Vegetarian Diet

A lot of people nowadays refuse to recognize themselves as vegetarians. However, majority of them actually prefer plant food over animal one since the consumption of the latest is less healthy due to the high level of fats and other reasons. Keeping such trends in mind, I consider that the number of vegetarians will increase in the nearest future due to the health benefits it promises. This paper aims at investigation of the main reasons for considering vegetarian diet as the healthiest one.

According to Walter Willett, vegetarian lifestyle has been reported to reduce the risks of all major diseases. Speaking about cancer, which turns to be the most frequent disease causing death and other health implications, it should be noticed that vegetarian diet is protective against all gastrointestinal cancers as well as cancers somehow related to smoking (Liebman, 1996). For example, the lycopene carotenoid which is contained in tomatoes is believed to prevent the cases of prostate cancers. On the other hands, meat and other animal food which actually provokes the emergence of cancers are easily replaced by grains, pasta, and rice in vegetarian diet.

The risk of heart-related diseases could be also reduced by more consumption of fruit and vegetables instead of meat. For more than 20 years of investigations the scholars have asserted upon the importance of decrease of cholesterol and saturated fat consumption. At the same time, plants are beneficial for heart due to soluble fiber of beans, oats, peas which are believed to reduce the cholesterol level. In addition, the plants are natural antioxidants.

Proceeding examination of the positive impact upon the human body one should stress that plenty of fruit and vegetables consumed decrease the risks of stroke. It has been proved as a result of the studies carried out on 832 middle-aged men who reported the reduction of stroke risks due to three servings of plants that have been eaten by men every day. Vegetarian diet could also protect against such illnesses as macular degeneration, diabetes, and neutral tube birth defects.

The vegetarian diet is safer. Needless to say that through the meat and other animal food consumption people could open the door of their organism to the deadliest food-borne illnesses and parasites. For example, poultry often carries Salmonella. The Vibrio vulnificus might be caused as a result of raw shellfish consumption. Of course, fruit and vegetables might also be the reason of food-borne illnesses; however the chances for it are considerably lower in comparison with animal food.

The eating of animals is not harmful for the environment if it is performed in tiny portions. However, the volume of animal food consumption people have now turns to cause different kinds of pollution. For example, the sewage and manure which result from the activities of chicken factories, stockyards, and other similar facilities pollute the waters in the surrounding environment. Moreover, mass production of meat causes air pollution due to the increased explosion of methane gas into the atmosphere. Soil erosion, water depletion, and overgrazing are among the other negative impacts that are caused to the Earth due to the over-consumption of meat. To be vegetarian means to save the planet or at least to contribute to this process. In addition, the animals which are frown in terms of mass production often face inhuman conditions and treatment. The vegetarians have doubts that such a meat could be of any use and benefit for the human health.

Finally, it is less expansive to be vegetarian. It applies to both eating at home and out. The vegetarian alternatives are often cheaper than the dishes with poultry, meat, or shellfish. In addition, vegetarians claim that the taste of food is better when it is served and cooked without meat. The choice of whether to become a vegetarian is up to the individual; however I would like to recommend this diet at least as a temporary one due to numerous positive health, environmental, and other implications.