Recently, there have been ongoing suggestions about the need to eat a well-balanced diet for our health. However, what a “healthy diet” exactly means should be carefully discussed. Are vegetarians insanely healthy? To find the answers to questions, I decided to start researching, and it was worth finding out what the actual benefits were.
What is vegetarianism?
Vegetarianism pertains to the practice of abstaining from meat consumption. Vegetarians are people who do not eat meat or fish. There is another category of people called vegans. Vegans are stricter than vegetarians and do not consume dairy products, eggs, or other ingredients from animals.
There are multiple types of vegetarians.
・Lacto-ovo vegetarians: vegetarians who do not consume animal flesh but do eat dairy and egg products
・Lacto vegetarians: vegetarians who might avoid animal flesh and eggs but eat dairy products
・Ovo vegetarians: vegetarians who refrain from all animal products other than eggs
・Vegans: vegetarians who would avoid all animal and animal-based products (Petre, 2016)
Benefits of a vegetarian diet
・Longer lifespan
・Lower cholesterol levels
・Less risk of stroke and obesity
・Decreases risk of diabetes
・Healthy skin
・High fiber content
・Reduces depression
・Improves metabolism
・Reduces the risk of cataract development
・Economical
(Abha,2020)
Disadvantages of being a vegetarian
There are four disadvantages.
・Low protein intake
When one becomes a vegetarian, their protein intake is significantly reduced due to the fact that they no longer eat meat. This protein is essential because it is an important component of our body.
Of course, we can get it from beans and broccoli, but it is difficult to survive on this. Climate influences and the range of foods we eat are less varied. Furthermore, it is difficult to get effective protein from vegetables because their amino acid composition is different from that available from meat.
・Insufficient oils and fat
Protein is not the only benefit you get from meat. Oil is another. While it is true that fat is something that should be avoided, when incorporated into the diet in proper amounts, it offers the following benefit: It plays an important role in hair, skin, and joints and reduces free radical damage that causes cancer.
・Vitamin B12 insufficiency
We, humans, get vitamin B12 from meat. Vitamin B12 can help solve problems, such as neuropathy, low energy, and impaired calcium utilization. If deficient, it can cause osteoporosis and brain damage. It can be supplemented with fortified foods like supplements, but they are expensive.
・Lifestyle difficulties
Although vegetarianism has the advantage of improving one’s diet because one no longer eats fast food, it also poses problems in different areas. For example, if you are having dinner with friends and you are only allowed to eat vegetables, you may have to go to a restaurant that has a vegetarian menu or purchase new foods that are vegetarian-friendly. Also, if you are hungry, you cannot eat fried chicken, so you have to cook or buy something with vegetables. In this respect, vegetarians are considered to be losing out on the effort of searching for vegetable products and the experience of eating a variety of foods.
(Healthguidance, 2020)
Conclusion
Although there are many benefits to becoming a vegetarian, there are difficulties that come with a restricted diet. Therefore, it is important to eat a balanced diet of all foods.
<Reference>
Petre, A. (2016). Vegan vs Vegetarian – What’s The Difference? [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-vs-vegetarian [Accessed 15 July 2022].
Abha Toppo (2020). 10 benefits of being a Vegetarian. [online] Krishijagran.com. Available at: https://krishijagran.com/health-lifestyle/10-benefits-of-being-a-vegetarian/ [Accessed 16 July 2022].
Healthguidance.org. (2020). Disadvantages of Being a Vegetarian | HealthGuidance. [online] Available at: https://www.healthguidance.org/entry/11183/1/disadvantages-of-being-a-vegetarian.html [Accessed 16 July 2022].
