March 28, 2024

Should I become a vegetarian? That’s a question many people ask themselves after reading articles or maybe books about diet, health and nutrition. There is so much conflicting information about which diet is healthiest, or best for weight loss, that subjects like this can be very confusing indeed.

There is no single answer for everyone. Aside from all the theories about whether it’s healthier to eat meat or not, you ultimately have to do what feels best to you.

For many people, it’s best to experiment with different diets until you find one that works best for you. You can, however, take some important facts into consideration when it comes to the vegetarian question.

The Problem With Meat

A lot of what’s wrong with meat today has to do with the way it’s prepared. If you have heard about the conditions at modern factory farms, you may know that the animals are kept very close together, which can cause illness.

To prevent or treat these diseases, they are given powerful antibiotics. These, of course, remain in their system after they are slaughtered and eventually make their way into the bodies of people who eat meat.

Are these antibiotics harmful to humans?

The evidence is inconclusive so far, but people who prefer to eat a natural diet but who don’t want to give up meat should consider eating organic meat.

In addition to antibiotics, there’s the question of growth hormones, which are often given to animals to maximize their growth -and profitability. Again, there is no definite evidence that these are harmful, but often when it comes to issues like this, by the time the evidence comes out, it’s too late for people who have been consuming the product for years!

What is true for meat is also true for animal products, such as eggs, milk, cheese and butter. If you want to be safe or stick to a more natural diet, once again, the solution is to go organic.

Is A Vegetarian Diet Healthier?

fruits-and-vegetablesSome people feel that it’s more ethical to be a vegetarian, as meat-eating does involve killing animals. This is a complicated question, and one that everyone has to decide for themselves. What about the health issue?

One of the main reasons why some people claim that a vegetarian diet is healthier (aside from the issues mentioned in the previous section, which can be gotten around by consuming organic animal products) has to do with saturated fat. This is a somewhat controversial subject.

It is generally conceded that trans fats are unhealthy. These are found in junk foods like deep fried and hydrogenated foods. It is also agreed upon that monounsaturated fats, the kind found in foods like nuts, avocados and coconut and olive oils are healthy.

These fatty acids are beneficial to your body and can help lower your cholesterol. Saturated fats, which are found in animal products, are the subject of debate.

Many nutritionists have claimed that these fats are not good for you. However, others, influenced by the research of Weston Price, have concluded that many traditional people around the world have been eating high fat animal foods for thousands of years (think of the Eskimos, who have lived largely on whale) with virtually no heart disease or cancer.

So, while there is still much debate on this subject, it would probably be an oversimplification to say that a vegetarian diet is healthier. The fact is, whether you eat meat or not, you should try to eat the most natural, preferably organic, foods you can find.

15 thoughts on “Should I Become a Vegetarian?

  1. I became a Vegetarian this year, and I love it.
    I’ve always been over and when I stopped eating meat I finally began to lose .
    I realized that being a Vegetarian was meant for me because when I would eat meat I would feel like my body was not able to digest it and I would always feel heavy. The first week I tried it I suddenly felt lighter and loved how my stomach didn’t have to digest such heavy food. I’m also into the rights of animals but not extremely. I’m a Vegetarian for my health. It was the only way I was able to handle my and shed all of the excess fat, i’m still working on it and i have no hurry to completely burn off all of the . I just love being healthy and having more energy. People judge me everyday about it but it’s about me not them. I prefer to be and feel healthy than to eat meat, chicken, fish and processed foods.

    1. This sounds exactly like my story! People doubt me because my only reason for being vegetarian is that it “just feels right”. I had that same heavy feeling after eating meat, and it was hard to digest. I’ve been a vegetarian for about a year now and it just feels so much more right.

      1. Yes, you are not the only on a veg diet that feels good about it. I follow a lot of Raw vegans that say exactly the same thing

  2. I love being a vegetarian! 🙂 The feeling that nothing had to die for your dinner is a really great feeling! (:
    I beleieve that every living thing is equal 🙂 You wouldn’t eat your dog would you? what’s the difference between your family dog and say, a pig? Pigs have the intelligence of a 2 year old human, they have emotions and feel pain~ just like you and I.
    I’m also a vegetarian for enviromental reasons- did you know that the production of meat creates more polution than all the cars, planes, trains & boats in the entire world!
    Go veg!
    <3 Ali

  3. I partly agree with Veggie Chick. Yes, there are other places to get protein, and a boca burger may have more protein than a chicken patty. The problem is that only meat gives humans a complete set of amino acids in their protein, allowing humans to actually build muscle. Without all these amino acids, a human body cannot make once ounce of protein (even if you eat boca burgers all day). Without meat, human must choose very specific combinations of vegetables that will give our body a complete set of amino acids (like brown rice and beans). A person also has to eat about 20% more just to get the appropriate amount of viable protein than if a person just ate a piece of meat. So yes, a healthy vegetarian diet is possible, and a lot of people do it, but it is also unnatural and needs to be planned appropiately.

    1. your comments may be correct but not entirely correct, I am surprised to read that most of people that veggie people have lower muscle mass. I am from northern part of India (Haryana) and most people in my region are 100% vegetarian, even then Haryana produces maximum wrestlers, boxers & athletes for India and you will be surprised to know that all these wrestlers and boxers are almost 100% vegetarian , almost because for most part of their growing years, they never eat egg, chicket, fish, mutton or pork. They may start to eat non veggie foods once they become professional wrestlers or boxers but never in their growing years. Now if i go by your reasoning then these people will never have solid muscle mass in their body and they can never think of becoming good sports persons.
      please chekc your reason thoroughly..

  4. hi i been on and off just vegetarian and then meat but i realize when i eat meat i cant finished does this happen to anyone else,because i think i might just be vegetarian and not know it i also witness when they kill pigs in the back yard next door and i want to learn new dishes to just be vegetarian.

  5. I am a vegetarian newbie and i had a lot of questions about the vegetarian lifestyle that i needed answers to so i decided do more research by looking on the internet for different websites. During this time i found this great website Vegetarian Newbie http://www.vegetariannewbie.com i joined their free newsletter and received a free report which was really informative . I would recommend anyone who is considering to become a vegetarian to join them

    I suggest to anyone to do more research and join some free online newsletters on the vegetarian lifestyle

    1) Vegetarian Newbie http://www.vegetariannewbie.com

  6. I agree with Veggie Chick. I’ve been a vegetarian for 2 1/2 years and have always been told I have above average health by my doctors.

    Sam- Vegetarians consume milk and dairy products. And also, just because protein is found in meat doesn’t mean its not found anywhere else. That’s like saying because Florida has lots of sunshine, you’re going develop a vitamin D deficiency if you live anywhere else in the world. Meat has 92% absorb-able protein. Soybeans have 91%. You’re not going to develop a deficiency over 1%.

    Mark- If meat has more nutrition than vegetables, then why are vegetarians in much better health than the insane idiots who go “meatatarian” and only eat meat?

    Healthy Girl- We are born omnivores, not carnivores, though I agree with the rest of what you said.

  7. I just want to say that there are HUGE misconceptions when it comes to deficiencies in vegetarian diets. I have been a vegetarian since I was 3 and am not lacking on any vitamins or minerals. People are on a big protein kick. Yes, it is found in meat. It is also found in a ton of other things like nuts, beans, milk, grains, and tofu; all of which a vegetarian can eat. I am a huge fan of boca chicken patties (made out of soy beans). These patties actually have more protein than a norman chicken patty made out of real chicken. There is nothing that the human body needs that only meat provides. All good things found in meat are found in other foods and there is the added benefit of not getting all the bad things and not contributing to a horrible and painful existence and death of an animal when you choose a vegetarian diet. So before you judge vegetarianism as a poor choice for a diet, do some research. When done right, it is just as healthy, if not healthier, than a diet that includes meat.

    And just a quick point, too much protein isn’t good for you body either. It puts stress on your kidneys and leeches calcium from your bones. It is very easy to over do it on a meat-based diet.

  8. Our society is getting more organised but we all become more sophisticated as well.
    Our bodies need proteins and we are born carnivores.
    If you want to be a vegetarian there are ways to get your protein intake in many other way. It should not be a problem but you gotta take yourself in charge and make sure you get the right intake.

  9. To make a loss I don’t think we should become a vegetarian if it than I think there will be a lot of problem for the non-veggies to maintain loss as they have to exchange there diet. I also agree that there is some problem having lots of meat like when the animals are to be prevented from diseases, they are given powerful antibiotics and it enters into the bodies of people who eat the meat.
    Yeah I agree to SAM when it comes to nutrition, meat is better than vegetables.

  10. True, a vegetarian diet isn’t the best when it comes to the nutrition needs of a human being. One needs protein, which is found in dairy products, and MEAT. If you’re a vegertarian then you will be deficient in protein and other beneficial nutrients !

    1. No, in this day and age there are plenty of delicious and nutricious protein soursces and supplements such as beans, nuts, milk, soymilk, tofu.
      In this civilised present day society, there is absolutely No need for the killing of animals, for our dinner plates.
      What would you do if you were raised in cramped, dirty and cruel conditions, fed harmful hormones then slaughtered?

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