower intakes of saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein as well as higher intakes of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C and E, carotenoids and other phytochemicals. Since vegetarians consume widely divergent diets, a differentiation between various types of vegetarian diets is necessary. In the past, vegetarian diets have been described as being deficient in several nutrients including protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12 and A, n-3 fatty acids and iodine. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the observed deficiencies are usually due to poor meal planning. Well-balanced vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly and competitive athletes. In most cases, vegetarian diets are beneficial in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, renal disease and dementia, as well as diverticular disease, gallstones and rheumatoid…

    • 2344 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    B. Vegetarians substantially reduced risk for obesity, Lower cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some forms of cancer such as the lungs and colon.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Going meatless has a lot of benefits. American people eat three times more beef than the other countries which is very dangerous for their health because eating meat a lot could cause different kinds of diseases. Being vegetarian can help by saving money (weekly budget), it would protect the human body from the serious problems, also going meatless help the environment.…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    People who eat a diet not heavily focused on meat, but instead focuses on fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes, and nuts, generally eat fewer calories and less fat, weigh less, and have a lower risk of heart disease than those who do not (Staff, 2014). A diet with a minimal amount of meat decreases your risk of diseases, including heart disease and provides for a more nutritious and healthy diet for an American consumer. Having a healthy diet is beneficial because this can lead to a stronger body and a longer life. This diet provides health benefits for an American looking for an environmentally sustainable way to…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Also the trials showed that diabetics with type 2 diabetes, type 2 usually dealing with obese individuals, had improvement in weight loss (256). Not only do diabetics converting to vegetarianism benefit, but also all individuals will benefit from converting from a carnivore diet to a plant based diet. They will have a next to none chance of developing type 2 diabetes and a lower chance of having cardiovascular disease. This article has proved not only will switching to vegetarianism help improve your life but it will also do great things for your…

    • 2737 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Persuasive Essay On Meat

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Debate on Meat For many years, there has been an ongoing discussion on whether animal protein is an essential aspect of the human diet. In today's world, meat is seemingly served with every meal: for instance, bacon for breakfast, grilled chicken for lunch, and a hamburger for dinner. However, recent studies have proven that although many people are accustomed to consuming fellow beings of this earth, it is not needed to sustain a healthy life. Following an herbivorous diet provides multiple moral and health-related benefits, and people are already taking measures to reduce the use of animal products.…

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vegetarianism, is it just a fad, or will it continue to cultivate and grow more mainstream than it is today? All signs are indicating that it will, indeed, continue to grow. “As many as 3.2% to 6% of the U.S. adult population is a vegetarian” (Parker 1). If one loves life, why not try vegetarianism? Having a vegetarian diet not only saves animals, but also improves health and uses less of our planet’s diminishing resources.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Being a Vegetarian

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages

    According to a statistic that shows the amount of meat that an American consumes per capita annually, the total of 76 kilograms in 1970 increased to the total of 84 kilogram, which is a huge growth (Bloch, 2009). As people want more meat nowadays, the astonishing amounts of animals are killed in a lot of cruel ways to maintain the fresh and tender condition of the meat. Moreover, eating a bunch of meat is harmful to one’s health due to the large amounts of cholesterol and fat which can trigger cardiac diseases. At this point, it is undeniable that we should be concerned about our eating habits for animals’ genocide and our own health. The public in general tends to believe that vegetarianism is the key solution for the arising issue. Although it is generally agreed today that meat should be one of the major food that humans consume because eating meat is natural, humans are omnivorous, animals are not aware of their quality of life, a vegetarian diet is too expensive, we should accept that vegetarianism is beneficial in many ways since we should respect animals, other foods can substitute the nutrients in meat, techniques to kill animals are barbaric, and most importantly,…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vegetarian diets are based on cereals, whole grains, pulses, nuts, vegetables and fruits. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians do not consume any meat, poultry or fish but include eggs and dairy products in their diets. Vegans do not consume any food obtained from animals. Other vegetarian diets include fruitarians and macrobiotic diets that are more restricted. Reference to vegetarian diets usually implies lacto-ovo-vegetarians. A number of reasons can be attributed to preference for a vegetarian diet such as religious belief, economic status, personal health issues, environmental and ecological concerns. Vegetarian diets are typically higher in fiber, vitamin C and folate while lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. As can be expected a number of health benefits are attributed to vegetarian diet. Population studies have shown an inverse relation between vegetarian diet practices and incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease and total mortality1. A number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated the low incidence of obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure) heart diseases, diabetes, cancer etc in vegetarians as compared to meat eaters. People who consume fish and other sea food also demonstrate some advantages of vegetarian diets. 2A 24% decrease in incidence of Ischemic heart disease (IHD) was found among vegetarians as compared to non- vegetarians. Plant foods, which are a good source of fiber, lower cholesterol levels, both low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol levels. Lower rates of colon, prostate cancer and breast cancer are also observed in vegetarians. Phytochemicals are excellent anti-oxidants which act by metabolizing carcinogens in the body and lowering the incidence of cancer. Some other phytochemicals such as lignin and phytoestrogens in soy lower the incidence of hormone dependant cancers, such as prostate and breast cancer. This can explain the lower incidence of breast cancer in Asian women who consume soy…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays