Vegetarianism: The Healthier Alternative In the year 2012, one hundred seventeen million United States citizens, around half of the country’s adult population, were diagnosed with a form of chronic disease (Chronic n.p.). Today, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the highest ranking conditions across the country continue to be obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and various types of cancer (Chronic n.p.). While there are numerous reasons as to why these illnesses are so prevalent throughout the population, an unhealthy diet remains one of the primary causes. In particular, the excess and general consumption of meat and poultry products have been deemed deleterious to a person’s state of health. In 2012, it was reported
…show more content…
For instance, vegetarians consumed 61 grams of legumes per day, while non-vegetarians had eaten 45.8 grams. In contrast, non-vegetarians in this experiment ate more fats, oils, salts, and cereals. For example, those who ingested meat ate 1.3 more grams of salt per day compared to those who did not. Likewise, more carbohydrates were consumed by the vegetarians as well as vitamin C and folate with lower levels of fat and protein. Although lower levels of protein were found in their diets, the vegetarians adequately fulfilled their nutritional needs by ingesting high protein content foods like legumes and nuts (Shridhar et al n.p.).
In addition to this, various lifestyle choices were linked to vegetarianism after analyzing the resulting data, emphasizing the multiple advantages associated with this diet alternative. It was decided that those who had a non-meat diet were more likely to have a higher socioeconomic status, were urban dwelling and were also less likely to engage in drinking alcohol as well as smoking (Shridhar et al …show more content…
Frank Hu, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, decided to perform an experiment in regards to the effects of red meat on the human body. Over 37,000 men and over 83,000 women free of cardiovascular disease and cancer were examined. For every four years, the participants would fill out food frequency questionnaires. Additionally, scientists would study health factors such as body weight and physical activity levels every two years. During the course of the study, a total of 24,000 participants died, with 5,900 deaths caused by cardiovascular disease (Risk n.p.) “[R]esearchers calculated that one additional serving per day of unprocessed red meat over the course of the study raised the risk of total mortality by thirteen percent” (Risk n.p.) By the time the experiment had ended, researchers had come to the conclusion that if half of a serving a red meat a day could have been prevented, 7.6 percent of the women and 9.3 percent of the men would not have died (Risk
For instance, vegetarians consumed 61 grams of legumes per day, while non-vegetarians had eaten 45.8 grams. In contrast, non-vegetarians in this experiment ate more fats, oils, salts, and cereals. For example, those who ingested meat ate 1.3 more grams of salt per day compared to those who did not. Likewise, more carbohydrates were consumed by the vegetarians as well as vitamin C and folate with lower levels of fat and protein. Although lower levels of protein were found in their diets, the vegetarians adequately fulfilled their nutritional needs by ingesting high protein content foods like legumes and nuts (Shridhar et al n.p.).
In addition to this, various lifestyle choices were linked to vegetarianism after analyzing the resulting data, emphasizing the multiple advantages associated with this diet alternative. It was decided that those who had a non-meat diet were more likely to have a higher socioeconomic status, were urban dwelling and were also less likely to engage in drinking alcohol as well as smoking (Shridhar et al …show more content…
Frank Hu, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, decided to perform an experiment in regards to the effects of red meat on the human body. Over 37,000 men and over 83,000 women free of cardiovascular disease and cancer were examined. For every four years, the participants would fill out food frequency questionnaires. Additionally, scientists would study health factors such as body weight and physical activity levels every two years. During the course of the study, a total of 24,000 participants died, with 5,900 deaths caused by cardiovascular disease (Risk n.p.) “[R]esearchers calculated that one additional serving per day of unprocessed red meat over the course of the study raised the risk of total mortality by thirteen percent” (Risk n.p.) By the time the experiment had ended, researchers had come to the conclusion that if half of a serving a red meat a day could have been prevented, 7.6 percent of the women and 9.3 percent of the men would not have died (Risk