What are the benefits of being a vegetarian?

When nutritionally balanced, a vegetarian diet has many beneficial effects on one’s body, especially on the cardiovascular system, cholesterol levels, energy levels, and also helps in the "prevention and treatment of chronic diseases." 

 As a way for lowering the risk for cancer, the World Cancer Research Fund suggests a diet consisting primarily of a "variety of vegetables and fruits, legumes...and to limit the intake of grilled, cured and smoked meats and fish." 

 According to studies, vegetarians have better health than people that eat meat. They have lower rates of coronary artery disease, gallstones, cancer (particularly lung and
colon cancer), kidney stones, colon disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. It has been shown that sometimes a vegetarian diet can help cure these diseases. A vegetarian is also less likely to be overweight than a non-vegetarian.
 
The American Heart Association report states, "In well-documented population studies using standard methods of diet and coronary disease assessment…evidence suggests
that a high-saturated-fat diet is an essential factor for a high incidence of coronary heart disease."

The National Academy of Science reported that "people may be able to prevent many common cancers by eating less fatty meats and more vegetables and grain."

The USDA recommends that people reduce saturated fat and cholesterol, which are in high amounts in animal products, and low in vegetarian diets.

In his Notes on the Causation of Cancer, Rollo Russell writes, "I have found of twenty-five nations eating flesh largely, nineteen had a high cancer rate and only one had a low rate, and that of thirty-five nations eating little or no flesh, none had a high rate."
 

Various studies have also shown that vegetarians have lower blood pressure than non-vegetarians. They also have much lower cholesterol levels too. Heart disease is found much less in vegetarians. Studies have also shown that vegetarians have up to half the cancer rate than those of non-vegetarians. Cases of breast cancer are much lower in countries that have low meat diets.

Vegetarians eat more antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotenes and phytochemicals. Phyotochemicals are components in plants that help to prevent disease. Antioxidants decrease the chance of getting heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Eating red meat increases the chance of dying from cancer of the breast and colon, heart disease and strokes. Meat eaters have much higher rates of cancer than vegetarians.  Cancer and cardiovascular diseases are linked to diets with a high amount of saturated fat (meat) and with a low amount of fiber (meat).

Animal products are high in sodium, which causes the blood to retain water and also causes plaque to build up in the arteries, lowering the flow of blood, which are major causes of high blood pressure.

According to a study done in England for 12 years of 5,015 meat eaters and 6,115 vegetarians, it was found that vegetarians had 40% less chance of getting cancer.

Grains and plant foods contain fiber, while animal products contain almost none. Because fiber is necessary for proper stool production, lack of proper fiber accounts for societies with meat-based diets to have higher cases of colon cancer. The main reasons why people need to take laxatives is because of lack of fiber in their diet and not drinking enough water.

Many components - including numerous vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants - found in fruits and vegetables are believed to aid in the protection against heart disease: "folic acid, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, carotenoids, phytosterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenolic antioxidants." 

While legumes, other beans, and nuts provide the necessary protein in a healthy diet, "cruciferous and green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits were the most protective." 

There can be health benefits to being a vegetarian especially if you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains and eat seeds, pulses or nuts daily.  All of these foods are rich in phytonutrients (antioxidants) as well as fibre which all help to protect the body from illness.  If you aren't vegetarian then you will also benefit from making these foods part of your usual balanced diet.

Alternatives To Meat

If you are thinking about becoming a vegetarian, then, It is important to know how to get your protein, iron and zinc from sources other than meat.  Choose from the foods listed below:

• Soya based foods including tofu
• Beans, lentils and chick peas
• Seeds, nuts and nut butters (like peanut butter)

If you eat these foods as well as cereal foods (such as wholemeal bread, rice, pasta) together this will give you a good mix of proteins - equivalent to those found in meat.

Because modern people eat good amounts of meat, in some countries, people even eat five times as much protein as is recommended.  An excess of protein can leach calcium from the bones, which is a major cause of bone disorder.

It is important to get enough leafy vegetables that are high in antioxidants, which are good for overall health.

Some Important Guidelines are as follow

(1) Eat a variety of foods.
(2) Mainly eat foods from plant sources.
(3) Don't eat too much salt or sugar.
(4) Eat at least six servings of grains, breads and pastas.
(5) Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits.
(6) Avoid foods high in fat, especially those coming from animal sources.

The Vegetarian Shop