Query Letter:The Debate Over Veganism

Sofia Ocegueda
514 Paul Hardin Dr.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
sofiaa@live.unc.edu

February 3, 2016

My name is Sofia Ocegueda, and I am a first-year undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reading the Journal of the American Medical Association, I have realized how my most recent article, Taking the Meat Out of a Meatless Argument: The Debate Over Veganism, is quite compatible with your prestigious journal. I invite you to ponder on this question:

Does the love for animals negatively affect our health? In other words, does leaving animals out of our diet deprive us of the nutrients we need to be at our best health? In the past decade, veganism, a diet that prohibits any consumption of animal-related products, has risen. This piece will review the research necessary to let you decide if veganism is worth the adverse health effects.

Veganism is a diet that has been practiced worldwide and centered around two main reasons, as found by British researchers. The first is the more compelling one, you could say. The love for animals and concern for animal rights has led to a population that shames bacon like no other and questions the origins of every brownie made. But let us not leave out the essentials. While vegans are saving the lives of numerous animals, is their health equally wholesome? Is the majority of the vegan population actually risking their health for this immense love? On the other hand, the second reason why one turns vegan leans towards a health concern. That is, one adopts veganism as the healthiest option out there. Animal rights? Yes, that’s a benefit too, but it isn’t the main concern. The recent obsession with health has led to various individuals clinging to tofu and crying over spilled [soy]milk. Are these individuals as healthy as we imagine them to be?

The choice to become vegan might seem easier than it seems; there is no perfect diet without the attention it requires. No matter the diet preference, the body will still require the same nutrients one hundred percent of the time. Researchers have additionally looked at the nutrient deficiency in children with vegan diets. Recently parents have started this diet and have included their children as well. Let it be noted that adults and children have different nutritional needs and that restrictive diets require extra care when it comes to implementing them for children.

In the complete article, numerous points will be brought up to let you decide whether veganism is indeed as nutritious as proclaimed. A study released in 2015 will address the difference in nutrition levels between vegans and vegetarians, and how they live up to the recommended level. Additionally, we will explore the consequences of a restrictive diet on a child, and will specifically describe the case study of a young boy with Keratomalacia, a rare disease caused by largely restrictive diets. Has the topic of veganism brought new perspectives? Could a healthy option, in fact, bring malnutrition? Do not limit your questions because I am sure this article will answer more. Please consider publishing my article, for it will uncover some of the precautions needed to be taken while practicing this trending diet.

Thank you for your time,

Sofia Ocegueda

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