Health Benefits Of A Vegetarian Diet

In this article, We will cover the major three nutritional advantages of becoming a vegetarian.
The first major benefit of a vegetarian diet is a increased healthy heart. Vegetarians, on
average, consume more nuts as a supplemental form of protein. Nuts contain "good" fats, such as
omega-3 and omega-6. This promotes good heart health by reducing "bad" cholesterol and
unclogging arteries.
In addition to nuts, vegetarians also consume more soy milk - often to replace milk, which
reduces "bad" cholesterol and has been linked to good heart health.
The second major benefit vegetarians enjoy is increased skin health. In addition to consuming
larger quantities of nuts (which contain healthful oils), vegetarians tend to consume more fruit
and vegetables, which are rich in essential vitamins, including A and E, which are linked to good
skin health.
Fruits and vegetables also contain high amounts of fiber, which helps flush toxins out of the
body, further contributing to better skin health.
The last health benefit vegetarians enjoy is an increased natural consumption of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are foods that help prevent cancer by destroying free radicals. Vitamin C and
Vitamin E, two strong antioxidants, are commonly found in vegetarian meals.
Vitamin C can be found in berries, tomatoes, citrus fruit, kale, kiwis, asparagus and peppers.
Vitamin E can be found in the following:wheat germ, seed oils, walnuts, almonds, and brown
rice, all foods that are commonly a part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.
What does this all mean for you as a prospective vegetarian?
It means the popular mythology about vegetarian diets is false. Not only can a vegetarian diet be
nutritionally sufficient, but it can also affect better skin health, prevent cancer, and increase
the health of your heart.
The first reason, which most vegetarians claim, is that they have serious ethical problems with
eating meat. Most disagree with how chickens are debeaked, forced to live in small cages, and
are then slaughtered when they do not produce eggs fast enough.
Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and stressful environments that animals are
forced into; and the hormone-laden daily feed used to make them grow faster and produce more.

People who become vegetarians for this purpose often draw ethical boundaries in different spots,
depending on their indept personal beliefs. For instance, some staunch vegans will refuse to
consume yeast, wear wool, or even eat certain vegetables, such as carrots, that require killing the
plant to harvest.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, some vegetarians, sometimes referred to as pseudovegetarians, will actually eat fish and chicken on a regular basis.
The second reason vegetarians claim for not eating meat is that it conflicts with their dietary
preferences. Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture and taste of meat, others do
not eat it because it is high in cholesterol and often contains very high concentrations of
hormones and preservatives.
The third and smallest group of vegetarians cite some environmental reasons for not consuming
meat. They complain that the consumption of meat causes farmers to continually deforest the
land to create grazing land for their cattle.
According to a study conducted in 2002, the most common reason that Americans choose not
to eat meat is to improve their health. The second most popular reason is the desire to avoid
the hormones and other additives in animal products - a more specific health consideration.
Vegetarianism certainly has health benefits, although there are disadvantages to going veg, as
well. On a balanced vegetarian diet, many people experience weight loss, high energy levels, and
less risk of toxicity issues like parasites, food poisoning, and more that are associated with eating
meat.
Health isnt the only reason that one might choose to be vegetarian (consuming no meat,
although some vegetarians will eat fish, eggs, or milk products), vegan (no animal products
whatsoever), or anything in between. Many people make the choice for reasons having to do
with their religious beliefs, spiritual progression, or environmental or political activism.
According to a 2004 poll, 2.8% of Americans are vegetarian - for all of these reasons and more.
If youre avoiding meat for ethical reasons having to do with the treatment of animals, you might
be interested to learn that many religious and spiritual traditions decry the use of animals as food.
Many people experience greater mental and spiritual clarity by going on a vegetarian diet.
As for the environment, vegetarianism is seen as a solution to the destruction of rainforests
(many of which are clear-cut in order to create pasture land for cattle and other meat animals) as
well as world hunger. An article tag line on the website of Viva (Vegetarians International Voice
for Animals) states, While 750 million people go to bed hungry every night, one-third of the
worlds grain is fed to farmed animals. A typical Western meat-based diet can only feed 2.5
billion people [a little over 35% of the world population]: a plant-based diet will feed every one
of us.

Thats because the amount of vegetable matter required to grow and feed animals for meat is, as
far as human food production is concerned, more efficiently used to feed human beings directly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Veg consumption is much more efficient
than growing feed for meat production and dairying.

A vegetarian diet that leans heavily on raw fruits and vegetables is healthier than a mainstream,
heavily processed non-veg diet, because a steady dependence on raw produce means more
enzymes, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and vital nutrients arrive in the system. Enzymes from raw
foods are one of the best ways to boost vitality, increase the efficiency of the digestive system,
and promote maintenance at a healthy weight. (Granted, not all vegetarian diets are high in raw
produce - please see the warnings and health risks associated with vegetarianism.)
Studies show that vegetarians tend to weigh less than their meat-eating peers, have a lower
mortality rate, and are less likely to be affected by sudden illness. However, this is usually
assumed to be due to other factors in vegetarians lifestyles. They may have an interest in health
or a social conscience which makes them less likely to smoke, drink excessively, or eat fast food
on the scale that most North Americans do so.
Vegetarian meals may be easier on the digestive system, since "heavy" meat and animal products
require so many enzymes and a great deal of energy to digest. This is challenged, however, by
nutritional concepts which present vegetarian protein as especially difficult to digest and absorb.
Vegetarian meals are often simpler to prepare (you dont have to roast a Tofurkey for 5 hours!)
and involve less risk of food poisoning, animal-borne parasites, and other toxins that accumulate
in animal tissues but not in plants. Eating vegetarian can also be less expensive, as anyone whos
noticed the price of prime steak on a menu can no doubt imagine. Avoiding meat eliminates the
health risks associated with the hormones and additives given to non-organic cattle, poultry, and
other animals raised for meat, although vegetarians would do well to pay especial attention to the
pesticides on conventionally grown (non-organic) fruits and vegetables.

According to the Medilexicon medical dictionary, a vegan is "A strict vegetarian; one
who consumes no animal or dairy products of any type". Virtually all vegan societies
also add that a vegan does not use products that come from animals, such as
leather, wool, down, cosmetics, or products which have been tested on animals.

The three main reasons people adopt veganism are health,

environmental, and animal rights
Animals
Vegans do not consume or use dairy products or eggs even though doing so would

not kill the animal. Part of the reason is a belief in the absolute right of animals to
exist freely without human interference, but also because many commerciallyraised egg-laying chickens and dairy cows are slaughtered when their productivity
declines with age - this is even the case with free range animals.
Many vegans also say that there would still be slaughter of animals if we all became
vegetarians who only consumed dairy and eggs from animals. Bulls and cockerels
would most likely be slaughtered at birth, unless everybody were willing to pay
more for their eggs and dairy in order to maintain these "unproductive" animals.
Farming today is very different from what it used to be. Modern farms are highly
mechanized factories - a lot of animals are given products to make them produce
more. Vegans say that veganism is a lifestyle with a philosophy that animals are not
ours to use (Vegan Action).
Environment
Livestock farming, vegans say, has a devastating effect on our planet. A vegan
believes that producing food through animal farming is inefficient, because animal
feed production takes up a lot of land, fertilizer, water, and other resources resources that could be used for feeding humans.
In the pursuit of higher yields, most vegans believe that livestock farms are
accelerating topsoil erosion; lowering its productivity for the cultivation of crops. A
great deal of wilderness is converted to grazing and farm land because of this. A
significant amount of pollution in groundwater and rivers comes from animal waste
from massive feedlots and factory farms.
More people globally could be fed on existing land if we all became vegans.
Health
Eating animal fats and proteins has been shown in studies to raise a persons risk of
developing cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, and
a number of other illnesses and conditions. The fat and protein content of cows
milk is very different from human milk - vegans say that we are not designed for
consuming cows milk.
Men with early stage prostate cancer who make intensive changes in diet and
lifestyle may stop or perhaps even reverse the progression of their illness, according
to a study. A US study that looked at half a million people found that red meat and
processed meat eaters died prematurely more frequently than other people.
Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes contain no cholesterol and are low in

fat, especially saturated fats. They are also high in fiber and other nutrients. Vegans
say there are several plant based foods that are good sources of protein, such as
beans, peanuts, and soya.

Here are some famous vegan and/or vegetarian quotes:

Abraham Lincoln
"I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a
whole human being."

Albert Einstein
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life
on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

George Bernard Shaw

"If a group of beings from another planet were to land on Earth - beings who
considered themselves as superior to you as you feel yourself to be to other
animals - would you concede them the rights over you that you assume over
other animals?"

Leo Tolstoy
"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields."

Mahatma Gandhi
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way
its animals are treated."
"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human
being."

Mark Twain
"I am not interested to know whether vivisection produces results that are
profitable to the human race or doesn't...The pain which it inflicts upon
unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity toward it, and it is to me
sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further."

Pythagoras
"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he
who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."

Thomas Edison
"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution.
Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."