Persuasive EssayA vegetarian diet is one of the most common diets in America. The diet specifically focuses on eating plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, dried beans, peas, grains, seeds and nuts. Therefore, animal foods like meat, dairy products and eggs are excluded from this particular diet. Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc.'s Vegetarian Times magazine revealed that 7.3 million people follow a vegetarian diet in America. Fifty-nine percent of vegetarians are women, forty-one percent are men, and people between the ages of thirty and fifty-four have the highest overall percentage of dieting individuals. Most students (aged 18-25) are not informed about the benefits of being vegetarian, so they are less likely to be. Samford students should follow a vegetarian diet because 1) vegetarian diets help prevent disease, 2) it has many mental health benefits, and 3) the diet contributes to weight loss. These three reasons are supported by sufficient research to educate Samford students about the benefits that vegetarian diets can have on their lives. Some students may offer counterarguments for why they should not follow a vegetarian diet; However, exceptional evidence will disprove all misunderstandings about the diet. The first reason why Samford students should follow a vegetarian diet is that it helps prevent disease. Fifty-five percent of students (aged 18 to 25) are unaware of the risk of illnesses they may develop at this time of their lives. Based on the article “Students' Perceived Disease Risk Compared to Actual Prevalence Rates,” a study was carried out among 703 students. To eliminate biased results, 78 respondents who already contained disease were removed...... middle of paper ......e ranges from 0% to 6% among vegetarians and about 5% to 45 % among non-vegetarians. Overall, because the diet is associated with reduced body weight and lower rates of obesity, vegetarians generally have a lower risk of illness and mental illness. The positive effects of a plant-based diet should be enough to convince Samford students to participate in vegetarianism. Works Cited Barnard, Neal D., et al. “Vegetarian and Vegan Diets in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes.” Nutritional Reviews 67.5 (2009): 255-263. Premier Academic Research. Internet. April 3, 2014. Berkow, Susan E. and Neal Barnard. “Vegetarian Diets and Weight Status.” Nutritional Reviews 64.4 (2006): 175-188. Premier Academic Research. Internet. April 15, 2014. Fessler, Daniel MT “Reproductive immunosuppression and diet”. Current Anthropology 43.1 (2002): 19-61. SocINDEX with full text. Internet. April 27. 2014.