Vegetarian Vs Non-Vegetarian Diet : Which One Is Better?

We all must have heard that "To eat is a necessity, but it is an art to eat intelligently". Experts suggest you to eat to fuel your body not feed your emotions. While the debate rages on between vegetarians and non-vegetarians ever since the human society has emerged. The debate seems to be never ending and becomes a matter of concern; or rather a political agenda during election time. 

The debate that has been going on for ever about the insufficiency of a vegetarian diet versus hazards of a non-vegetarian diet is both in a way accurate and inaccurate at the same time. But before arriving at a verdict, have you noticed that people get sick from consuming an inadequate diet or overeating, and from leading sedentary lives more than because of what exactly they are eating. According to The WHO reports, India records deaths from diabetes and heart diseases (lifestyle diseases) more than from accidents or infectious diseases. 

Vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet 

Let's know about it in detail;

Vegetarian diet 

A vegetarian diet is one wherein a person consumes all types of plant foods along with milk and dairy, and abstain from consuming all meat and animal derived foods and by-products. There is another category in vegetarians and they are known as vegans, who debar all dairy products and eggs from their diet. 

This diet is rich in minerals and vitamins, which are important to maintain the health of our body. The fibre content is rich which is helpful in effective digestion. A vegetarian diet is said to reduce the risk of chronic diseases but vegetarians are at an increased risk for Iron, Zinc and Vitamin B12 deficiency, anaemia. 

Non-vegetarian diet

All plant foods as well as foods and by-products derived from animals like meat, poultry and fish, etc. are included in a non-vegetarian diet. 

From this diet we can obtain a high amount protein and main source of B complex vitamin especially, B12. Our body cannot produce certain amino acids on its own and a non- vegetarian diet is rich in certain amino acids. The risk of being prone to anaemia is reduced substantially but non-vegetarians are at high risk of suffering from a chronic disease, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc. The fibre content is low which is not helpful in effective digestion. Eating excess of meat results in the formation of free radicals in our body which the main known reason for causing cancer. 

Veg or Non-Veg - Which One Is Better ? 

From the above conclude that non-vegetarians are prone to life-threatening diseases but that doesn’t mean vegetarians are safe. You can say less than 10% vegetarians are following a proper diet. We all know that lifestyle has changed the food habits from fresh to fast food, the risk of getting unhealthy becomes equal in both. The best thing for a good health is having well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and a moderate amount of meat is good for health. If you are vegetarian you can add mushrooms, lentils, soya instead of meat. Above statements are forming a proposition to each other, yet stand on the firm base of personal experience. It would not be fair to draw a judgment that which diet is better because every person has different constitution, metabolism, tolerances and intolerances for certain food items irrespective of diet category. 

To conclude, we all should stop the Debate on which category is better and understands our common problems. Eat Healthy and Stay Healthy...