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)

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

           Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are those organisms whose genome has been modified to develop specific traits. Recombinant DNA technology is being practiced for altering or modifying genetic materials of living organisms such as plants, fish, animals and microorganisms. There are various views about regulating GMO. In my opinion GMO is in USA should not be regulated in the same manner as other new organisms. There are some benefits that can be gained from GMO, but there are very serious problems concerning with GMO.

   

                  Moreover, some of the mosquitoes developed resistance to pesticide DDT; many people assume those insects will resistant to Bt corn or other crops that have been genetically modified to produce their own pesticides. According to laboratory study published on Nature magazine a genetically modified Bt. Corns’ pollen grains caused high mutation rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars.  Bt toxins kill many insect larvae. As scientists have developed high herbicide resistant crops the farmers used increased amount of herbicides because they think that that crops can tolerate herbicides. In 2004, GMOs production banned in California, Mendocino city.

                  Furthermore, there is possibility of transfer genetically modified organisms’ gene to other new organism, which results in modification of unwanted organisms with untargeted gene developed. Pollen grains transferred from insects, birds, and winds carry genetically altered seeds into neighboring field. This pollen from transgenic plants can cross pollinate with natural crops. All crops are then vulnerable to contamination from cross pollination. Conventionally bred crop plants can be cross pollinated from pollen of modified plants. Winds, animals, and insects usually disperse pollen over large areas. 

                  On the other hand, there are possibilities that GMOs could introduce food allergens in the food or lead to spread of antibiotic resistance. Though scientists and governments have said that consumption of these types of crops is safe without any adverse health effect, these crop’s consumption is being discouraged by many environments groups in many countries.

                  Additionally, there is probability of transfer of gene from herbicide or pesticide resistant genetically modified plants into weed. This makes super weeds resistant to pesticides. This results in growth of weeds that harms to yield crops. There will be high growth of weeds with unwanted gene. That decreases the productivity of crops.

                  The cost production of genetically modified organisms is high, these processes includes high sophisticated techniques. Consumers need to pay high amount for buying genetically modified foods due to high cost of productions. Many companies are producing genetically modified foods for benefits. There may be problems for poor people to buy expensive genetically modified foods. There are many adverse health effects on human health with the consumption of GMO food; many children have faced health problems due to allergens of GMO food.   There are some advantages to produce, consume, and use GMOs, but; it can cause adverse health problems.

((References:

                        Genetically modified organism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                        Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?

                        Turtle Mountain - GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms   ))