Vegetarianism

Introduction

The term vegetarianism is used to refer to the practice of remaining away from dietary habits that is rich in meat and related products such as chicken as well as seafood. Vegetarianism is a way of diet which mostly comprises of food that is rich in fiber such as plants as well as vegetables. Vegetarianism is a leading solution to various problems including the issue of obesity that is experienced by the society of America in huge numbers. The Center of Disease Control states that nearly “36% of US adults have obesity” (cdc.gov 1). At the same time it can help in solving various environmental issues such as overfishing and can help in attaining a sustained environment. Vegetarianism has even been recognized to solve the issue of lack of rights for the animals which has experienced an upsurge as a result of extreme dependence on meat and related products for daily diet. Vegetarianism is the single most effective solution to the American problem of obesity as it can easily help Americans replace their unhealthy dietary habits and at the same time supply them with the daily requirements of nutrition.

Body

A vegetarian diet or adopting vegetarianism as a dietary habit can help Americans in solving their issue of obesity. Obesity is a health problem that is experienced by those who are overweight. Obesity can lead to several health issues which are quite chronic in nature. At the same time it has several social and psychological problems such as low self-esteem as well as lack of socializing agents. There are various causes of obesity and one of the leading causes of obesity is the dietary habits of the American people. American people consume diet that is rich in meat and similar products such as fish and other seafood. At the same time they consume meat in the shape of fast food which is cooked in oil that comprises of higher degree of calories as compared to oil produced through vegetables which contains lower levels of calories (Kearney 1). As a consequence of these dietary habits, more and more Americans are becoming obese and experiencing several chronic health issues. Tonstad and fellow researchers conducted a study in which they identified that those people who were exposed to a vegetarian diet experience an increase in their BMI by 23.6 kg/m² and those exposed to a non-vegetarian diet experienced an increase in their BMI by 28.6 kg/m² (Tonstad 1). This study suggests that consuming a vegetarian diet can help in keeping the BMI under control and this depicts that vegetarians are less likely to experience in increase in their weight as compared to non-vegetarians.

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Vegetarianism is a means through which the objective of environment protection can be attained at an unprecedented rate. Since a huge number of people in America as well as throughout the world are consuming meat rich diets, they are directly or indirectly impacting the environment in a negative manner. Industries, retailers and agriculturalist who obtain revenue from promoting and selling meat rich diet to the American people are involved in various activities that are hurting the environment. For example one of the environmental issues experienced by the present day society is the issue of overfishing. The issue is characterized by the act of continuous and harvesting and manipulation of stocks of various fishes which is leading to a decline in the number of fishes within the sea. The issue is taking place because a huge population prefers consuming fish as a part of their diet and this is motivating businesses to continuously harvest fishes and further exploit the depleting resource of fishes. According to PETA, increase in desire for consumption of fish has resulted in commercial stakeholders being involved in fishing and this has led to the extermination of nearly 90% of those fish populations that are larger in size and the trend continues to grow (peta.org 1). These statistics suggest that the desire for fish as a dietary habit is promoting the depletion of the environmental resource of fishes. Therefore, if the American society and societies that prefer consuming fishes shift to a vegetarian diet, they can help solve this environmental problem.

Vegetarianism can help solve the problem of infringement of animal rights. As a consequence of individuals’ demand for meat and related food items there has been an upsurge in the maltreatment of animals. Animals are quite similar to humans and they even have the ability to feel pain. Demand for animals has led to an increase in the way animals are mistreated and as a consequence of their inhumane treatment they experience troubled conditions and pain. For example while fish are being harvested and removed from seawater, they experience shortness of breath and as per a research cited by PETA “fish do feel pain” (peta.org 1). Similarly, animals such as pigs as well as cows that are a source of diet for several human beings have to experience inhumane conditions and are treated with immense cruelty. For example PETA states that these animals are housed in “small cages or stalls, where they are often unable to turn around” (oipa.org 1). Furthermore, chicken farmers tend to keep several chickens in a single cage and then these animals have to experience pain as a consequence of being slaughtered. This depicts the immense infringement of the rights of animals such as freedom to move and exercise essential behavior that humans are supporting by abiding by a non-veg diet. Therefore, transferring from a non-veg diet to a vegetarian diet can be of immense help in reducing the cruelty experienced by the animals in their daily lives.

Conclusion

Vegetarianism should be adopted by people in America and people all over the world as it can help in solving several health issues such as obesity. Americans should adopt a vegetarian diet as it will help them in reducing as well as keeping their weight low. Furthermore, vegetarianism is a key solution to several environmental issues such as overfishing which is being promoted as a consequence of commercial use of fish as a dietary practice. It can even help in the attainment and securing of the rights of the animals that are mistreated in their daily lives.

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