Pros and Cons of a Vegetarian Diet
Thinking about going vegetarian? I’ve got you covered. In this post, I outline the three types of vegetarianism and break down the personal and environmental pros and cons of becoming a vegetarian.
What is vegetarianism?
In the simplest terms, vegetarians don't eat meat. However, things get a little more complicated when you think about animal products like eggs or dairy. Depending on who you ask, vegetarians may or may not eat these and other animal byproducts. Taking eggs and dairy into consideration, there are three major types of vegetarians:
Ovo-vegetarians do not eat animal meat or dairy, but do eat eggs
Lacto-vegetarians do not eat animal meat or eggs, but do eat dairy
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians do not eat animal meat but do eat eggs and dairy
Of course, there are loads of variations within these categories depending on the person. For example, some vegetarians might eat gelatin or meat-based broth, while others might not. Each of these variations will have different pros and cons for each individual and our planet. In this post, I focus on the pros and cons of the broadest category, lacto-ovo-vegetarianism.
Pros
Vegetarian Diets Can Be Healthy
Vegetarian diets have the potential to be some of the healthiest diets on the planet. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that "appropriately planned" vegetarian diets can reduce the risk of heart disease, some types of cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Unfortunately, for those who don't "appropriately plan" their vegetarian diets (I guess the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics doesn't think planning to eat copious Oreos and Cheddar Bunnies is "appropriate"), these health benefits do not apply. However, vegetarians who eat healthily, including a wide variety of produce, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, can expect to enjoy all the health benefits above. Bye-bye, diet-induced heart disease!
Vegetarian Food Production Emits Fewer Greenhouse Gases
Vegetarian diets can help reduce emissions associated with climate change, and who doesn't want that?? This reduction in emissions is due primarily to the disproportionately high carbon footprint of animal agriculture.
An Oxford University study found that global animal agriculture accounts for 56-58% of the greenhouse gas emissions from food but only contributes 37% of our protein intake and 18% of caloric intake. In other words, animal ag emits way more than its fair share of greenhouse gases. If more people chose plants over meat, we could get the same amount of nutrients for less energy input.
On top of this, animals release methane as they live and breathe, while plants do not. Methane is the most potent greenhouse gas (read: it makes climate change worse faster), so anything we can do to limit methane is a major win.
Of course, even if everyone become vegetarian, this would not eliminate the need for animal agriculture. However, if more people chose vegetarianism, our demand for animal agriculture would decrease, helping us turn the tide on climate change.
Vegetarian Food Production Saves Water and Land
Animal ag is very resource-intensive, especially when considering water use and land degradation. Let's look at water consumption first: producing one ton of vegetables requires 11,300 gallons of lake, river or aquifer water, while producing one ton of grain-fed beef requires 145,000 gallons. Although beef is the worst offender, raising other animals still requires much more water than growing vegetables.
Raising animals requires so much more water because animals need to drink water and eat crops (*ahem* watered crops) to survive. In addition to this, processing meat also requires more water than processing plants.
Now, let's talk land. Cattle are especially guilty of ruining the lands where they live. Heavy animals like cattle often stamp down topsoils, leading to increased erosion and pollution runoff and decreased groundwater filtration. Cows can also overgraze land, leading to reduced biodiversity and productivity.
In some cases, animal agriculture can even lead to "desertification," rendering land completely unproductive. As more land degrades due to animal agriculture, we lose precious soils where we could be growing crops or building productive ecosystems.
If more people adopted vegetarian diets, this would reduce our reliance on animals. In turn, our water use would decrease and we could save lands from topsoil-trampling, overgraze-ing cows.
Vegetarian Diets are More Flexible than Vegan Diets
Depending on the type of vegetarianism, these diets can be a lot more flexible than a vegan diet. This flexibility is perfect for those who would feel restricted or unhappy on a vegan diet. Although this individual happiness may seem trivial, it can help people stick to their diets, reap long-term health and environmental benefits, improve their mental health and help them feel more fulfilled.
Vegetarian diets are also flexible enough to provide people with a wide variety of foods to fulfill their nutritional needs. One major problem with veganism is that it is difficult for vegans to eat a wide range of nutrients unless they are very well-versed in nutrition.
On the other hand, vegetarian diets have a little more wiggle room. For example, vegetarians can get protein from vegan sources like nuts, seeds and legumes along with non-vegan animal products like dairy and eggs. These additional sources of nutrients make it easier to eat a wide range of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Cons
Vegetarianism is Not Possible for Everyone
Whether they live in a food desert, have specific dietary needs or live in a country where practicing vegetarianism is difficult, some people need to eat meat to survive. In these cases, vegetarianism just isn't possible. For that reason, we cannot expect everyone to become a vegetarian, nor eliminate animal meat from the world. However, this downside does not stop individuals from living their best vegetarian lives!
Meat lovers could feel unfulfilled on a Vegetarian Diet
I know I'm stating the obvious here, but if you looove meat, you likely won't be satisfied with a vegetarian diet. Although meat substitutes are becoming more and more popular, they rarely replicate meats' exact texture and flavor. This lack of meatiness could leave you feeling disappointed with your meals.
Being sustainable and healthy are crucial components of life, but being happy with your food choices is also very important. Luckily, if you're a meat-lover looking to be more healthy and sustainable, you can experience some of the same benefits of vegetarianism by simply reducing your meat consumption. To reduce meat consumption, try meatless Mondays, only eating meat on the weekends or only eating grass-fed or locally raised meats.
Vegetarian Diets Could Be Unhealthy or Unsustainable
Just because you are a vegetarian does not mean you eat healthily and sustainably. For example, vegetarians can still eat highly processed, high-sugar or energy-intensive foods, or foods associated with human rights violations or unsustainable mega-corporations.
Diets are more complicated than simply "vegan," "vegetarian," or "omnivore" — they are made up of all the food choices we make. Although vegetarian diets tend to be healthier and more sustainable than omnivorous diets, vegetarians can make unsustainable or unhealthy choices just like everyone else.