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To Meat or Not to Meat

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To Meat or Not to Meat
To Meat or Not To Meat
William D Jordan
DeVry University

To Meat or Not To Meat It seems like the United States of America is quickly becoming a nation of dieters. Every day more people become increasingly cautious about what they eat. Magazine racks everywhere are full of how this celebrity lost weight, or some new secret dieting tip will give the reader the body of their dreams. Some of these methods, when looked into, just take old fads that have been tried in the past and put a new spin on them, and some diets require you to cut out entire food groups. The vegan lifestyle requires a diet such as this. They have cut meat from their lifestyle altogether. Vegans claim that they are healthier, and kinder to animals than omnivores, when in fact, omnivores live a healthy lifestyle that also sustains many animal species.
Problems
Of the many reasons to be a vegan, health is the argument that most non-meat eaters claim to be the best. When meat is consumed, fat from the animal is also ingested. “Most animals contain high levels of saturated and Trans fat that when eaten, correlates with hardening of the arteries, and heart disease.” (Walker, 2006). Vegans seem to think that it is possible to obtain all of the nutrients that the human body requires to survive through eating a wide variety of plant life. There is also an assortment of vitamins that ensure those who do not eat meat will have the opportunity to supply themselves with everything that the body needs to remain healthy. There is also a myth that the sunlight helps to provide vitamin D.
Dairy products also fall under the big red x stamped on all things bad for the health of humans according to vegans. The main problem with dairy is that when animals ingest things such as growth hormones, antibiotics, and feed that has been sprayed with pesticides they pass small amounts of those things through their milk by-products. So when humans partake of meat and dairy products they too ingest these harmful



References: Bergner, P. (2008, May 02). The omnivore 's delight: Reasons to enjoy meat. Retrieved from http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-omnivores-delight-reasons-to-enjoy-meat.html Byrnes, S. (1999, July). The myths of vegetarianism. The ecologist, 29(4), Retrieved from http://www.theecologist.info/page14.html Deneen, S. (2013, February 02). Were humans meant to eat meat?. Retrieved from http://rense.com/general20/meant.htm Herzog, Ph.D, H. (2011, June 20). Why do most vegetarians go back to eating meat? Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animals-and-us/201106/why-do-most-vegetarians-go-back-eating-meat Hornick, B., & Yarnell, E. (n.d.). Health benefits of meat, poultry, and fish. Retrieved from http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/fresh-ideas/healthy-dinners/health-benefits-of-meat-poultry-and-fish-ga3.htm Mercola, J. (2010, November 01). How eating meat can save the planet. Retrieved from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/01/benefits-of-eating-meat.aspx Robinson, J. (2013). Sustainable livestock husbandry. Retrieved from http://www.gracelinks.org/248/sustainable-livestock-husbandry Stoler, F. (2011, June 02). USDA scraps food pyramid for plate. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/06/02/usda-scraps-food-pyramid-for-plate/ Walker, J. (2006, September 05). Omnivore vs. vegetarian. Retrieved from http://www.nobeliefs.com/comments9.htm

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