an argumentative accademical essay in mla new, about vegetarianism

1. Universitatea Tehnică din Cluj-Napoca,
Centrul Universitar Nord din Baia Mare
Facultatea de Litere
Specializare: L.R.E III
To Be or Not To Be a
Vegetarian
Student: Carmen Agoşton

2. Februarie 2013
Abstract:
Nowadays more and more people decide to adopt a vegetarian diet.
Some of them are driven by spiritual and environmental issues, others go
meatless out of health reasons. In the past few years, it has been a subject
matter of debate - whether it is a healthy or a harmful practice.
Both sides of the argument are emphasizing facts about the health of each
diet and whether people should be vegetarians or not.
Key words: vegetarianism, meatless, environment, health, nutrition.
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3. To Be or Not To Be a Vegetarian
Food has represented more than the fulfillment of a physiological
necessity throughout times and across cultures. A valuable insight is
provided into our conceptions of sickness and health, morality, personal
identity, recreation, and family life according to the ways that human beings
produce, market, prepare, and consume food. As individuals and as members
of a global society, or attitudes toward food also have profound meanings
and consequences. (Puskar-Pasewicz 5)
Nowadays more and more people decide to adopt a vegetarian diet.
In the past few years, it has been a subject matter of debate - whether it is a
healthy or a harmful practice. Both sides of the argument are emphasizing
facts about the health of each diet and whether people should be vegetarians
or not.
In the past few years, scientific literature has extensively reported
on the health effects of plant foods such as whole grains, legumes,
vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Although they are essential components, these
dietary factors are not unique to vegetarian diets. Thus, the information
reviewed on plant foods and health has direct applications for all persons.
The primary focus is on the human health implications of consuming
vegetarian diets. Besides personal health, however, one may follow a
vegetarian diet for a plethora of reasons that may include religion, ethics, or
the sustainability of our food supply. The chapters in the concluding section
of this text address these issues. From a global, inclusive perspective,
personal and public health are most influenced by the manner in which we
treat our fellow inhabitants and the resources of our planet.( Dhillon 57)
When discussing the health benefits of vegetarianism, most
supporters point out that non-animal based diets tend to be high in fiber,
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4. nutrient-rich, cholesterol-free, and low in fat. A well-balanced vegetarian diet
includes lots of fresh vegetabes, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
These foods all have nutritional benefits - they provide roughage, containing
less fat than a diet centred around meat products. They also contain health-
promoting phytonutrients not found in any animal product. (De Sukhraj 4-5)
Vegetarian diet supporters emphasize that not only is vegetarian
food better for people, but the consumption of non-vegetarian food has been
linked to a number of health problems. “These include obesity, heart disease,
hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, and several kinds of cancer. According
to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarian and vegan diets are
associated with reduced risks for all of these conditions.” (Rubin)
Virginia Faur argues that after a meal rich in meat, the blood
pressure increases and the thyroid gland activity is stimulated. She goes on
saying that a diet rich in meat has a negative role in atherosclerosis,
thrombosis, embolism, in psoriasis, cancer. She concludes that a vegetarian
diet stops and removes most allergic conditions, prevent the occurrence of
appendicitis and that many people die from diseases caused by meat eating.
(55) Therefore increasing the intake of vegetarian foods is a guarantee that
your body will be in a better and healthier shape.
On the other hand, studies have pointed out that a well-balanced
omnivorous diet is a far healthier choice. These studies have shown that
vegetarians who fail to supplement their diets with Vitamin D, B12 and iron
are prone to becoming dangerously anemic. “’Vegetarians also typically miss
out on omega-3 fatty acids. These unsaturated acids have been proved to
slow the progression of atherosclerosis, reduce triglyceride levels, act as
anti-inflammatory agents, and potentially help with depression and some
personality disorders.” (Chitra)
On the contrary, studies related to vegetarianism point out the fact
that people wrongfully connect protein with strength, muscle, stamina, and,
of course, meat. They argue that vegetarians get enough protein to survive.
Havala notes that “some of the world's most powerful animal, like gorillas,
elephants, and some types of whale, are strict vegetarians. These animals
demonstrate that protein from animal sources is not absolutely necessary to
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5. build a strong, healthy body” (18). In order to support his arguments,
Havala comes up with examples form the sport world. Some very active
human athletes are vegetarians. Among them he mentions Linda McCartney
International bicycling team, which is made up entirely of vegetarians. He
draws the conclusion that the cyclers prove that one not only receives
strength from a vegetarian diet, but also the stamina required to ride a bike
at high speed for long distances. (19)
Nonetheless, Faur notes that meat eating gives a state of mental
instability and irritability. especially in children, protein intake comes not only
from meat. proteins can be equally well provided by vegetables, eggs and
milk, without being accompanied by the intestinal putrefaction phenomenon.
Those who eat meat on a daily basis, due to lack of enzymes, trace elements
and vitamins in the diet, are prone to muscular dystrophy, cancer, skin
diseases, poisoning. After an apparent feeling of well-being there is an
unnatural state of fatigue. residues that can not be metabolized disrupts
acid-base balance. while balancing function stores uric acid and causes many
metabolic disorders. Those who eat meat have an energic and aggressive
temperament, while vegetarians are calm and distinguished by a permanent
balance. (56)
However, Peterson argues that “vegetarians rather than improving
their health and building up resistance against disease, often suffer from
malnutrition and become even more susceptible to various physical
ailments than before they gave up flesh foods because in most cases flesh
food is discarded without supplementing the diet with a satisfactory
substitute. Many have the mistaken idea that by merely increasing their
foods - nuts, legumes, and grains, they adequately replace the deficiency.”
(27) By doing so they do not at all replace the deficiency, but instead
unbalance the nutrients.
Peterson also notes that “biological experiments unmistakably
demonstrate that animals cannot thrive on whole grain proteins divorced
from associated leafy plants. An unbalanced diet is followed by dreadful and
destructive diseases.” (28)
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6. Another argument that supports vegetarianism is certain spiritual
and religious connections. Many people decide to go meatless for
environmental or health reasons, but there are also some spiritual and
religious beliefs that can give one a deeper reason to embrace this new
choice.
Havala argues that “many spiritual practices encourage a lighter
diet. Some are based on the premise that as our soul evolves, our bodies,
needs, and desires become lighter (closer to being spirit-like - as the soul is
more etheral). The idea is that if the body is busy digesting heavy meats and
lifeless foods, it is not able to allow the mind to aspire to a higher purpose“
(47)
Many vegetarians argue that:
God’s creatures shouldn’t be sacrificed simply to appease our
craving for a thick, juicy rib eye. While there may be some merit to their
arguments, their rationale also reeks of hypocrisy. Although vegetarians
openly decry the slaughter of animals, they think nothing of tearing carrots
and spuds out of the earth or of sticking a zucchini into a high-speed blender.
Like it or not, plants are also living organisms that respond to stimuli like
light, gravity and touch. In fact, some groups even believe plants can feel
pain. Take the Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology, for instance.
This Swiss group recently came out in defense of our leafy green friends in a
report on “the dignity of the creature in the plant world.” They argued that
plants deserve respect and that killing them arbitrarily is morally wrong.
(Simpson)
Another reason why people decide to go meatless is because of
environmental and economical concerns. Those who want to help conserve
the earth’s natural resources can do so by avoiding meat. The primary
environmental concerns with animal products are pollution and the use of
resources such as fossil fuels, water, and land.
According to a 2006 Food and Agriculture Organization report,
industrialized agriculture contributes on a “massive scale” to climate change,
air pollution, land degradation, energy use, deforestation, and biodiversity
decline. “The FAO report estimates that the livestock (including poultry)
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7. sector (which provides draft animal power, leather, wool, milk, eggs,
fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, etc., in addition to meat) contributes about 18
percent of global GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions expressed as 100-year
CO2 equivalents. This estimate was based on life cycle analysis, including
feed production, land use changes, etc., and used GWP (global warming
potential) of 23 for methane and 296 for nitrous oxide, to convert emissions
of these gases to 100-year CO2 equivalents.” ( Augenbraun)
Another agricultural effect is on land degradation. Much of the
world's crops is used to feed animals. With 30 percent of the earth's land
devoted to raising livestock, a major cutback is needed to keep up with
growing population. A 2010 UN report explained that “Western dietary
preferences for meat would be unsustainable as the world population rose to
the forecasted 9.1 billion by 2050. Demand for meat is expected to double by
this date; meat consumption is steadily rising in countries such as China that
once followed more sustainable, vegetable-based diets. Cattle are a known
cause for soil erosion through trampling of the ground and overgrazing.”
(Kirby)
Pimentel, on the other hand, points out that “a widely adopted
vegetarian diet, in and of itself, may not be enough to make the food system
sustainable, unless greener agricultural practices, such as the adoption of
renewable energy, are also implemented. The support of alternative farming
practices (e.g. well husbanded organic farming, permaculture, and rotational
grazing) and the avoidance of certain plant commodities such as rice, also
have a beneficial impact on environmental health and sustainable agriculture,
though this would have little effect on animal welfare and rights.” According
to Cornell scientists, "the heavy dependence on fossil energy suggests that
the US food system, whether meat-based or plant-based, is not sustainable.”
(qtd. in Pimentel)
Moreover, fear can also determine people adopt a vegetarian diet.
“Fear is a strong motivator, and concerns over Mad Cow disease, food
poisoning, hormones, chemicals, antibiotics in meat and animal products,
pesticides, and E. coli contamination can be reason enough for many to give
up meat.” (Havala 4)
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8. Therefore, Faur notes that “meat has never been one of the best
foods especially because animal diseases are a common thread. People often
use meat filled with germs of tuberculosis and cancer. In most of the
cases animals are taken to the slaughterhouse or at the fair being so sick
that those who sell them are afraid to keep them longer. Away from the
sunlight and fresh air, fed on rotting, these animals become foci of infection,
their bodies being clogged with toxins. In many places even fish are poisoned
thread of filth on which they feed; this is also the cause of disease. This
happens especially where fish get in touch with filth that floods from the
sewers of the big city.” (54)
Moreover, even in the Old Testament, God tells us “ Behold, I have
given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall
be for meat” ( Oxford Bible Gen. 1:29)
All in all, a vegetarian diet can prove to be the best lifestyle choice,
since it is benefic for both our bodies and souls.
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9. Reference List
Augenbraun, Harvey. "National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

"GISS ICP: Global Methane Inventory. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Cherry, Reginald B. The Bible Cure. Orlando, FL: Creation House, 1998.

Print
Chitra, Robert. "Vegetariansisnothealthy - Lacks of Vitamins and

Minerals."Vegetariansisnothealthy - Lacks of Vitamins and Minerals. N.p.,
n.d. Web.17 Feb. 2013.
Dhillon, Jack. The Entering Wedge: The Genesis of Diet and

Health. [U.S.]: Entering Wedge Society of America, 1946. Print.
Faur, Virginia. O instanta a sperantei de viata. [Bukarest]: Ed. R.A.I.,

1994. Print.
Havala, Suzanne. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being a

Vegetarian. New York: Alpha, 1999. Print..
Kirby, Alex. BBC News. BBC, 16 Aug. 2004. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.

Pimentel, David. "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

" Sustainability of Meat-based and Plant-based Diets and the Environment.
N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Puskar-Pasewicz, Margaret. Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism.

Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2010. Web.
Rubin, Nina. "Beyond Milk and Honey: The Vegan Controversy." The

Vegan Controversy: Veganism. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
9

10. Simpson, Mark. "How To: Argue Against Vegetarians." AskMen. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: Translated

out of the Original Tongues, and with the Former Translations Diligently
Compared and Revised, by His Majesty's Special Command. Appointed to
Be Read in Churches. Authorized King James Version. Oxford: Oxford UP,
1995. Print.
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11. Reference List
Augenbraun, Harvey. "National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

"GISS ICP: Global Methane Inventory. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Cherry, Reginald B. The Bible Cure. Orlando, FL: Creation House, 1998.

Print
Chitra, Robert. "Vegetariansisnothealthy - Lacks of Vitamins and

Minerals."Vegetariansisnothealthy - Lacks of Vitamins and Minerals. N.p.,
n.d. Web.17 Feb. 2013.
Dhillon, Jack. The Entering Wedge: The Genesis of Diet and

Health. [U.S.]: Entering Wedge Society of America, 1946. Print.
Faur, Virginia. O instanta a sperantei de viata. [Bukarest]: Ed. R.A.I.,

1994. Print.
Havala, Suzanne. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being a

Vegetarian. New York: Alpha, 1999. Print..
Kirby, Alex. BBC News. BBC, 16 Aug. 2004. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.

Pimentel, David. "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

" Sustainability of Meat-based and Plant-based Diets and the Environment.
N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
Puskar-Pasewicz, Margaret. Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism.

Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2010. Web.
Rubin, Nina. "Beyond Milk and Honey: The Vegan Controversy." The

Vegan Controversy: Veganism. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.
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