In some countries, the number of vegetarian people has increased unprecedentedly. While some individuals say that there are some distinct drawbacks, others, including me, believe the benefits of this trend would overshadow its potential downsides.
On the one hand, a vegetarian diet has many undeniable positive aspects. First and foremost, this diet helps innocent animals avoid being born in captivity and slaughtered by humans. Undeniably, every day, billions of livestock and poultries such as chickens, cows, pigs, and so on are killed and sent to supermarkets or restaurants for human consumption. For instance, a great number of chickens are reproduced and killed just in the fast food industry alone. Therefore, replacing meat meals with vegetarian food is a good way to protect animals. Second, people who eat green vegetation may have a healthier life and are less likely to have diseases. This is mainly because healthy vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fat and sugar which are two of the main factors contributing to serious diseases such as heart disease, obesity, and stroke.
On the other hand, meat-eaters argue that a vegetarian meal cannot meet human nutritional demands. Specifically, some of the essential nutrients that are easily found in meat like iron, calcium, and protein, are hard to replace with vegetables and fruits. With the insufficiency of these substances, our bodies may not work properly. For instance, B12, a kind of vitamin that helps to protect our brains, is nearly absent from vegetables. Consequently, nerve problems are inevitable.
In conclusion, although there are mixed opinions on determining whether vegetarian diets can replace non-vegetarian ones, I believe that plant-based meals offer more merits than meals with just meat do.