The Purpose of Vegetarianism :: Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Being a strict vegetarian means qualification the choice to eat absolutely no core group, poultry, or fish. The health risks of beingness a vegetarian was a major concern, but it has been proven that non-meat foods can offer all the nutrients necessary for a healthy, complete diet. Jeanne Peters, R.D., the former nutrition specializer to Pritikin Systems, argues that Ascience has proved that a plant-based diet is the healthiest (Finn 1). Many scientific studies have in like manner proven that meat dramatically raises blood pressure and increases health risks such as heart attacks and cancers. Also, growing concerns over environmental protection, personal health, and honourable and ethical beliefs often lead to vegetarianism. According to national polls, in the U.S. al ace Athere atomic number 18 12.5 million vegetariansB 7 percent of the population (Finn 1). Concerns are raise about the relationship between meat employment and our environment. Beef outturn is a very ine fficient way to produce protein. The amount of impress which is needed to Aprovide four plurality with one serving of hamburgers could feed one person for over a week (R.F.B.V. 1). In Alberta Amore than 50% of the particle grown is fed to livestock (R.F.B.V. 3). This 50% of grain could definitely be put to much better uses in a world where mint starve to death every day. In fact, Aproduction of the least energy-efficient plant foods are nearly ten measure more efficient as the production of the most energy-efficient animal foods (Finn 2). For example, one acre of land planted with legumes yields ten times more available protein than if that same acre was used for meat production. Furthermore, the production of meat wastes massive amounts of water AIt takes an average of 10 tons of waterBthe amount a small town uses for all purposes in a month. An average complainer processing plant uses 100 million gallons of water in on the nose one day enough to provide a community of 25,00 0 people for one day (R.F.B.V. 3). Not only is meat production atrophy valuable production means, but it is also polluting our air. Cattle are a main source of methane gas, which is rapidly destroying our ozone layer. Vegetarians often replace meat and dairy foods with soy products. These foods are highly nutritional and contain disease-fighting properties. The National cancer Institute has Aidentified specific substances in soy products called phytochemical that have anticancer properties (Finn 7). In 1994, the British Medical Journal announced that researchers have examined 12-year mortality range of non-meat eaters and meat-eating control groups and found that cancer deaths were 40 percent less(prenominal) common among vegetarians then meat eaters.