Food is considered one of the basic needs in every household. The food is obtained from two main sources namely the plants and animals. The choices for the kind of food to eat greatly vary and are never fixed for all the households. Some will consume all the plants and animal products. Others only plant products, while others would consume only the animal product. Nutritionists have given different names to the consumers of the different kinds of food. Those whose diet is purely of plant origin are referred to as vegetarians.
Those who eat a diet of animal origin on the other hand are referred to as the non vegetarians. Various reasons accompany the choices of these diets. Owing to the serious implications of each of the different diets, it is now the time when everyone has to be a vegetarian. This is with enough reasons and evidence. When people follow a diet with a plant origin including the cereals, fruits, vegetables and fruits, with or without dairy and egg products the practice is called vegetarianism.
There are therefore different types of vegetarianism based on whether all the food choices found in vegetarianism are included or some and which of the food are excluded. If eggs, dairy products and honey are included in the vegetarian diet, the result will be lacto-ovo vegetarianism. If it is only the dairy products, then it is lacto vegetarianism. If it is eggs but not dairy products, it is said to be ovo vegetarianism. If all the above mentioned animal products are excluded, it is called veganism.
Raw veganism is when only fresh and uncooked plant products are used, while fruitarianism refers to the diet permitting only the plant products that are gathered without harming the plant e. g. fruits. For Buddhism, Su vegetarianism exists and it excludes all the animal products and also vegetables with smell of onion or garlic (Chancellor, 2009) Several reasons exist to give us reasons why we should be vegetarians. Ranging from environmental issues, personal health, personal finances and ethics, all speak that meat is bad and plant products are good to our health.
Concerning the disadvantages of meat consumption, one is that meat has been associated with very many diseases including anemia, arthritis, breast cancer, cancer of colon and prostrate, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes and obesity. Secondly you will take the hormones and drugs that were administered to the animals. The different physiology we have compared with that of animals, it is true that the hormones and drugs are bad to us. Thirdly, the frightening consequences of high fat intake will increase if meat is taken since it increases the amount of fat.
Fat harms a lot especially in the case of high blood pressure. Meat also lacks all the essential nutrients including protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Advantages of not eating meet are as many as its disadvantages. These are: vegetarians go to hospital 22% less frequently than meat consumers. Vegetables contain no fat and are very rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins and minerals. The impact of vegetarians on the environment are also enough to support vegetarianism. In a nut shell, plants draw little resources from the environment as compared with animals.
This will do a favor to environment in water conservation, soil conservation, and efficient use of grains, saving our forests and also saving the non renewable source of energy (Wings Of Success). Becoming a vegetarian is a culmination of many tips. These include getting good reasons for doing so, research and read on the issue of vegetarianism, setting up enticing recipes from plant products, weekly trial of each recipe, and substitution of the red meat with plant product in the normal recipe that you cook. Then gradually start the change with red meat, then the other meats.
Upon achieving these crucial steps, open up and tell your family and friends, have fun in the new diet, and plan ahead on how to keep the diet while you start visiting vegetarian stalls and restaurants (Wolfe, 2000). In conclusion, for our own sake, for the sake of our precious environment, for the sake of our finances and our ethics, vegetarianism will give us the true solution.
References:
Chancellor, D. (2009). Being a Vegetarian Franklin Watts Books Schutt, L. V. (2000). Wings of Success: The Advantages of Being a Vegetarian. Oxford: Oxford University Press Wolfe, F. A. (2000). The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Being Vegetarian. Alpha Books