15 Reasons to Stop Hiding from Vegetarianism

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15 Reasons to Stop Hiding from Vegetarianism By , Vegetarian Times

Posted on October 25, 2007, Printed on October 28, 2007

http://www.alternet.org/story/66075/ People are drawn to vegetarianism by all

sorts

of motives. Some of us want to live longer, healthier lives or do our part to

reduce

pollution. Others have made the switch because we want to preserve Earth's

natural

resources or because we've always loved animals and are ethically opposed to

eating them.

Thanks to an abundance of scientific research that demonstrates the health and

environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, even the federal government

recommends

that we consume most of our calories from grain products, vegetables and fruits.

And no wonder: An estimated 70 percent of all diseases, including one-third of

all

cancers, are related to diet. A vegetarian diet reduces the risk for chronic

degenerative

diseases such as obesity, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes

and certain types of cancer including colon, breast, prostate, stomach, lung and

esophageal cancer.

Why go veg? Chew on these reasons:

1. You'll ward off disease. Vegetarian diets are more healthful than the

average

American diet, particularly in preventing, treating or reversing heart disease

and

reducing the risk of cancer. A low-fat vegetarian diet is the single most

effective

way to stop the progression of coronary artery disease or prevent it entirely.

Cardiovascular

disease kills 1 million Americans annually and is the leading cause of death in

the United States. But the mortality rate for cardiovascular disease is lower in

vegetarians than in nonvegetarians, says Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to

Live:

The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. A vegetarian diet

is inherently healthful because vegetarians consume no animal fat and less

cholesterol

and instead consume more fiber and more antioxidant-rich produce -- another

great

reason to listen to Mom and eat your veggies!

2. You'll keep your weight down. The standard American diet -- high in

saturated

fats and processed foods and low in plant-based foods and complex carbohydrates

-- is making us fat and killing us slowly. According to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) and a division of the CDC, the National Center for

Health Statistics, 64 percent of adults and 15 percent of children aged 6 to 19

are overweight and are at risk of weight-related ailments including heart

disease,

stroke and diabetes. A study conducted from 1986 to 1992 by Dean Ornish, MD,

president

and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito,

California,

found that overweight people who followed a low-fat, vegetarian diet lost an

average

of 24 pounds in the first year and kept off that weight 5 years later. They lost

the weight without counting calories or carbs and without measuring portions or

feeling hungry.

3. You'll live longer. If you switch from the standard American diet to a

vegetarian

diet, you can add about 13 healthy years to your life, says Michael F. Roizen,

MD,

author of The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat. " People

who consume saturated, four-legged fat have a shorter life span and more

disability

at the end of their lives. Animal products clog your arteries, zap your energy

and

slow down your immune system. Meat eaters also experience accelerated cognitive

and sexual dysfunction at a younger age. "

Want more proof of longevity? Residents of Okinawa, Japan, have the longest

life

expectancy of any Japanese and likely the longest life expectancy of anyone in

the

world, according to a 30-year study of more than 600 Okinawan centenarians.

Their

secret: a low-calorie diet of unrefined complex carbohydrates, fiber-rich fruits

and vegetables, and soy.

4. You'll build strong bones. When there isn't enough calcium in the

bloodstream,

our bodies will leach it from existing bone. The metabolic result is that our

skeletons

will become porous and lose strength over time. Most health care practitioners

recommend

that we increase our intake of calcium the way nature intended -- through foods.

Foods also supply other nutrients such as phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D

that

are necessary for the body to absorb and use calcium.

People who are mildly lactose-intolerant can often enjoy small amounts of dairy

products such as yogurt, cheese and lactose-free milk. But if you avoid dairy

altogether,

you can still get a healthful dose of calcium from dry beans, tofu, soymilk and

dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collards and turnip greens.

5. You'll reduce your risk of food-borne illnesses. The CDC reports that

food-borne

illnesses of all kinds account for 76 million illnesses a year, resulting in

325,000

hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United States. According to the US Food

and Drug Administration (FDA), foods rich in protein such as meat, poultry, fish

and seafood are frequently involved in food-borne illness outbreaks.

6. You'll ease the symptoms of menopause. Many foods contain nutrients

beneficial

to perimenopausal and menopausal women. Certain foods are rich in

phytoestrogens,

the plant-based chemical compounds that mimic the behavior of estrogen. Since

phytoestrogens

can increase and decrease estrogen and progesterone levels, maintaining a

balance

of them in your diet helps ensure a more comfortable passage through menopause.

Soy is by far the most abundant natural source of phytoestrogens, but these

compounds

also can be found in hundreds of other foods such as apples, beets, cherries,

dates,

garlic, olives, plums, raspberries, squash and yams. Because menopause is also

associated

with weight gain and a slowed metabolism, a low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet

can help ward off extra pounds.

7. You'll have more energy. Good nutrition generates more usable energy --

energy to keep pace with the kids, tackle that home improvement project or have

better sex more often, Michael F. Roizen, MD, says in The RealAge Diet. Too much

fat in your bloodstream means that arteries won't open properly and that your

muscles won't get enough oxygen. The result? You feel zapped. Balanced

vegetarian

diets are naturally free of cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging animal products

that

physically slow us down and keep us hitting the snooze button morning after

morning.

And because whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables are so high in complex

carbohydrates, they supply the body with plenty of energizing fuel.

8. You'll be more " regular. " Eating a lot of vegetables necessarily

means consuming more fiber, which pushes waste out of the body. Meat contains no

fiber. People who eat lower on the food chain tend to have fewer instances of

constipation,

hemorrhoids and diverticulitis.

9. You'll help reduce pollution. Some people become vegetarians after realizing

the devastation that the meat industry is having on the environment. According

to

the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chemical and animal waste runoff

from

factory farms is responsible for more than 173,000 miles of polluted rivers and

streams. Runoff from farmlands is one of the greatest threats to water quality

today.

Agricultural activities that cause pollution include confined animal facilities,

plowing, pesticide spraying, irrigation, fertilizing and harvesting.

10. You'll avoid toxic chemicals. The EPA estimates that nearly 95 percent

of the pesticide residue in the typical American diet comes from meat, fish and

dairy products. Fish, in particular, contain carcinogens (PCBs, DDT) and heavy

metals

(mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium) that can't be removed through cooking or

freezing.

Meat and dairy products can also be laced with steroids and hormones, so be sure

to read the labels on the dairy products you purchase.

11. You'll help reduce famine. About 70 percent of all grain produced in the

United States is fed to animals raised for slaughter. The 7 billion livestock

animals

in the United States consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by

the American population. " If all the grain currently fed to livestock were

consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be

nearly

800 million, " says David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell University.

If the grain were exported, it would boost the US trade balance by $80 billion a

year.

12. You'll spare animals. Many vegetarians give up meat because of their

concern

for animals. Ten billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption each

year.

And, unlike the farms of yesteryear where animals roamed freely, today most

animals

are factory farmed -- crammed into cages where they can barely move and fed a

diet

tainted with pesticides and antibiotics. These animals spend their entire lives

in crates or stalls so small that they can't even turn around. Farmed animals

are not protected from cruelty under the law -- in fact, the majority of state

anticruelty

laws specifically exempt farm animals from basic humane protection.

13. You'll save money. Meat accounts for 10 percent of Americans' food

spending. Eating vegetables, grains and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of

beef,

chicken and fish each nonvegetarian eats annually would cut individual food

bills

by an average of $4,000 a year.

14. Your dinner plate will be full of color. Disease-fighting phytochemicals

give

fruits and vegetables their rich, varied hues. They come in two main classes:

carotenoids

and anthocyanins. All rich yellow and orange fruits and vegetables -- carrots,

oranges,

sweet potatoes, mangoes, pumpkins, corn -- °©owe their color to carotenoids.

Leafy

green vegetables also are rich in carotenoids but get their green color from

chlorophyll.

Red, blue and purple fruits and vegetables -- plums, cherries, red bell peppers

-- contain anthocyanins. Cooking by color is a good way to ensure you're eating

a variety of naturally occurring substances that boost immunity and prevent a

range

of illnesses.

15. It's a breeze. It's almost effortless these days to find great-tasting

and good-for-you vegetarian foods, whether you're strolling the aisles of your

local supermarket or walking down the street at lunchtime. If you need

inspiration

in the kitchen, look no further than the Internet, your favorite bookseller or

your

local vegetarian society's newsletter for culinary tips and great recipes. And

if you're eating out, almost any ethnic restaurant will offer vegetarian

selections.

In a hurry? Most fast food and fast casual restaurants now include healthful and

inventive salads, sandwiches and entrées on their menus.

Read more about going Veg at Vegetarian Times.

 

 

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

Confucius