Meat

English 101 September 28, 2011 Throughout history we have questioned whether we should or shouldn't eat meat. With todays technology and studies we now know the role meat plays in our bodies. Meat has many nutrients that our bodies needs such as proteins, minerals, vitamins, iron, zinc, etc. Not eating meat also has its own benefits, such as it lowers the risk of heart failures, cancer and saves animals from cruelty. There are many positive and negative affects of meat in our bodies. Throughout this essay I will illustrate the benefits of eating meat, as well as the benefits of not eating meat. The benefits of meat include, protein, vitamins, fats, minerals, etc. The first benefit of meat is that meat has a great source of protein, which is required by our bodies in high amounts. Proteins plays important roles that are essential for our bodies functioning and well being. The most important role is building and repair of body tissues and forming of antibodies that fight infections. Meat is considered to be a high quality protein because it contains almost all the essential amino acids. The benefits of eating meat include a strong immune system.You will also find a lot of vitamins in meat as well. The most obvious ones are vitamin A, B and D. Vitamin A which strengthens our vision also develops bones and teeth and helps maintain the health of the skin. Vitamin B, which are found only in animal foods helps support central nervous system and enhances mental health . Vitamin D promotes calcium and phosphorus use, which help maintain healthy bones and teeth. Meat also contains a number of minerals, including iron, zinc, selenium and etc. Our bodies need iron to form hemoglobin which is used to transport oxygen from the lungs to different parts of the body. Zinc is another mineral that comes from meat. Zinc helps boosts our metabolism and helps in the formation of tissues. Selenium, another mineral, helps us to breakdown fat and other chemicals in the body. Another important benefit meat has is fats. Meat contains linoleic and palmiotelic acid. These two fats help prevent our bodies from cancer and harmful viruses. These fats are needed for the development of our brains. Therefore, meat provides us with some very important vitamins, minerals. So why go out and buy pills to get these vitamins and minerals when you can get them and other nutrients from meat'. An average American consumes 180 pounds of meat a year. That is double the global average. Over the years while our meat consumption increased, our lifestyles became more and more sedentary. In America the top three leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The cost to treat these diseases are breaking our health care system, and killing 1.4 million people a year (CDC, Death and Mortality). These diseases can be related to our diet of too much meat and our inactive lifestyles. Also, our high demand of meat is causing severe damage to our environment and the expanding of inhumane treatment of animals with the creation of the factory farms. By reducing meat in our diets, in addition to having an active lifestyle, we could cut health care costs, save millions of lives, and save the environment on which we depend on for our survival. People argue that we were not made to be carnivorous because we do not have claws and sharp front teeth, as compared to meat-eating animals. They also argue that human hands are adapted for picking fruits and vegetables. The most common cause of death around the world is heart attack and the average man is at a 50% risk while a vegetarian man is at a 4% risk. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, one thing most of us don't know about is that every one out of three chickens are infected with salmonella bacteria. The USDA implies that it protects meat-eaters through regular and thorough meat inspection while in reality, fewer than one out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues. Being a vegetarian prevents cancer by 50%, and prevents heart disease, lowering blood pressure, gallstones, kidney stones, osteoporosis and can even reverses diabetes. Waste produced by farm animals is one of the main causes of soil and groundwater. Raising farm animals contributes to inefficient use of water, energy, agricultural foods, etc. Animals in most of these farms are subjected to inhumane treatment and animal cruelty. Some of these inhumane treatments are animals such as cows and chickens are being raised in space to small that they cant even turn around or more. Cows are being injected with hormones to boost milk production. Egg laying chickens are put in cages called “battery cages” and stacking them on top of each other. In conclusion the benefits of eating meat are numerous. By eating meat on a regular basis, you will not only maintain a healthy body but you will also provide it with strength to fight against infections and diseases. Though not everything is good about meat. It has a very high content of fat and cholesterol. High levels of fat and cholesterol give rise to a line of disorders that directly affect your heart and circulatory system. Restraining from meat not only will it stop the inhumane treatments of animals but it will lower our ricks of heart attacks, and various cancers. So, if you think that these contentions are solid enough for you to refrain from meat consumption, you may go ahead. Others may continue with their interest. After all, eating or not eating meat is a matter of personal choice.