Should people follow a vegetarian diet?

Round 1

Arjun Ogale – With the significant rise in health problems linked to diet, tak­ing utmost care about what we choose to eat should be one of our primary concerns. The human body has evolved to primarily support a vegetarian diet, which explains our flat teeth and small canines, thus indicative that a vegetarian diet would be easier on our digestive system. In today’s lifestyle, numerous fruits and veg­etables aid in reducing our cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart diseases, cancer, obesity and diabetes, thus balancing these stress levels. Eating meat may have its advantages, but does more harm than good. Today’s commercially produced meat is rife with toxins, harmful additives and preservatives, saturated fats, hor­mones and drugs which have serious health effects. Besides, don’t you think that killing animals for meat is unethical and immoral?

Paras Ghumare – The human body has evolved in many ways and not just our diges­tion. Ancestral humans ate raw meat and thus canines were needed. But today we eat cooked food. Flat teeth are sufficient for that. Meat provided essential nutrients and proteins in dense forms to our an­cestors which has supported the development of our brains and in­telligence. A non-vegetarian diet can help in weight loss since it pro­vides same percentage of proteins as a vegetarian diet with half the number of calories. Chemically processed canola and corn oils con­tain harmful fats which can cause heart diseases, cancer and obesity. Eating meat is in no way unethical or cruel. Some depend on plants while some on animals. This is the cycle of the nature. Bioscientist Daniel Chamovitz in his book, “What a Plant Knows”, has explained that plants have emotions. Then why is cutting them not immoral?

Round 2

Ghumare – A non-vegetarian diet is extremely healthy. It is dense in proteins, iron, zinc and B vitamins. It contains vitamins A, D, E and K, which are helpful in efficient immune system functions and brain function. A vegetarian diet results in cholesterol deficiency leading to depression and anxiety. Including fish in the diet provides essential omega-3 fatty acids which reduce the occurrence of heart attacks and strokes. Also, this reduces the risk of diabetes and cancer. Going against the myth, vegetarian diets are more harmful for the environment. There is an excessive use of herbicides against genetically modified seeds which is causing topsoil loss in the United States. Animals such as rabbits get killed in plenty during harvesting. According to a 2003 report, pro­ducing tofu or soy-proteins produces more greenhouse gas than meat farming. You don’t need to be a vegetarian to better the environment.

Ogale – Considering the current rate of global warming, meat production is an impending threat to the environment. Meat production requires land for grazing and growing feed which can result in deforestation and endangering the native plant or animal species. It also requires approximately ten times the amount of water required to produce the same quantity of vegetables or fruits. The manure obtained from livestock generates copious amounts of toxic gases which are harmful to humans and contribute towards global warming, leading to serious consequences. Even if somehow these problems are corrected, animal carcass disposal poses another threat. In many illicit meat producing industries, some of this decomposing carcass is used to adulterate the products and we as consumers have no way of distinguishing wheth­er a product is pure and conforms to regulations or not.

Round 3

Ogale – Due to the high levels of amino acids in meat, it tends to spoil faster and is highly favorable for bacterial growth. In order to suppress this growth and spoilage, high amounts of artificial chemicals and preser­vatives are added to it, which, as mentioned before, are toxic. Even before these preservatives are added, disease causing bacteria already begin to breed in the meat and cannot be killed by the simple addition of preservatives, thus demanding stronger and more toxic chemicals. Livestock used for commercial meat production is fed poor quality feed just to bulk them up. They lack the essential nutrients required for their growth. People have their food preferences depending upon their taste, religion, health or environmental concerns. In conclusion, no food group can be categorized as completely healthy because it is the way you approach your lifestyle that makes all the difference.

Ghumare – Meat consumption has an insignificant effect on forest land as the percentage of its coverage in the United States has remained steady over the last century. Meat manufacturers have to abide by certain laws. Over the last decade, there has been a drastic increase in the pro­duction of organic meat. The animals have access to fresh air and water, open spaces, no hormones, and organic food. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act demands slaughterhouses make the animals uncon­scious before killing. Similar other laws help raise them in a stress-free environment. More than 80 percent of the land in U.S. is unsuitable for growing crops. Raising sustainable herds like cattle or bison in these grasslands is achievable but cultivating monocrops isn’t. Although a healthy lifestyle is not just about eating nutritious food but eating meat accurately helps promote it.