Madeline Clark

UWRT 1102

Mr. Douglas

26 April 2017

Meat v. Veggies

When I was growing up, my parents were always extra cautious over what foods they

were giving me. We would take weekly trips to the Whole Foods for organic products and

scrounge local Harris Teeters for other acceptable food items. Although I didnt have a strict

type of diet such as no carb or only protein, I always knew not to eat or buy what my parents

called cancer foods like Gushers or Pop-Tarts. The most important food for my parents to

purchase was meat. Organic chicken, organic bacon, organic ham, and organic beef were all must

haves in the house. I ate organic meat because I assumed it was good for me.

Throughout my life, I have adopted the lifestyle of trying to be the healthiest I can. In

doing so, a long term question stayed constant in my mind. What's healthier, a vegetarian diet or

a basic diet?

Whats the main difference between a vegetarian diet and a nonvegetarian diet? Its all in

the meat. Vegetarians and meat eaters have different health risks associated with each, and some

link to meat products. There are differences in protein, nutrition, body mass, cancer, and heart

risks. 86,000 middle aged nurses were investigated over a 12 yr period. Studies found that

women who consumed over 95g of protein a day had significantly increased risk of bone

fractures compared to women who had less than 68g per day. Women who ate more than 5

servings of red meat a week were also significantly more likely to be at risk compared to women

who ate red meat less than once per week (Vegetarian).
 A healthy protein consumption per day is 46g for a women (Protein). Say a person had

breakfast, including three eggs, a piece of white bread toasted with avocado spread, and a glass

of orange juice. Although this meal may seem small, the protein amount is roughly 24.7g, which

according to a healthy protein consumption, is pretty large (USDA). Now, say this person goes

and gets some lunch at Panera Bread and orders a simple caesar salad with chicken. That alone is

30g of protein (Panera). This women has already exceeded her amount of protein by 8.4g.

So what happens when someone over consumes on protein? People can develop kidney

disease, cancer, Kidney Stones, and Osteoporosis. People can obtain kidney diseases because

When people eat too much protein, they take in more nitrogen than they need. This places a

strain on the kidneys, which must expel the extra nitrogen through urine (Protein Myth). Cancer

can be developed because researchers believe that the fat, protein, natural carcinogens, and

absence of fiber in meat all play roles... in the development of cancer cells (Protein Myth).

Many other health problems can be associated with overconsumption of protein, such as higher

stroke risk, double the risk of lung disease, double the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes,

and increased risk of bladder and and prostate cancer (Processed). Kidney stones and

osteoporosis can occur since Diets that are rich in animal protein cause people to excrete more

calcium than normal through their kidneys and increase the risk of osteoporosis (Processed).

England researchers did a study on protein and found that when people add 34g of protein to

their diet, their risk of urinary tract infections increases by 250% (Processed).

So why doesn't everyone think being vegetarian is a healthier diet? Because it's not,

necessarily. In a perfect world, eating meat would actually be considered the best diet. Being

vegetarian can be harmful, especially to those out there who gag at the thought of a brussel

sprout or baby carrots. A vegetarian according to Google Dictionary, is a person who does not eat
meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons

(Google). That means a vegetarian diet can consist of pound cake, fried pickles, Krispy Kreme

donuts and endless amounts of potato chips and they can still have the prestigious title of a

vegetarian.

What are common health issues with vegetarians? Well, although there are no direct

diseases that associate with vegetarianism, Harvard University found that people who are on the

spectrum of vegetarianism are at risk of not getting enough vitamin D and vitamin K, which both

help bone growth (Harvard). Vegetarians are also at risk of not having enough DHA and EPA,

which are Omega 3 fatty acids (Harvard). There are also some common misconceptions about a

vegetarian diet, including deficiencies in vitamin B, iron, zinc, and protein. Vitamin B is found

only in animal products, but that included milk and eggs, so most vegetarians get the amount of

vitamin B that they need. Vegetarians also seem to get the same amount of iron as meat eaters.

The only problem is that iron in meat is much easier for the body to absorb. Harvard studies also

show that vegetarians were not zinc deficient due to their vegetarian diet. Research from Harvard

also suggests that vegetarians usually get the same recommended amount of protein as meat

eaters, but there's a catch. Since protein is veggies are slightly different than protein in meat,

vegetarians do need to consume .05 more grams per pound of body weight of protein than meat

eaters do (Harvard).

There are many different types of vegetarians. Theres vegans, who Do not eat meat,

poultry, fish, or any products derived from animals, including eggs, dairy products, and gelatin.,

Lacto-ovo vegetarians, who Do not eat meat, poultry, or fish, but do eat eggs and dairy

products., Lacto vegetarians, who Eat no meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, but do consume dairy

products, Ovo vegetarians, who Eat no meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products, but do eat eggs.,
and Partial vegetarians, who Avoid meat but may eat fish (pesco-vegetarian, pescatarian) or

poultry (pollo-vegetarian) (Harvard).

So according to research, which type of vegetarian is the healthiest? It seems that partial

vegetarians have the healthiest diet, mainly because iron can be absorbed correctly, and there

seems to be less protein that needs to be consumed on this particular diet, as long as you control

how much you are intaking.

It is much easier to be on a normal diet, because you don't have to calculate how much of

what is in each food. You can eat all the food you want without having to make sure you aren't

close to deficient in one or more vitamins. A vegetarian diet can be much more difficult to keep

up with, since you do have to be aware of how much youre intaking.

Vegetarians also have a lot of health benefits outside of the realm of diseases. According

to Michael F. Roizen, MD, vegetarians tend to me more energized, since a lot of their diet does

not involve greasy, fatty, foods or meat that slow people down. Vegetarians also reduce pollution,

since there are so many acres of land used for animal waste and storage. Factory farms are

responsible for 173,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams. Vegetarians also seem to dodge

toxic chemicals from pesticides, which are mainly found in meat, dairy, and fish products (Why).

Overall, a good diet is one that does not underdose or overdo the recommended intake of

any substance, and one that doesn't involve red meat. Partial vegetarians seem to be the best type

of diet, since it covers all of the bases.

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