There has always been a debate on whether a vegetarian diet is healthier than the one with meat. Much has been said about the benefits of vegetarian diet on the physical well-being of a person. There is also, however, a correlation between a non-meat diet and a person’s emotional health.

A vegetarian diet does not contain animal fat that can cause hypertension that manifests in extreme emotions or moods. A vegetarian diet is low in cholesterol that animal meat contains. Cholesterol causes obesity which, in turn, causes hypertension. People with hypertension are said to have a bad temper.

Some people assert that risk factors in heart and kidney disease, as well as ill effects in the brain and blood vessels are the main outcome of hypertension. The manifestations are more on the physical, not emotional health, they say. However, a medical research reports that “Hypertension affects physical as well as emotional well being” (Hypertension: A common condition for older Americans, 2000). 25 percent of people with hypertension reported that they are in poor emotional health, as compared to only 15 percent of those without hypertension.

A vegetarian diet which is easier to digest and kinder to the digestive system gives a more comfortable feeling and balanced disposition to a person. Vegetarian diets are easier to digest than animal meat because of the high fiber content. Fiber needs lots of water. The combination of fiber and water bring about freer bowel movements and less constipation that causes discomfort.

Meat is harder to chew than vegetables. What is hard to chew must also be more difficult to digest. A meal of animal meat makes the stomach heavier, too. People who criticize the vegetarian movement argue that there is no difference between chewing vegetables and meat. According to them, it is in the person’s ability to chew and masticate the food before it enters the stomach that makes the difference. Not necessarily so because man’s basic anatomy illustrates that he is not a carnivorous animal. Man’s teeth are suited for biting and grinding and not for tearing (Kapoor, n.d.).

Chewing is not sufficient for the meat to be masticated before entering the stomach. Another source of information indicates that meat contains 5 to 10 times the amount of protein, as compared to vegetables, and man’s digestion is done in the intestinal tract. Man’s stomach cannot fully digest all that animal protein. The meat that is not digested proceeds to the long intestines, along with the parasites and flukes that were not killed by stomach acids. Also, the decaying meat produces toxins that the body absorbs (Animal Protein – why your body doesn’t want it!, 2008).

A vegetarian diet gives peace to a person thinking that she is not guilty of causing pain to animals during slaughter. Animal as food requires the slaughtering of animals that will feel the pain and cruelty during death. Animals have senses and reaction for pain and the extreme form of this pain is during their slaughtering. When animals squeal as they are about to die, the ripping sound is a cry of pain.

Non-vegetarians call vegetarians hypocrites because they claim that eating meat is cruelty to animals. These critics say that if vegetarians claim to respect life, plants are also living creatures that will die if made into food. They are missing the point, altogether. They fail to see the logic. Life means consciousness. Animals have this kind of consciousness while plants do not. Animals need to die for man’s food. But when man eats nuts, grains, and vegetables, the plants do not really die. On the contrary, they even live more and reproduce. Also, if nuts, grains, and vegetables are not taken from time to time, the plants eventually wilt and die (Dunn, 2000).

It can be concluded, therefore, that emotional health is an effect of a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet does not contain animal fat that can cause hypertension that manifests in extreme emotions or moods. A vegetarian diet which is easier to digest and kinder to the digestive system gives a more comfortable feeling and balanced disposition to a person. A vegetarian diet gives peace to a person thinking that she is not guilty of causing pain to animals during slaughter. Good mood, general happiness, well-balanced disposition, and peace of mind are all outcomes of a vegetarian diet.

Image 1
Image 2

Via iBloggered.com