We’re talking about vegetarians vs. meat eaters, and the argument is usually over which team will reign supreme, to borrow a line from the Iron Chef television show.
Each side fires at the other, citing facts, statistics, polls, conventional wisdom and just plain personal preference. Each side is convinced the other side is full of fanatics, but like political conversations, each secretly hopes to sway the other in coming over to their point of view.
The vegetarians have some powerful arguments. Even though their number if relatively tiny in the United States, vegetarians have no less a friend than the federal government and its statistics-driven machine on their side. Government nutrition reports routinely cite the need for more fruits, vegetables and grains in our diet, and claim that 70 percent of diseases are related to diet.
NUMBERS OF VEGETARIANS
A study titled “Vegetarianism in America” was published by the Vegetarian Times, a publication that, as you might guess from its title, embraces the practice of not eating meat. The study found that more than 7 million people claim to follow a vegetarian diet in the United States. About 1 million are vegans, those hardliners who won’t even use leather shoes and generally shun anything containing dairy, eggs or gelatin.
The vegetarian community breaks down into various sub-strata. There are those who follow a strict vegetables-only diet. Then there are lacto-ovo vegetarians, who shun meat, poultry and fish but eat eggs and dairy.
There are also lacto-vegetarians, who do not eat meat/poultry/fish but do eat dairy; ovo vegetarians, who don’t eat meat but eat eggs; and those who are considered partial vegetarians, the fence-straddlers who eat some poultry (pollotarians) and some who eat fish (pescetarians).
Yes, They Are Healthier
That vegetarians are generally healthier than their meat-eating cousins is usually not in dispute. They have, across the board, lower blood pressure and body weight, fewer incidences of diabetes and cancer, and don’t suffer from as many obesity-related diseases. A 2013 study of more than 70,000 people that’s often cited claimed that vegetarians had a 12 percent lower risk of death than meat eaters.
Adding fuel to the vegetarian argument is a study just released by the World Health Organization. The widely publicized study claimed that processed meats are just as bad as smoking when it comes to causing cancer. That means bacon, smoked meats, bologna, hot dogs and other delicacies that are part of the meat-eating diet may be a leading source of colorectal cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer. The study examined the global diet and multiple ethnicities to come up with its conclusion.
That’s sobering news. But here’s one for the meat lovers among you. There is also a serious risk that vegetarians aren’t getting enough of certain key nutrients that can help maintain health.
The Missing Links
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics produced a 2009 position paper that noted balance is key in a diet, as it is in high-wire acts. Vegetarians who do not pay strict attention to the nutritional content of their diets are going to miss out on some important nutrients, with the results putting additional stress on the body’s systems that rely on nutrition to produce the proper balance.
Here are four key items that vegetarians may be missing:
1) Vitamin B-12 – Seafood, beef, kidneys and other organs normally provide this key vitamin, which keeps the nerve and blood cells in good shape and makes DNA, the genetic material that is the basis of all the cells in our body. B-12 also helps fight off anemia.
2) Iron – This versatile mineral is a building block of all the body’s cells. It aids many important functions, including helping our hemoglobin carry oxygen from the lungs throughout our system.
3) Omega-3 fatty acids – A supreme inflammation fighter, omega-3 fatty acids ease rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, are believed to play a role in cancer prevention and help battle atherosclerosis.
4) Protein – Most of us get our protein from meat, obviously not a choice for someone following a vegetarian diet. While certain vegetables like broccoli are great sources of protein, it’s the amino acids that vegetarians may miss if they don’t eat a diet that mixes in a variety of plant proteins with grains to meet their needs.
There are other vital materials that may be missed, such as zinc, a mineral found in all cells that helps the immune system work, aids in the breakdown of carbohydrates, and helps with smell and taste.
The biggest concern of a vegetarian diet may be its effect on very young children. Their diet fuels growth, which is why children from Third-World countries who don't get as much nutrition may be much smaller and scrawnier than their American cousins. Children younger than age five are at particular risk if they don’t get enough vitamin B-12.
The United States Department of Agriculture has a long list of dietary guidelines available on its website. These can help vegetarians plan and construct a diet that will meet all their needs. Things like fortified cereals, veggie burgers and certain whole grains like quinoa, nuts like walnuts, and soy products can help round out a perfectly balanced vegetarian diet.
While no diet will prevent all diseases, the obvious health benefits of vegetarianism should be considered by all those who may suffer from the effects of the typical Western diet. Even cutting back on meat consumption several days a week may be a boon to better health, plus it can help save money, do a small part in helping the planet, and eliminate a lot of antibiotics and other chemicals from the diet.