Health Benefits

There are many health benefits of being a vegetarian. After doing my research I have concluded that there are more benefits then dangers. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?Identifier=4777 This website gives lots of information on the health benefits of being a vegetarian aswell as the safe ways to go about doing it in order to stay healthy. The author of this website states," Most vegetarians diets are low in animal products. They're also lower than nonvegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Vegetarians have lower risk of obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure."Eating red meat increases the chance of getting breast cancer, colon cancer, heart disease and strokes. Many people who eat meat have much higher rates of cancer than vegetarians. Cancer and cardiovascular diseases are linked to diets with a high amount of saturated fat and with a low amount of fiber. Animal products have lots of salt, which causes the blood to retain water and can cause plaque to build up in a persons arteries. A statistic says that Americans eat five time more protein then is actually needed. The intake of too much protein can cause a bone disorder. He goes on to explain that a vegetarians diet needs to be carefully planned out in order to make sure he/she is getting enough nutrients. One of the main things to be considered in a vegetarians diet is protein. Plant proteins can provide enough amino acids as long as they are high in energy. Whole grains, vegetables, seeds, and nuts are also another way to get important nutrients. " Doctors recommend that a healthy diet consists of getting 30% of total calories from fat and no more than 10% of total calories from saturated fat, and 55% of total calories should come from complex carbohydrates such as grains, cereals, vegetables and fruits. It is also recommended that a person eat only enough calories to maintain their body weight." Overall, a vegetarians diet is a lot healthier then eating a diet filled with meat, but if you don't eat a proper vegetarian diet you can do more harm then good to your body. Not all diets with meat in them are bad for your body. If you eat meat that is lean and do not over eat and still incorporate fiber, grains, vegetables, and fruit into your diet you will be able to stay healthy.

Obesity

The United States of America has gained a reputation for many things. I feel that one of our most notable traits is very embarrassing. Many of the people in the USA are considered to be obese and they say that Americans are the fattest people in today's world. "Nearly 2/3 of adults weigh more than they should. Many factors, including our more sedentary lifestyle, food advertising, and the easy availability of food, have been identified as contributing to the problem." I found a website online that talks about Americans obesity and how to stay on a vegan diet. http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue1/vj2006issue1weight.htm . The quote makes very points as to what may be causing obesity in today society. There are so many fast food chains that food is available at your fingertips and there's also delivery which allows people to stay at home and wait for their food to come to them. Advertising for food is very detailed. They have food models and people who specialize in making food look appealing for tv. These people are a kind of food cosmetologist. Many people work long days at a desk and never really move around at all during the day. Americans like to eat McDonald and they don't like to go to the gym. Of course this is just a generalization. Not only are adults obese, but many children are overweight aswell. If kids don't get involved in activities such as sports or dance and they eat tons of junk food they will most likely end up being overweight. Studies show that vegetarians tend to be leaner than non-vegetarians. A vegan diet is the best diet to be on if you are trying to lose weight. Began diets are high in fiber which can make a person feel full. Also, vegan diets don't rely on meat and dairy products for protein. Vegans eat grains, beans, and soy products in order to get their protein. Besides eating a vegan diet there are other things you need to incorporate into your everyday routine to stay health. Exercise is extremely important. Walking three times a week can help a person stay fit and it is good for your heart. Losing weight is not an easy thing to do. In order to lose weight you have to burn more calories then you take in.

Environment and being a vegetarian

Some of the websites I have looked at while doing research for my paper have linked being a vegetarian and helping the environment. I never really thought of the environment and vegetarian's as being interconnected, but they most definitely are. The website I used to learn about being a vegetarian and the environment was http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/teennutrition.htm. The author of this website said, " vegetarian's represents a positive move toward a cleaner and more compassionate world, a reduction in global hunger, and improved personal health." The author went on to explain how meat productions have a negative affect on tropical rain forests and air and water quality. Also, animals are being raised to be killed for food. The author also stated that being a vegetarian helps your personal health because vegetarians have a lower risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and obesity. Another website that claims being a vegetarian will save the environment is, http://www.vsc.org/environment1.htm. Some of the facts on this website are, " Meat production and livestock agriculture use more energy per capital then the less developed countries spend per capita on energy for all purposes. Also, it is estimated that 80% of all the water used by agriculture goes directly or indirectly for animal products." Forests are also being ruined by meat consumption. The website state that, " The single most important reason for deforestation in the United States and much of the rest of the world is cattle grazing. " As forests change the climate starts to change aswell. "It has been widely observed that rainfall increases in forested areas, decreases in areas that have been deprived of forests. Forests are usually replaced by cows, which belch huge quantities of methane into the atmosphere, contributing substantially to the greenhouse effect." Thins website really shows how much danger our environment is in today. In my opinion this website is a little bit extreme. At the end of the website it says the only way to really save the environment is for everyone to stop eating meat. That is an impossible thing to ask from the world and there are many other factors that would harm out environment even if everyone stopped eating meat.

Where did your eating habits come from?

When I think back to when I was a child I remember my mom making dinner every night and the four of us sitting down at the table to eat our meal. My mom always cooked vegetables at every meal and made sure there was a salad for after dinner. Most of the time we ate fish or chicken and I don't really remember ever eating steak. Now that I am older I eat what I want and can get food all on my own. I don't have to wait for my mom to make dinner like I use to when I was younger. The website http://www.vegsoc.org/info/health1.html#ahea has many different articles about being a vegetarian. One of the authors wrote an article about child vegetarians. The author said, " The eating habits of parents and other careers will be the ones that the child imitates and acquires." I completely agree with this statement. I grew up eating very little red meat and now I only eat fish. Also, my favorite food is salad. The thought of salad being someone's favorite food is pretty silly, but I was brought up with eating salad every night and I love it! My boyfriend was brought up eating tons of meat and starches and to this day that's all he eats. His dad doesn't eat vegetables and since he was the one who did the cooking in the house none of the other family members ate vegetables either. This shows how important a parents role is in their child's diet. It is not healthy for a child to be a vegetarian because childhood is the most important stage for growing in a persons life. If a child doesn't get enough protein they may have problems with their health later on in life. It is also not health for a child to never eat vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are what people need to stay healthy and strong. The best diet for a child is to eat fruits, vegetables, and meat. Of course every child loves cookies and candy. I don't think that a child should be prohibited from these treats, but its important to watch what your child eats and make sure there is a healthy balance. Exercise is another important factor in a child's upbringing. For the most part children who come from active families are the ones who grow up to be active. Its not enough for a child just to eat healthy they also need to be able to go outside and exercise. Exercise doesn't have to be playing soccer or basketball, it can be swimming, boating, or hiking. Parents are the main role models for their children while they are growing up. That is why its important to teach them to eat healthy and exercise.

Humans ability to eat meat

As I was doing my research about vegetarians and the health risks and benefits I found out that humans were not made to be carnivorous. I found information on humans digestion system and the idea of humans being herbivore at http://www.jtcwd.com/vegie/. The author said, " Although humans are capable of digesting meat, human anatomy clearly favors a diet of plant foods." There have been many studies that show that humans were not meant to eat meat and that their digestion system can handle eating plants easier then eating meat. Some examples of animals that are intended to be carnivorous are the lion, dog, wolf, and cat. These animals have short digestive systems which helps the food to get out of the body quickly. It is not good to eat flesh and have it in the body for a long time because it can become poisonous. Also, meat eating animals perspire through their tongue instead of their skin. This is because they hunt at night and sleep during the day. Therefore, they hunt when the sun is in and do not need sweat glands. Some examples of herbivore are elephants cows, sheep, and llamas. The digestion for these animals starts in the mouth and is then broken down to be digested. Recent studies have shown that meat in their diets can harm the animals.
Humans have a completely different body structure and digestive system then carnivorous. The human digestive system is twelve times the length of the body. Also, humans do not have the natural instincts of a carnivorous. Humans evolved from fruit and vegetable eaters and were not originally made to eat meat.
I feel that many people don't know that our digestive system was not designed to eat meat. I think that if more people were educated about our digestive system and what it was designed for the whole world would consume food differently. This website supports the idea that humans really weren't made to eat meat. Before reading this article I was unaware in the different kind of digestion systems and how it changes the kinds of food animals eat. Many people don't think about the kind of digestion system a human has when thinking about their diet. Most people just think that humans have sharp teeth and are animals and animals eat meat therefore, humans should also consume meat. Although humans were not made to eat meat there are other ways that they can get their protein. Eating lots of nuts and soy will help a vegetarian get their protein, but its not the same as eating meat.

Eating Disorders

"Being a vegetarian, in some causes, may serve as a warning sign that a woman could develop an eating disorder." This quote is from http://www.vegetarian-diet.info/vegetarian-diet-articles-vegetarianism.htm. This website talks about some of the health dangers of being a vegetarian. The author claims that when a female claims to be a vegetarian and is a college aged woman, that woman is more at risk for developing an eating disorder. The authors argument for this is that vegetarians watch what they eat very closely and are extremely careful with their diets and their health. The author did a study to see how young vegetarian women felt about food. "Vegetarians in the study were more likely to say they feel very guilty after eating, report that food controls their life, take laxatives, and turn to intense exercise to burn calories." Also, being a vegetarian is a more accepted lifestyle then having an eating disorder and therefore it is easier to use being a vegetarian as a reason for not eating. The study surveyed women and most of them women said they were only semi-vegetarians because they would consume fish and chicken. Also, the majority of the women's reason for becoming a vegetarian is not for ethical reasons, but to watch their weight.
I never thought that these two issues could be related to one another, but after reading this information I know that this is a correct fact. Unfortunately, I am one of those girls who are semi-vegetarians and have an eating disorder. I never realized it until the end of my high school career. I was always weight conscious and at the age 11 I stopped eating red meat and started watching what I ate claiming that I was a vegetarian. Due to my own experiences I am positive that this research is correct. I'm not staying that all women who are vegetarians have eating disorders, but they are definitely a lot more conscious about their weight and what food they put into their mouths. Also, I had a best friend in fourth grade who was brought up a semi-vegetarian because her mom was one. Now that I am older and understand eating disorders I can say for a fact that this girls mother starves her children and they used being a vegetarian as a mask to hide the truth about their lives. This is really a hard topic to talk about for me, but I just want girls to know that this statistic is real and that you need to be careful.

Reasons for becoming a vegetarian....

One of the websites I used to do research on my topic talked about the reasons that people become vegetarians. The website that I found this information on is, http://www.jtcwd.com/vegie/ . The author says, " Reasons for becoming a vegetarian are personal and individual decisions. Some are ethical and some are health reasons." I find it very interesting to listen to peoples stories and find out what made them decide to become a vegetarian. Personally, I stopped eating meat in the fourth grade for a few different reasons. I never really liked the taste of meat and mad cow disease had just started to surface. The thought of getting sick and dying scared me as a young child and therefore I decided to not eat red meat. Now eleven years later and I still choose not to eat meat. I am not a true vegetarian because I do eat fish. Some other reasons people decide to become vegetarians is because they believe in animal rights and feel that it is inhumane to eat meat. It is good to care about the animals and the environment, but I feel that we need people to eat meat for the cycle of life to continue. If no one ate meat then there would be an over population of animals in the world and it could lead to chaos. Other reasons people choose not to eat meat is due to their religion. For example, I have a friend that is Jewish and she does not eat pork. Health concerns may be another reason that some people do not eat meat. Everyone follows a different diet and what's good for some is not good for others. Certain people may have allergies or health conditions that restrict them from eating meat.
In my opinion culture is also a big part of a persons diet. My family is 100% Italian and I was raised eating lots of pasta, sausage, meatballs, and fish. My family ate more fish then meat and that most likely contributes to why I prefer fish over meat. I also know kids who were born into vegetarian families and since their parents don't eat meat neither do they. I feel that it is not healthy for a young child to be a vegetarian because it could stunt their growth. Children need to get all the nutrients they can while their bodies are young and still developing. I am short and I think that maybe the fact that I stopped eating meat at such a young age played a part on my height.

Links for vegetarian information

Here are some links that go along w/my topic

http://www.jtcwd.com/vegie/

http://www.vegsoc.org/health/

http://www.vegetarian-diet.info/vegetarian-diet-articles-vegetarianism.htm

Explaining my topic

Hi! I'm just making this first post to help people understand what I am going to be researching and why it is important to me. My topic is about the pros and cons of being a vegetarian. I want to know if it really is healthy to be a vegetarian. I find this topic interesting becuase it is related to health and I am pre-med student at SU and I have been interested in the health field since I was young. Also, I have been a vegetarian since fourth grade. I'm not really sure why I became a vegetarian. I think it was a mixture of two things. One, I heard about mad cow disesase and two I never really liked the taste of meat. I still eat fish and sometimes I'll eat chicken because I play lots of sports and I need my protein. I am interested in finding out what is considered to be a healthy diet for a vegetarian and if their are any real beneifts or concerns about being a vegetarian.