Vegetarian Lifestyle - Essay Example

"Vegetarian Lifestyle" is a perfect example of a paper on food and nutrition. You have heard a number of times in the press, media, from health professionals, and even within the societies about discussions concerning the significance of vegetables to human health. Even though the discussion began long before we could become ideas, health problems related to low consumption of vegetables have rejuvenated the discussion in our contemporary societies. the emergence and spread of obesity, diabetes, cancers, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular complications brought about by the consumption of high amounts of calories have convinced people to start worrying about their health. Since most of the hard diseases lack direct and proved medicine, people unsuccessfully strive for practical answers to their problems. What exactly do we do wrongly to become victims of these terrible health conditions, and what should we do to manage the impacts of these diseases?

Thesis

To improve our already deteriorating health conditions, we need to embrace and recognize the importance of vegetables in our diets and possibly adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. Credibility

As a health scientist, I have encountered many patients who suffer from illnesses caused by sparing consumption of vegetables. Those who adopt and stick to my advice about the need to start a vegetarian lifestyle have reported stable health conditions with some victims of obesity, diabetes, and heart attack confirming the reduction in pain and complications.

Transition

Today, I am going to talk about the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, ways of becoming a vegetarian challenge faced in the process, and possible solutions to the challenges.

Body

Refusal to include and recognize vegetables in diets is the main cause of the hard diseases whose solutions lie in the adoption of a vegetarian lifestyle. The main subject of this speech is to persuade you to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. Complying with this persuasion will mean that you have decided to stop or reduce intake heavy intake of other calorific-rich diets like meat. A vegetarian lifestyle eliminates or reduces exposure to hard and costly diseases like heart attack, diabetes, cancers, and obesity. A study conducted in 2009 in European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in Oxford (EPIC-Oxford) revealed that vegetarians were 19% less likely to die from heart-related diseases (Harvard Medical School).  

Transition

I understand that some of you may find it difficult to shift from consumption of calories to pure vegetarian.

Barriers

The main reason that some people encounter difficulty to shift to a vegetarian lifestyle is the fear for fear that they will miss some important nutrients like fats, protein, omega-3, iron, zinc, and Vitamin B12 that is only present in animal-derived food materials (Meade). People also fear that vegetarianism would cause them bone complications because vegetables have insufficient Vitamin K required for bone strengthening and growth. According to Gunnars, a certain study also revealed that 92% of veterans tend to lack Vitamin B12.

Transition

Such fears are insignificant and should not prevent any person from adopting a healthy and life-sustaining vegetarian lifestyle.

Solution

Studies have proved that vegetarians get nearly the same amount of iron as that present in red meat. The only difference that the body readily absorbs iron from the red meat that it does for non-heme iron present in vegetables. Intake of Vitamin C and fruit acids works to facilitate absorption of iron in vegetables (McDowell). Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C are available in fortified food and as supplements. Proteins are also present in leguminous plant-like beans, oats, soya beans, groundnuts, coconut, and whole grains. As health scientists, I have observed a great change in the health of patients with diabetes, heart attack, and obesity when they refrain from meat and take supplements and fortified food as a replacement for important nutrients present in meat. To change from dependence on meat to a vegetarian lifestyle, individuals can begin by introducing small amounts of vegetables in meals at least once a week. Individuals can also begin by slowly substituting meat with fish, poultry, and other seafood (Lee). Doing this makes it easy for individuals to transit from meat to vegetarianism with minimal cravings for meat.

Conclusion

Discussions about the significance of vegetables to human health are everywhere within our societies. However, we tend to ignore such discussions and move on with our contemporary lifestyles. In many cases, we realize the importance of vegetables when faced with risks of obesity, diabetes, cancers, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular complications and advised by health scientists. Even after receiving advice, people encounter and harbor a fear of losing other important body nutrients initially obtained from meat and related food materials. The fact is that nearly all nutrients present in meat are available naturally in plant crops and artificially as food additives and supplements. Adopting a vegetarian lifestyle is the only viable and practical way of fighting health complications like diabetes, cancers, heart attacks, and obesity that are troubling our societies.  

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