Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarianism as a traditional diet

                There are many reasons why people choose the vegetarian diet. Mainly, there are beliefs that meat is unclean and can give diseases. Most animals are injected with steroids, hormones and other drugs in order to make them bigger to produce more meat; this can cause cancer so people go for the vegetarian diet more since vegetables contain fewer chemicals (Murphy, 2011). Vegetarian diet consists of a diet derives from plants so it could be eggs, dairy products or honey are not included. Vegan is another word for vegetarian meaning to exclude the use of animal products or consumption of living organisms, which includes seafood and even yeast (International vegetarian Union, 2011).

                Another reason for the choice of vegetarian diet can come from a person's cultural background or religion. For example, Taoists, who believe that a person can be reincarnated as an animal depending on the karma level, abstains from meat since they feel that if they are eating meat they are also eating a person (Valea, 2011). Another example is Hinduism; where people believe that everything living thing including animals are sacred, thus they abstain from meat for the purpose of animal rights (Robinson, 2011).

                Some vegetarians eat animal products like eggs, milk, butter and seafood because they believe that those do not count as meat, but some still abstain from it because they believe that those products are  still forms of meat(International Vegetarian Union, 2011). Some take this diet for ethnic reasons (Vegetarian Diet Guide, 2011)

                A vegetarian diet has its several advantages. The main advantage is that there is less risk of obesity and heart diseases since meat may contain cholesterol is consumed too much. Vegetables also contain fewer preservatives than meat since it is usually eaten raw (the Nemours Foundation, 1995-2011). Secondly, a better physical figure can easily be obtained because vegetables have less cholesterol. It also aids in digestion since vegetables contain more fiber (Vegetarian Diet Guide, 2006-2011). Lastly, there is more energy gained from vegetables because they are the primary source of the food chain.

                However, a vegetarian diet also poses a lot of disadvantages too. First consumers tend to lack certain nutrients which can only be found in meat. The risk of being underweight or malnourished is higher from lack or some fat from meat. Lastly, protein supplements like nuts, tofu and soybeans may not be enough for the vegetarians to substitute as meat (Pike, 2011)

                In conclusion, I am against vegetarian diet because there are not enough nutrients to have a healthy diet. There should be a balance of both vegetables and meat. We have heard of the food guide pyramid in which it depicts how much each type of food should be consumed so this means that vegetables should also be consumed to make up a cpmplete meal.

Reference:

*Valea, Ernest (2011, December 5)

Retrieved from- http://www.comparativereligion.com/reincarnation.html

*International Vegetarian Union (2011, May 9)

Retrieved from- http://www.ivu.org/faq/definitions.html

*Robinson, B.A.  (2011, July 31)

Retrieved from- http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm

*Murphy, Brian (2011, December 5)

Retrieved from- http://www.studentnow.com/features/vegetarianism.html

*The Nemours Foundation (1995-2011)

Retrieved from- http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vegetarian.html

*Rockville Pike, Bethesda (2011, November 21)

Retrieved from- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vegetariandiet.html

*Vegetarian Diet Guide (2006-2012)

Retrieved from- http://www.vegetariandietguide.com/