Montesdeoca 1

Pamela Montesdeoca
Dr. Griffin
English 12
20 May 2015
The realities of being a vegetarian
What is a vegetarian? Are there any health benefits to being a vegetarian? Do they live
longer? A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products,
especially for moral, religious, or health reasons. There are three types of vegetarian. The first
one is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, which mean they only eat dairy and eggs; no meat. The second is
lacto-vegetarians; they only consume dairy products; no eggs or meat. The last type of vegetarian
diet is a vegan vegetarian; they only eat plant foods. They dont eat food that comes from
animals in any way including, milk products, eggs, honey, and gelatin. Most vegetarians follow a
lacto-ovo or lacto diet. There are many benefits that come with being vegetarian. One benefit is
that they consume a lot of calcium. Ultimately vegetarians do live longer because along with
their diet, vegetarians are usually healthy in all aspects.
Being a vegetarian lowers your chances of getting diseases. According to the ADA,
vegetarians are at lower risk for developing: heart disease, colorectal, ovarian, and breast
cancers, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension (high blood pressure) (brown.edu). If a person
wants to prevent getting diseases that come from eating meat, becoming a vegetarian would be a
smart decision. In other words, being vegetarian is a healthier choice. This is connected to the
next paragraph because it explains how someone lives longer if theyre vegetarian.

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Studies show that vegetarians have a longer life span. A number of studies have shown
increased longevity among vegetarians. (medscape.com). Living longer is definitely a health
benefit. This implies that vegetarians live longer compared to people who are not vegetarian.
This is connected to the next paragraph because vegetarians are less likely to get cancer.
Vegetarians often do not encounter diseases. Large studies in England and Germany
have shown that vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to
meat-eaters. (pcrm.org). This supports the thesis because cancer is very deadly so the fact that
vegetarians have a lower chance of getting it is a great benefit. Being vegetarian also lowers a
persons risk of having diabetes and if they do have it, it will help it get controlled more easily.
Being vegetarian can help conquer diabetes. Non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset)
diabetes can be better controlled and sometimes even eliminated through a low-fat, vegetarian
diet along with regular exercise (pcrm.org). Vegetarians can cure themselves because of their
clean eating. Thats great to know that by changing eating habits someone can get rid of diabetes.
Along with conquering diabetes, vegetarians also have healthier bones.
Vegetarians consume a lot of diary, which helps with their bones. A vegetarian diet helps
build healthy bones because vegetarians absorb more calcium than meat eaters.
(vegetarian.procon.org). Vegetarians consume a lot of dairy, which gives them healthier bones. A
lot of people suffer bone pains because they do not have enough calcium in their bodies. Along
with healthy bones, vegetarians can reduce your BMI.
Studies show that vegetarian can lower their BMI easier. It has been shown that properly
applied vegetarian diet is the most effective way of reducing body mass (expressed as BMI)
(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). This supports the thesis because having too much body mass is not good, the

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lower the better! So being vegetarian makes you lose body mass quicker if you diet well and
exercise.
Being vegetarian lowers the risk of developing cataracts. the University of Oxford has
shown a strong relation between the risk of developing cataracts and diet; with a higher risk
falling on meat eaters and the lowest risk groups being vegetarians and vegans.
(globalhealingcenter.com). Cataracts is a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes
progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision. In other words, what you eat determines where
you stand health wise. If you eat healthy you will be less likely to get cataracts or any other
disease.
Vegetarians get more out of the food they eat. A vegetarian diet is associated with a
higher consumption of fiber, folic acid, vitamins C and E, magnesium, unsaturated fat, and
countless phytochemicals. (globalhealingcenter.com). Receiving enough vitamins, fiber,
magnesium, etc. is great for our bodies. Meat based diets do not always get the right amounts of
unsaturated fat and fibers.
Vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice that has been proven to increase lifespan, lower
obesity, and promote a more healthy and active life. If someone were thinking of becoming
vegetarian this information would be very useful to him or her. The transition to becoming
vegetarian is not easy for some people, but the benefits make up for it. Although vegetarians do
not consume meat they are still getting the right amounts of nutrition that they need to keep a
healthy diet and lifestyle.

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Works Cited
Being a Vegetarian. Brown.edu. Web. 19 May 2015.
Marsh, Kate. Health Implications of a Vegetarian Diet. Medscape.com. Lifestyle Med, 2012.
Web. 19 May 2015.
Barnard, Neal. Eat Right, Live Longer. Pcrm.com. The Physicians Committee, 2007. Web. 19
May 2015.
Should People Become Vegetarian?. Procon.org. 2015. Web. 19 May 2015.
W., Pillis. Health benefits and risk associated with adopting a vegetarian diet. Ncbi.gov.
National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2009. Web. 19 May 2015.
9 Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet. Globalhealingcenter.com. Global Healing Center, 2014.
Web. 19 May 2015.