Vetgetarian Lifestyles Essay

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Vegetarian Lifestyles Vegetarian lifestyles have been talked about more and more in recent years. With obesity on the rise, and higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases being recognized, vegetarian lifestyles have been seen as a potential solution. How beneficial is the vegetarian diet and how can it be potentially inhibitory to our diets? There are several types of vegetarianism, including vegan, who do not consume or use any type of animal product, lactovegetarian who consume dairy products, and lacto-ovo-vegetarian who consume both dairy products and eggs. The most prevalent types of vegetarians are lacto-ovo-vegetarians (R.W. & E.F.). The ongoing debate with vegetarians is that they are not getting adequate amounts of protein, iron, vitamin B or all the essential fatty acids. A vegetarian lifestyle can be beneficial to the body and the environemnt (Leitzmann). It has been argued that vegetarians are getting less of an overall wholesome nutrient rich diet in comparison to omnivores, however there are benefits to being a vegetarian that are seen in the long term. Vegetarians have significantly lower prevalence of cardiovascular diseases than omnivores, as well as lower overall blood pressure, and diabetes prevalence (R.W. & E.F.). According to a study done with 76,000 participants, vegetarians are 25% less likely to die from a heart related disease (Becoming a Vegetarian). Comparing the BMI of vegetarians to non-vegetarians, the BMI of vegetarians is significantly lower for both men and women (Key, Davey & Appleby). Comparing vegetarians and omnivores, vegetarians tend to consume less saturated fat, cholesterol, and higher amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium and phytochemicals. Due to these types of eating patterns, vegetarians are more likely to have lower total LDL cholesterol levels, lower

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