Vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters

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 Are you thinking of becoming vegetarian? Do you want a healthy life? How many of you concern  about your diet? What are the health benefits of vegetarian diets? I think all of you know notable persons Leonardo da Vinci, George Barnard Shaw, Sir Isaac Newton, Mahatma Gandhi, and Albert Einstein, who all were vegetarians. Also, Lauren Anderson, Bryan Adams, Bill Walton, Bryan Danielson, Forest Whitaker all are also vegetarians. (Wikipedia, 2011). Today I am going discuss why vegetarian are healthier than meat eaters. Vegetarians are those who eat mostly plant foods or diets with or without dairy products and with exclusion of animal meat, whereas meat eaters are who eat both plants and animal foods. Vegan is an individual who only eat plant based diets. 

According to former Surgeon General C. Everett, 70 percentages of all Americans are dying due to reasons that are directly related to their eating behaviors (Michelle Fletcher, 2009). After doing research for one week, I came to know vegetarian are healthier than meat eaters. I am studying human health risk related diseases associated with consumption of meat, for example, salmonellosis in my Microbiology and pathology classes.  According to Emma Lea and Anthony Worsley (2005), consumption of vegetarians diets are associated with health benefits. (Health Education & Behavior, 2005). There are three main reasons why vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters which includes vegetarian diets are rich in nutrients with less amount of cholesterol and fat,  vegetarians are at lower risk to many health risk diseases, , and vegetarian practices have beneficial environmental impacts.

Transition: Firstly, I would like to discuss about nutritional value of vegetarian diets.

1.     Vegetarians’ diets have richer importance than non-vegetarians diets in terms of nutritional value and less toxicity.

A.     According to The American Dietetic Association, appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate. (Fletcher, 2009).

B.     Vegetarian diet have high amount of vitamins such as C E, carotenoids, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and carbohydrates which are necessary for growth of human body.

C.     Vegetarians diet have lower amount of cholesterol, saturated fat, and animal protein which are considered great risk for many heart disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity.

D.     Eating vegetarians diets avoid the consumption of carcinogens such as DDT, and toxic chemicals, like mercury, lead which otherwise comes in our diet with consumption of meat, and fish.

E.     Many people change their eating practices to vegetarian for weight loss and improved health.

I have talked about nutritional value of vegetarian diet, now I will focus why vegetarians are at less susceptible to high risk diseases.

          

       2.     Studies suggest that regular consumptions of vegetarian diets provide protection        against           many high risk diseases.

A.     According to Epigee organization in an article “The risk and benefits of vegetarian diet”, regular consumption of fruit and vegetable reduces the risk for cancers and heart diseases, like myocardial infarction, cardiovascular disease. (Epigee, 2009)

B.     According to Wildwood Foundation in an article “Vegetarian advantage,” vegetarian diets provide health benefits in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, such as Diabetes mellitus. (Wildwood Hospital, 2010).

C.     According to an article “what causes kidney stone,” high amount of animal protein present in meat is linked with dehydration, kidney damage (Mission Pharmacal company , 2011).

 I have talked why vegetarians are at lower risk to diseases; now let’s look at how vegetarian practices have linked with environmental benefits.

3.     Vegetarian practice in linked with many environmental benefits rather than meat eating practice.

I.     Vegetarian production or plant food agriculture is efficient in terms of maximizing food production.

II.     Following vegetarian practices help to balance the ecosystem through controlling purity of water, and pollution, and preserving the fish population.

III.      Each year farm animals produce tons of solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes and pollutants that have adverse environmental effects for human beings and animals.
    

  A. According to an article “Vegetarians are the best environmentalists,” around 40% of American central rain forests were destroyed to create pasture for cattle beef between 1960 and 1985. (International Vegetarian Union, 2006)

B.  According to Senate Agriculture Committee (1997), 60 percent of American waterways were polluted because of animal agriculture. (Windstar Foundation, 2010)

Transition: Now I have discussed about environmental impact of meat eating practices, let’s review three reasons so far I have talked.


Conclusion: Vegetarian practices are healthier and beneficial than meat eating practices. I have included three reasons why vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters.  Firstly, I have explained its nutritional value for the growth of human body. Secondly, we have looked the reasons why vegetarians are less susceptible to many high risk health related diseases. Lastly, I have included its beneficial environmental impacts in comparison with meat eating practices. Health related issues and problems are at greater risk to meat eaters than vegetarians. Vegetarian diets are essential for the overall growth of human body. Meat eating practices bring detrimental health and environmental effects. With these criteria, vegetarians are truly healthier than meat eaters.

(Picture source:  http://just4moms.net/?cat=154, http://www.not-just-recipes.com/food-and-diet.html)
(References: Wikipedia, (2011). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetarians)

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Gender can be defined as the socially constructed behavior, attributes, and characteristics that a particular sex performs. On the other hand, sex is biological difference between male and female. Sexuality means sexual expression and orientation. Gender, sex, and sexuality seem to be very interrelated terms, but, usually the meaning is broad and complicated to define in a particular manner that suits every individual in every society.

            ‘Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation,’ co-edited by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman is a canonical works that contains essays, poems, and comics including an introduction, an intermission, and an epilogue by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman. This anthology is structured into five parts that gather stories, personal experiences, and gender issues from a diverse group of trans individuals that effectively and profoundly deconstruct, rebuild, and reevaluate the concept of gender. The contents of this book represent the gender identity, and step by step process of transition via their experiences, stories, and interpretation of gender which is the overarching theme of this anthology. The writers describe gender histories and events that have reflected their sense of being transgender or gender queer. Each part covers the stories and personal experiences of writers which are provocative, humorous, insightful, tender, and strong. All stories, essays, and poems of each part give the relationship and issues regarding sex, gender, and sexuality.

Equally important, Kate Bornstein, along with other authors in this book, challenges the gender ideology and narrates gender identity through her experiences. Some authors have different opinions from others for the very concept of ‘outlaw’, making its meaning more complexity and relating it to the greater depth of gender binary issue. According to Bornstein's quote in her memoir, ‘Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us’ (1994, pp. 3-4), “there is need for recognizable identity and the need to belong to a group of people with a similar identity.” By this, she means if an individual wants to be accepted and wants to have an identity in the society, he/she must belong to either one of two groups of people: males or females. In practice, gender includes the social behavior, activities, attributes and cultural characteristics that a society identifies and determines appropriate for men and women.  Gender is too broad and complex to interpret in a particular way in association with social interaction and relation among individuals.

 Furthermore, human beings need to have an identity not only for themselves but also for others.  We use every set of standards to identify ourselves and others in every society, and each set of standards has an opposite set, like; female versus male, good versus bad, and hetero- versus homosexual. Every society has an assumption that an individual must fit into one set of standards that society specifies as standard for an individual to belong to in a binary system. Also, the male and female binary system is devised and adopted as a natural occurrence; however, authors in this book challenge the binary system and set themselves as contradictions to this system. They provide strong argument, experiences, and events that give a clear evidence to disprove hetero-normative systems of sex, gender, and sexuality.

            It is generally believed that gender and sex are interconnected and non-interchangeable terms. Social and cultural beliefs assign the gender identity depending on the type of genitals you have. This is clear from the fact that it is very difficult for people to recognize and accept any individual as a man who has vagina and any woman who has penis. This fact is opposed by the Sherilyn Connelly in her essay ‘The Big Reveal.’ She emphasizes that her gender identity has not affected by her penis. For her, sex organs are not the basis for gender identification; he/she must be comfortable with his/her inner feelings and emotions. Thus it can be concluded that gender reflects an individual’s identification of the mind and emotions, whereas; sex belongs to biology of body and comfort within one’s body.

The concept of gender, however, has been challenged by sex reassignment surgery (SRS).  By successful SRS surgery and hormonal intake, people have transformed themselves from one sex to another. This gives an idea that gender is changeable and shows clear evidence that change in gender requires change in sex as well, but, some activist opposes this concept. In ‘I am Transreal: a reflection on/of Becoming Dragon,’ Micha states how trans people become complete and perfect both internally and externally via SRS. In ‘Trans-ing Gender: The surgical Option,’ Mercedes Allen talks about the health related problems, financial burdens, religion restrictions, and their own personal view in doing the GRS. There are many health related issues related to GRS and hormonal therapy that have challenged the need of GRS among transgender people. Some trans are fine with the genitals and physical body they were given. In contrast, other find it necessary to have GRS in order to fit in society.  This explains how trans people are opposing the social set of standards and are seeking an alternative standard set for identification.

            Additionally, identification of sexual orientation is not always associated with gender or sex identification.  Trans people create confusion regarding the connection between sexuality, sex, and gender.  They may have sexual expression and orientation to males or females in a similar way as a male might be attracted to either male to female.  The sexual expression and orientation of a trans person to males or females despite their sex changes or assigned at birth, suggests that sexual identification and orientation is influenced by personal experiences and interpretations gained from societal factors, such as, school, family, friends, religion, and culture. But there are gendered difference in trans people’s expectations, experiences, personal interpretations, and understanding about sexual orientation and desire among transsexual people in how society perceives, negatively or positively.

The experiences of different authors and their mixed reactions regarding the gender issues, for example, equality and right for transgender people, differ from one another, however, their common purpose is to be accepted as a human. The authors have focused on gender issues that they encountered in their workplace, on the bed, and in society from diverse individuals, like, their intimate life partners, their friends, and family.  Transgender people face many serious consequences: humiliation, dominance, harassment, and discrimination in society and thus this situation discourage their participation in social activities, and these situations act as a hindrance for the overall development of trans people in society.

            Furthermore, many authors explain that the definition of gender based on binary sex is inadequate. Gender can be defined according to the context, opinion, feelings, and social interpretation of how a society and its people specify roles for a particular sex. Gender roles are interrelated with an individual’s sex. Society and government impose strict rules and regulations to limit rights and opportunities for trans people.

            Interestingly, authors have argued that if trans people can cry, and act, and have blood, feelings, and emotions as other human beings have, why are trans people being harassed and not accepted into society. In ‘Trans Corporation,’ CT Whitely gives an example showing the benefit of being a transgender man in corporation. It shows that trans people are successful in understanding and interacting with both male and female groups to deal with complicated situations.  In the ‘Princess,’ comic, Christine Smith portrayed the bullying issue faced at school with great force and humor. To overcome all these obstacles, many others have raised their voices against the system and discrimination. In ‘Letting My light Out,’ Leona Lo addresses the issue of Christian fundamentalism’s threat to a trans woman. All these reflect their issues, problems, and complications on one hand, and, their positive role and contributions to enlighten their capability and success for the development of society on another hand.

            Additionally, Julia Serano in her essay ‘Performance piece,’ discusses that gender is not a merely performance rather it is a “confusing and complicated mess” (Bornstein et al., 2010:85).  Our bodies and our desires are influenced by all external expectations that people place on us. She argues that gender is inexplicable, profound, varied, and intricate. Gender reflects behaviors and ways that come to an individual naturally which are not always associated with our physical performance. She gives an example that her way of acting and clothes she wore were the same during her hormonally transitioned state. Gender is an “amalgamation of bodies, imagination, desires, identities, life experiences, sensations, and behaviors” shaped by both naturally and socially acquired culture and language (Bornstein et al., 2010:87).

            Furthermore, she argues, why would people express their feelings and emotions that may denote non-normative genders that bring high risk when shown in the public if gender is merely a performance? We, as human being, have learned gender from our birth.  Certain characteristics, behaviors, and ways that come in one’s life are somehow more naturally influenced than others.

             All in all, many poems, essays, comics, and experiences shared by many authors in ‘Gender Outlaws’ focuses and challenges the gender ideology and gender stereotypes to a greater depth. Bornstein and Bergman discuss about their memory from the past association, and analyze the physical and mental changes occurred in trans communities as a result of active movements of trans activists, and slowly changing interpretation of social norm. “Gender Outlaws’ emphasizes that constant intersections with gender, race, religion, sex, and sexuality is a fundamental need for successful representation of trans identities rather than isolation. To prove and illustrate this, Bornstein and Bergmann in this anthology have provided several diverse stories from trans communities. Authors have challenged, via their experiences and active movements, the social pressures that exist for trans people due to the socially structured binary gender system. To me, works and attitudes of discriminating, harassing, and imposing inhumane rules and norms on people based on gender, sexes, and sexuality in this modern era, obviously are the reflections of human tyranny. Thus, let’s create truly more just, equitable, and peaceful society by ending all the forms of discrimination and inequalities that exist in society.

Work Cited

Bornstein, Kate, and S. Bear Bergman, eds. Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. Berkeley,           California: Seal Press, 2010.