BEING A VEGETARIAN 3
In addition, being vegetarian benefits the environment. Notably, the mass production of
animal-products is unsustainable and damages the environment. However, embracing a meat-free
diet in the US may restore the ecosystem’s health. Interestingly, more than 65 percent of grain
crop in the country is used to feed domestic animals, which are eventually slaughtered for food
(Fox & Ward, 2008). Moreover, research reveals that one unit of meat is generated by 15 units of
feed. Hence, in order to have adequate food in the world, people should embrace the vegetarian
diet as they would eat the grains instead of feeding them to animals. Studies also reveal that the
production of animal products, such as milk, eggs, and meat has a low energy input to protein
output ratio, which makes it inefficient. Accordingly, people should eat vegetables, fruits,
legumes, and grains since their production has a high energy input to protein output ratio. Indeed,
meat-based diets harm the environment.
Notably, being a vegetarian has a number of drawbacks. Notably, some people rely
heavily on processed plant foods, which are unhealthy as they contain high sugar, sodium, and
fat content. If such individuals do not eat an adequate amount of grains, fruits, and natural
vegetables, they miss the required nutrients. In fact, research shows that only soy and quinoa
have a complete set of proteins as other vegetables and grains do not have all forms of amino
acids, which are essential for the development of muscles and tissues (Martinac, 2017).
Therefore, in order for a vegetarian to prevent diseases or other medical conditions that may be
caused by protein deficiency, he or she needs to combine different plant-based proteins. On the
other hand, animal-based products have complete proteins.
Overall, it is reasonable to be a vegetarian. For instance, it reduces the likelihood of
contracting various diseases. In addition to that, it protects the environment. However, the
lifestyle can deprive an individual of primary amino acids. Likewise, those who rely on
