IELTS question

The question is:

Everyone should become a vegetarian because eating meat can cause serious health problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

My answer is found below. Please let me know how I can improve my answer to better prepare for the test. Any comments or suggestions' very much appreciated.

Answer:

I strongly disagree with the statement that everyone should become a vegetarian. I believe there's insufficient (or there's a lack of) scientific research to prove that eating meat can cause serious health problems. In my opinion the major health benefits gained from becoming a vegetarian does not apply to everyone.

Dietary needs is not a one case fits all practice. Everyone has specific dietary needs due to different health conditions found in each individual. An individual must first consult a medical expert, prior to making major health changes such as becoming a vegetarian. A medical doctor can help an individual understand their current health condition to see if the individual can withstand a major dietary change.

An individual's dietary needs is comprised of many factors effected by the individual's vitals, age, genes and lifestyle. For example, eating red meat has shown health benefits to women suffering from anemia. However, there's also scientific evidence of red meat consumption and increased risk of colon cancer for men. Therefore, the health advantages and disadvantages of becoming a vegetarian can greatly vary from person to person. Long-term vegetarian can also experience serious health problems. Several studies have shown that long-term vegetarians, lack or have reduced bone-mass density. Therefore, becoming a vegetarian can increasing the risk for osteoporosis, especially for women reaching the age of menopause. Therefore, the long-term benefits can outweigh the short-term benefits from becoming a vegetarian.

The human body is designed to consume both plant and animal matter. The human anatomy is made of organs designed to process both plant and meat matter. Therefore, changing one's diet to be solely plant based can cause an individual's organs to function improperly and can lead to nutritional imbalances. The human body must relearn how to process food found in the digestive system. The overall benefits can take time and can also reap short-term negative side effects since the body is not used to the sudden increase in plant based consumption. Especially, due to changes in acid levels from our food and produced by our digestive system.

In conclusion, humans are naturally omnivores. Therefore, opting to become a vegetarian stems from an individual's desire to live a certain lifestyle. An individual choosing to become a vegetarian must adhere to a way of life not suited for everyone. There are numerous factors such as health condition, income to support a vegetarian lifestyle, time to prepare vegetarian meals and long-term dietary needs of each individual that must be weighted to fully reap its benefits. Reinforcing my original answer, of how I strongly disagree with the statement that eating meat can cause serious health problems. In my opinion there are pros and cons of becoming a vegetarian and is different for everyone.