Positive Effects of Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is becoming ever more popular around the world. People are choosing vegetarian diets over other diets in hope of living a healthier lifestyle. Matthew B. Ruby defines vegetarianism as, “The practice of abstaining from eating meat.” According to recent polls, Ruby indicates, “approximately 8% of Canadians, 9% of Germans, 40% in India, and 3% of the United States identify themselves as vegetarians.” Vegetarians can be separated into four distinct groups. The first is lacto-ovo vegetarians, also known as partial vegetarians. They exclude red meat, fish, and poultry from their diets, but still eat dairy products and eggs. The second is lacto vegetarians which exclude red meat, fish, poultry, and eggs but still include dairy products. The third group is pescetarians. This group avoids red meat and poultry, but eats fish. The last group is vegans and they have the strictest diet as they avoid eating all animal products including red meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. There are several reasons why people become vegetarian. Amita Handa expresses that people become vegetarians because “social reasons, political and religious beliefs, and financial problems.” Another notable reason people switch from nonvegetarian is because of their frustration with the cruel and unusual treatment of animals. Vegetarianism is mostly linked with positive effects on physical health as evidenced by lower body mass index, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. A vegetarian diet contributes to a person having a lower Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a weight-to-height ratio. About 68.8% of American adults are considered obese. Joan Sabate and Michelle Wein state that “epidemiologic studies have consistently shown that vegetarians are thinner than comparable nonvegetarians.” They go on to say, “Vegetarians in the