Vegetarians vs. Meat-Eaters Rough Draft

Cassia Allen
Mr. Gerleman
Engl. 1301
18 June 2012

Vegetarian vs. Meat-eater Through personal experience I have witnessed the common misconception many people fall prey to: vegetarians are mal-nourished and unhealthy. This quick judgment comes from the knowledge that the human body needs protein to survive and our main source of protein comes from the meat of animals. Fortunately for vegetarians, this is not so. In fact, protein can be found in a variety of different foods, making life for a vegetarian not quite as difficult as one might think. Unlike a meat-eaters diet, by eating a vegetarian diet you can prevent health defects, gain important vitamins and maintain a level amount of energy throughout the day. Eating a vegetarian diet takes dedication but with the right knowledge of what will benefit your body and what will harm it, you can be rewarded with a number of positive aspects. Fruits and vegetables play a huge part in the prevention of health defects such as heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. But without knowing this, vegetarians can extremely warp the outcome of a vegetarian diet and intake more carbohydrates rather than vitamins from fruits and veggies. These vitamins are an absolute essential part of a vegetarian diet along with foods that will provide energy to the body such as leafy greens, nuts, beans and fresh produce. By eating these types of foods, vegetarians can have just as much or more energy in their day as a meat-eater would. Many meat-eaters in today’s society abuse the commendable aspects that meat can contain and gorge themselves in all of its fatty glory. Meat is commonly over-eaten and turned to fat in the body if not worked off through exercise. Because of nutrients such as amino acids, iron and protein; some meats can add to one’s defense system and help block harmful viruses from getting into the body. But this minimal amount of help that meat offers the immune system can easily be replaced by many other foods. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the protein level meat contains. No vegetarian food can provide the same amount of protein that meat offers. Because of this, meat-eaters have a consistent amount of energy when doing every-day activities and usually do not tire easily. Looking past all the differences, both an omnivorous diet and a vegetarian diet have health benefits of their own but having a vegetarian diet means that you are acutely aware of these differences and strive for the benefits.