Added: 04/30/2007 |
Advantages Of Vegetarian DietsA person claims that being a vegetarian is more healthful and that it pleases God more than being carnivorous. Is there any reasoning behind these claims? Besides being less pleasant than meat eating diets, are vegetarian diets actually better for the human body? Which groups of people push vegetarianism most? Are the people in those groups healthier than the rest of us?
Some have religious reasons for being vegetarians. Groups such as Seventh Day Adventists have many more vegetarians within their following than most other Protestant Christian groups. Their church teaches a more holistic nature of people, that whatever they do should glorify God. This includes eating better qualities of foods. Thus, it is more common to find Adventists who eat little or no meat and eggs since they feel that those foods are not good for the body and therefore, do not glorify God.
In some other cultures, their view of Krishna (God) teaches to not kill unnecessarily, and this applies more to animal life than to plant life although it does apply to both. These people are therefore more likely to be vegetarian. One such example is the Hindu people of India, who eat only the necessary foods to remain alive. Eating animal flesh is not considered to be necessary.
Considering whether there are benefits to avoiding meats in the diet, it is necessary to consider whether the eating of meats if harmful to human bodies. If so, then vegetarian diets are much more healthful than carnivorous diets. Many vegetarians quote reasons for not eating meat which have nothing to do with whether meat eating harms our bodies. They make such claims as that all the nutrients that humans need are found in plants so meats are not necessary or that vegetables are less expensive than meats. These claims seem to be begging the question of any benefits of being vegetarians. Others make claims about the killing of animals and how inhuman it is, not stopping to consider that animals are not human so inhuman treatment is not expected for animals.
Some other vegetarians mention that animal flesh can contain residue from medicines that the animals have taken while others mention the presence of worms or parasites as well as higher concentrations of agricultural pesticides in meats than in plant life. It is amazing that they do not mention the presence of worms and bugs found in fruits and vegetables. If a person accidentally eats a worm or bug found on a tomato, he is actually eating meat.
Considering the health factors of vegetarian women, they tend to have fewer births than meat eating women. This tends to increase their risk of getting breast cancer. Women on vegetarian diets are often lighter in weight than meat eating women. This gives them a more significant problem in fighting disease than women with more fat on their bodies.
This writer sees little reason to support the vegetarian diets to the exclusion of eating meats. How many vegetable recalls are needed, due to people being sickened by spinach or lettuce on the shelves of markets, before the vegetarians realize that their claims of vegetables being healthier are far from accurate?
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