The health benefits of following a vegetarian diet

To eat meat or not to eat meat? To eat eggs and dairy or not to eat eggs and dairy? If you knew the facts about the various health benefits of following a vegetarian diet, would you switch?

I was recently asked for my opinion on eating a vegetarian diet vs. a vegan diet. Personally, I have never been a big meat eater. Sure, I eat white meat poultry and fish and an occasional steak but I have never been real big on it. I kind of have to be in the mood for it, so to speak. Therefore, if faced with the challenge of switching to a completely vegetarian diet, I believe that it would not be a big problem for me. Vegan on the other hand, I’m not so sure. The soy products that I have tried so far, I didn’t like. Therefore, going vegan would mean I would have to completely give up my beloved cheese and yoghurt. I’m not going to lie here, that would definitely test my willpower.

One of my professors from college referred to being vegetarian or vegan as degrees of insanity. Based on the overwhelming research-based findings that point to various health benefits associated with following a vegetarian diet, I have to disagree with his definition… Let’s analyze the vegetarian diet strictly in regard to its health implications:

Omnivore is the term used for meat-eaters. Vegetarians do not consume animal meats. However, there are different types of vegetarian diets based on the extent of what may or may not be included in the overall nutrition. By adding the prefixes lacto (dairy), ovo (egg), or pesco (fish) in front of the word vegetarian, the specific inclusions to a person’s vegetarian diet are indentified. Vegans are the most restricted form of vegetarians as the vegan diet does not include any type of animal products and depends strictly on plant based foods and drinks.

Years of research suggest that vegetarians live an average of 10 to 15 years longer than meat eaters. This stunning data is due to the fact that diets which include meat are higher in saturated fats, cholesterol, and dietary protein. These factors combined are the leading cause of obesity, hypertension, heart disease, type II diabetes, gallstones, kidney stones, osteoporosis and some types of cancer. The total direct medical costs in the United States attributable to meat consumption were estimated to be $30-60 billion a year. Extensive research has shown that lifelong vegetarians had a 24 percent lower incidence and lifelong vegans had a 57 percent lower incidence of coronary heart disease compared to meat eaters. Now that’s something to think about in regard to being proactive about your own health. Diary products are not as safe as many assume either. Studies have shown that diary causes many health problems. A majority of people are allergic to diary but have never been diagnosed. Some of the symptoms include stomach discomfort, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea and diary has also been shown to worsen menopause symptoms. Shockingly, even asthma has been linked to diary products. Diary contains a substance called casein which causes the body to produce histamines which then produce mucus.  Mucus makes breathing very difficult and causes many people to rely on inhalers and other asthma medications. Targeted studies have shown a 71% improvement in Asthma patients over a period of 4 months who switched to a vegan diet. That number went up to 92% after just one year. As if that wasn’t convincing enough, currently about three dozen plant foods have been identified as possessing cancer-protective properties.

Don’t be fooled though, following a vegetarian or vegan diet means you have to do your research. Consuming a variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables is the key to balance out the daily nutritional needs. Special consideration should be given to calcium, iron, riboflavin, vitamin D and vitamin B12. Vitamin B12, for example, occurs only in animal foods.  Here are some recommendations to ensure you get all the nutrients needed:

  • vitamin B12: fortified soy beverages and cereals
  • vitamin D: fortified soy beverages and sunshine
  • calcium: tofu processed with calcium, broccoli, seeds, nuts, kale, bok choy, legumes (peas and beans), greens, lime-processed tortillas, and calcium-enriched soy beverages, grain products and orange juice.
  • iron: legumes, tofu, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, whole grains and iron-fortified cereals and breads, especially whole wheat. Iron absorption is improved by vitamin C, found in citrus fruits/juices, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, dark-green leafy vegetables and potatoes with skins.
  • zinc: whole grains (especially the germ and bran), whole wheat bread, legumes, nuts and tofu

To sum it up… I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you to go cold turkey (no pun intended) and become a vegetarian or vegan. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt for all of us to take a step back and reevaluate our current nutritional decisions. I’m sure there is room to cut back on the meat a few times a week and to incorporate more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Doing so may be the turning point for you to finally reach your weight loss goals, come off a specific medication, or ultimately prevent/reverse certain diseases. Isn’t your health worth the effort?

What’s you take on the vegetarian diet? Have you tried to make the switch? If so, what were your reasons, and what physical and mental changes did you notice?