Posted on November 12, 2007 in Diet-Health
Vegetarian diets are becoming more and more popular. This could be either for moral reasons, health reasons or, sometimes, popular culture reasons. However a vegetarian diet has a certain stigma surrounding it, though health professionals are discouraging the consumption of animal fats.
Environmentalists have a different set of reasons behind asking people to turn veggies:
- 2500 gallons of water, 10 pounds of grain, 33 pounds of topsoils and the energy equivalent to one gallon of gasoline is required to produce one pound of beef.
- In US alone, 70% of grain production is being fed to live stock.
- At least four million acres of forest is felled each year to create cattle pasture in South and Central America.
- Livestock grazing in the US harms fifteen percent of endangered species.
Who is vegetarian?
A vegetarian is the one who abstains from eating meat for religious or health purposes. There are various types of vegetarians – lacto vegetarians who consume dairy products, lacto-ova vegetarians who consume dairy products and eggs;…. However those who eat fish are not considered vegetarians, though in many parts of the world fish is considered water plant.
Being a vegetarian has many health protecting advantages:
- Reduces risk of degenerative diseases like heart diseases, diabetes, cancer and obesity.
- Meets dietary recommendations for percentage of carbohydrate, fat and protein than any other non-vegetarian diet.
- Has lesser chances of contracting animal-borne infections such as salmonella and E.coli
- Has lesser chances of being exposed to pesticides and other toxins that accumulate as one moves up the food chain.
- Reduces impact on the environment that includes the facts already stated.
- Gives a feeling of spiritual well-being.
To be a vegetarian keep these facts in mind:
- Foods that are emphasized in a vegetarian diet are grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and seeds.
- If vegetarian diets are chosen then the consumption of the dairy products also has to come down to no more than two servings per day.
- A vegetarian meal provides all the essential nutrients needed for developing good health. It also gives high levels of fiber and phytochemical. The best part of a vegetarian meal is that if properly planned it can be lower in fat.
- Meat provides nutrients such as protein, iron and zinc. Vegetarian substitutes for meat are foods such as legumes, tofu and vegetable burgers. Nuts and seeds, veg-hotdogs and eggs easily substitute for a costly meaty diet. Fortified milks such as soymilk and nutritional yeast are good plant based sources.
- Research suggests that vegetarians live longer than non-vegetarians for around five to fifteen years. One need not be surprised by such research because vegetarian diets have the potential to decrease chronic diseases.
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