Being a Vegetarian as a Healthy Lifestyle Choice - Essay Example

? Vegetarians are those humans who do not eat meat including seafood and dairy products. Most vegetarians consume only plant foods. There are three types of vegetarians; lacto-ovo vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians and vegans. Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not eat meat and seafood but they eat plant foods and dairy products such as eggs and milk. Lacto-vegetarians do not eat meat, seafood and eggs but they eat dairy foods and plant foods. Vegans are pure vegetarians; they eat only plant foods and avoid consuming dairy products, meat, seafood and eggs. Some essential nutrients are important part of diet such as proteins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins. Proteins and vitamin B12 are essential for cell growth, tissue building and repair. These essential components are present in meat. Vegans need to plan their diet to make sure that it includes all the important components required for body growth. Some plants are good source of protein such as beans, peas, nuts, seeds, soy products and whole grains. Vegans must eat such plant foods to ensure adequate nutrient intake. Being a vegetarian is a healthy lifestyle choice. It is good to be a vegan for a range of health, environment, religious and economical reasons. For human body functioning all the important nutrients can easily be obtained from plant foods. Green leafy vegetables, cereals, whole grains and legumes contain iron. Fruits and vegetables help the body to absorb the iron. In addition, a regular consumption of fruits and vegetables provides significant protection against cancer at many sites. Nuts and wheat are good source of zinc. Calcium is an important component for bones and teeth. Dark green leafy vegetables such as Asian greens, almonds and Brazil nuts are good source of calcium. Nuts also contain a number of vitamins, minerals and they are naturally low in saturated fats while most are quite rich in monounsaturated fat. High consumption of nuts and whole grains has been associated with lower rates of diabetes. An increased consumption of fruits and vegetables contribute to the prevention of diabetes. Vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cells production. It helps in proper functioning of nervous system and healthy brain. Mushrooms and sea vegetables are good source of vitamin B12. Vitamin D is good for skin and bones. Vegans can consume vitamin D by taking soymilk and cereals in their diet. In addition, sun is the main source of vitamin D. vegans can expose to direct UV light of the sun to get maximum vitamin D. Vegans can never face nutritional deficiencies because every essential nutrient can be obtained from plant food. Livestock drugs are harmful for human body as consumed when human body takes animal food. Growth hormones, antibiotics and veterinary drugs given to the livestock animals are dangerous for humans, as humans are secondary consumers. Meat eaters may consume hormones, drugs and other chemicals. No one knows precisely what effect these hormones have on human health but the risk is there. Some farmers use tranquillizers to keep the animals clam and antibiotics to protect them from infections. Omnivores are inevitably consumes these harmful chemicals. There are lot of pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses in animal’s meat that are danger to human health. People eating meat (omnivores) have risk of heart diseases. In addition to heart diseases, humans suffer from a wide range of diseases such as diabetes, kidney stone, osteoporosis, arthritis, acne, cancer, obesity, excess protein, fiber deficiency and food-borne illness among omnivores compared with vegetarians. Plant foods help in prevention of cancer. Vitamin C, B-17 and beta-carotene are natural substances present in most plants that help in preventing cancer. Most animal meats are highly dangerous; as when cooked, produce cancer-containing compounds such as benzenes and other carcinogenic compounds. A powerful anticancer compound, protease is present in plant foods such as soybeans. The World Cancer Reasearch Fund published a major report in 1997 that “we lower our risk of cancer by choosing predominantly plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes and minimally processed starchy staple foods, and to limit the intake of grilled and smoked meats and fish. These methods of preparing meat produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines, which are carcinogenic.” There is no doubt about the fact that eating meat is bad for health. A list of diseases is associated with meat. Animal foods are high in saturated fats and cholesterol where as plants do not contain cholesterol. Avoid eating meat is the best way to cut down the fat consumption. Meat is deficient in carbohydrates such as starches and vitamins, which are very important for good health. Meat eating humans consume extra protein in their body that causes excess nitrogen in the blood. In addition, the excess nitrogen in the blood and wastes such as adrenaline, uric acid and lactic acid creates long-term health problems. Obesity is a disease within itself. Vegans tend to be thinner than meat eaters are. Vegetarian’s total intake of calories and fat is low and high in fiber as compared to meat eaters, which is good to avoid obesity. Some vegans may not get enough omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for heart health and are present in fish and eggs. Some products such as soymilk are rich in DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), which an important omega-3 fatty acid. “Soy protein contains isoflavones, such as genistein and daidzein that act as phytoestrogens and inhibit tumor growth, lower blood cholesterol levels, decrease the risk of blood clots, and diminish bone loss.” (Setchell KDR.,1998). These benefits clearly translate into lower rate of heart diseases and stroke. Regular fruit and vegetable consumption reduces risk of ischemic heart disease. A recent survey of 47,000 Italians found that “people in the highest rate of vegetable consumption had a 21% and 11% reduced risk of myocardial infarction and angina, respectively, compared with those in the lowest rate of vegetable consumption.” The yellow-orange and red carotenoid pigments in fruits and vegetables are powerful antioxidants that protect against cholesterol oxidation. People with high level of serum carotenoids have a reduced risk of heart disease. The recent Euramic Study found that “a high intake of lycopene (the red pigment in tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon) lowers the risk of myocardial infarction.” A reddish pigment (Anthocyanin) found in fruits, such as berries are very effective in removing free radicals and in inhibiting LDL cholesterol oxidation and platelet aggregation. In the Nurses’ Health Study, the highest consumption of whole grains was associated with about 35-40% reduction in risk of heart attacks and type 2 diabetes. In the Adventist Health Study, a regular consumption of whole wheat bread was associated with a 40-50% reduced risk of fatal and non-fatal heart disease. Diets rich in fibers are good for digestive system. Plant foods travels quickly trough the GI tract. In addition, being high in fiber, they provide vegans a feeling of fullness. Fiber absorbs unwanted excess fats, cleans the intestine and helps in proper peristalsis. Plant diet rich in soluble fiber such as found in oats, dry beans, carrots, apples, squash and citrus are useful for lowering serum cholesterol levels. It is good to be a vegetarian, if one really wants to be healthy and physically fit. In most of the countries, vegetarianism is a matter of economics as meat costs a lot more than plant foods. In countries like the United States, meat is not as expensive, but people choose to be vegetarians. Reason to be a vegetarian is other than cost in many countries. Health issue is the most common reason to be a vegetarian. Vegetarians are educated people who consider making an appointment with a dietitian that would give them a list of foods that would help them to take proper diet rich in nutrients they need. Vegetarian diet provides healthful benefits in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Non-vegetarian lifestyle has a significant health and medical cost. Many people choose a vegetarian diet to protect the environment. Most vegans, particularly those who chose veganism for ethical reasons do not wear animal products such as fur, silk, wool and leather. It is wrong for humans to unnecessarily kill and consume animals. Animal product industries and using animal products is totally cruel, needless and wasteful. It is an ethical responsibility of every human to be a caretaker rather than tyrants over the rest of the earth’s creatures. Even an animal lover who put any animal in the house as pet is wrong. Although he is taking caring of that animal or a bird, yet it is in a cage and suffering. Animal product industries must not waste the precious resources of earth. It is the responsibility of every citizen to preserve the beauty of nature. According to ethical principles, love and non-violence refer not just to humans, but also to all living beings. It is difficult to find peace within oneself if not willing to respect natural creatures. Within ethical principles, one has to be at peace with the world around. By promoting vegetarianism, humans can stop killing animals. People who promotes it, they have understood that peace on earth starts with peace in our hearts. Great man of all times Pythagoras worth quoted that “Oh, my fellow men, do not defile your bodies with sinful foods… The earth affords a lavish supply of riches of innocent foods, and offers you banquets that involve no bloodshed or slaughter, only beasts satisfy their hunger with flesh, and not even all of those, because horses, cattle, and sheep live on grass… Those that kill animals to eat their flesh tend to massacre their own.” Most animals slaughtered for meat are highly developed beings. According to Marc Bekoff, professor of biology at the University of Colorado and author of “The Emotional Lives of Animals”, numerous and diverse animals have rich and deep emotional lives. To kill such highly developed beings just to eat their meat and to shape their whole existence only for that purpose goes contrary to all standards of ethics. Furthermore, the simple fact that most people feel nothing but revolt and disgust when watching an animal slaughter may indicate that eating meat is contrary to human nature. Many spiritual traditions such as Yoga warn that eating meat has bad effects on mind. Adverse effects include fear, aggression and irritation. One who is a vegetarian not only improving the physical well-being but also having a contented mind and soul. Spiritually it is concern with inner development. In this way, we develop love and concern for all other living creatures. It brings us closer to our true nature; our God. God is the creator of this universe and its creatures. It is our responsibility to respect all the living creatures rather than destroy them. A true human connects with God and can feel the love for all small and big creatures. Our angle of vision develops love for animals. When we look at the other living animals with the eyes of soul, we witness God. When the soul recognizes God in all living creatures, it would never dream of taking life of any living creature. Those who are in touch with their soul ultimately turn to vegetarian diet. As once quoted by Albert Einstein, “Nothing can be more beneficial to human health while increasing the chances of survival of life on earth, than the change to a vegetarian diet.” There are many ecological and economic reasons to become a vegetarian. In many countries, farmers use their own grains to feed the livestock. Farmers use peanut crop that is highly protein rich to feed cattle and poultry. Livestock farming is one of the worst environmental hazards of the time. It accounts for green house gas emission and deforestation. Large number of trees cut down to clear the space for pasture and to cultivate soy for animal feed. Meat eating causes deforestation, more land is required to feed animals that become food for human beings. Land can be directly used to feed vegans that would result in more food and less use of land. Farming should be self-sustaining. A vegan lifestyle requires less water, pollutes less, and is more sustainable. Ed Ayres, in the Time Magazine article “Will we still Eat Meat?” said, “To produce 1 lb. of feedlot beef requires 7 lbs. of feed grain, which takes 7,000 lbs. of water to grow.” That means 7,000 pounds of water is required just for one pound of beef to mature. Meat industry is producing high amounts of ammonia causing acidification. In addition, it is creating water pollution due to nitrogen and phosphorous. Overfishing is a great threat to the marine ecosystem. To produce protein and calories by livestock farming is far less effective as it requires many times the amount of water, energy and farmland than is required to grow vegetarian food. People have the choice to be meatless to save the environment. It can leads to sustainable agriculture. Many of the world’s massive environmental problems such as global warming, loss of topsoil, loss of rainforests and species extinction can be solved by reducing meat eating. The temperature of the earth is rising from burning oil and gas. More fuel is required to make a meat diet than for a meat-free diet. If people stop eating meat, the threat of rise in temperature would decrease. Meat eating and its industry are harmful to human beings as stated above. But when we speak of vegetarian lifestyle as a better way of life, do we talk beyond scientific investigation? People argue from touting the health promotion due to meatless diet to raising problem of morality. The question may come in the minds of most people that, is it morally essential to take a vegetarian diet? Tom Regan is a well-known advocate who spoke about animal rights. He contributed a lot to discuss on ethical vegetarianism. Regan believed that after listening to his logical arguments, people should choose to become vegetarians. After reading his essay, people ought to be changed in a logical way. Regan was not only presenting a strong case but also setting out to change lifestyle of many people. He changed the way of thinking as well as the way people eat. The arguments for the meat free diet produced behavioral change in most people. Scientific study has shown that animal protein is not an important component of a human diet. Gradually, it revealed that people who have eliminated protein in their diet significantly reduced some diseases. Christians pointed to creation story about Adam and Eve in Eden. According to that, people were having diet without meat or flesh. Christians call vegetarian diet as God’s original diet and is healthier. Because God intends our bodies to be the habitation of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 6:19, 20), we are obliged to live the most healthful lives possible. Thus, people can understand that vegetarian diet is a healthier diet and is morally preferable. There is a need to focus attention upon ethical duties towards animals. It is essential to make people aware of harm and sufferings of animals when they kill or slaughter them for food. It is against ethical principles to cause such pain to a living creature to satisfy one’s dietary need. Paul R. Amato and Sonia A. Partridge in their book, The New Vegetarians: Promoting Health and Protecting Life, identified 11 reasons why people should choose the vegetarian lifestyle. At the top of the list was “concern over animal suffering or a belief in animal rights.” This popular writing helps to make people accept this easy argument. According to Amato and Partidge’s survey, only 5 % became vegetarians because of environmental concerns. Despite the efforts of prominent advocates like Jeremy Rifkin and Francis Moore Lappe and despite the enormous success of their books, very few people changed their diet because of environmental concerns. In Lappe’s revised edition of A Diet for a Small Planet: “I had a more profound doubt….what of the impact, what of the direction that I was suggesting for people’s lives. Would the readers of my book become so interested in, even fixated on, the nutritional nuances as to forget or neglect the “real message” after all? What was the real message she ought to spread? She wanted to focus on how one’s diet “relates each of us to the broadest questions of food supply for all humanity.” In her revised and updated edition, she not only focuses on making and cooking but on eating simpler and better of one’s dietary choices. The arguments mentioned above have widespread acceptance among people, but people have a simple response “yes” and they show intellectual acceptance to the arguments while enjoying yet another hamburger. It is true that vegetarianism is more acceptable now than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Advocates do a great job of explaining people about the moral problems related to meat eating, but when we talk about practical implementation and personal actions, it is essential the people must agree with it. To bring change in personal life, it is very necessary to understand the problems related to it and one should have a heart to bear that change in lifestyle. Emotional motivation is required to move toward a change in diet from meat to vegetarian diet. More effort is required to move people towards change in their dietary habits. Good philosophical arguments do not make vegetarians. Moral sentiments, however, more often work better. Moral encouragement is an essential element to force the heart to choose the vegetarian lifestyle. What effect will one observe from practicing intellectual arguments for vegetarianism? Our contention is that if we move toward becoming a society in which these virtues are valued and practiced, we will see vegetarianism increase and meat eating decrease. This vision will serve to move us beyond an intellectual assent to the argument for the vegetarian lifestyle towards the actual practice of vegetarianism. If we suppress moral or legal requirements, it will remain problematic even in the powerful arguments for vegetarianism. Particularly at this age of social evolution we can no more ask people to be virtuous than we can ask them to eat certain kinds of food. A time will come when policy makers on this earth will forcefully mandate such dietary practices due to environmental and socio-political crises. For now, we must make up our mind that being a vegetarian is simply morally praiseworthy. Work Cited Setchell KDR. Phytoestrogens: the biochemistry, physiology, and implications for human health of soy isoflavones. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;68(suppl):1333S-46S World Cancer Research Fund. Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research, Washington DC, 1997. Kafatos A, Diacatou A, Voukiklaris G, et al. 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 1997;65:1882-6. Steinmetz K, Potter J. Vegetables, fruit and cancer, I. Epidemiology. Cancer Causes Control 1991;2(suppl):325-57. Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook, 1995: MacMillan. ISBN 978-0026217453. http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/vegetarian_diets_health_benefits.php Read More