Do vegetarians eat healthier than meat-eaters? Well, this topic is more difficult than you think.  

If you are a regular vegetarian, you eat no meat at all, but there are several types of vegetarians. Here are a few! Some vegetarians are more flexible than others and they consider themselves flexitarians. This is a real thing. Flexitarians eat a mixture of meat and plant-based diets. A different type of vegetarian is a pescatarian. These vegetarians do not eat meat, but pescatarians do eat fish. A lacto-vegetarian does not eat meat, poultry, or fish, but they allow themselves to eat dairy products (for example, cheese and yogurt). 

If you are a meat-eater, you tend to eat a variety of foods, giving yourself no limits to what you consume. You can eat a mixture of plants and foods, giving yourself the title of omnivore. If you only eat meat, you are considered a carnivore.  

Well, is a vegetarian considered healthier than a meat-eater?  

If you are vegetarian, you do have a lower risk of dangerous illnesses like heart disease and cancer. You also consume less fat and calories. Wait, but don’t you want calories? Yes, you want enough calories to keep you energized, but too many calories can lead to gaining weight. Even though vegetarians eat less calories, they do tend to sleep more and watch less TV, which can help you gain energy. There are plant-based meats that are just made of plants. These “impossible” meats contain a similar amount of protein and nutrients that actual meat contains.  

If you are a meat-eater, you should understand that it is okay to eat meat. The main problem with meat is how processed it is. If you got to eat freshly cooked meat, without it being salted or smoked extra to make sure it lasts longer in grocery stores, it would be better to eat it than it is from a grocery store. Helping the planet could be solved in many ways with eating meat still. One of those ways is cutting down to one meat per day. Lowering the amount of meat you eat and/or buy is helping the planet. Another way to help the planet is by cutting down on consuming food-chain animals. Some examples of food-chain animals are fish, worms, and insects (I don’t mean McDonald’s or Wendy’s when I say ‘food-chain’). When you don’t eat these animals, you help save the planet AS MUCH as vegetarians or 100% plant-based diets.  

Which side do you choose? Are you against meat-eaters, or do you like having a variety of foods to eat?