People become vegetarians for many reasons, including health, religious convictions, concerns about animal welfare or the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock, or a desire to eat in a way that avoids excessive use of environmental resources. Approximately six to eight million adults in the United States eat no meat, fish, or poultry, according to a Harris Interactive poll commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group, a nonprofit organization that disseminates information about vegetarianism. Traditionally, research into vegetarianism focused mainly on potential nutritional deficiencies, but in recent years, the pendulum has swung the other way, and studies are confirming the health benefits of meat-free eating. A vegetarian diet reduces the risk of suffering diseases, helps to prolong the life and reduces the pollution.
You will war off disease. Vegetarian diets are more healthful than the average American diet, particularly in preventing, treating or reversing heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer. A low-fat vegetarian diet is the single most effective way to stop the progression of coronary artery disease or prevent it entirely. Cardiovascular disease kills 1 million Americans annually and is the leading cause of death in the United States. But the mortality rate for cardiovascular disease is lower in vegetarians than in no vegetarians, says Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. A vegetarian diet is inherently healthful because vegetarians consume less animal fat and cholesterol (vegans consume no animal fat or cholesterol) and instead consume more fiber and more antioxidant-rich produce, that is another great reason to listen to Mom and eat your veggies.
It will prolong your life. If you switch from the standard American diet to a vegetarian diet, you can add about 13 healthy years to your life, says Michael F. Roizen, MD, author of The Real Age Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat. ‘People who consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and more disability at the end of their lives. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy and slow down your immune system. Meat eaters also experience accelerated cognitive and sexual dysfunction at a younger age.’
One cohort study looked at 65,429 men and women between 20 and 97 with various dietary habits and backgrounds, including many non-meat eaters and meat eaters. Researchers compared overall nutrient intake and found vegetarians and vegans had the highest intakes of fiber, vitamin B1, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, and magnesium. But they had the lowest intakes of retinol, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, and zinc. Meat eaters got some of these nutrients, but they also consumed less fiber (bad) and more saturated fat (good or bad, depending on the source).
A study conducted from 1986 to 1992 by Dean Ornish, MD, president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, found that overweight people who followed a low-fat, vegetarian diet lost an average of 24 pounds in the first year and kept off that weight 5 years later. They lost the weight without counting calories or carbs and without measuring portions or feeling hungry.
Agricultural activities cause pollution. Those types of activities that involve pollution include confined animal facilities, plowing, pesticide spraying, irrigation, fertilizing and harvesting, but some people become vegetarians after realizing the devastation that the meat industry is having on the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms is responsible for more than 173,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams. Runoff from farmlands is one of the greatest threats to water quality today. In fact, the EPA estimates that nearly 95 percent of the pesticide residue in the typical American diet comes from meat, fish and dairy products. Fish, in particular, contain carcinogens (PCBs, DDT) and heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium) that cannot be removed through cooking or freezing. Meat and dairy products can also be laced with steroids and hormones; so be sure to read the labels on the dairy products you purchase.
To sum up, a vegetarian diet can be a healthy choice for everyone, we can live longer without contaminating the environment and of course, we will be conscious that we have not damaged any animal during the process. It is pretty important to make conscious the rest of the society about the consume of a vegetarian diet, because in that way we will have a great opportunity to help as to us as the planet.
REFERENCES:
- Editors, V. T. (2007, June 15). 16 Reasons You Should Go Veg. Retrieved from https://www.vegetariantimes.com/health-and-nutrition/why-go-veg-learn-about-becoming-a-vegetarian
- Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). Becoming a vegetarian. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/becoming-a-vegetarian
- Hardick, B. (2017, September 16). We have officially found the healthiest diet for longevity. Here’s everything you need to know. Retrieved from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/do-vegetarians-vegans-really-life-longer
- Gavin, M. L. (Ed.). (2014, October). Vegetarianism (for Parents). Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/vegetarianism.html
