Vegetarianism is healthy if done right

I've been a proud ovo-lacto vegetarian (which means I eat no meat, but indulge in animal byproducts) for over seven years. And as a male vegetarian, I receive a lot of harassment about why I'm so skinny, that I don't get any protein and a multitude of other issues. But now I'm going to debunk all the people who say the vegetarian lifestyle is "unhealthy."

First, let's address the whole protein issue. Vegetarians actually do get protein. Surprising, isn't it? Well, it shouldn't be, because animal byproducts such as cheese, milk and eggs contain complete protein, according to Dr. Jack Yetiv, a well-know nutrition expert and author.

Even vegans, who eat nothing that comes from an animal, get protein because protein is composed of eight essential amino acids, and there are vegetables that contain all eight of them. These include brown rice, bean and hummus, according to an article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition called "Plant proteins in relation to human protein and amino acid nutrition."

Vegetarians have a 28 percent lower death rate from heart disease than meat eaters. And obviously, the obesity rate among vegetarians is only about 6 percent compared to 30 percent of the overall American population. Also, because vegetarians don't consume high amounts of saturated fat, we tend to have lower cholesterol. And last, but certainly not least, our skin and teeth look better, according to a Fox News article called "The Benefits of a Healthy Whole Vegetarian Diet."

Now, for the naysayers who say humans need meat to survive. This has been proven time and time again to be untrue. Like I stated before, an animal doesn't have to be killed just to get your precious protein.

Also, other civilizations have survived for a long time without eating any meat or byproducts at all, and those people are just as healthy as their meat-eating counterparts. For example, a study compared the bone health of 105 vegan Buddhist nuns and 105 meat-eating women, matched in every other physical respect. They found that their bone density was identical, according to sciencedaily.com. So when people toss around the theory that herbivores aren't as healthy as carnivores, they're wrong.

There is even one hulking Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter who lives on the vegan diet, and still manages to kick butt in fights.

Mac Danzig has had 19 wins and 8 losses in his career despite weighing a mere 156 pounds. Danzig is a former lightweight champion in King of the Cage, also happens to be a vegan, according to mensfitness.com. So for those who want to spout about how being a vegetarian/vegan, especially a male one, makes one weak, clearly you need to do more research.

So, if you still have any doubts, please do look into on the benefits of becoming a vegetarian or compare your vegetarian friends, if you have any, to your carnivorous friends. You will find that vegetarians are just as healthy as their meat-eating counterparts.