Introduction

There are many reasons why people become vegetarians. In some places meat is expensive, maybe their religion doesn't allow it, or maybe it's just because of health reasons. The motivation to becoming a vegetarian is endless. The only downside of being a vegetarian is watching what you eat. They have to make sure they're getting their iron, calcium, protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and zinc. Because they don't eat meat, fish, or poultry, they have to get their protein elsewhere, like in beans. Besides watching what they eat, everything is a plus. They are less likely to get heart disease because they don't consume any saturated fats from meat, and more likely to have more energy from their healthy diet.

The Four Main Groups

There are four different main groups of vegetarianism. There are the Vegans, who only eat plant- based foods, but nothing that comes from animals, even milk and cheese! The lacto- vegetarians, who eat plant- based foods and milk products, but no meat, eggs, or fish. The lacto- ovo vegetarians, who will eat plant- based foods, eggs, milk products, but no meat, poultry, and fish. Then lastly, flexitarians. Their diet consists of plant- based foods, but they also eat small amounts of meat, poultry, and fish. They are categorized by the kinds of animal derived foods they eat. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596)

Why Do People Become Vegetarians

With all diets, there is a purpose why people go on them. Vegetarianism is no different from the rest. However, why are people vegetarians? Although there are countless reasons for this switch, the most common are for ethical reasons and for health benefits. One of these ethical reasons is the poor, overcrowded living conditions that animals have to endure before the slaughtering process. Over the years, there have been countless reports, and sometimes even occasional YouTube videos, on how inhumane these living conditions are. Some people think that this is wrong, and they do not want to support these practices, therefore switching to a vegetarian lifestyle. Furthermore, in some religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, a vegetarian lifestyle is a symbol of peace. Another ethical reason is because of the impact on the environment, due to eating meat. For instance, vegetarians bring up the fact that there is so much grain gone to waste to produce heavier animals, when we could be feeding that grain to people. Aside from ethical reasons, there are many health benefits that vegetarians might have taken into consideration, to fully make a switch to that type of lifestyle. A few of these benefits include reducing cancer risks, since studies show that eating red meat increase your chances of getting breast cancer, promoting a healthy heart and making it easier to maintain a healthy weight, since a plant based diet does not include saturated fat. In conclusion, even though dietary habits come down to personal choice, I feel that people switch to a vegetarian lifestyle are very conscious about their decision.
(http://vegetarian.lovetoknow.com/Why_Do_People_Become_Vegetarians)

Macronutrients

Carbohydrates
There are two types of carbohydrates, complex and simple. Complex carbohydrates come from starches. Starchy foods are like grains, potatoes, corn, etc. Simple carbohydrates come from sugars. Anything that has sugar or starch has a carbohydrate. A starch is actually a bunch of sugars in a chain, so when your body breaks it down, it'll be a sugar. From one gram of carbohydrate, you get four calories. The purpose of a calorie is to provide energy for the body. It's our main energy source, unlike fat, which is back up energy that we store up. Not only are there simple and complex carbohydrates, but there are also good and bad ones (unrefined and refined). The carbohydrates you eat from candies and sodas are bad because you don't get any kind of nutrients. The good kinds are from the ones that come from nature like fruits and vegetables. They're good for you because they give you nutrition. Any adult's daily diet (getting rid of all the interfering factors) should consist about 60% of carbohydrates, so if you're on a 2000 calorie diet it should be about 1200. For any teenagers (without any interfering factor), it should be roughly 1500- 2200. (http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/sugar.html#)

Protein
Proteins are vital for the human body. It should be 10-15% of our daily intake. They are made up of chains of amino acids, which are also very essential for your body. Not only are your muscles, organs, and some of your hormones made up of protein, it also builds and replaces tissue in your body. Aside from these major functions, protein also helps stimulate growth of hair and fingernails. In order to figure out how much protein you need, you need to take your weight, and divide it by two. After having that number, it means you need that much grams of protein everyday. Proteins are known to come from meats, such as beef, veal, and poultry. However, with a vegetarian diet, food such as nuts, cheeses, and whole wheat bread are vital to have enough protein in your diet. Vegetarians must be careful to watch their intake of protein, so they won't take in too much, or too little.

Fats

Fats are definitely an important part of teen's diets. It is necessary to help our bodies to build nerve tissues and get energized. Basically, a fair amount of fat is essential for teens to develop properly. A gram of fat is 9 calories, which is much more than the amount of calories carbohydrates and proteins have. Teens should get about 25-35% of daily caloric intake from fats. Certain vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K are only able to be absorbed through fats in people's diets.

HEALTHY FATS and examples of foods to eat in moderation:
monounsaturated fats= olive, canola, peanut oil, avocados, nuts, seeds
polyunsaturated fats= vegetable oils, nuts, seeds
omega-3 fatty acids= cold-water fish, flax oil, flaxseeds and walnuts

UNHEALTHY FATS and examples of foods to avoid:
Saturated fats= animal products, palm and coconut oils
Trans fats= commercial baked goods, fried foods, margarine, shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils

Because vegetarians don't eat unhealthy fats, they are at less risk of getting heart disease. Without all the junk fats in their body, they feel better, look better, and seem to be more active.

3 Day Diet Plan

3 DAY DIET PLAN

Day1:

Breakfast: yogurt parfait with flaxseed granola (w/ fruits on top), orange juice

Lunch: vegetarian musubi (tofu substitute for meat), water

Dinner: Caesar salad w/ potato, cranberry juice

Day 2:

Breakfast: oatmeal porridge, small bowl of fruits, water

Lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cranberry juice

Dinner: vegetarian lasagna, lemonade

Day 3:

Breakfast: whole grain bread w/ avocado on top, ½ glass mixed berry smoothie

Lunch: Salmon and rice w/ vegetables on side, water

Dinner: penne pasta w/ tomato sauce and mushrooms, orange juice