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Adrian Antonescu

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103

17 September 2019

Is Vegetarianism healthier than a regular diet?

Introduction/Overview

I am curious whether Vegetarianism is healthier than a diet consisting of meat. Around

367,000 teenagers have “gone green” according to a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. This is quite a large number, not to mention the larger number of adults

who also have gone green. Scientists and nutritionists have argued over whether vegetarians are

healthier than meat eaters. Some argue that vegetarians don’t get enough vitamins and protein

since they lack meat in their diet. Vegetarians only eat products with no meat in them, there are

different stages of vegetarians, with different variations of what they can eat. The most intense

variation is Vegan, where they only ear vegetables and fruits, and do not eat beans, eggs, or

anything that comes from an animal. In my essay I will only be discussing Vegetarians, the

lowest level on this spectrum. This trend has started to gain traction in the North America, as

more people become conscious of the living animals they eat, says Richard Schwartz, president

of Jewish Vegetarians of North America. Vegetarianism has become very popular this last year

due new information stating the cruelty and ethics of animal farms, as well as a new study from

the World Health Organization suggesting that processed meats are tied to cancer and diabetes

risk. Some people are only vegetarians because they don’t want to kill animals, while others

believe it makes them healthy. Many other articles published have supported Vegetarianism,

such as Jessica Scott-Reid’s article, where she claims that “animal agriculture is killing the
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planet.” Jessica believes that the way animals are bred in restrictive pens is unhealthy for the

environment and should be put to a stop. She thinks it is inhumane. The movement has become

incredibly popular and has garnered a lot of media attention for its protests against meat. The

opinion of vegetarianism has been growing in positivity for years now, and a lot of people

support the movement, but is their support truly deserved. I want to explore the ins and outs of

vegetarianism, both for humans and the planet itself. I want to inspect the elements that

vegetarians effect the environment and themselves, as well as how meat effects individuals and

the earth. Once I’ve compared these 2 differing viewpoints, I plan on comparing them and

concluding which is better. Vegetarianism, or meat eating.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

Is Vegetarianism healthier for the environment? Or is eating meat better? What are the

costs in pollution and money to transport vegetarian products from other countries? Is breeding

animals truly bad for the earth? How does the farming of vegetables and fruits effect the

environment with its pesticides and other chemicals used in the process.

My Interest in this Topic

I want to know if Vegetarianism is truly healthier for humans. A large amount of people I

know are vegetarians and they always insult me for eating meat, so I want to know if it really is

the better food choice. I am also interested in it’s impact on the environment, many people are

concerned with the deterioration of earth, and I am curious to see if vegetarians contribute to it.
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Next Steps
I will use the UNCC library’s resources to help learn more about my topic. UNCC library

has solid information where the sources are checked for accuracy (most of the time) and are good

for college papers. I may also visit news organizations like CNN and Fox News to experience

their news on vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is sometimes on the news and I feel like these

sources may help me understand more of the effects of Vegetarianism.

I also want to look up articles from opinion pieces, where the author has a noticeable bias

towards meat eaters or vegetarians. I believe it would be good to read both opinions expressed

fully, as well as nonbiased articles to help make my essay more all encompassing of opinions

and facts. Since the topic has to do with moral behaviors as well as fact behaviors, its important I

cover both sides of the stories so I can paint a better picture of the overall situation and thoughts

on it.

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