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What are the pros and cons of vegetarianism?
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A diet that lacks meat also lacks important nutrients

Meat is on the food pyramid for a reason, and without meat in the diet, important nutrients essential to development and health aren't absorbed.
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The Argument

Many important nutrients essential to the body and to health overall are found in high quantities in meat. However, they are hardly ever naturally present in foods aside from meat, or if they are, are only found in low quantities or cannot be absorbed easily due to the source from which they're found. These nutrients include vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and iron.[1] Vitamin B12 and iron help prevent anemia among other functions, vitamin D maintains bone health, omega-3 fatty acids are important for hearth health, and zinc helps the immune system and metabolism. Going on vegetarian diet could mean lacking these important nutrients, which could adversely affect the body. Further, a vegetarian diet could pose to be dangerous for pregnant mothers. Without careful planning and awareness, nutrient deficiencies as a result of a vegetarian diet could lead to maternal undernutrition and even impaired fetal growth.[2]

Counter arguments

Premises

[P1] Vegetarians miss out on important diets that, in certain situations, can lead to debilitating health problems.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.naturespath.com/en-us/blog/the-top-5-deficiencies-on-a-plant-based-diet/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470702/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 19 May 2020 at 04:03 UTC

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