Obviously, meat is delicious and, subsequently, a good source of protein to the body. The special characteristics of meat are the main reasons for the ever increasing demand for burgers, meatballs and braised ribs at barbecue joint. More than 100 pounds of meat is consumed annually and the figure will likely be increasing. Unfortunately, meat has been proved to be unhealthy to the human body. Studies show that meat is saturated with fats, which increase cholesterol levels and ultimately shorten a life span. Additionally, new research shows that meat consumption have a huge impact on the environment; meat is rated second after fossil emissions among the environmental hazards. Thanks to the huge amount of facts revealed by scientific research, vegetarianism is a solution. What is important, vegetarianism is a great idea and the facts prove that it enhances life in several ways. Vegetarianism helps to reduce heart diseases and guarantees longer life spans. Moreover, vegetarianism preserves the environment. Therefore, vegetarianism is the best option for the people concerned about living a healthy life and preserving the environment.

The empirical evidence states that the Homo erectus and the Homo sapiens consumed meat 1.5 million years ago. The human beings are omnivores; they consume both plants and meat. In fact, many proponents argue that a steak – or any other piece of meat – should be consumed alongside with vegetable, for example, green beans, asparagus or mange-tout. In addition, a human being has a short digestive system compared to the herbivores, hence, human's ability to digest fibers and cellulose is largely limited. Clearly, human systems are built to extract energy from proteins, animal fats and nutrients found only in beef. The proponents of meat diets state that humans have been consuming meat for a long time now, so blaming meat for the emerging health issues is completely misguiding.

Vegetarianism opponents argue that the fats in meat and its products do not cause diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses. A study conducted by Harvard analysts over a total population of one million individuals did not establish any correlation between the unprocessed livestock meat and diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, the study identified huge risk levels produced by processed meat and its products. Therefore, the analysts recommend that the public should avoid processed meat.

The ideas mentioned are only valid if the meat is unprocessed. Statistics shows that only about 30% of meat and its products are unprocessed. Thus, the probability of consuming unprocessed meat, which can cause health issues, is very high. In addition, meat consumption damages the environment. Millions of years ago, the earth was covered with trees and hunger did not exist. However, the huger increased with the growth of population and demand for more food – especially meat. Lands had to be cleared to pave the way for animal rearing. More than half of the forests on earth have been destroyed in the last 12000 years; the majority of the damage was undertaken since 1960. These facts correspond to the increased consumption of meet at the same time. In 1960s about 15.8 million tons of meat was consumed; this figure has more than doubled to 34 million ton in 2013. Deforestation has subsequently led to increased Carbon IV oxide emissions equal to 400ppm, while the safe level is 350ppm. The majority of analysts state that the solution to the problem involves moving towards fuel-efficient engines to cut carbon emissions. Another way of solving the problem involves eating less meat in order to curb global warming.

Agriculture is the main core of the economy and a key contributor to global warming; it causes 15% of total emissions. Moreover, Carrington states that half of 15% emissions is associated with stockbreeding. Stockbreeding contributes 40% to the global agricultural GDP. Livestock consumes one third of the water of the earth. As a matter of fact, no other human activity have the same impact on the environment as livestock rearing. In addition, livestock consumes a lot of grass in impoverished areas due to the lack of other types of food. Thus, livestock accounts for 1000kg of carbon per protein kilogram produced in the form of methane released from the droppings.

Humans are more likely to consume processed meat today that increases the chances of colorectal cancer, especially, for the people, who have genetic predisposition to the disease. In addition, the consumption of one hot dog or three slices of bacon daily leads to a 51% risk of developing diabetes. Cantor et al. affirms that the individuals, who consume a lot of meat, are more likely to suffer from obesity.

In order to meet the demand for the meat, animals have to be closed in cages, which are dirty and unsanitary. So, the animals never experience a free life.

Contrary to the meat proponents, who state that saturated fats are not linked to cardiovascular illnesses, recent studies provide other evidence. In fact, meat consumption hardens the blood vessel. Meat contains a compound called carnitine, which can cause atherosclerosis. Generally, meat may lead to the condition when arteries get clogged, that definitely leads to cardiac arrests. Cantor et al. explains that carnitine converts to a component called trimethylamine-N-oxide with the help of a bacteria present in the intestine. The analysts conclude that high levels of carnitine increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition to heart related problems, high levels of iron present in meat present a great danger to the human brain. Consumption of meat leads to a build-up of iron in the brain that increase the risk of obtaining Alzheimer’s syndrome. The accumulation of iron destroys myelin, which is a tissue in the brain that surrounds nerve fibers; so, the brain communication is affected.

If the meat consumption is eliminated, the amount of chemical wastes and felling of trees will be reduced to a high extent. Vegetarianism makes the world green and consequently reduces famine and food security issues all over the world. Factually, more than 70% of grains produced in the US is consumed by animals that are being reared to provide meat. Moreover, over 7 billion animals consume six times more grains than the US population. If the food consumed by animals could be used to feed the actual population, then one billion individuals will not be hungry. Surprisingly, the amount of food consumed by animals translates into a significant number of hungry individuals in Africa and Asia, who can be saved.

What is important, vegetables are cheap compared to meat. In fact, the humans get more than bargain when changing preference to vegetables. In addition to acquiring healthy products, humans may also save money, when consuming vegetables. Generally, meat represents about 10% of an average American consumer basket; substituting meat with vegetables would reduce consumer expenditures by $4,300. The money saved could be invested in other projects that could benefit the society.

Actually, vegetarianism guarantees a nation free from obesity. Moreover, vegetables guarantee a low-fat diet. Subsequently, humans may forget about the news on cholesterol levels or heart attacks. Switching to vegetables offers a solution to losing extra body weight without feeling hungry all day long.

Vegetables provide health benefits that meat cannot secure. For instance, wheat grass juice treats cancer. Moreover, wheat grass juice contains one of the Vitamins that cannot be found in any other plant – Vitamin B12. In addition, garlic shows excellent results in therapeutic treatment of heart diseases. Plants contain the following classes of disease fighting phytochemicals: anthocyanins and carotenoids.

Opponents disapprove the benefits of vegetables by the facts that an individual cannot get a source of calcium and iron from vegetables only. In fact, iron can be obtained from such products as beans, lentils, nuts, dark green vegetables, like broccoli, and dried fruits like raisins. Vegetarians manage to maintain strong healthy bones by consuming soya, oat milk, rice, almonds and so on. Actually, the vegetables are diverse and each plant has different flavor and vitamins. Moreover, vegetables do not limit the choice. Humans can choose to consume beans or switch to broccoli and still get proteins.

In fact, vegetarians are likely to live 13 years more than non-vegetarians. The residents of Okinawa, one of the villages in Japan, are likely to live longer compared to any other group of people in Japan and the whole world. This fact is proven by the research study of approximately 600 people of Okinawa observed for 30 years. Undoubtedly, the diet of the sample group consisted of food low in fat, fruits rich in fiber and vegetables. According to a study by the Harvard school of public health, a shorter lifespan is revealed in meat diets. Surprisingly, processed meat, like salami and meat balls, can reduce human's life span by 6 times. The study of residents of Okinawa is a true evidence serving as motivation for vegetarianism.

The fact about an omnivorous human, who survived consuming both plants and animals, cannot be refuted unless the underlying factors are stated. Nowadays a lot of meat is contaminated; it could also have E-coli bacteria or carry residual chemicals. On the contrary, this opinion considers only the perspective that the meat is clean and not processed. A huge percentage of meat is processed and additional components are added to increase the shelf life or enhance taste. In the long run, processed meat is a unhealthy product.

When humans eat meat, they definitely ingest hormones consumed by animals. In fact, many people, who rear animals, want to realize profits faster and boost growth of the animals by using hormones. Moreover, the animals are vaccinated with tranquilisers and other antibiotics when they get sick. Unfortunately, humans can taste drugs when they eat meat. In the US the percentage of staphylococci infections that were resistant to penicillin increased from 14% in 1960 to 91% in 1988. This fact indicates that the immune systems of the population were altered by veterinary medication.

In conclusion, meat has advantages, which cannot be neglected. Particularly, meat is delicious and it is a good source of proteins. However, Wood and Rowlings state that the consumption of meat has a price. Moreover, meat consumptions have greatly affected the environment. As it was mentioned above, turning to vegetarianism has a lot of advantages. Reports published at Humanesociety.org actually reveal a reduced consumption of meat over the past two years. People are moving towards a healthy lifestyle that is free of obesity and heart problems. In fact, vegetarians live longer as demonstrated by the example of the Okinawa people.

Olivia Green is a writer and a blogger of the writing company. She enjoys reading composing her ideas in her blog, where she shares her opinion concerning certain phenomena. You may find more useful Olivia's articles at the https://primeessays.com