Evaluation Argument: Vegetarian: Good for Health

Vegetarian: Good for Health

In life there are always different types of decisions that are made. Whether it be the littlest of decisions or it be major life changing ones. All these decisions have to be decided on. Choosing what type of food to eat may seem like the simplest thing, but to others there are different reasons to what food they want to eat or not eat. There are different kinds of diets that exist. Diets involve with meat, diets rich in seafood, diets purely plant based, and diets with vegetables but no dairy or eggs—vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian diet include dairy and eggs, while lacto vegetarian diet exclude eggs, are all of many types of diets that exist (Alewaeters, 1434). Reasons to which diet are chosen for each person depends on many factors. Faulty belief that vegetarian diets are not healthy is one reasoning behind people not recommending vegetarian diets. The reality is that vegetarian diet can be healthy as long as recommended daily intakes are recognized and followed.
What are the different reasons that people choose to become a vegetarian? “Compassion for animals is one of many motivations for becoming vegetarian. Health is another major one.” (MacNair, 64). “Also common are environmental, world hunger, spiritual, aesthetic. (MacNair, 64). For a person to say that one diet is right and the other is wrong would be inaccurate. There is no right or wrong answer. Choosing what to eat is a matter of choice.
As a little kid I was taught that I should always eat my meats and vegetables. According to my parents missing one or the other food would cause me to not grow. Now there are different studies that show eating different kinds of diet can be beneficial. According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, “vegetarians are 24% less likely to die of coronary heart disease”. “Diets that emphasize a greater consumption of plant foods are increasingly recognized by health authorities as providing important health benefits, including decreased disease risk such as heart disease, various cancers and type 2 diabetes” (Lea, 342).
According to Raykowski, RN, “The building blocks of nutrition are carbohydrates, protein, fats, and fiber” (55). Some people feel that eating a vegetarian diet can be lack in many valuable vitamins and nutrients. Some believe that without eating meat, vegetarian are lacking a lot of proteins. This is not true. Proteins can be found in many things beside meat. These nutrients can all be found in plant based food. An alternative to meat can be tofu or legumes. These can give the person the nutrients found in meat. Plant foods contain an abundant of chemicals that have a nutritional function. “Plants are a source of macro and micronutrients; they may also be a source of antioxidants and hormones.” (Jamison, 20). In other words plants offer many valuable nutrients. Soybeans are a good source of protein, polyunsaturated fat, fiber, minerals, oligosaccharides, and isoflavones. (Jamison, 20). These are all nutrients that one’s body need to maintain a healthy body.
Besides for proteins, vegetarians should keep in mind other valuable nutrients. Folate found in kale and other green leafy vegetables is a nutrient that prevent birth defects. It also reduces the risk of coronary artery disease in adults. Women need 0.4 mg daily. Vitamin D is needed to build bones and teeth. This is found in dairy products or supplements. The body needs about 200 IU a day. Calcium is another good nutrient. Other nutrients include iron and vitamin B-12. (Harvard Women’s Health)
People choose different diets that they want to eat. Many reasons exist as to which type of diet they chose. Vegetarian diet can be healthy diet as long as the individual is aware of following the recommended guidelines. One can not eat candy and unhealthy food and expect a vegetarian diet to be healthy. Whether a vegetarian diet is healthy or not depends on the person and their choices in foods. A healthy vegetarian diet also depends on the individual’s choice of exercise activity and absence of smoking.