| Non Vegetarian: | | | | having meat as part of their diets and the |
| Vegetarians are those people who do not eat | | | | resultant savings on food would be channeled to |
| meat while non vegetarians are those who include | | | | other financial needs. The good thing with non |
| meat in their diets. The following essay will explain | | | | vegetarians is that they consume both plant |
| the benefits of being a non vegetarian over a | | | | foods as well as meat thus it is easier for them |
| vegetarian. | | | | to attain a balanced diet than those who cannot |
| The first aspect to consider is the issue of | | | | eat meat. Patients who eat meat are found to |
| nutrition. Eating meat comes with numerous health | | | | recover more quickly than those who don't since |
| benefits that cannot be derived from any | | | | meat helps to speed up the repair of damaged |
| vegetarian meal. To start with, meat contains high | | | | body cells and formation of new cells. |
| quality proteins with all the essential amino acids. | | | | Vegetarians face a higher rate of lack of food |
| Proteins are very useful in body building and thus | | | | choices since restaurants still do not provide a |
| persons relying only on plant foods for proteins | | | | wide range of vegetarian foods and preparing the |
| are more vulnerable to retarded growth and a | | | | food separately may be time consuming and |
| weak body than a non vegetarian. A well cooked | | | | expensive. Also a person is more likely to miss |
| chicken provides amino acids that protects from | | | | vegetarian food options when they drop at a |
| common influenza and enhances a person's | | | | friend's house for dinner. On the contrary, a non |
| immune system against common ailments and | | | | vegetarian cannot suffer such food option |
| allergies. Meat contains creatinine which is | | | | limitations since they can feast on both plant |
| necessary for building the body muscle mass for | | | | foods as well as meat. |
| locomotion and other physical practices. Most | | | | Vegetarians will have more hard times eating out |
| vegetarian infants exhibit stunted growth (Brown, | | | | with friends since it is much easier to arrange |
| 2008). | | | | meals for everyone in the group rather than |
| Iron which is a crucial mineral in hemoglobin | | | | making separate meals for people who don't eat |
| formation and the consequent blood level | | | | meat. A non vegetarian will find it uncomfortable |
| sustenance especially for menstruating women is | | | | to eat from the same table with people eating |
| present in huge quantities in red meat than from | | | | meat which is not the case with a non vegetarian |
| any plant source. Animal liver for instance, | | | | who can eat any kind of food on the table |
| contains 6000 mcgm per every 100 grams as | | | | (Brown, 2008). |
| opposed to 325 mcgm per every 100 grams of | | | | Ecological issue is another aspect to consider |
| carrots. Bone marrow and soup is also a very rich | | | | when thinking of the benefits of being a non |
| source of iron as compared to green vegetables. | | | | vegetarian. Man makes part of the ecological food |
| Vegetarians are more likely to suffer from | | | | web that is responsible for balancing the natural |
| iron-deficiency anemia due to a low iron level. | | | | occurrence of living things; animals and plants. If all |
| The phosphorus content found in cereals and | | | | people were to stop eating meat from animals, |
| legumes is normally in the form of phytic acid. | | | | the population of herbivores would drastically |
| This means this kind of phosphorus has to be | | | | increase resulting to lack of pasture and fodder |
| hydrolyzed first before it can be absorbed into | | | | for the domestic animals due to over competition. |
| the body. On the contrary, the phosphorus found | | | | This would in turn result to starvation of the |
| in meats is easily absorbed in body tissues | | | | livestock and their eventual death. This explains |
| indicating that non vegetarians are more likely to | | | | the essence of man having to include animal meat |
| have the desirable levels of phosphorus in the | | | | in their diet to maintain a balance on the number |
| body than vegetarians. Meat also contains high | | | | of herbivores feeding on plants at any given time. |
| levels of vitamin B12 which is absent in plant | | | | Animal products such as skins, hides, fur and |
| foods. Deficiency of vitamin B12 may lead to | | | | bones are useful in production of leather items, |
| Macrocytic Anemia in infants of vegetarian | | | | clothing and adhesives. This implies that having |
| mothers. Strict vegetarians face the risk of | | | | meat as part of the human diet comes with |
| nutritional deficiencies such as riboflavin, zinc, iron, | | | | other benefits of the by products. It is ironic that |
| calcium and essential amino acids like lysine and | | | | people are against non vegetarian practices yet |
| methionine. Vegetarian children face the risk of | | | | they are quick to use leather products obtained |
| energy deficiency in calories (Brown, 2008). | | | | after these animals are slaughtered. |
| Fish, milk and milk products are very rich in | | | | Most of the religious beliefs that make people not |
| calcium which is important for ensuring strong | | | | to eat meat are based on the belief of |
| bones and teeth. Children lacking meat in their | | | | reincarnation. Most Asian religious groups that do |
| diets normally have problems in teeth formation | | | | not eat meat believe that when a person dies, |
| and their bones are weak often resulting to | | | | they reincarnate in form of an animal. This makes |
| frequent fractures and limb deformations and | | | | them believe that eating meat would mean eating |
| rickets due to lack of vitamin D. The calcium | | | | their ancestors or those who have just died. The |
| quantities in plant foods are minute and unreliable | | | | truth about this belief is very questionable since |
| when it comes to proper bone and teeth | | | | their mythical theory cannot explain why the |
| formation. Osteoporosis may result due to calcium | | | | animal population is still low in comparison to the |
| deficiency and cause bone demineralization | | | | number of people who have died. Animals are |
| Some fish types such as tuna and salmon | | | | born and develop just like humans do and never |
| contains omega 3 acids which are very useful in | | | | do they emerge from reincarnation as alleged. |
| mental health and general physical health. Omega | | | | In a biblical point of view, God created man and |
| 3 acids also have good anti-cancer properties. Fish | | | | gave them dominion over all animals. He did bless |
| also contains vitamin A well known for its ability | | | | the animals for human consumption and hence |
| to boost human memory and thus intelligence. | | | | eating meat should not be considered as sin. The |
| Children fed with fish supplements are found to | | | | Quran also allows its followers to have meat as |
| perform better academically than those who | | | | part of their food. Animals cannot be fully |
| depend entirely on plants for their food. | | | | personified to possess “human rights” of |
| The nutrients concentration in meat is high as | | | | not being killed for human consumptions. |
| compared to that in plant foods and hence little | | | | Owing to the above benefits associated with |
| quantity of food is required in non vegetarian diets | | | | eating meat, it is therefore more logical and |
| than in the vegetarian ones. This has the | | | | beneficial for all people to become non |
| advantage of reducing the cases of food | | | | vegetarians, and assume the full benefits that |
| shortages if all people would adopt the concept of | | | | come with the consumption of meat. |