Pros and Cons of a Vegetarian Diet

Studies have shown that a diet rich in plant foods can help fight disease and lower the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. If you want to maintain your weight and discover all of the benefits a vegetable rich diet has to offer than a strictly vegetarian diet may be for you. On the other hand, meat, eggs and fish provide essential nutrients that our body needs as well. You must look at both sides as there both advantages and disadvantages to eating green.

Pros

-vegetables are full of fiber and keep you from filling up on foods full of fat calories

-eating vegetarian may increase your life span

-vegetarians tend to have much lower blood pressure than those who eat meat

-vegetarians are at a lesser risk for obesity

- eating purely green can be ethically rewarding (animals are not being killed or tortured for their meat)

Cons

-a purely vegetarian diet lacks certain nutrients and vitamins that your body needs such as iron, zinc and B12

-unless vegetarian diets are extremely well planned, there is a lack of protein in the diet

- eating out becomes difficult. you have to make sure the restaurants you go to offer vegetarian dishes-most do but there is usually quite a limited selection on the menu

- many women who try to conceive cannot get pregnant when they are on a strict vegetarian diet

-you must become very creative with your cooking in order to keep from getting bored of your diet-making strictly vegetarian dishes can be quite challenging

Although many people may decide to become a vegetarian for ethical purposes, others are drawn to the idea mainly because of the health benefits. If you do decide to become a vegetarian, please be aware that you need to eat a very well balanced diet in order to get the proper nutrients you need.