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People choose a vegetarian lifestyle for many reasons, including health, religious beliefs, animal welfare concerns, or the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock, or the desire to eat in a way that avoids overuse of environmental resources. In some cases, the reason for becoming a vegetarian is that people cannot afford to eat meat due to economic reasons. Becoming a vegetarian has become even more accessible and attractive thanks to the year-round availability of fresh produce, the emergence of vegetarian restaurants, and the rise of plant-based diets in the west.
About six to eight million adults in the United States do not eat meat, fish, or poultry, according to a Harris Interactive survey. A few million more have given up red meat but still eat chicken or fish. About two million have gone vegan, meaning they have taken from their diet not only animal flesh, but also products derived from animals, such as milk, cheese, eggs, and gelatin.
Traditionally, research on vegetarianism has focused mainly on potential nutritional deficiencies and harms, but in recent years the pendulum has swung the other way, and research supports the health benefits of a meat-free diet. Nowadays, plant-based foods are recognized not only as nutritionally sufficient, but also as a means of reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. The American Dietetic Association claims that properly planned vegetarian diets are healthy, nutritious, and may provide health benefits by preventing and treating certain diseases.
The basic principles of proper nutrition in vegetarianism
The most important thing is to properly plan a vegetarian diet. If you do not follow the recommendations for nutrition, fat intake and weight control, then vegetarianism will bring little benefit. Because a diet that consists of eating sodas, cheesy pizza, and candy would technically be “vegetarian” too. But for health, it is important to make sure that the daily diet consists of a wide selection of vegetables, a variety of fruits and whole grains. It’s also important to replace saturated fats and trans fats with good fats like nuts, olive oil, and canola oil. And you should always keep in mind that eating too many calories, even from nutritious, low-fat, plant-based foods, still leads to weight gain.
Therefore, it is also important to practice portion control, read food labels, and engage in regular exercise.
A gradual change in diet is recommended. Sudden dietary changes can affect the digestive system of some people. Changes in the gut microbiome can lead to temporary bloating, for example. Gradually replacing meat with vegetables, fruits, legumes such as beans, lentils, and whole grains can reduce this impact.
The American Dietetic Association has this advice for people who want to stop eating meat:
- choose whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, wild or brown rice, and whole grains;
- provide a varied diet with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts;
- consume a moderate amount of eggs and dairy products, if they are not excluded too;
- provide a regular source of vitamin B12;
- get enough vitamin D, especially if exposure to sunlight is low;
- cut down on sugars and high-fat foods, especially trans fats.
Varieties of vegetarianism
Strictly speaking, vegetarians exclude meat, poultry and seafood from their diet. But people with many different dietary patterns describe themselves as vegetarians, including:
- vegans (vegetarians): exclude from the diet meat, poultry, fish, as well as all products that were obtained from animals, including dairy products, eggs, and even gelatin;
- lacto-ovo vegetarians: exclude meat, poultry and fish, but eat dairy products and eggs;
- lacto-vegetarians: exclude fish, seafood, meat, poultry, eggs, and consume only dairy products in their diet;
- ovo-vegetarians: do not eat poultry, dairy products, poultry and fish, but eat eggs;
- partial vegetarians: avoid meat, but may eat fish (pesco-vegetarians), or poultry (polo-vegetarians).
Benefit for health
Compared to people who eat meat, vegetarians tend to consume less cholesterol and very unhealthy saturated fats, and more vitamins E and C, dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals) such as as carotenoids and flavonoids. As a result, they are likely to have lower total low-density lipoprotein (bad) and cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and body mass index (BMI), all of which are associated with longevity and reduced risk for many chronic diseases.
But there is still not enough evidence to say exactly how a vegetarian diet affects long-term health. It is difficult to separate the impact of vegetarianism from other healthy lifestyle practices that vegetarians are more likely to follow, such as not smoking, not drinking excessively, and getting adequate exercise.
Research data
Harvard Health Publications suggests that vegetarians are more likely to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels than meat eaters. This means that meat-free diets may reduce the risk of heart disease.
The American Heart Association reports that vegetarian diets reduce the risk of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease because plant-based diets tend to have much lower levels of cholesterol, saturated fat, and total fat.
A 2016 study in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition confirms that vegetarian diets help protect against heart damage and death from cardiovascular disease. This is due, at least in part, to the effect of vegetarian diets on blood pressure.
In another study of 65 people in the European Prospective Study on Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford) Oxford Cohort, researchers found a 000% lower risk of dying from heart disease among vegetarians. However, there were few deaths in both groups, so the observed differences may have been due to chance.
A 2016 study published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition says a vegetarian diet protects you from cancer by reducing overall cancer rates by 8 percent. The researchers who conducted this study found that cutting out all animal-based foods (a vegan diet) reduced the risk of cancer by 15 percent. Reducing the risk of developing diabetes is another benefit of a vegetarian diet.
A 2014 study in the field of cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy says that vegetarian diets significantly improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
A vegetarian diet aids in weight loss and helps lower blood sugar levels. Keep in mind that vegetarian diets that are high in sugar, refined carbohydrates such as white bread, saturated fat, and high in calories will not improve blood sugar levels.
Many people are reluctant to try a vegetarian diet, especially one that does not include calcium-rich dairy products, because they are concerned about the risk of osteoporosis. Lacto-ovo vegetarians consume at least the same amount of calcium as meat eaters, but vegans generally consume less. In the EPIC-Oxford study, 75% of vegans received less than the recommended daily amount of calcium, and vegans in general had a relatively high rate of fractures. But vegans who consumed at least 525 milligrams of calcium per day were not particularly vulnerable to fractures. Some vegetables can provide calcium, including broccoli, Chinese cabbage, kale, and cabbage (spinach and Swiss chard, which also contain calcium, are not as good choices because they contain oxalates along with calcium, and they are somewhat make it harder for the body to absorb calcium.
There are many benefits to becoming a vegetarian. Despite this, only 5 percent of Americans consider themselves vegetarians, according to a 2014 survey in Nutrients magazine. The simplest dietary changes can add years to a person’s life.
Animal and environmental welfare
Going meatless benefits animals and possibly the environment. Adopting a vegetarian diet means that no animal will be harmed to put food on the dining table. For some people, this simple fact gives peace of mind.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says most US farm animals are raised in poor conditions, which is unacceptable to many consumers. Such conditions include (but are not limited to) confinement in small, overcrowded cages, enclosed spaces, antibiotic abuse and mistreatment by workers.
Economic benefit
One study published in the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition in 2015 found that plant-based diets can save nearly $750 a year by providing more vegetables, whole grains, and fruits.
Vegetarianism for children
Parents of vegetarian children should ensure that their diet contains all essential nutrients. The numbers show that 3 percent of Americans ages 8 to 18 are vegetarians.
Anyone who decides to become a vegetarian must educate themselves to get all the essential nutrients.
Parents of a vegetarian child need to make sure that their child is not just omitting meat from their diet, but is getting all the necessary nutrients in other ways.
Vegetarianism in history
The earliest records of vegetarianism date back to the 6th century BC. in India, Greece and Greek civilization in southern Italy, and this is due to the desire not to harm animals.
Early traces of vegetarianism in Europe disappeared with the introduction of Christianity into the Roman Empire. Many orders of monks in medieval Europe either prohibited or restricted the consumption of meat as a gesture of personal sacrifice or abstinence, but they did eat fish.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, vegetarianism appeared in Western society. As research continues to support the benefits of a vegetarian diet, more people may become vegetarians in the future.
If the vegetarian diet is properly planned, it is suitable at any stage of life and for all people, even during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, as well as for athletes.
Like any diet, a vegetarian diet should be part of an overall healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and avoids bad habits such as smoking and drinking.