Healthy Eating Habits: Mediterranean, Vegetarian, and Vegan Diets

We Are What We Eat

Good morning, my name is Mª José and I am going to talk about eating habits.

Understanding Diets

First of all, a diet can be described as a set course of eating and drinking in which the kind and amount of food one should eat is planned out in order to achieve weight loss or follow a certain lifestyle.

I’ll focus on the Mediterranean diet, vegetarian diet, and vegan diet.

The Mediterranean Diet

On the one hand, I am really keen on the Mediterranean diet because it is full of vitamins, minerals, and good fats. Of course, my favourite dish is “Paella”.

It is a typical Valencian dish made with rice, vegetables, rabbit, and chicken.

Moreover, I always try to eat home-made food. When I don’t have enough time to cook, I prepare healthy fast food such as salads with grilled fish or meat and boiled vegetables. I don’t usually eat out, but when I do, I prefer to eat Spanish or Japanese food (raw food) because they are my favourites.

The Vegetarian Diet

On the other hand, basically, vegetarians don’t eat the body parts of any animals (meat). This includes pigs, chickens, cows, sea animals, and every other animal.

Going vegetarian reduces the amount of animal suffering in your diet, but vegetarians may still eat eggs and dairy products.

The Vegan Diet and Philosophy

Another important diet is veganism. Veganism is more a way of life and a philosophy than a diet.

Like vegetarians, vegans don’t eat meat, but they also avoid dairy foods and eggs. Therefore, I agree with the vegan philosophy that says the food industry is harming our planet and our body.

I think vegan practices reduce our impact on the environment and improve our health.

Benefits of Plant-Based Diets

For instance, well-planned plant-based diets require lower quantities of crops and water to sustain them.

Furthermore, the production of meat and other animal products is very bad for the environment, from the crops and water required to feed the animals to the transport.

The amount of grain required for meat production is a significant contributor to deforestation.

To sum up, nowadays many people become vegan because well-planned plant-based diets are rich in protein, iron, calcium, and other essential vitamins and minerals.

A vegan diet tends to be low in saturated fats, high in fiber and antioxidants. A vegan diet helps mitigate some issues like obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer.