Many people all over the world have switched to a vegetarian diet. While some have gone Vegan, others have opted for just a strict vegetarian diet.  Today we’re going to the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet to help you determine if this is the diet for you.

What is the difference between vegetarian and vegan?

Both vegans and vegetarians opt for a diet with no meat, but vegans are stricter in how they enforce their lifestyle and diet choices. Vegans will not consume, wear, or use anything that came from an animal.

For example, a vegetarian may consume eggs, but vegans will not consume eggs. The egg came from an animal and is a baby “animal” in the eyes of a vegan, so they will not eat it.

The Pros of Vegetarian Diet

Below are some of the many benefits of opting to consume a vegetarian-style diet.

Increased Cardiovascular Health

People have seen a decrease in blood pressure, and better cardiovascular health when they switched to a vegetable diet. There is a lower heart rate and heart problems in general for people who have made the switch to eat a meat-free diet.

Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Vegetarian diets are linked to improved glycemic control which helps offset diabetes type 2, switching to eat a vegetable-based diet may reduce your risk of this health problem.

Ethical Treatment of Animals

For some, the pro of switching to a vegetarian diet is that you’re no longer supporting the production of meat made by unethical treatment of animals. While many laws maintain proper control and care of animals raised for meat, some people are still against this and vegetarians do their part to eat food not made from the unethical treatment of animals.

Cons of Vegetarian Diet

Now that we shared a few pros of a vegetarian diet, we wanted to share a few cons of switching to this diet.

Possible Nutrient Deficiencies

We’ve seen more nutrient deficiencies in people who have gone vegan more than vegetarian but it is possible with the vegetarian diet, too. You won’t get the nutrients necessary for proper body and brain function if you remove meat and don’t replace it with alternative forms of nutrients that meat provides the human body.

Less Convenient

While most restaurants are opting to have a wider option available on their menu for vegetarians, it’s not always a convenient diet choice. You won’t find many snack options and other grab-n-go items when you’re traveling or living a busy life when you’re a vegetarian.

These are just some of the major pros and cons of a vegetarian diet we’ve heard others share. We hope that this little bit of information will help you determine what type of diet and lifestyle is best for you and your family!