Veganism is a growing trend. There was a 65% increase in people registered to The Vegan Society in 2018. Even celebrities like Beyonce, Ellen Degeneres, Mike Tyson, and Ariana Grande have decided to go completely vegan. Although vegans claim that being vegan is healthier, is it actually? Going vegan could mean that you are missing important nutrients in your diet. I think that we shouldn’t be vegan, we should eat meat and dairy products as well, but in the right amounts.

Humans have been eating red meat throughout history. But at the moment it’s a very controversial topic if red meat is healthy or not. "Red meat is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and various other nutrients that can have profound effects on health." It has 25% of the RDA (daily required amount) of Vitamin B3, 37% of the RDA of Vitamin B12 which is a vitamin that can’t be found in plant foods, 12% of high-quality heme iron which is absorbed much easier than the iron from plants. There are also other vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B6, zinc, and selenium. Zinc keeps the digestive system working properly. However, vegans argue that processed red meat has a lot of saturated fat which leads to heart diseases, cancer, and high cholesterol. This has been backed up by many studies including a study done by Harvard Health. According to Laura Donnelly, a health correspondent, you should eat 70g of red meat a day which is about 500g a week. So if you eat the right amount of red meat, which is 70g a day, then it will have lots of benefits on your health.

 Doctors have always recommended dairy products as it builds up strong bones and healthy teeth as it has lots of calcium. Dairy products are either low-fat, fat-free or not low-fat and not fat-free. Not low-fat and not fat-free dairy products have lots of calories from saturated facts and consuming these products will increase your risk of cancer. However, this does not apply to low-fat and fat-free dairy products and they are perfectly healthy. Dairy products have lots of proteins and vitamins. “Milk and dairy foods are healthy foods and considered nutrient-rich because they serve as good sources of calcium and vitamin D as well as protein and other essential nutrients. They provide phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B12, and riboflavin”. Low-fat and fat-free dairy products are very healthy for you as they lots of vitamins, minerals, energy, protein, and calcium which builds strong bones and teeth.

There’s also other products that vegans miss out on such as chicken and fish. Swati Kapoor, a qualified dietitian at Practo with a Masters degree in Dietetics says, “A 100gms of cooked chicken would usually contain 239 calories. Of 100gms, 27 gms would be only protein which is important for growth and development of various organs in the body. Besides, chicken also helps in maintaining the desired body weight. Furthermore, it gives zinc and iron and is an excellent source for Vitamins B6, B12 and D”. She also adds that eating chicken protects you from cancer, increases the metabolism which is what helps maintain body weight, and strengthens bones and teeth. Fish is a food which is low in fat and high in proteins. Fish has a lot of omega-3s which is called the “good” fats. Eating fish decreases your risk of heart attacks and strokes, helps development and is the best dietary source for vitamin D according to many studies. A study done by the NCBI including 176,441 people shows a correlation between marine omega-3 fatty acids intake with a lower risk of heart failure. Vegans argue that being vegan lowers your risk of heart diseases while eating fish has the same effect along with lots of other benefits.

Humans have been eating meat for thousands of years. It has always been accepted that meat is very healthy. Recently, however, vegans have started to argue against that. And there are studies that back them up. But even these studies show that only eating too much meat and consuming dairy products which are high in fat are unhealthy. If we eat the right amount of red meat, consume dairy products which are either fat free or low in fat, and eat chicken and fish, then it will only have benefits on our health. I am not saying that we shouldn’t eat vegetables, we should as they are very healthy as well. I am saying that we should eat a bit of everything.