An estimated 70 percent of major diseases can be traced to one’s diet. Because vegetarians have lower body weight, they have lower rates of obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, coronary artery disease and diabetes.

The Cons of Vegetarianism

While there are many benefits of being a vegetarian, the lifestyle also requires strict diet monitoring to prevent nutritional deficiencies that can cause problems throughout the body.

Research has shown that vegetarians have a higher risk of iron deficiencies, and experts question whether children, in particular, are getting the right mix of nutrients if they are vegetarians at an early age, a critical time for physical and intellectual development.

Some vegetarians claim they are doing it to help the planet as well as themselves. The resources required to produce meat creates pollution, wastes resources and causes deforestation. But their meat-loving opponents will argue back that vegetables create the same environmental problems as raising livestock, turning the argument back on itself.

The ethics of eating meat vs. vegetables is also a dividing line. Some vegetarians decry the cruelty of killing animals bred for consumption, while meat advocates claim it is done humanely and has been practiced for more than 2 million years.

Ultimately, the United States federal government sides with vegetarians. Although dietary requirements are revised every five years, the recommendation to consume more grains, fruits and vegetables is constant.