Solomon-McRoy 1

Marissa Solomon-McRoy
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
3/31/2015
Creating a Healthier Body and Environment: Vegetarianism
What if I told you there was a way we could reduce the amount of people getting diabetes
every year, instead of just watching the number increase? And what if I told you we could reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 50%? Lastly, what if I told you if we could reduce world-wide
obesity rates? What if all this could be accomplished just by simply changing your eating habits?
Some of the first recordings of vegetarianism were found in Ancient Greece. Early
philosophers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle often debated the status of animals and how
they should be treated as a part of the animal kingdom (The Vegetarian Society). Vegetarianism
also plays a fundamental roles in many early religions such as Hinduism, Brahinanism,
Zoroasterianism and Jainism some of which believe certain animals to be sacred. There are many
explanations for why people choose to become vegetarian, whether it is for religious reasons,
health concerns, ethical concerns, or economic issues.
Humans started abstaining from meat centuries ago and we have since been able to break
vegetarianism down into several different categories. The Vegetarian Society defines being
vegetarian as: Someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits
with, or without, the use of dairy products and eggs. A vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry,
game, fish, shellfish or by-products of slaughter." The most popular type of vegetarian is called

Solomon-McRoy 2
lacto-ovo. They eat eggs and dairy but abstain from all other meat products. The next type is
called lacto-vegetarian, they eat dairy products but no eggs. Lastly, the strictest form are vegans.
They eat no products that are derived from animals in any way, including dairy or eggs. Vegans
also do not wear leather or wool products.
There have been hundreds of studies done on those practicing meat-free diets. Many of
which have produced positive data health wise for the participants. Some of the findings from
such studies have been compiled into a scholarly journal by Jane Hart. Her journal mainly
focused on the effects of a vegetarian diet on diabetics and how they differed from those who did
follow a typical meat eating diet. A study done by the Adventist Mortality Study and the
Adventist Health Study followed 8401 people for 17 years who did not have diabetes at the
beginning of the study. Research concluded that meat eaters were 29% more likely to develop
type 2 diabetes when compared with vegetarians. Another study was done that had participants
with type 2 diabetes follow either a low fat vegan diet or follow only the American Diabetic
Associations diet guidelines. Participants were evaluated at baseline and then again after 22
weeks. 43% of the group eating the completely vegan diet and 26% of the ADA diet group were
able to reduce their medications for diabetes at the end of the study. Another study of 55, 459
women from the Swedish Mammography Cohort found the percentage of obesity was 40%
amongst omnivores, 29% amongst semi-vegetarians and vegans, and 25% amongst
lactovegetarians, concluding that obesity rates are indeed lower in vegetarians. The American
Dietetic Association has also found that vegetarians have a lower cancer rate compared to the
typical every day American and that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful,
nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain
diseases. But this is all up to the individual to make sure they are eating the proper diet. So

Solomon-McRoy 3
overall, these studies compiled by Jane Hart seem to show plenty of evidence that not eating
meat provides many health benefits including the possibility of reducing medications, lower
obesity rates, and disease prevention.
Another journal compiled by Timothy Key and others from the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition combined the findings of 5 separate studies comparing death rates from
disease between vegetarians and nonvegetarians. There were 8,330 deaths after an average of a
10.6 year follow up of 76,172 men and women (3,910 men and 4,420 women). Let it be noted
for each cause of death the mortality rate was lower in men than women. Death from heart
disease was 24% lower in vegetarians versus nonvegetarians. Then when comparing mortality
rates with further categorization of vegetarian diets it was found that death from heart disease
was 20% lower in occasional meat eaters, 34% lower in in those who ate only fish, 34% lower in
lactoovovegetarians, and 26% lower in vegans. Lower death rates were also recorded for
younger age groups and restricted to those who had been following the vegetarian diet for at least
5 years. The amount of deaths resulting from heart disease was lower in any form of a vegetarian
diet, less vegetarians died from heart disease than the average meat-eater. When looking at
preventing heart disease it seems to be very beneficial to follow a semi-vegetarian diet, as the
statistics show it is less likely for a vegetarian to die of heart disease.
The organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is focused on
educating the public of wrongdoings towards all types of animals. A main cause of theirs is also
to teach people how to become vegetarian/vegan and live the lifestyle properly. One of their most
read articles Vegetarianism and the Environment explains all the main reasons why one should
convert to a vegetarian diet. One of the most mind boggling facts it states is: according to the
Smithsonian Institution, in order to make room for animal farms, every minute seven football

Solomon-McRoy 4
fields worth of land is bulldozed down. Also, about 80% of all farm land used in the United
States comes from raising animals and growing their food. Animals in the meat industry also are
the biggest consumers of water in America, with pigs for example consuming 21 gallons of water
a day. The Worldwatch Institute has found that 51%, if not more, of greenhouse gas emissions
come from livestock and their byproducts. The United Nations has also said a global shift
toward a vegan diet is one of the steps necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change.
Factory farms produce billions of pounds of manure every day which can and does lead to
contamination of fresh water areas (lakes, rivers, drinking water). The Environmental Protection
Agency states that the number one source of water pollution comes from agriculture runoff. This
article explains the environmental concerns when dealing with the meat industry. Many large and
powerful corporations have said that living a meat-less lifestyle would greatly benefit the worlds
environment. This shows that vegetarianism is not only beneficial to your health but to the
environment.
There is much controversy to being vegetarian. One of the biggest arguments deals with
the health aspect. For example, from UNCCs library database, one article listed several of the
health concerns that come with being vegetarian. First off vegetarians are prone to getting many
nutritional deficiencies such as low vitamin B12 levels. Vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal
tissues explaining why vegetarians can seriously lack in this area. Having extremely low levels
of Vitamin B12 can lead to anemia, spinal cord and brain injuries and eye nerve damage (Micah
Issitt and Rosalyn Carson-Dewitt). Additionally, nonmeat-eaters are susceptible to having low
iron and Vitamin D levels, which can also lead to anemia. However, later in the same article the
author admits that if done correctly, if a proper vegetarian diet is followed, then vegetarianism
may indeed be a healthy choice.

Solomon-McRoy 5
Another aspect of vegetarianism not being as beneficial as we think looks at the meat
industry. It is one of the biggest industries in the world and provides key nutrition to people
worldwide, and it puts billions of dollars into the worlds economy. Many countries completely
rely on farming animals as their mean source of revenue. Thus posing that if humans on a large
scale were to stop eating meat it would devastate not just the large meat industries but small
farms as well. Its also been said by the Environmental Protection Agency that the pesticides
used for commercial farming are one of the biggest threats to contaminating clean water (Micah
Issitt and Rosalyn Carson-Dewitt). But it appears no matter what type of farm it is, agriculture or
animals, there will be some contamination possible.
In conclusion, the good seems to outweigh the bad in choosing to become a vegetarian. If
playing a role in lowering obesity rates, greenhouse gas emissions, and deaths from heart disease
sounds like something you would like to be a part of, then living this lifestyle might be for you.
As long as you take care of yourself and be sure to get all the vitamins and nutrients you arent
getting from meat, it definitely seems like a better choice. If slowly more and more people
convert over to vegetarianism it we would surely have a healthier world.

Solomon-McRoy 6
Works Cited
Hart, Jane. "The Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet." Alternative & Complementary Therapies.
Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Publishers. 15.2 (2009). Web. 9 March 2015
Issitt, Micah, and Rosalyn Carson-Dewitt. "Counterpoint: Vegetarianism Is An Unhealthy
Dietary Choice." Points Of View: Vegetarianism (2014): 3. Points of View Reference
Center. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
Key, Timothy, et al. "Mortality in Vegetarians and Nonvegetarians: Detailed Findings from a
Collaborative Analysis of 5 Prospective Studies." The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition. The American Society for Nutrition, Sept. 1999. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
"Vegetarianism and the Environment." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
"What Is a Vegetarian?" Vegetarian Society. The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom
Limited. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
"World History of Vegetarianism." Vegetarian Society. The Vegetarian Society of the United
Kingdom Limited. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.