What is the best dietary choice – veg or non-veg? This question has sparked much debate and consideration. While some argue that a vegetarian (veg) diet promotes health and compassion, others believe that a non-vegetarian (non-veg) diet provides essential nutrients.
The best dietary choice, whether it is vegetarian or non-vegetarian, is subjective and dependent on personal preferences and nutritional requirements. The vegetarian diet promotes both health and compassion as it avoids the consumption of animal products. In contrast, a non-vegetarian diet may provide essential nutrients that are abundant in animal-based foods. However, despite the debate , our objective is simple and that is to stay healthy. I am writing this blog to explore the difference between vegetarian and non-vegetarian and in the end will provide my own opinion.
Are Humans veg or non-veg
This question might ignite the curiosity of the readers but it is important to understand humans biology to answer what would be the best fit veg or non veg food. Before that lets discuss what is carnivorous and herbivorous.
- Carnivores consumes animal based foods such as meat, seafood or insects. Their jaws are mainly designed for cutting and eating. Their digestive systems are evolved for better breakdown and absorption of protein and fats available in meat. Enzymes present in these animals reduces the digestive tracts compared to herbivores. Unlike herbivore, carnivorous animals don’t have multiple stomach chambers or fermentation chambers to ensure the proper digestion of plant based diet.
- On the contrary, herbivores only eats plant based diet. Their jaws consists of flat and broad teeth that they use for chewing and grinding their food. Digestive tracts are longer because it takes much more time to breakdown plant based nutrients but their evolved stomach and the enzymes makes this process easier for them.
Now coming to us, we humans evolves as omnivorous, which means we are carnivorous as well as herbivorous. Our jaws are well equipped with sharp canines that can bite easily also our molars and premolars can chew and grind the food. Hydrochloric acid and other enzymes helps to breakdown the food into various sub nutrients. We don’t have fermentation chamber like grass eating animals but our intestines can easily absorb all the required nutrients. So, it is safe to assume that humans can safely have veg and non veg in their plate.
What is vegetarianism (veg)?
Vegetarianism or being vegetarian means following a diet pattern that primarily consists of plant based food items. The diet typically consist of various kinds of fruits, vegetables, lentils, nuts, can include diary products an other plant based foods in their meal plan.
Their are many reasons someone wants to adopt vegetarianism, some people don’t eat meat out of the respect of some other creatures life, ethical beliefs and religious aspects also plays a role in choosing veg lifestyle. Other motivation might include personal preferences, taste-related, health related, cultural beliefs. The extent to which individuals adhere to a vegetarian diet may vary, leading to different types of vegetarians:
- Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian: This is the most common type of vegetarianism that forbids meat products but include diary products (lacto) and eggs (ovo).
- Lacto-Vegetarian: Along with meat products lacto-vegetarian also doesn’t take eggs in their diet but they consume diary products like milk, cheese and yogurt.
- Ovo-Vegetarian: Ovo-vegetarians refrain from consuming dairy products but include eggs in their diets. They rely on eggs as a source of protein and essential nutrients while avoiding meat, fish, poultry, and dairy.
- Vegan: Vegans adhere to a strict plant-based diet devoid of all animal-derived foods, including meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, honey, and other animal by-products. They rely solely on plant-based sources for their nutritional needs, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and plant-based alternatives to dairy and eggs.
These are the most common 4 different kinds of vegetarians. Now let us try to understand what it means to be a non-vegetarianism.
What is non-vegetarianism or non-veg?
Non-veg include the consumption of animal derived foods such as meat, poultry and sea food. Unlike vegetarians non vegetarians include variety of animal based foods in their foods. Though the kind of food is totally depends on personal preferences, culinary practices, availability of foods, need of nutrition and taste related factors. Some of the common examples of the animal based are as follows:
- Meat: Non-vegetarians consume various types of meat, such as beef, pork, lamb, venison, and game meats. Meat is a rich source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients like iron and zinc.
- Poultry: Poultry products, including chicken, turkey, duck, and other fowl, are commonly consumed by non-vegetarians. Poultry provides lean protein and is often considered a healthier alternative to red meat.
- Fish and Seafood: Non-vegetarian diets may include a variety of fish and seafood, such as salmon, tuna, shrimp, crab, lobster, and shellfish. Fish is a valuable source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and other nutrients beneficial for heart health and overall well-being.
Advantages and disadvantages of veg and non-veg
Advantages of Vegetarianism
- Health benefits– Researches have clearly indicates that following a proper veg diet can reduces the risk of Heart diseases, certain type of cancer, Diabetes and cholesterol.
- Weight management- According to Meta- analysis in 2016, a proper vegetarian diet can help individual to maintain their body weights.
- Lower risk of food borne illness- Vegetarian diets eliminate the risk of foodborne illnesses associated with the consumption of meat, poultry, and seafood, reducing the likelihood of infections such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.
- Compassionate Living: Many vegetarians adopt their dietary pattern out of compassion for animals, choosing to avoid the consumption of animal products to minimize harm and promote humane treatment of animals.
Disadvantages
- Lack of essential nutrients– Usually plant based foods are lack of essential nutrients such as proteins, zinc, omega-3, calcium and vitamin D.
- Limited food options and social problem- Maintaining a balanced diet can be hard, finding food options with all the essential nutrients could be challenging. Also, it is possible that they have a limited options in social gathering like weddings or parties.
- Culinary and cultural adjustments– Transitioning to veg diet can be hard as it required certain kitchen skills, including learning new recipes, ingredients, and cooking techniques, which can be challenging for some individuals.
- Risk of chemicals– Farmers are using various types of pesticides and fertilizers to ensure a better crop yield. These chemicals can be very harmful for the human consumption.
Advantages of non-veg
- Rich source of proteins- Animal based foods are rich in proteins which is the building blocks for every cell in the body. Foods like meat, poultry, fish, and eggs are high-quality sources of complete proteins, providing essential amino acids necessary for muscle growth, repair, and overall body function.
- Abundance of other essential nutrients– Non-veg foods are rich in other nutrients zinc, calcium, vitamin B12, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D. These nutrients are very important for healthy body and strong bones, energy metabolism, immune system, red blood cells reproduction and overall well being.
Disadvantages
- Potential health risks- Excessive consumption of red meat or processed meat can lead to various health risks such as heart issues, cancer or may be obesity. Consumption of bad meat can cause various food borne diseases.
- Costly– Non-veg is believed to be costlier than that of other kind of food.
Ultimate choice: which one is better veg or non-veg?
In order to have a ultimate winner we need to take all things into consideration i mean pros and cons for veg and non vegetarian. Our ultimate platter should only have all the advantages but with less or no disadvantages at all. Upon researching the perfect platter i have come to realization that every individual have a different daily requirements i mean outside of pros and cons there are several other factors that one should keep in mind before following a perfect diet plan.
Our diet patterns should be based on our physical requirements, lets take some examples to understand this better. Diet for an athlete is completely different than that of a regular individual. Work ethics of an athlete requires more energy, and usually they need more protein rich diet compared to what recommended to an average person. Similarly, a body builder requires a lot a protein rich diet to gain more muscle. Even people with different jobs requires different diet charts for instance a construction worker needs more energy and strength as compared to the office workers.
Gender also plays an role while determining the perfect food plan. For example, women generally need iron rich food for the recovery for their menstrual cycles. Men tends to involve more in physical activities so they need food that is rich in protein, calcium and other vital nutrients.
Taking all the above things into consideration, i believe that a perfect platter should include both veg and non-veg. Human beings are omnivorous, can able to eat both veg and non-veg, so why shouldn’t we create a balance in our diet. We should be taking a balanced diet which means that our plate should have all the essential nutrients that can help us to keep with our daily routine.
However, choosing the food is ultimately depends on personal preferences and ethical consideration. I do not wish to encourage people if they are only vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Our main goal here is to be healthy by promoting healthy lifestyles. Individuals can also consult with healthcare professionals or registered dietitians to make informed decisions about their dietary habits.
I hope this blog has answered to all of your questions. Thankyou to all my readers. I wish everyone’s wellbeing and if you have any suggestions feel free to send me a message.
