Introduction
When I was growing up I was taught how to hunt, fish and trap animals for food as well as being fed an omnivorous diet, but today I have found that I no longer need animals in my diet. The Vegetarian Times recently found that out of the 311 million people in the US, 7.3 million eat a vegetarian based diet and 22.8 million eat a vegetarian inclined diet. Over the past century people have begun looking into the health implications of plant based diets as a way of improving their health and increase their longevity. This research paper is intended to inform the reader of the nutrients required by a US adult, ages 18-35, and prove that a plant based diet meets those nutrient requirements. This journey began for myself over a year ago and while continue for decades to come while plant based diets began with the birth of mankind and will continue as long as we continue to live.
Definitions associated with plant based diets
Vegetarianism has been around since the beginning of mankind, however as society has progressed so have plant based diets. Today the term plant based diet can be confusing because of the varying levels of animal consumption in an individual’s diet. The first definitions that will be examined are plant based foods and an omnivorous diet. Plant based foods are those foods which consist of “…fruit[s] and vegetables, nuts, natural vegetable oils, and whole grains…” (“sharecare”) An omnivorous diet is one which is based on the consumption of both animal products (red meat, poultry, fish, etc.) and plant foods. Due to the fact that plant based diets have changed and now incorporate varying levels of animal consumption there is a need to define the levels so that confusion can be avoided. The four categories of plant based diets are ovo-lacto vegetarianism,
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