Vegetarians and non-vegetarians: Comparison and contrast - Essay Example

?Vegetarians and non-vegetarians: Comparison and contrast Introduction There are two fundamental categories of food consumers; vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Vegetarians, as the name suggests, is the name of the category of people who eat vegetables and fruits. On the other hand, non-vegetarians are people who consume meat. There is a lot of difference between the vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet. There is a whole range of factors that differentiate between the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian diet that include but are not limited to the underlying philosophy of the consumers about food, the balance of rights between animals and humans, the nutritional value of vegetables and meat, the effects of consuming vegetables and meat upon the health of the consumers and the range of choices available to the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians. This paper draws a comparison and contrast between the vegetarian diet and the non-vegetarian diet. Philosophy of food Vegetarians and non-vegetarians differ in their respective philosophies of food. Vegetarians are generally drawn by their excessive consciousness towards the rights of animals. A vast majority of the vegetarians are of the view that animals are entitled to the same rights of existence and growth as enjoyed by human beings, thus killing animals to eat them by humans is just as wrong as animals killing humans. This does not mean in any way that non-vegetarians are insensitive towards animals’ rights, but there is a belief in the fundamental superiority of human beings over all animals that justifies a disparity in the rights of animals and human beings. Non-vegetarians are generally drawn towards eating animals by the religious teachings. A lot of religions, particularly the Abrahamic religions have allowed their followers to eat certain animals that have been considered and described as pure. The underlying philosophy of this is that human beings are superior to all other animals and that certain animals have been created by God for humans to eat. There are also many vegetarians that drink milk and eat butter and dairy products made from the milk drawn from animals which essentially suggests that there is a subjectivity in the philosophy that humans cannot eat animals. If humans can drink animals’ milk while animals cannot do the same to humans, this intrinsically suggests a superiority of humans over animals, but the non-vegetarians tend to turn a deaf ear to this argument. Effects on health Vegetarian diet is generally considered appropriate for weight conscious people. Since the vegetarian diet is exclusive of animal fat and meat, which is high in cholesterol and fat content as compared to the vegetables. The vegetarian diet is generally fat free, though there are some vegetarians that like to cook the vegetables in butter and oil drawn from animals. Nevertheless, pure vegetarians make every possible effort not to consume anything drawn from animals in any way, and thus tend to rely on vegetable oil and butter. Vegetarian diet is considered an emblem of living green. Non-vegetarian diet is generally considered appropriate for people who need to put on weight owing to the high fat content and high cholesterol level in the animal meat. Non-vegetarian diet is particularly suitable for the building up of muscles. Proteins derived from meat facilitate muscle-building and lend additional strength to the body. However, non-vegetarians assume immense potential to become overweight and obese. A lot of fast food chains are criticized for the spread of overweight and obesity in many countries. Fast food is traditionally non-vegetarian. In most of the food items contained in the fast food range, the meat is deep fried which further adds to the calorie content of the diet, thus exposing the consumers to the risk of becoming overweight and obese. There is a lot of research that suggests that vegetarians are generally physically smarter and less weighty as compared to the non-vegetarians. One research even took the disparity to the level of mental smartness as the researchers found out the vegetarians to have more IQ level as compared to the non-vegetarians. “Men who were vegetarian had an IQ score of 106, compared with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians” (BBC, 2006). Range of choices Non-vegetarian diet is much vaster in terms of range and flavors as compared to the vegetarian diet. While the vegetarians have to choose from a very limited range of vegetables and fruits to make the food, non-vegetarians are privileged in that they can choose from a wide array of options. Non-vegetarians are not quite as conscious about keeping away from vegetables as vegetarians are about not including meat or any kind of product drawn from animals in their diet. In a vast majority of cases, non-vegetarians combine meat with vegetables which further expands the range of choices for the non-vegetarians beyond limits. Accordingly, non-vegetarians can make wonderful combinations to develop and enjoy new flavors unlike the vegetarians who have to manage within the limited range of flavors to select from. There are certain vegetarians who consider the consumption of red meat wrong while they think that eating white meat including the meat of chicken and fish is appropriate. This may expand the range of options for some vegetarians. However, the range never gets as vast as the one available to the non-vegetarians. Mortality rate Life of an individual depends to a large extent on the diet the individual consumes. These days, a lot of people die early because of such chronic diseases as heart attack, blood pressure and obesity. Generally, these diseases happen because of fat deposition inside the arteries and veins, thus obstructing the flow of blood and exposing the individual to the risk of blockage and the consequential problems. This factor provides the vegetarian diet with an edge over the non-vegetarian diet as the former is lesser in calorie count as compared to the latter. However, there are several other factors that govern the tendency of an individual to acquire such diseases including the environmental factors. Also, there is another category of food i.e. junk food which is equally popular among the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians. Vegetarians consuming junk food elevate their risk of acquiring the same kinds of health risks as assumed by the non-vegetarians. Key et al. (1999) conducted a research to compare the mortality rate of vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Results of the research indicated no difference between the mortality rate of vegetarians and non-vegetarians. “There were no significant differences between vegetarians and nonvegetarians in mortality from cerebrovascular disease, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, or all other causes combined” (Key et al., 1999). This suggests that the factors other than diet are powerful enough to equalize the life of vegetarians and the non-vegetarians. Conclusion Vegetarians and non-vegetarians have different philosophies of food. Some vegetarians consider it unethical for humans to kill animals while the vegetarians derive the right to slaughter and eat animals from religion. Vegetarian diet is lesser in the fat and calorie content as compared to the non-vegetarian diet. Accordingly, vegetarians have more tendency to remain physically fit and smart as compared to the non-vegetarians. Vegetarian diet provides the consumers with limited range of food combinations and flavors as compared to the non-vegetarian diet which makes most of the non-vegetarian foods generally tastier as compared to the vegetarian diet. If the results of the research conducted by Key et al. (1999) are relied upon, which suggests that the mortality rate of vegetarians and non-vegetarians is equal, it can be said that non-vegetarian diet is better than the vegetarian diet since it provides the consumers with much more benefits as compared to what are provided by the vegetarian diet. References: BBC. (2006, Dec. 15). High IQ link to being vegetarian. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6180753.stm. Key, T. J., Fraser, G. E., Thorogood, M., Appleby, P. N., Beral, V., Reeves, G., Burr, M. L., Cang-Claude, J., Frentzel-Beyme, R., Kuzma, J. W., Mann, J. and McPherson, K. (1999). Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. American Society for Clinical Nutrition. 70(3). Read More