Very Vegetarian?

Constantly, I have been wondering what my life would look like if I would start to take types of meat away from my diet. Would I have more energy? Would I lose any weight? Would my skin look better? And would it have any positive impacts on the environment? I have always wanted to go pescatarian, vegetarian, or even vegan because of my love for animals, but there never has been a "good time" to do so. I participate in lots of physical activities, attend school, and am in a family where everyone else loves meat. Even if I wanted to remove meat from my diet, I feel like it would be an "inconvenience" for the rest of my family/peers.

Don't get me wrong, I love the taste of certain meats, but after I eat them, I often find myself feeling guilty for taking a life away from an innocent creature. Not to mention, I recently have been binge watching PETA videos, so that has definitely had some influence on my sudden guilt for consuming animals...

Because I want to take into consideration what the benefits of going vegetarian are, I began researching all of the pros and cons. Let me share them with you!

Pro: Vegetarian diets are often very high in fiber and low in fat. Therefore, going vegetarian can help you with weight lost by limiting you from consuming the high fat that can be found in non vegetarian food. While you have to say good bye to lots of fast food by going vegetarian, at least you can kiss the extra calories away as well!

Pro: Consumption of meat and processed meats can heavily increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes in both men and women. On the other hand, vegetarian diets are extremely rich in whole grains, nuts, vegetable and fibers can improve the glycemic control in the people who already have diabetes.

Pro: Vegetarians show up to 40% less chance of developing cancer. That is a gargantuan statistic, and it sure is convincing!

Con: If you are a strict vegan/vegetarian, you might be missing on some of the nutrients like Omega 3 fatty acids, found in many fish. Those acids are crucial for brain health. People with plant-based diets also may missing out on Vitamin B12, which is pretty much any source of meat.(Important for healthy blood cells. Finally vegetarians may be lacking amounts of Vitamin D. (Crucial for bone health). Even if you try to supplement meat for other proteins, meeting protein needs gets hard if meals aren’t planned well.

Con: Lots of companies use herbicides and pesticide in order to improve production of crops/vegetables. Numerous chemicals are used in the soil, residues of which can be found in the plant and can find its way to the human body. Eek!

Con: Unfortunately, the statement that vegetarians live longer than meat eaters is a myth! People used to believe that was true, but multiple studies have debunked that "fact."

To conclude, I am still a little bit unsure of what to do. I will most likely try to go vegetarian for a week, and see what the effects are! If they are very significant, I will slowly remove more types of meat for longer periods of time. I will update you guys later!

If you want to learn more pros and cons about vegetarianism, visit the websites: https://goqii.com/blog/vegetarianism-pros-and-cons/, https://vegetarian.procon.org/, and https://www.livestrong.com/article/196211-pros-cons-of-a-vegetarian-diet/

Much Love,

Eva <3