Free Essay

The Various Effects of a Vegetarian Diet

In:

Submitted By graduatestudent1
Words 1351
Pages 6
The Various Effects of a Vegetarian Diet

Article One
Summary
The first article asks two questions “Are vegetarian students more at risk for developing an eating disorder” and “What are first-year college students’ self-identified reasons for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle?” To find the answer to this question Trautmann (2008) set up a correlational study. The subjects included 330 vegetarians versus non-vegetarian first year college students. The subjects made up a convenience sample. The design was correlational and included findings of qualitative data. The independent variables in this study were the vegetarian and non-vegetarian students. The dependent variables were the mean DEBQ and EAT-26 scores. According to the mean DEBQ score there was an increase in the amount of dieting among vegetarians. These findings lead Trautmann (2008) to confirm “that a vegetarian lifestyle among first-year college students may be related to disordered eating behaviors” (p. 3).
Assess
This research article had some limitations. To start, the study was a convenience sample of first year students from one university. The subjects were also pulled from a very general class which may not truly represent the whole student body at this particular university. The study would have been better if it were executed in a randomized way. This study also uses a broad definition of vegetarianism and some subjects even considered themselves to be semi-vegetarians. Though this article does have some limitations it covers a completely different topic than those of the other articles used for this research project. It is useful and has good results based on the tests that were used in the study. The scales which were used to measure dietary restraint have high internal validity and have been proven valid.
Reflect
This study addresses topics that do in fact relate to our area of research on vegetarianism among college students. It presents different supporting information that can be used in our research project. Even if we do not use the exact findings of this study, there is a lot of evidence that we can either use as background or supporting details for our own research project. For example, we could talk about how many students adopt the vegetarian lifestyle when they get to college in order to lose weight. Then we could talk about what options there are for these students and if they are actually making the right choices.
Article Two
Summary
Clarys’ (2000) study was conducted to answer the question, what is the difference between the average nutrition intake and physical performance of a group of vegetarian students compared to that of non-vegetarian students? The study also wanted to compare various blood parameters and each group’s physical performance levels in the hopes of taking this information and determining the completeness of the individual diets. The group was a convenience sample of 24 vegetarian students (14 males, 10 females). Each vegetarian student was asked to recruit a non-vegetarian student for the study in order to build a control group. This was a quasi-experimental study and included qualitative findings. The independent variables were the student’s nutrition habits and physical fitness abilities. The dependent variables were the results of the student’s blood tests and physical performance tests. After completing the study Clarys (2000) concluded that the vegetarian diet includes sufficient amounts of the required nutrients. According to Clarys (2000) the vegetarian diet is actually closer to an all-around healthy diet; however vegetarian and non-vegetarian subjects actually had very similar physical performances in the tests conducted for the study. After testing blood concentrations of the subjects Clarys (2000) found that nutrient intake is not necessarily always directly related to nutrient absorption.
Assess
The sample of this study was very small so it only showed results for a select group of people. One major limitation of this study was the fact that the vegetarian subjects chose the matched non-vegetarian subjects to form the control group. There is a bias here because people are usually similar to the others they associate themselves with and often share the same exercise habits. Therefore, it is no surprise that the physical performance scores of the groups were very similar. Although the two group’s results were very much alike there were multiple aspects to the physical fitness portion which made the test possible for more subjects. The study also used many scientific tests to find their results. This article will not be as helpful compared to the others. There seem to be too many parts of the study and article that seem skeptical.
Reflect
The information presented in this article would tie in nicely to our research project. I can see how we could link the college vegetarian diet with physical fitness levels among students. While I do find this article to be relevant to our topic, I think the study has too many gray areas. There are too many limitations to the study which does not make me feel confident in its results. The results of the study are not convincing enough to make me want to use its information for our research article.
Article Three
Summary
Salonen (2012) conducted a study to ask the question, how do Finnish university students assess their ability to adopt vegetarianism and their dietary behavior? The study was a convenience sample of 210 Finnish university students ranging from 18-40 years old. The students were asked to fill out an assessment including 36 sustainability items which would result in the study’s quantitative findings. The independent variables in this study are the assessment’s questions and topics that each subject had to give their opinion on. The dependent variables are the results of the assessment. After completing the study Salonen found that out of the 36 items relating to sustainability in the evaluation, the vegetarian diet was the least important to the subjects. However, the assessments also proved that the students favored vegetarian diets relatively often and that more and more students are finding ways to convert to the more sustainable way of eating (Salonen, 2012, p.5).
Assess
For this study another convenience sample was taken. After the results were analyzed from the questionnaire it seemed as though some of the subjects were uneducated in their own nutritional habits. For this specific study the researcher would want somewhat educated people to fill out the assessment. That is why a convenience sample is not the best type of design to use in this case. There were some strong points to this research article. Though it was a convenience sample it has the most subjects out of the three articles being critiqued. Although some of the subjects did not seem to entirely know what the assessment was asking them, there were many areas that were covered which increased to likelihood of every subject knowing how to answer more questions confidently. Another strong point is the fact that many calculations were done before the end results were finalized.
Reflect
I think my group could use this article for the research project. Although it does have some limitations there are still useful parts of the study. This research proves that the vegetarian lifestyle is indeed becoming more and more popular among students. It shows that it is becoming somewhat of a trend but that there are still many people who do not know a lot about the entire vegetarian purpose and lifestyle. I can see some of this information serving as good background information for our research project. This information could also tie into Trautmann’s (2008) study and how some students may not know how to form a healthy vegetarian diet which could possibly lead to disordered eating habits.

References
Clarys, P, (2000). Physical Fitness and Health-Related Parameters in Vegetarian and Omnivorous Students. Nutrition and Food Science. 30 (5), p.243-249
Salonen, Arto O., (2012). Vegetarian Diets: A Way towards a Sustainable Society. Journal of Sustainable Development. 5 (6), p.10-24
Trautmann, Julianne, (2008). Vegetarian Students in Their First Year of College: Are They at Risk for Restrictive or Disordered Eating Behaviors? College Student Journal. 42 (2), p.340-347

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Vegetarian Diets: the More Positive Side Is Being Revealed

...Ashlee Tarr Miss Smith Senior English 16 April 2010 Vegetarian Diets: The More Positive Side Is Being Revealed For many people understanding exactly what a vegetarian is can be difficult. Essentially, a vegetarian is one that does not consume meat. There are, however, several different types of vegetarians that are defined by certain restrictions. For quite some time people have thought of vegetarianism as a negative thing; recently, vegetarianism has become more appealing and accessible thanks to the year-round availability of fresh produce, more vegetarian dining options, and the growing culinary influence of cultures with largely plant-based diets (Becoming a Vegetarian 4-6). The traditional idea concerning vegetarian diets was that there were various nutritional deficiencies. New research, however, highlights the positive side of vegetarianism. In the Western world, the popularity of vegetarianism grew in the 20th century because of the combination of nutritional, ethical, and environmental concerns (Heller). With vegetarianism gaining popularity, many people are more aware of the different forms of the diet. Vegetarian eating covers a broad territory and can run the gamut from people who avoid all animal products to people who simply refrain from eating a few select animal foods (Bauer 185). The strictest type of vegetarian is the vegan. Vegans abstain from eating or using all animal products. They withdraw from eating meat, dairy, and eggs. Vegans also prefer...

Words: 1990 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Pros And Cons Of Slaughtering

...Far too often, not enough thought goes into the food we consume, particularly when it comes to meat. Typically, we grow up simply eating what is on our plates, never stopping to think about the ethical, political, or environmental consequences of our diets. Why should we? Everyone eats animal products— this is the way things are and always have been and always will be. Social psychologist Melanie Joy perhaps says it best: “Many of us spend long minutes in the aisle of the drugstore mulling over what toothpaste to buy, yet most of us don’t spend any time at all thinking about what species of animal we eat and why. Our choices as consumers drive an industry that kills ten billion animals per year in the United States alone. If we choose to support...

Words: 1649 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Nutrition Final Exam Study Guide

...the concept of a risk factor. A) Factors known to be related to diseases, but have not yet proven to be a cause. We say that a certain factor puts us at increased risk for a disease, but does not cause it. * How does one use risk factors? * Review the basics of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. * Be ready to identify the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (especially diet-related risk factors!) A) High LDL blood cholesterol, low HDL blood cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, obesity (central obesity), physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, diet: high saturated or trans fats, low veggies, low fruits, low whole grains * Describe the dietary strategies to reduce risk of CVD through diet. A) Decrease saturated and trans fat, increase soluble fiber intake, increase fruits and veggies, increase whole grains/ decrease refined grains, increase fish intake (2 servings/week) * What is the TLC diet and what does it entail? A) TLC = Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes. From the NIH, designed to help decrease cholesterol through diet and lifestyle changes: the same changes we saw in table 11.6, also recommends 2 grams per day of plant sterols * What do plant sterols have to do with high blood cholesterol? A) Plant sterols – the plant form of cholesterol. Slightly chemically different, prevent us from absorbing cholesterol in the intestines, currently only recommended for those with high cholesterol Weight Management ...

Words: 2589 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Obesity

..."Obesity" Research Paper Introduction and Background “I don’t understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open or put them on powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives.” --Dean Ornish, M.D. In the Theory of Leisure Class: Conspicuous Consumption, Thorstein Veblen once wrote, “The ‘successful’ are thin to show that they are assured of their next meal.” This sentence gave insight to why people wanted to be thin. Furthermore, it tends to be a reason why many of us climb on our scales at home each day, and depending on what is read, determines whether we have a good day or a bad day (Beller 264). Whether it’s the unhappy news of the gained weight on the thighs, age creeping up on the body, or perhaps only being uneducated in nutrition. Overall well-being should be the goal for weight control, not only to enhance the body’s appearance (Sobal 81). Being overweight can be helped; as any degree of obesity can be considered one of the most preventable causes of death in America (Frankle et al. 1). Obesity in the United States has grown over the years with no real solution, however vegetarianism can contribute to overall well-being of any individual. Karlsberg states that obesity is “the condition of being extremely overweight”, being usually about twenty percent over healthy weight (77). Even if one is not obese, but overweight, the problems that obesity...

Words: 3372 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

D1: Make Realistic Recommendations for Minimising Negative on the Individuals in Specific Health and Social Setting.

...P3 Explain possible influences on dietary intake There are many influences that may affect an individual and their diet. There are various amounts of factors that may affect an individual factors such as medical disorders, personal preference, lifestyle and socio-cultural factors. There are many underlying health conditions that result in an individual having to alternate their dietary intake. It’s always important that an individual eats healthy, but because of not being able to eat certain foods because of medical disorders eating balanced and even healthy becomes more complicated. An individual can be having a medical disorder that can determine their diet; this could be anything from allergies and intolerance. For example, person that is lactose intolerant will not be able to eat dairy products as this can skill up reactions in which they can be prevented. There will be a person that is lactose intolerant will be deficient in calcium. They are not receiving enough calcium in order for their bones to keep strong. Medical disorders – Anorexia nervosa Dahlia smith is 19 years old female experiencing anorexia nervosa, was admitted to a mental health centre inpatient unit weighing 60lb with liver, kidney and pancreases damaged. Dahlia was hospitalized for 59 days. All privileges had to be earned. Access to food was controlled by the staff. For pounds gained privileges were arranged, for pound lost privileges were shortened. Dahlia eating behaviour was viewed as an unconscious...

Words: 3374 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Cafeteria Service Quality and Students

...Vegetarian Cafeteria Service Quality and Students’ Overall Satisfaction with University University experience is rite of passage for many young people. Students often leave their homes for the first time to live with their peers in another city or even a different country (Hendrickson, Rosen, Aune, 2011). With this coming of age experience, come many unique challenges and obstacles. One of the major adjustments to university life for many students is adjusting to the quality of the cafeteria services (Hartwell, Edwards, & Brown, 2011). Students have various eating habits and preferences and it is the responsibility of the cafeteria services of the university to attempt to provide both nutritious and palatable food for diverse student body. With little alternative to the food provided on-campus, students often have to rely on the cafeteria service to supply them with their daily caloric intake. Add to this the caveat of international students from all over the world and the problem becomes even more challenging A unique challenge is dealing with the adjusting to a diet that is based on principals foreign to the student. For example, a school that provides a vegetarian diet would be a unique experience for many international students. Living in such a context may be challenging for them. As such, how does this experience with such a diet impact the student’s perception of the food services? In addition, does such an experience with the food have any affect on the students’...

Words: 2152 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Obesity

...In the Theory of Leisure Class: Conspicuous Consumption, Thorstein Veblen once wrote, “The ‘successful’ are thin to show that they are assured of their next meal.” This sentence gave insight to why people wanted to be thin. Furthermore, it tends to be a reason why many of us climb on our scales at home each day, and depending on what is read, determines whether we have a good day or a bad day (Beller 264). Whether it’s the unhappy news of the gained weight on the thighs, age creeping up on the body, or perhaps only being uneducated in nutrition. Overall well-being should be the goal for weight control, not only to enhance the body’s appearance (Sobal 81). Being overweight can be helped; as any degree of obesity can be considered one of the most preventable causes of death in America (Frankle et al. 1). Obesity in the United States has grown over the years with no real solution, however vegetarianism can contribute to overall well-being of any individual. Karlsberg states that obesity is “the condition of being extremely overweight”, being usually about twenty percent over healthy weight (77). Even if one is not obese, but overweight, the problems that obesity has could be the same. Such as heart disease, circulatory problems, high blood pressure, type two diabetes, certain cancers, and arthritis (78). Other troubles associated with obesity include, but are not limited to are: impairing vigor, increasing fatigability, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver, hardening of arteries...

Words: 3086 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Meat vs Vegetarian Debate

...Meat vs Vegetarian: the War of Strong Opinions The question whether the views of people with strong but scientifically unsupported opinions should be given prominence equal to those with compelling scientific evidence in the decades-long battle of ‘conclusive evidence’ between the Meat and the Veg camp, seems to have surfaced again in the debate. On one hand, there is always a moral choice camp for whom vegetarianism and veganism are choices of non-violence towards animals. PETA is the biggest advocate for moral vegetarianism and much alike other followers of this principle, is not too much concerned with the ultimate healthiness of the food choice, as long as it does not involve killings. “Soy sausages and “Fib Ribs to Tofurky jerky and mock lobster” that PETA is citing as its meat alternatives, do not sound too ingredient-friendly. On the other hand, people choosing vegetarian or meat diet for its health-related advantages are faced with dire straits of scientific burden of proof because health is a long-term domain of high science. ‘Compelling scientific evidence’ appears to be a strong word sequence with almost magical powers, practically an idiom, but, of course, it has to be handled carefully. In many examples of bad or ‘yellow’ journalism, the phrase “British [American, sometimes on gets Chinese for exoticism] scientists have discovered” often validates, or at least serves as modality qualifier for the stories with unchecked or altogether invented facts.’...

Words: 2781 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Vegan Research Paper

...These newly acquired knowledge has affected my way of living. I was a vegetarian and I drank milk and used other dairy products (anything made from animals). However, now I prevent myself from using such products after knowing more about how animals are being forced to give milk and how they are being slaughtered for their flesh. While researching, I read some journals, books, magazines, and watched documentaries. I got emotional and I was affected and disturbed by what I read and watched. My goal in this paper is to make it clear that we can live without meat and flesh but we cannot live...

Words: 1007 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Diet Influences

...Influences on diet I will be producing an essay assessing some of the influences on the dietary intakes of an individual and make a link on how the influences I assess, have an impact on different individuals' nutritional health. I will also display my knowledge to my work placement and explain how I would minimise the influences when planning a menu in my work placement. Understand influences on dietary intake and nutritional health factors: underlying health condition resulting in specific nutrient needs, eg diabetes, coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, food allergy; loss of ability to feed independently, eg from paralysis; loss of function, eg cognitive, digestive Dietary habits: influences, eg meal patterns, snacking, personal tastes, food availability Lifestyle: influences, eg eating at home, social eating and drinking, exercise/activity levels, occupation (active, sedentary), leisure pursuits Economic: influences, eg cost of food, access to shops; food supply, eg seasonal variation Socio-cultural: influences, eg beliefs, socialisation, food rituals, role of food in families and communities Education: influences, eg public health, health education, food hygiene, marketing and labelling; role of health professionals, eg dieticians, public health nutritionists, doctors, nurses, carers, sports nutritionists, health and fitness instructors Health factors are an influence on the dietary intake of an individual due to many health conditions...

Words: 2052 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

A Disease Controlled by Diet

...A Disease Controlled by Diet Is alcoholism a disease? There’s much confusion. Pull up a barstool beside any alcoholic drinker and ask whether he thinks he has a disease. He will tell you no, even though he may be quick to admit he’s “an alcoholic.” But ask any recovering alcoholic in A.A. He’ll tell you he has a disease and he’ll tell you he has this disease whether or not he’s drinking. Each of them is partly right. Alcoholic drinking starts a disease process. This process progresses when you’re drinking. It stops when you stop drinking. And when you stop drinking, you can heal much of the damage from the disease if you change your diet. Alcoholism fits the definition of disease. Like other diseases, alcoholism impairs your health by damaging your cells. Like other diseases, it interrupts your body’s vital functions, causing specific symptoms. And like other diseases such as cancer, if it’s allowed to continue long enough, it’ll kill you. But as a disease, it has an ironic twist. The agent causing the disease acts like a medicine that cures the symptoms. Alcoholic drinkers actually feel healthier when they’re drinking. Pain and sickness seem to disappear. Unfortunately, the sense of health is artificial. When you drink, you relieve yourself of the symptoms only. Meanwhile, inside your body, a disease process rages. Drinking wears out your body and actually speeds up the aging process. Your cells live their lives in the fast lane of high blood-sugar and toxic...

Words: 898 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Wheat Belly

...“Wheat Belly” By William Davis, M.D. When I first picked up this book I was thinking “I probably already know most of this stuff but I'm curious”. Man, was I ever wrong. This book was quite excellent and I learned a lot from it. There was one point that the author made that really made me drop my pants; wheat bread has a glycemic index (GI) rating of 72, shredded wheat cereal stands at 67. “So what?” you ask? Well, he also shows that the GI rating of a Mars bar is 68, in other words when it comes to sugar content and effects upon blood sugar levels, eating wheat bread and shredded wheat is comparible to eating a Mars bar! A Snickers bar's GI rating is only 41, “far better than whole grain bread” as he says in the book. And get this, the GI rating of pure table sugar is 59. Allow me to repeat myself; table sugar 59, wheat bread 72. Think about that for a second, ok? Early on in the book the author makes several points concerning the properties of wheat, how it's grown, and how much it has been changed even since the 1950's with genetic modifications and such. He states “Today einkorn, emmer and the original wild and cultivated strains have been replaced by thousands of modern human-bred offspring.” He mentions that geneticist Norman Borlaug was credited with creating a new variety of wheat that was shorter in height and quicker to mature, giving it a shorter growing season, a quicker and easier harvest, a higher yeild and a lower cost of cultivation. It came to be known...

Words: 1573 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Health Promotion

...Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Prevention in Health Promotion Health promotion is the ability of all health care professionals to motivate individuals to increase control over a person’s health using various social and environmental factors (World Health Organization, 2011). The idea of health promotion is what fuels the nursing profession to be what it is today. It helps to guide how patients are taken care of, how assessments are done and the health education that it is provided to the community and patients (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). Nurses are responsible for viewing patients as a whole rather than as just an illness. Holistic nursing provides a context for the patient’s environment to be included in the plan of care. By including all aspects of a person in an assessment, the nurse is promoting patterns of vigor which, in turn, support beneficial patterns of health behaviors (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). Without the keys of health promotion, nursing would not have the guidelines needed to provide excellent and individualized patient care. Nursing plays a key role in health promotion throughout various health care settings through key assessments and health education (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). As patients come into the hospital, nurses make the initial and continued assessments to ensure an individual’s motivation and attitude towards lifestyle changes and well-being. Assessments made regarding a person’s cultural and religious preferences are discovered by the nurse to make...

Words: 1055 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Catering the

...Catering Theory 2 Question 1 What factors influence the visual effect food has on a customer? Explain your answer. I believe that personal preferences, background, religion, time of month and day even can influence the visual effect food has on a customer. The chef‟s responsibility is to present a dish that will be visually appealing to a wide variety of customers and in this respect the following techniques can be used: Contrast Harmony Simplicity Garnishes However, as outlined above in my opinion personal factors are key in the way customers perceive food visually. A very hungry individual might find a big portion visually stimulating but same cannot be said for an individual that is sick or on a special diet. A pork chop can be the most beautiful thing in the world for some, but for others that have religious constraints it can be a complete disaster. The examples can continue with positive stimuli for some being negative stimuli for others and in my opinion there can be as many factors influencing customers as there are customers so the combinations of stimuli is almost endless. Question 2 Why is it important that food is served at the correct temperature? I think it is important to serve food at the correct temperature mainly because two factors: a) Food safety. b) Food service principles that If we are to classify the two factors presented above I would be inclined to say that Food Safety should be the main factor why establishments choose to serve food at the correct...

Words: 2452 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Unit 32: Nutrition and Diet

...32: NUTRITION AND DIET Get assignment help for this unit at assignmenthelpuk@yahoo.com LO1 Understand nutritional principles Food choice: factors influencing food choice and dietary habits (socio-economic, cultural, religious, ethical, psychological, media, sensory perception); current food trends eg fast foods, snacking Food classification: main food groups (meat, fish and alternatives, milk and dairy foods, bread and cereal foods, fruit and vegetables, fatty and sugary foods); nutritional values of common foods Nutritional requirements: dietary reference values (DRVs) for nutrients and energy; nutrient and energy needs of population subgroups (children, physically active, elderly, pregnancy and lactation) Nutritional status: assessment of the nutritional status of populations and individuals (anthropometric assessment); body mass index (BMI); biochemical; measurement of food and nutrient intake (24-hour recall, weighed inventory, National Food Survey); use of food tables https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5649485182751853952#editor/target=post;postID=6877352272977566396 LO2 Understand the links between diet and health Health: obesity and overweight (nature and extent, causes, treatment); coronary heart disease; dietary fats (saturates, monounsaturates, polyunsaturates, omega-3 fatty acids, trans-fatty acids) and effects on serum cholesterol (LDL and HDL); diet and dental health; fibre/NSP (non-starch polysaccharides) and bowel disorders; diet (eg antioxidant vitamins)...

Words: 964 - Pages: 4