Vegetarianism is  the practice of restraining from consuming meat products. There are many different variations of vegetarian diets. Some may include abstaining from all animal products, such as eggs and milk, while other diets only include abstaining from meat. Most vegetarian diets include eating nuts and seeds as sources of protein, but not all vegetarian diets do so. Some may  argue that vegetarian diets are more beneficial for oneself, while others may disagree. There are many reasons behind starting a vegetarian lifestyle such as health concerns, weight concerns, and ethical reasons. A person may argue that a vegetarian lifestyle is a heart-healthy diet because it is based mainly on fresh products such as fruits and vegetables. They also believe that a vegetarian lifestyle is destined to help you lose weight and that it is an ethical diet because it limits the amount of animals that are being killed and tortured to feed the world. On the other hand, others may argue that a vegetarian diet is not necessarily healthier unless there is variation in the foods being eaten. For the same reason, they believe that it will not necessarily make you lose weight. Also, since many people have different beliefs they may not have the same ethical reasons for starting a vegetarian lifestyle. A vegetarian diet is not necessarily healthier than an omnivorous diet unless the diet is followed in a healthful manner.

Some people believe that a vegetarian lifestyle is healthier, it helps you lose weight, and it is more ethical, as opposed to the usual meat-eating diet. A study was conducted by the American Heart Association (AHA) called American Heart Association’s Scientific Session (Lagnado 1). This study compared a vegan diet, and the AHA diet, which was said to be “heart-healthy” (1).  The only difference between these diets was the vegan diet did not include meat products, while the AHA diet included meat products (2). This study concluded that, “a vegan diet significantly reduced systemic inflammation and improved lipid profiles in patients with coronary artery disease while and AHA recommended diet did not” (1). Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease which is due to the buildup of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries (Medline 1). This buildup of plaque usually consists of lipids  which leads to systemic inflammation (Szalay 2). Systemic inflammation is when the arteries become so extremely clogged with plaque that they begin to inflame and often cause heart attacks (2). Since this study concluded that only the vegan diet reduced systemic inflammation by decreasing the intake of lipids, it was proven that the vegan diet was healthier than the regular AHA recommended diet (Langado 2).

A vegetarian diet may let you lose a few pounds and reduce your Body Mass Index (BMI). In 2003 scientists observed the body mass index of 37,000 people of all ages in Great Britain. They found that the average male meat-eater had a BMI of 24.4 while the average male vegan had a BMI of 22.4. The same patterns of a decreased BMI among male vegans were observed among the female vegans. More recently, in 2009 a study across North America was conducted to observe the average BMI differences between those on omnivorous and vegetarian diets. Those on an omnivorous diet had an average BMI of 28.8 while those on a vegetarian diet had an average BMI of 23.6 (Zaraska 1). Since there is a large difference in BMI levels, it is proven that vegetarian diets do help you lose body fat. In 2016 A similar study consisted of over 1000 adults and compared the average amount of weight lost of those on a nutritional plan compared to those on a vegetarian diet. It was concluded that those on a vegetarian diet lost, on average, 4.4 more pounds than those on a nutritional plan (2).

A vegetarian diet is a more ethical one than an omnivorous diet. Some people choose a vegetarian lifestyle due to kindness and compassion towards the environment and living things. Pierson believes that if our children are raised as vegetarians then they will learn compassion for all living things by not harming animals(2). With this compassion will come respect for all living things, such as each other, and will lead to seeing everyone as equal. Vegetarianism also teaches people to be gentle to the earth. Since one of the main issues in our world is climate change and eating animal products is the leading cause of climate change, vegetarianism will reduce the amount of climate change while teaching people to be gentler to the earth. This is seen as ethical because you are seeing the problems in the world and changing you habits to fix the problems. Also, following a belief that all living things should be treated equally, and that animals should not be killed, is seen as ethical.

Although many people believe that a vegetarian diet is more beneficial than the average meat-eating diet, others believe that a vegetarian diet is not necessarily healthier and is not necessarily the most ethical diet. Brody believes that a vegetarian diet has potential to be healthier than an omnivorous diet as long as it is being followed responsibly (1). For example, a vegetarian diet could include sweetened drinks, french fries, refined grains, and sweets which would not be considered healthier for just cutting out the meat products. A study from a team at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School for Public Health compared the health benefits of a vegetarian diet and an omnivorous diet. Resulted  in a team of researchers from Harvard decided to take a close look at the experiment. The researchers found that those who adhered to a healthful plant-based diet had a 32 percent less of a chance of developing coronary heart disease compared to an unhealthful plant-based diet. This proves that you could follow a plant-based diet but it may not be as healthy as you think. Some people believe that as long as they are not eating meat they are automatically healthier without changing their other eating habits. The Harvard Study soon supported the idea that there is no need to become a strict vegetarian or vegan for health reasons, all you have to do is stick to healthful plant-based foods and decrease the amount of animal products taken in (2).

Some people believe that a vegetarian diet will make you live longer, but an Australian Study proves this statement bogus. The study is based on 243,096 men and women around the age of 62 (Kirkey 1). This study compared the death rates of pure vegetarians, who followed a healthful plant-based diet, to other types of vegetarian diets such as semi-vegetarian and an unhealthful plant-based diet (2). The researchers observed these 243,096 people for about six years and found that 16,836 of them had died (2). Out of the 16,836, eighty were pure vegetarians and 16,756 were not (2). This shows that a vegetarian diet may allow you to live longer as long as you follow the healthful way of eating. Also, that a vegetarian diet may be healthier as long as you stick to it responsibly and focus on eating the right way.

The most common reason for following a vegetarian diet is said to be for ethical reasons. Ethical reasons may include religious beliefs or even environmental reasons. Some people believe that consuming animal products damages the environment considering the greenhouse gases that are emitted during the slaughtering process (McKnight 1). According to McKnight, research suggests that non-animal products have the same effect on the environment, if not worse (1). For example, avocados are associated with drug cartels and led to the deforestation in Mexico (2). Also, during a multi-year drought in California the water-intensive almond growing greatly contributed to that water shortage (2). Worst of all, the Vietnamese nut industry was accused of producing “blood cashews” which forced the drug addicts in treatment centers to shell the nuts, a form of forced labor (2). This shows that even non-animal products can destroy the environment and lead to the demoralization of human beings, which proves that following a vegetarian diet for environmental reasons may not be the most ethical decision.

A vegetarian diet is not necessarily healthier than an omnivorous diet unless the diet is followed in a healthful manner. Vegetarian diets are followed for many reasons including health and ethical reasons. Some people believe that cutting out animal products will automatically result in a healthier lifestyle and that they are also saving the environment. Vegetarian diets are only beneficial if they are followed in a healthful manner. For example, consuming sweetened drinks, sweets, and refined grains is still considered vegetarian since no animal products are involved, but it is not beneficial to your health in any way. Also, environmentally a vegetarian diet is not necessarily helping the environment because it leads to many other issues. Although less animals are being slaughtered as a result, it is creating a rise in deforestation and prices which will soon lead to a more permanent effect on our world. Vegetarian diets may be extremely healthy for you as long as the diet is being followed in a healthful and responsible way.

Works Cited

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2017, pp.  A.13, SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com.

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(Online), 10 Apr, 2017, SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com.

Pierson, Jimmy. “I’m Sick of Hearing Lies about Vegan Diets.” The Independent (Online), 15

May, 2017, SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com.

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Purch, 30 Sept. 2015, www.livescience.com/52344-inflammation.html.                                                                                    

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Zaraska, Marta. "Vegan Diet may Let You Lose a Few Pounds." Washington Post, 07 Mar, 2017, pp. E.4, SIRS Issues Researcher, sks.sirs.com.