Introduction
In this amazing world, different types of people, animals, and plants are living and coordinating with each other directly and indirectly. This is a beautiful world where nothing is exactly the same. Everybody has their own unique choices. People are the best creatures in this world, and they have different perceptions, choices, and habits, etc. People’s eating practices are also different; some like vegetarian dishes, and others like non-vegetarian dishes.
There is always an argument between vegetarian and non-vegetarian people about whether their eating habits are healthier than the other’s. Both have their own logic, ideas, and perceptions about their eating habits. But what is actually good is not clear to everyone. Researchers, doctors, and health specialists show their own research, journals, and studies to verify what is good and what is bad for our health. Our Almighty Allah has created us with great care and in a very sensitive way so that we cannot just do whatever we like. We always have to think before we act.
Our body is very sensitive. We just cannot eat whatever we like because unhealthy food affects us negatively, which can even lead to death. As I said earlier, researchers, doctors, and health specialists are working really hard to help us with diet issues. They are always providing information about foods and eating habits. Most of the time, what we see is an argument between vegetarian diets and non-vegetarian diets. So far, what we see is that there is an equal argument between these two diets, but according to my sense, I think a vegetarian diet is healthier than a non-vegetarian diet.
Methodology
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For my research, I chose a vegetarian diet versus a non-vegetarian diet. The main question of my search is: Is a vegetarian diet healthier than a non-vegetarian diet? This is critical to answer because we need to know what we are consuming and the after-effects of these practices. My claim is that a vegetarian diet provides adequate nutrition for adults and children and can also reduce health problems that a non-vegetarian diet cannot.
To find out the answer, I conducted primary and secondary research. For my primary research, I asked twenty-four different people about their vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. I also spoke with Dr. Tonima Zaman, who works at Uttara Medical College Hospital and recently began working at United Hospital. For my secondary research, I read articles, journals, internet blogs, and visited various websites. I have successfully accomplished my goal and found the answer I was looking for.
Background
Vegetarian diet versus non-vegetarian diet:
Here, I will briefly discuss the pros and cons of both diets. I am including this information because it helps me understand the benefits and negative impacts of both diets. First, let’s look at the pros and cons of a non-vegetarian diet:
- A non-vegetarian diet is more nutritious as it contains protein, minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, and vitamins like A, which are abundant in fish and some white meats. However, a non-vegetarian diet can also lead to infectious pandemics such as Encephalopathy, Salmonella, Foot and Mouth Disease, Bird Flu, and Swine Flu.
- A non-vegetarian diet is absolutely essential to avoid protein deficiency.
- A non-vegetarian diet has little or no fiber, which can lead to improper digestion and constipation as a resultant complication.
Now, let’s discuss the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet:
- A vegetarian diet is easily digestible and puts a minimal load on the gastric system, preserving its capabilities.
- While a vegetarian diet may not be as pro-energetic, it does provide a starting surge. Additionally, the risk of infectious disease is significantly less with a vegetarian diet. Proper sorting and cooking can further reduce the risk.
- Although a vegetarian diet may not be good at providing a sustaining effect normally, special recipes are available to do so. However, it can be a bother!
Primary Research
I have taken a survey on vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets from a number of people who are different in age and gender. My main goal was to find out what people think about a vegetarian diet. Do they really believe that a vegetarian diet is much healthier than a non-vegetarian diet? I found their perception of a vegetarian diet quite interesting. I was quite surprised to find that many non-vegetarians believe that a vegetarian diet is much healthier, disease-free, and inexpensive. I have collected a lot of data, which I have analyzed through diagrams, tables, and charts.
The first and very general question I asked was, Do they eat vegetables?” before asking about their eating practices. I did this because I wanted to find out if even non-vegetarians eat vegetables and, if so, what their purpose was. This is a general pie chart of that particular question. The chart shows that 90% of people in my survey eat vegetables, even if they are non-vegetarian. Only ten percent of people did not eat vegetables at all. What is the reason behind this? What I have found is that people eat vegetables because they subconsciously or consciously think that vegetables are good for their health, even though they may enjoy eating them very much.
My second question was What diet do they follow?” After seeing the answer to that question, I was quite amazed because I found out that in a country like Bangladesh where most of the people are Muslim, they are devoted to a vegetarian diet. This is what I have discovered.
In this graph, I have shown the percentage of people in my survey who are following a specific diet. On the horizontal axis, I have displayed the diet and gender (Red: male & Green: Female), and on the vertical axis, I have shown the percentage of people who are practicing their diet. Upon analyzing this graph, I found that 54.3% of people are non-vegetarian, with 30% being male and 24.3% being female. The percentage of vegetarian people is 41.7%, with 38.2% being female and only 3.5% being male. Additionally, there are others who follow a vegan diet, which is significantly less popular compared to vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets.
These analyses have shown one interesting thing: females are more devoted to a vegetarian diet than males. So, what could be the driving force behind their perception? The answer is health. Most females are more health-conscious than males. Therefore, they believe that a vegetarian diet can help them keep their bodies fit. Another fact is that the percentage of non-vegetarians is higher among males. This is possibly because most males try to maintain their fitness through heavy gym workouts, and non-vegetarian diets can supply them with more protein than other dishes.
The next important question that I asked was, Suppose you are not a vegetarian. If you ever start a vegetarian diet, what will be the reason behind it?” The answers I received were something like this:
In the horizontal axis, I used the reason for being a vegetarian, and in the vertical axis, I used the percentage of people. Based on my survey results, I have found that 75% of people will become vegetarian because of health issues. 12.5% of people will become vegetarian because of family and cultural pressure. After analyzing this graph, I have seen that most people are health-conscious. They will become vegetarian because they know that a vegetarian diet is healthier than a non-vegetarian diet. So, they know the fact that a vegetarian diet will help them live healthy, fresh, and disease-free. Others think that they will become vegetarian because of their family, and still, others think that culture could be the driving factor for their changing habit.
Another important question that I asked them was what they think about vegetarian people not getting enough protein and other important components. Their response was something like this:
In this pie chart, I have shown the percentage of people who are thinking about the protein and other important components present in a vegetarian diet. This analysis has revealed that more than 66% of people agree that protein and other important components are obtained when they consume a vegetarian dish. They think there is no lack of protein and other essential components in a vegetarian dish. At the same time, 13.5% of people disagree with this fact. They think that without having a non-vegetarian dish, one cannot get a sufficient amount of protein and other necessary components to maintain their bodies fit and healthy. Additionally, 12.5% of people think that they get protein and other vital components from a vegetarian dish but not in sufficient amounts.
Another issue is what I am trying to find out: people’s perception of a vegetarian diet in terms of our country’s economic condition. We all know that our country is a developing country where half of the population lives below the poverty line. They do not have a sufficient amount of money to buy the ingredients for non-vegetarian dishes every day. So, what do people think about motivating them to practice a vegetarian diet? What I have found is that more than 87% of people think that it would be a wise decision for them because a vegetarian diet is much cheaper than non-vegetarian dishes, which 62.5% of people think.
Secondary Research
For my secondary research, I have used articles, journals, internet blogs, and different websites. What my secondary research leads me to believe is that in earlier days, it was a common belief that a non-vegetarian diet was superior to a vegetarian diet. People used to think that a non-vegetarian diet provided more power and was full of energetic ingredients. This theory attracted more and more people, and ultimately, a large number of people in the world adopted a non-vegetarian diet.
But now, this concept is changing. A significantly important difference between a vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet is that the former contains dietary fibers, whereas a non-vegetarian diet lacks fiber. According to Rakesh (2010), dietary fibers are very useful for the human body because it has been observed that people who eat a diet rich in these dietary fibers have a low incidence of diseases such as coronary heart diseases, cancer of the intestinal tract, piles, obesity, diabetes, constipation, hiatus hernia, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, dental caries, and gallstones.
The foodstuffs rich in these dietary fibers are cereals and grains, legumes, fruits with seeds, citrus fruits, carrots, cabbage, celery, green leafy vegetables, apples, melons, peaches, pears, etc. A vegetarian diet provides adequate nutrition to adults and children and can also reduce health problems, as an Australian study has found.
A study by Sharp (2009) found that those who adopt a vegetarian diet receive adequate levels of protein, iron, and zinc, and are less likely to suffer from heart disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. According to a recent study from Eastern Michigan University, vegetarian diets can be recommended for successful weight management without compromising diet quality. The study found that vegetarian diets are nutrient-dense, consistent with dietary guidelines, and high in fiber, as well as a large variety of other vitamins and minerals. Although the protein intakes of vegetarians in the study were lower than the intakes of non-vegetarians, they were not lower than recommended amounts for adults.
Typically, no vegetarians exceed protein requirements, and higher protein intakes – particularly animal protein – are hypothesized to increase the risk of some chronic conditions and diseases. Meanwhile, vegetarians were found to eat more dark leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains than non-vegetarians. Leafy greens provide calcium and iron, whole grains and legumes provide zinc, and all provide important contributions to protein intake. I also think that many people who are new to vegetarianism tend to substitute things like pasta or cheese for meat instead of eating more vegetables, whole grains, and legumes,” says Farmer (2007).
The benefits of a vegan diet extend beyond your own health to that of the planet. Eating plants, rather than feeding plants to animals and then eating the animals, makes much more efficient use of land and water and produces far less pollution. Eating less meat means fewer industrial farms and fewer animals subjected to harsh treatment. According to Katz (n.d.), even if you don’t want to take the plunge into veganism, it bears repeating that a diet of mostly plants is good for your health.
Or, you might consider the Mediterranean diet, which includes seafood, some meat, and dairy. It has been linked to a longer lifespan and reduced risk of cancer and heart disease. All in all, my secondary research has shown me that a vegetarian diet contains almost all important food elements and nutrition. Vegetarian dishes have a sufficient amount of protein to support our body’s needs, as I have learned from expert opinions and sources. To lead a healthy life, there is no alternative to a vegetarian diet.
The benefits of a vegetarian diet extend beyond your own health to that of the planet. Eating plants, rather than feeding plants to animals and then eating the animals, makes much more efficient use of land and water, and produces far less pollution. Eating less meat means fewer industrial farms and fewer animals subjected to harsh treatment. Slowly but surely, people are becoming more oriented towards a vegetarian diet for the sake of their health.
Findings
After analyzing my primary and secondary research data, I have found that people are becoming vegetarian for the sake of their health. One interesting thing that I have found is that people who are non-vegetarian prefer a vegetarian diet as healthier, although they do not practice a vegetarian diet due to cultural, family, or environmental issues.
Moreover, they want to practice a vegetarian diet if they get the chance. Another interesting thing is that young females are more curious about a vegetarian diet than young males. As my research has shown, there are a variety of health problems caused by non-vegetarian dishes, so it would be wise to switch to a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet has many advantages that can help people live a disease-free, healthy life.
Recommendation:
As we are all human beings, we do not have eternal life to live in this beautiful world. It is natural that we all have to leave this world forever, so no matter how many days we live, we should live it fully with good health. We cannot gain good health by consuming non-vegetarian dishes, which can create a lot of health problems. To avoid all possible major and minor health diseases, we should practice a vegetarian diet, which all sensible people will do. We get all the necessary nutrition, protein, and other essential food elements from vegetarian dishes, so why should we ignore it? If you cannot get rid of non-vegetarian dishes because of culture, environment, or family, try at least three days of full vegetarian dishes for the sake of your health. You do not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy vegetarian dishes, because we all know that health is wealth.
Conclusion
A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option, but it is important to ensure that it is well balanced. You could stuff your face with chips and chocolate at every meal and be vegetarian, but you wouldn’t be doing your health much good. A vegetarian diet tends to be lower in total fat, and vegetarians tend to eat proportionally more polyunsaturated fat than saturated fat compared to non-vegetarians.
A typical vegetarian diet closely matches expert dietary recommendations for healthy eating. It is low in saturated fat and high in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and fresh fruits and vegetables. As long as you eat a variety of foods, you will be getting all the nutrients you need. Supermarkets, restaurants, and fast food outlets now stock a wide range of vegetarian options. Many “meat-free” dishes still have a meaty consistency and are significantly lower in fat and calories than their counterparts. Whether you are vegetarian or not, change the way you think about food, experiment, and try new “meat-free” dishes in your diet. Eat green, live fresh.
References
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- Dr. Rakesh S. (2010, October). Madhwa Kalyana. Retrieved from http://www.ourkarnataka.com/madhwakalyana/vegetarian.htm.
- T. Sharp (2009). Is a Vegetarian Diet Adequate? Melbourne, Australia: Medical Journal Press.
- Eastern Michigan University (2011). The Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/04/vegetarian-diet-provides-good-nutrition.
