Do humans need to eat meat to have a healthy diet - Essay Example

MEAT DIET Diet is a vital part of any healthy lifestyle. We need to ensure that we eat properly in order to maintain our optimum health. There are many dietary trends that people fall prey to, and these must be avoided. Sometimes people become vegetarian because all their friend have done so or because a popular movie star has recently been interviewed about it. But in order to maintain optimum health, meat should be part of every person's diet. The protein found in meat is invaluable; without it, a number of health problems could occur.

It can be hard to scientifically make comparisons between meat eaters and vegetarians, as vegetarians tend to be more health conscious. They may lead different lifestyles that may effect their health beyond issues of diet. Nevertheless, as one study recently put it “there is some evidence that including lean meat in weight-loss diets may be advantageous, as high protein intakes may increase satiety and help with appetite regulation . . .” (Stanner). When it comes to improving the iron count in women's blood, for example, meat plays a very important role.

A recent study indicates that compared with a vegetable diet, a meat diet improves iron uptake (Tetens, et al). These are important considerations to take into account when thinking about the role of meat in any diet. There are a plethora of dietary fads out there. Many people wish to sell their diet to you, but there is little science to support the idea that a meat-based diet is bad. In fact, the evidence points the other way. Meat, in appropriate quantities, has positive health effects and should be part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Work consulted Stanner, Sara. “Red meat: facts not fiction.” Practice Nurse. 34 (2007). Tetens, Inge, et al. “The impact of a meat- versus a vegetable-based diet on iron status in women of childbearing age with small iron stores.” European Journal of Nutrition. 46 (2007): 439–445