The Pros And Cons Of A Vegetarian Diet

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Vegetables, fruits, grains, proteins, and dairy-- these five groups make up the basis of all nutrition. While meat itself is not a basic food group, many people consider meat to be a staple of their diet. But, if it is not a food group, is meat really necessary for a healthy diet? Due to environmental issues and moral reasons, many people choose to cut meat from their diet. Especially in recent years, vegetarianism seems to have become more mainstream. However, it can be difficult for those who cut out meat entirely to receive the proper nutrients, minerals, and proteins from their food. This is where a pescatarian diet can come into play. A pescatarian diet is when someone chooses to cut out all meat except fish from their diet (Thalheimer,…show more content…
A food is considered a “complete protein” when it contains a complete set of amino acids (“Should You” 7). In order to obtain the proper complete proteins, it can be necessary to consume “fish and other animal products” such as eggs, milk, yogurts, chicken, and beef (“Should You” 7). However, that does not mean that you need to eat poultry and beef in order to receive the proper proteins. In fact, many people that eat meat actually consume too much protein. According to the Food and Nutrition Board, the recommended daily protein intake for men is 56 grams, and for women it is 46 grams (Jones 2). Despite this, the average American eats 70-102 grams of protein a day, the lower end being women and the higher end being men (Jones 2). A six ounce steak alone contains 52 grams of protein, which is all of the protein many people need in their entire day (Willett 2). Many people who eat meat incorporate some kind of meat into each meal, causing them to drastically overeat in…show more content…
In fact, the consumption of lean, unprocessed meats is actually quite good for the body. For instance, “the Plains Indians...lived on buffalo” and many of them lived to be 100 years old (Hyman 4). However, the Seventh Day Adventists “are among the longest-lived people on the planet and they eat a strictly vegetarian diet” (Hyman 4). To conduct a completely accurate experiment about eating meat versus not eating meat would be extremely difficult and expensive (Hyman 7). Thus, many food studies are completely biased and do not produce accurate results. So, who is to say whether eating meat or not eating meat is actually better for you? The point of this essay is not to discredit or point fingers at those who do eat meat. The point is that for those who do not eat meat, it can be extremely beneficial to incorporate fish into their

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