Argue against a commonly held belief - Being Vegetarian is a Matter of Essay

Argue against a commonly held belief - Being Vegetarian is a Matter of Free Will - Essay Example Proteins and vitamin B12 are essential for cell growth, tissue building and repair. These essential components are present in meat. Vegans need to plan their diet to make sure that it includes all the important components required for body growth. Some plants are good source of protein such as beans, peas, nuts, seeds, soy products and whole grains. Vegans must eat such plant foods to ensure adequate nutrient intake. Being a vegetarian is a healthy lifestyle choice. It is good to be a vegan for a range of health, environment, religious and economical reasons. For human body functioning all the important nutrients can easily be obtained from plant foods. Green leafy vegetables, cereals, whole grains and legumes contain iron. Fruits and vegetables help the body to absorb the iron. In addition, a regular consumption of fruits and vegetables provides significant protection against cancer at many sites. Nuts and wheat are good source of zinc. Calcium is an important component for bones an d teeth. Dark green leafy vegetables such as Asian greens, almonds and Brazil nuts are good source of calcium. Nuts also contain a number of vitamins, minerals and they are naturally low in saturated fats while most are quite rich in monounsaturated fat. High consumption of nuts and whole grains has been associated with lower rates of diabetes. An increased consumption of fruits and vegetables contribute to the prevention of diabetes. Vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cells production. It helps in proper functioning of nervous system and healthy brain. Mushrooms and sea vegetables are good source of vitamin B12. Vitamin D is good for skin and bones. Vegans can consume vitamin D by taking soymilk and cereals in their diet. In addition, sun is the main source of vitamin D. vegans can expose to direct UV light of the sun to get maximum vitamin D. Vegans can never face nutritional deficiencies because every essential nutrient can be obtained from plant food. Livestock drugs are har mful for human body as consumed when human body takes animal food. Growth hormones, antibiotics and veterinary drugs given to the livestock animals are dangerous for humans, as humans are secondary consumers. Meat eaters may consume hormones, drugs and other chemicals. No one knows precisely what effect these hormones have on human health but the risk is there. Some farmers use tranquillizers to keep the animals clam and antibiotics to protect them from infections. Omnivores are inevitably consumes these harmful chemicals. There are lot of pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses in animal’s meat that are danger to human health. People eating meat (omnivores) have risk of heart diseases. In addition to heart diseases, humans suffer from a wide range of diseases such as diabetes, kidney stone, osteoporosis, arthritis, acne, cancer, obesity, excess protein, fiber deficiency and food-borne illness among omnivores compared with vegetarians. Plant foods help in prev ention of cancer. Vitamin C, B-17 and beta-carotene are natural substances present in most plants that help in preventing cancer. Most animal meats are highly dangerous; as when cooked, produce cancer-containing compounds such as benzenes and other carcinogenic compounds. A powerful anticancer compound, protease is present in plant foods such as soybeans. The World Cancer Reasearch Fund published a major report in 1997 that