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Importance of a Vegetarian Diet
By Rudy Hadisentosa
Importance of a Vegetarian Diet
If youre looking to get started on a vegetarian diet, chances are youre concerned about your falling back to meat-eating habits somewhere in the middle. Many people who begin on this journey do. To prevent yourself from going back, you need to have a deep conviction inside about why you want to be a vegetarian. The reasons are as diverse as there are people, but if its on your mind to make this change of diet, then there must be a reason that will appeal to you the most. Once youre convinced deep down inside that it is the right thing to do, those meat dishes in your friends party will not seem tempting at all, and it will be easy to stick to your chosen path.
So why is it important to be a vegetarian? First and foremost, there are important health benefits in a vegetarian diet. Several research studies suggest a link between longevity and a vegetarian diet. According to a study by the Loma Linda University, vegetarians live almost seven years longer, and vegans almost fifteen years longer, than meat eaters. A vegetarian diet can help in reducing risk of cancer and cardio-vascular disease. Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidant nutrients that protect the heart and its arteries. Animal food products are loaded with dietary saturated fat and cholesterol. An average American male on a meat-based diet has a 50 percent chance of dying from heart diseases. A study of a group of French vegetarians found that they had a daily intake of 25 percent less fat than non-vegetarians. Some of the other proven health benefits of a vegetarian diet include significantly reduced rates of obesity, coronary heart disease, hypertension, constipation, and gallstones.
Secondly, the mass production of meat is environmentally damaging, and unsustainable, and going vegetarian can help restore the planets health. Approximately 70 percent of the grain crop in the US is used for feeding animals being raised for food. It takes 15 pounds of feed to generate 1 pound of meat, and if the grain were given directly to people, there would be enough food to feed the entire planet. According to a study, the inefficiencies in the production of meat, milk, and eggs range from 4:1 to 54:1 energy input to protein output ratio, when tracking animal food production from feed to consumption Hence the production of animal foods is much less energy efficient than harvesting of grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits. Animal farming also generates significant amounts of nitrous oxide and methane, which have a significant impact on global warming. Also, it is estimated that a pound of beef takes 2,500 gallons of water, while a pound of wheat takes 25. Hence, production of meat leads to wastage, and rampant water pollution.
A vegetarian diet can protect you from food-borne illnesses. Vegetarianism reduces the risk of E.coli infection. It is estimated that approximately five percent of cows slaughtered in America for meat contain the lethal O157:H7 strain of E.coli, which can even lead to death. Also, there have been various animal food safety scares over the last few years, including avian influenza in poultry, mad cow disease in cows, foot-and-mouth disease in sheep, and mercury in fish. Therefore, being vegetarian can protect you from several such diseases.
Another important reason to be vegetarian is that it is ethical. Each day, 22 million animals are slaughtered in America to produce meat. The entire life of a captive animal raised for meat is unnatural, and involves abnormal diets for fattening, hormonal stimulation, and the eventual killing, which are totally unnecessary. If animal rights concern you, then a vegetarian diet is a natural choice.
A vegetarian diet can help you save money. Replacing chicken, meat, and fish with vegetables and fruits is estimated to help save close to $ 4,000 a year. Hence it makes economic sense as well to convert to a vegetarian diet.
There are compelling reasons to turn vegetarian, and the question you should be asking yourself is not why, but why not? With obvious benefits for your health and the planets, and being a better economic choice, it is no wonder that there is growing interest in vegetarianism today.
Rudy Hadisentosa is the author of a free Vegetarian ebook on http://www.veggie123.com. I help people to become vegetarians by giving them true facts, motivational, and nutritional guidance during the transition. I believe a vegetarian diet can really improve your health & awareness. If you want to switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet successfully, read my ebook now.
More Joys of Soy
By Ruth Bird
My husband has MS, and I have Diabetes. Researching health issues has become a “hobby” of mine. I am always interested in health issues. I am especially interested in soy because I am constantly looking for protein to balance my diabetic meals. I am not a meat eater, although I am not a vegetarian either. I believe that knowledge is my best defense.
Soy milk (also called soymilk, soya milk, soybean milk, soy bean milk, or soy drink) is a beverage produced from soybeans.
Although its English name uses the word “milk”, due to its common use as a milk substitute in Western societies, it is actually a juice extracted from soybeans after soaking, grinding, cooking and straining. It is generally opaque, white or off-white in color, and approximately the same consistency as cow’s milk.
Here is some technical information on soy and it’s benefit for diabetics.
Beneficial Glycemic (Blood Sugar) Control Effects of Soy Isoflavones
OBJECTIVE. This study was conducted to examine the effects of soy isoflavones on blood glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles. The investigators hypothesized that soy isoflavones would beneficially alter these endpoints.
STUDY DESIGN. Study subjects were postmenopausal women between 48 75 years of age. Participants received 100 milligrams of soy isoflavones for 6 months.
RESULTS. The results of this study demonstrated that isoflavones have beneficial effects on blood sugar control. A significant decline in blood glucose over time was observed. Blood insulin favorably changed too.
CONCLUSION. The data from this study demonstrated that soy isoflavones induced a beneficial effect on blood glucose and insulin concentrations.
REFERENCE: Journal of Womens Health 2004
Soy has been known to improve memory.
Soy may reduce the symptoms of menopause and make them more tolerable for women. Regular intake of soy has proved to help women in menopause.
Soy maintains the bone density after menopause.
How much soy do I need to eat every day? Most of the recent scientific studies have been done with daily doses of 60 milligrams (mg.) of soy isoflavones. A diet of 25-30 grams of soy protein, containing a minimum of 60 mg. of dietary soy isoflavones, should provide health benefits.
What are isoflavones? Soy isoflavones are a unique group of phytoestrogens; a type of phytochemical or naturally occurring compounds in plants. Soy is the single most important source of phytoestrogens. The highest levels of isoflavones for human consumption are almost exclusively in soy.
What is isolated soy protein? Isolated soy protein is 90 percent protein on a dry weight basis, with virtually all of the fat and carbohydrate removed. Processed from whole soybeans, isolated soy protein is fundamentally an ingredient to be incorporated into foods and beverages. Because of its high protein concentration, isolated soy protein offers food manufacturers an ideal way to incorporate into their products the necessary amount of soy protein needed to qualify for the health claim label.
What are some of the soy products available?
Protein Bars
Protein Shakes
Soy Coffee
Soy Nuts
Soy Milk
Soy Pasta
Soy Flour
And there are many more products. The above are only a few. I have come to love soy shakes, and they come in many different flavours.
Soy protein has been shown to be equal to proteins of animal origin. It can be your sole protein source if you choose.
From the American Diabetes Association: Teixeira SR, Tappenden KA, Carson L, et al.: Isolated soy protein consumption reduces urinary albumin excretion and improves the serum lipid profile in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus and nephropathy. J Nutr 134:1874-1880, 2004
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
When people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, they often have albuminuria. This means that their bodies are releasing more than normal amounts of a protein called albumin in their urine. This is caused by changes in the kidneys from diabetes. Finding ways to reduce the amount of albumin in the urine is important.
Researchers wanted to know if people who ate isolated soy protein had lower albumin levels in the urine and fats in the blood. Isolated soy protein can be found in soy milk, soy protein powders and tofu.
Who was studied?
Thirty-four men with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 63 and 73 were studied. Men not taking medications or who had no other conditions that changed albumin levels were included. All the men had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for at least 5 years.
How was the study done?
The men were put into three groups, which were studied for seven months. Each group ate two different diets at different times. The men ate isolated soy protein during one phase and ate casein (a protein from milk) during the other. (Isolated soy protein and casein can be mixed into foods and drinks.)
The men visited a dietitian every 2 weeks, when their weight and blood pressure was measured.
The men also wrote down what they ate and drank for three days.
Researchers took fasting blood and urine samples six times during the study. Fasting blood samples are taken before a person eats.
What did the researchers find?
The researchers found that isolated soy protein reduced albumin in the urine more than casein did. It also helped increase HDL (the “good” cholesterol). No real difference was noted in LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) levels of the men.
What were the limitations of the study?
Some men dropped out of the study because the isolated soy protein or the casein upset their stomachs.
What are the implications of the study?
Isolated soy protein could help prevent kidney and heart disease. This is especially important in patients with type 2 diabetes because they have a higher risk of getting kidney and heart disease.
Here are the names of some of the recipes I came across. I will not post the recipes here, but I am sure if you seach for them, you will easily find them on the internet.
A soy salami and cheese pizza? You bet! Some major chains are already doing it.
How about soy based “ground round” instead of beef as an option on that taco?
You can offer delicious dairy-free alternatives to ice-cream. Lactose intolerant customers will be very happy!
Soyfee The Soy Coffee with the Great Taste.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is designed for educational purposes only and should not be used in any other manner. This information is not intended to substitute for informed medical advice
My name is Ruth Bird. People and Pet Health Care are my passions. Contact me here
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Vegetarian Recipes
Why Vegetarianism Is Good For You And The Planet
By Lee David
Even the Utah Beef Council admits, Several epidemiological studies indicate that vegetarians have lower morbidity and mortality from chronic degenerative diseases. Today, vegetarians only make up about two percent of the population, but everyday more and more people give up eating red meat or try their first bite of tofu. Aside from ethics, what are the main reasons people are turning away from meat? Health and the ecology.
Lower rates of disease amongst vegetarians
Hundreds of different studies concur, showing that vegetarians who eat balanced diets have lower rates of coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity, and certain cancers. Registered Dietician Winston Craig says that meat eating costs Americans somewhere between $30-$60 billion per year in medical expenses for hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallstones, obesity, and food-borne illnesses associated with meat. Craig says that a vegetarian diet is associated with lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less obesity.
In 1997, the World Cancer Research Fund recommended a vegetarian diet for reducing the risk of cancer. Lifelong vegetarians have 24% less heart disease, while vegans have an astounding 57% less. A comprehensive study of a vegetarian religious group, the Seventh Day Adventists, found that they had half the rate of high blood pressure and diabetes, half the rate of colon cancer, and two-thirds the rate of arthritis and prostate cancer as other groups (2001). Furthermore, Cornell University reported that eating less meat did more to reduce osteoporosis than supplementing your diet with calcium.
Do you have to be completely vegetarian to benefit?
In 1999, a meta-analysis of several vegetarian and vegan mortality studies was conducted. The results of these studies were compared together and re-analyzed. The researchers concluded that even reducing meat in your diet had a significant effect on lowering your rate of disease. People who ate meat just once a week had a 20% lower rate of dying from heart disease, and their over-all mortality rate was reduced by 10%.
Those who ate only fish saw as much as a 34% reduction in heart disease death, while their over-all mortality was lowered by 18%.
In the same sense, the more you reduce consumption of animal products, the more you appear to benefit. Only 7% of the vegans studied died of cancer (lung, stomach, and colorectal). Alarmingly, 19% of over-all deaths in the US are from cancer.
Vegetarian diets are good for the planet
Every year, meat eaters contribute to the cattle farming industry. This industry uses farm lands that could be producing human food to make grain for cows. As most people know, cows produce large amounts of environmentally-toxic methane gas. Raising cows also uses precious water resources.
Vegetarianism and the rain forrest
What you may not know though is that eating meat also contributes to the destruction of the rain forests. In an effort to make a cheaper Big Mac and Whopper, companies are growing cattle in Central America, where labor and other costs are lower. Eager Central Americans are slashing and burning their native rain forests to make room for the beef industry.
Vegetarianism and carbon dioxide emission
Estimates show that a vegetarian diet saves 1.5 tons of greenhouse gas per person per year. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that producing one calorie of animal protein requires ten times the fossil fuel as producing one calorie of plant protein. Wow! Furthermore, eating a vegan diet reduces more carbon dioxide emissions than driving a hybrid car, according to the New Scientist.
Vegetarianism and water reserves
Whats more disturbing is that every hamburger that originated from a rain forest cow required the destruction of roughly 55 square feet of rain forest. Furthermore, studies show that one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water. The water used to produce one hamburger patty is enough for two-weeks worth of daily showers.
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The following recipes for soup are given, because soup has become a staple part of the ordinary diet. Any harmful effects of the soup taking habit may be partially overcome by taking it slowly with some very hard cracker that requires thorough mastication.
