Plant Based Diet Essay

When I was growing up I was taught how to hunt, fish and trap fleshlys for viands as wholesome as being fed an omnivorous regimen, but today I take a s shoot found that I no long-lasting destiny animals in my nutriment. The Vegetarian Times recently found that push through of the 311 million people in the US, 7.3 million squander a vegetarian base viands and 22.8 million eat a vegetarian inclined aliment. Over the past century people halt begun cheeking into the health implications of ingraft base diets as a way of improving their health and maturation their longevity. This research paper is intend to in take inulate the reader of the nutrients conveyd by a US adult, ages 18-35, and prove that a workings establish diet meets those nutrient regardments. This journey began for myself over a year ago and while continue for decades to rise up while plant base diets began with the birth of mankind and impart continue as long as we continue to alive. Definition s associated with plant based dietsVegetarianism has been around since the beginning of mankind, however as society has progressed so have plant based diets. Today the term plant based diet can be mistake because of the varying levels of animal consumption in an individuals diet. The first definitions that go forth be examined ar plant based diets and an omnivorous diet. form based foods be those foods which consist of fruits and veggies, nuts, natural vegetable anoints, and all(a) in all grains (sh arc ar) An omnivorous diet is unitary which is based on the consumption of both animal products (red meat, poultry, fish, etc.) and plant foods. due(p) to the fact that plant based diets have changed and now incorporate varying levels of animal consumption there is a need to define the levels so that confusion can be avoided. The four categories of plant based diets ar ovo-lacto vegetarianism, pescetarianism, lacto vegetarianism and total-vegetarianism.Ovo-lacto vegetaria nism is when an individual consumes primarily plant based foods while still consuming eggs and dairy farm products. (Null 4) Pescetarianism is a diet which abstains from consuming land animals and birds while still consuming seafood as a championship to a primarily plant based diet. (Pescetarian Life) Lacto vegetarianism is a diet which contains dairy products like an ovo-lacto diet except eggs are no longer consumed. A total vegetarianism diet is a one which consists of only plant foods and abstains from any animal product such as, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, and honey. (Null 4)The research precedeed in this will focus on a total-vegetarian diet because it allows for the least variables and is the diet which ab step to the fore studies use because of the limited variables. Nutrients postulate by the piece physical structure which are viewed by umpteen as scarce in a plant based dietThe kind-hearted soundbox is a multifactorial system which requires the sup port of nutrients which are provided by the food individuals consume and then absorb into their bodies. In order to look at the ability of a plant based diet to support an 18-35 year old soulfulnesss nutritional needs we will first examine those most basic nutrients necessitate by a clement. This section of the paper will look at the following nutrients carbohydrates, proteins, rounds, eccentric, calcium, and vitamin B12.CarbohydratesThe term carbohydrate refers to the of course occurring molecules which consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. This molecule is use throughout the animal kingdom as the most abounding and least expensive quotation of energy. (Guthrie 35) The idea of being an inexpensive source of energy refers to the fact that carbohydrates are easily bewildered follow up by the humane digestive system which converts them into glucose. The belief that carbohydrates present the most abundant source of energy while still being nutritious can be lead astray du e to the two main types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are present in most diets in the form of fructose (sweet breadstuffs), sucrose (table sugar), maltose and lactose. (Driskell 29) These simple carbohydrates are easily broken down, converted into glucose for the dust and easily flow into the blood sprout. The downside to this form of carbohydrates is that they are most familiar in the form of smashing sugars or sylphlike flours which retain very few vitamins after being processed. (HealthStyle Fitness)As the body uses this form of glucose a cycle begins which involves fluctuations of high and low blood sugar. This cycle works when blood sugar rises after the consumption of simple carbs and then as the blood sugar begins to drop the body demands to a greater extent simple carbs to bring blood sugar levels back to up. The cycle that is formed essentially keeps the body from enthusiastic body adipose tissue because there is a continuous demand and consumption of simple carbohydrates. The second form of carbohydrates is that of complex carbohydrates which consist of polysaccharides, three or more monosaccharides. These complex carbs are found in the form of starch, fiber and glycogen (animal starch). Those complex carbohydrates consumed in the form of starch are found in plant foods like corn, w rage, potatoes, cereals, pastas, and beans.When they are broken down these carbs allow for the verbose production and release of glucose into the blood stream and allowing for a consistent blood sugar level. (Guthrie 27) Dietary fiber is a nonher form of complex carbs which are present in plant foods because fiber is the structural framework of plants. (Driskell 29) The presence of dietary fiber allows for the slow breakdown of starches because the human body lacks the enzyme necessary to break down most forms of fiber. (Driskell 29) The last form of complex carbohydrates is glycogen which is found in animal heftinesss and livers. S imply instal, simple carbohydrates are easily broken down and absorbed by the human body but poses few vitamins while complex carbohydrates are broken down slowly by the human body allowing for stable blood sugar levels.ProteinsAnother macronutrient base is that of proteins or on a more basic level, amino acids. When people take in proteins they are in fact consuming strings of amino acids which are broken down and then put together in varying structures to be used to construct tissue proteins, hormones, enzymes and other substances crucial to our existence. (Kimball 49) The human body has the ability to produce most of the amino acids required for existence while some amino acids, called essential amino acids, cannot be produced in the quantity required for life support. Proteins are commonly viewed as complete proteins which supply all amino acids required by the human body, both essential and nonessential amino acids. The most common source of complete proteins is animal foods because animal muscle already possesses all amino acids required for tissue growth. (Guthrie 85) This perception of requiring complete proteins in order to consume the required measuring rod of proteins is not the only way of reaching this daily goal.Fat integrity nutrient which accounts for nearly 41% of the American diet today is fat in either its natural or its altered state. (Guthrie 45) end-to-end human history having excess fat was seen as a sign of wealth and power because those who could turn over to be fat were those people who did not have to work for a living. Over the years this has constrain a social factor because fat has the attribute of altering foods flavor and in a sense addicting people to its taste. However fat has two main factors in the human body other than making foods palatable and those factors are as stored energy and supporting heavy carrel structures. The interesting fact that is miscons authenticd is that the essential fatty acids are everywhere in the news are not the main contributor to these factors, sooner, Highly unsaturated fatty acids are even more physiologically agile in the body than essential fatty acids andare needed for the formation of respectable cell membranes. (Carlson 31) one of the earths why the human body requires fat for the formation of cell membranes is because as people move they need their cells to move with them. If people had rigid cell membranes like plants we wouldnt be able to breath a good deal less walk down the street. In addition to aiding in cell membranes composition, fat is similarly used as energy reserves within the human body so that when food consumption does not meet energy requirements then the body can burn fat as a source of energy. (Guthrie 56) The reason why fat is used as a reserve for energy is because when one gigabyte of fat is burned for energy it creates 9 calories of energy as opposed to carbohydrates and proteins which produces 4 calories per gram. Overall fat i s a required part of the human diet because of its use in cell productions as well as a source of energy reserves for everyday life. typeFiber has recently hit the news as a required part of the human diet not because it was recently find but because people have been consuming far too light. Dietary fiber can be described as the, portion of consumed plant material that is resistant to degradation by the enzymes of the small intestine. (Carlson 51) The reason why consuming fair to middling fiber is authorised is because when people eat complex carbs they are pickings in fiber which allows for a consistent blood sugar level. However as carbohydrates are refined they are stripped of not only their vitamin content but also of their fiber content.When fibers are stripy from carbohydrates it makes intestinal passage succession faster and those vitamins and macronutrients present do not have enough fourth dimension to be absorbed into the body. Another reason why rigid fibers are req uired in the human diet is to keep the intestines clear. As humans consume non-fibrous material it tends to collect along the sides of the intestinal parcel and leave layers of buildup similar to plaque in arteries. The reason why fiber is needed is to keep food from building up because the buildup can limit the ability of the intestines to absorb those nutrients which are consumed. (Calloway 145) Fiber is one of the requirements which many people do not think about because they cannot simply eat a handful of fiber, instead people must make sure to incorporate it in their diets.CalciumMost of the American grow is told to drink milk so that they can consume the amount of calcium required for strong grind away and healthy living. This urge to consume calcium is spurred by the thought that in order to maintain healthy bone structure people must consume enormous amounts of calcium. This concept may be true in those people still growing during their early years and for people over the age of 50 whose bones begin to release more and more calcium, however most college students do not require excessive amounts of calcium. Once people are around 18-20 their bones either cease to grow or slow down to the point of millimeters and then calcium is used in blood plasma as a key ingredient for clotting as well as a required divisor for muscle contraction. (Calloway 149)Another misconception is that calcium is released directly into the blood stream for use after digestion when in fact calcium used in the blood is taken from our bones and ingested calcium merely replaces the lost calcium. Nutrients required by the human body which are viewed by many as scarce in a plant based diet and where they can found in plant based foods The most common misconception that people have about plant based diets is that they will not consume enough nutrients required for their overall health. This misconception is false in all fields except vitamin B12. A plant based diet provides the hum an body with enough carbohydrates, proteins, fats, calcium, and fiber for a more than healthy lifestyle. The following section will provide the sources of nutrients described above for soulfulnesss who consume a plant based diet.CarbohydrateThe most important source of energy in a plant based diet is that of carbohydrates because all plant based foods present carbohydrates. The important factor which most persons living on a plant based diet acknowledge is that complex carbohydrates are the basis of all meals because of the longevity of the calories consumed. Instead of eating all fruits, which are mostly simple carbohydrates, total vegetarians eat other plant foods. These foods, which consist of fiber, increases the time complex carbs take a breather in the intestinal track and increase the time required for digestion. An example is the consumption of serving of sour berries compared to a serving of oatmeal. The black berries will break down quickly and cause the persons blood s ugar to spike. The oatmeal on the other hand will remain in the persons stomach for a greater period of time and also stay in the intestines for longer allowing for the same amount of calories consumed as in the black berries to be released into the blood stream slowly.ProteinThe next study requirement of a plant based diet is protein or more specifically amino acids. One of the major misconceptions in America is that proteins only exist in animal foods because protein is used to grow muscle so therefore eating muscle provides the ingredients to support muscle. This is interesting because the largest land animals in the world are those which consume only plants and they maintain the greatest muscle mass known to man. Amino acids are present in all plants, however, not all amino acids are present at the same time meaning that plants do not contain complete proteins.However, when grains and beans are consumed together, their amino acid profiles complement each other and produce a mix that is complete and therefore a good match to the bodys needs. (Norris 15) This means that while plant based foods do not contain complete proteins in themselves they do create complete proteins when consumed with additional plant based foods. This concept is supported by developing nations where diets consist primarily of plant foods and unless these people consume enough proteins. (Guthrie 82) Most sources agree that when the strait-laced amount of calories are consumed for an individual the person in question is also taking in enough protein because of the combination of amino acids throughout the plant world.FatsFats are the second most over consumed major nutrient after proteins because in an omnivorous diet fat is in all animal products. Most fat that is consumed directly from animal products are invisible fat, including that marbled throughout meat fibers, in finely dissever form either emulsified in egg yolk or homogenized in whole milk, or found as a constituent of wh ole-grain cereals and nuts. (Guthrie 45) In addition to these direct animal fats there has been an increase in the amount of fats consumed in the form of vegetable oils, which are becoming a staple in todays society thanks to fast food chains. This last fact points out that trim down the amount of fat in ones diet cannot be isolated to the reduction of animal foods but is instead connected to a healthy diet in general where oils are rock-bottom so that they do not dominate ones fat intake. In addition to the oil concept, society has suggested that consuming only essential fatty acids is required while research has found little evidence proving health benefits substantial enough to eliminate additional fats from ones diet. (Norris 52)FiberFiber is one nutrient which is overly simple to find in plant based foods because the majority of fibers out there today are plant based. When people eat enough complex carbohydrates they are also consuming their required amount of fiber, the typi cal American omnivorous diet contains only about 10-20 grams of fiber dailymost vegans consume 25-50 grams per day. (Carlson 52). The only factor which people should look at when preparing their plant based meals is to not cook their foods to long because fiber can be broken down when enough heat is present for a long enough period of time.Calcium and Vitamin B12Calcium and Vitamin B12 are two nutrients which require people to pay attention to the foods that they eat in order to meet dietary requirements. Those people who live on a plant based diet should make sure to incorporate dark jet in their diet because these are the main source of calcium which they should be eating. In fact, kale, collards, broccoli, and turnip putting green can provide as much as 50%of our daily calcium requirements. (Norris 43) This means that by eating one serving of these vegetables someone has the ability to meet their calcium requirements because, even omnivores get as much as 40 percent of their ca lcium from plant foods. (Nollin 42) On the other hand, vitamin B12 is more delicate to get by eating plant foods because the bacteria which produce it are found in animals and their feces. therefore most total vegetarians take a supplement to ensure they are getting enough B12 if they usurpt already consume fortified plant foods like fortified soy milk or fortified cereals.ConclusionA vegetarian lifestyle has the ability to supply all required components of a nutritious diet required by an 18-35 year old American. The section on carbohydrates highlights the importance of a diet composed of complex carbohydrates and few simple carbohydrates primarily because of the complex carbs retention of vitamins. After reading the sections on protein the reader can now see how a plant based diet provides just as much protein as an omnivorous diet because of the compounding amino acids present in plant foods. Plant based diets also meet fat needs because of the fat content in nuts and vegetabl e oils. 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