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A few decades ago, vegetarians became for moral, ethical or religious reasons. However, in recent years, as more and more scientific publications have appeared, proving the real benefits of a vegetarian diet, people’s opinions have changed. Many of them made the decision to give up meat in order to be healthier. The first to realize the harm of animal fats and cholesterol in the West, thanks to the propaganda of Western nutritionists. But gradually this trend reached our country.
Research
Vegetarianism has existed for several millennia, mainly in countries where religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism are practiced. In addition, it was practiced by representatives of several schools of thought, including the Pythagorean. They also gave the original name to the vegetarian diet “Indian” or “Pythagorean”.
The term “vegetarian” was coined with the founding of the British Vegetarian Society in 1842. It comes from the word “vegetus”, which means “cheerful, vigorous, whole, fresh, healthy” physically and mentally. The fashion for vegetarianism of that time inspired most scientists to research that clearly illustrates the harm of meat to humans. The most famous of them are considered to be only a few.
Research by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
He was one of the first researchers of vegetarianism. When he came to the Philippines as a technical coordinator for improving infant nutrition, he drew attention to the high incidence of liver disease in well-to-do children.
There was a lot of controversy on this issue, but it soon became clear that the cause was aflatoxin, a substance produced by the mold that lives on. This is a toxin that entered the child’s body along with peanut butter.
The answer to the question “Why are children of wealthy people susceptible to liver cancer?” Dr. Campbell has caused a storm of indignation among his colleagues. The fact is that he showed them the found publication of researchers from India. It said that if experimental rats are kept on a diet of at least 20% protein, adding aflatoxin to their food, they will all develop cancer. If you reduce the amount of protein they eat to 5%, many of these animals will remain healthy. Simply put, the children of wealthy people ate too much meat and suffered as a result.
The doctors’ colleagues who doubted the findings did not make him change his mind. He returned to the United States and began his research, which lasted about 30 years. During this time, he managed to find out that in the diet he accelerated the growth of early-stage tumors. Moreover, it is animal proteins that act in a similar way, while proteins of plant origin (soy or wheat) do not affect the growth of tumors.
The hypothesis that animal fats contributes to the development of cancer was once again tested thanks to an unprecedented epidemiological study.
Chinese study
About 40 years ago, Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai was diagnosed with cancer. At the last stage of the disease, he decided to conduct a nationwide study in order to find out how many Chinese people die from this disease every year and how this can be prevented. As a result, he obtained a kind of map reflecting the mortality rate from various forms of oncology in different districts for 1973-75. It was found that for every 100 thousand people there are 70 to 1212 cancer patients. Moreover, it clearly traced the connection between certain areas and certain forms of cancer. This gave rise to the link between diet and the incidence of disease.
These hypotheses were tested by Professor Campbell in the 1980s. together with Canadian, French and English researchers. At that time, it was already proven that Western diets high in fat and low in dietary fiber contribute to the development of colon and breast cancer.
Thanks to the fruitful work of specialists, it was possible to establish that in those regions where meat was rarely consumed, oncological diseases were practically not diagnosed. However, as well as cardiovascular, as well as senile dementia and kidney stones.
In turn, in those districts where the population revered meat and meat products, there was an increased incidence of cancer and other chronic ailments. It is interesting that all of them are conventionally called “diseases of excess” and are the result of improper nutrition.
Vegetarianism and longevity
The lifestyle of some vegetarian tribes has been studied at various times. As a result, it was possible to find a huge number of centenarians, whose age was 110 years or more. Moreover, for these people, he was considered absolutely normal, and they themselves turned out to be much stronger and more enduring than their peers. At the age of 100, they showed mental and physical activity. Their percentage of cancers or cardiovascular diseases was very low. They practically did not get sick.
About strict and non-strict vegetarianism
There are several types of vegetarianism, meanwhile, doctors conditionally distinguish 2 main ones:
- Strict… It provides for the rejection not only of meat, but also of fish, eggs, dairy and other animal products. It is useful to adhere to it only for a short time (about 2-3 weeks). This will cleanse your body of toxins, improve metabolism, lose weight and strengthen the body as a whole. Long-term adherence to such a diet is impractical in our country, where there is a harsh climate, poor ecology and, finally, a lack of a variety of plant foods in some regions.
- Strict, which provides for the rejection of only meat. It is useful for people of all ages, including children, the elderly, nursing and pregnant women. It also makes a person healthier and more resilient.
What is the harm of meat
Recently, a huge number of people have appeared who began to follow a vegetarian diet, having familiarized themselves with the opinions of scientists and doctors.
And they insist that having appeared in our diet, meat did not add to us either health or longevity. On the contrary, it provoked a surge in the development of “diseases of civilization” caused by the use of meat fat and protein.
- 1 In addition, meat contains toxic biogenic amines, which have a negative effect on blood vessels and the heart and increase blood pressure. It also contains puric acids, which contribute to the development of gout. To be honest, they are found in legumes and milk, but in a different amount (30-40 times less).
- 2 Extractive substances with caffeine-like action were also isolated in it. As a kind of doping, they excite the nervous system. Hence the feeling of satisfaction and euphoria after eating meat. But the whole horror of the situation is that such doping depletes the body, which already spends a lot of energy on digesting such food.
- 3 And, finally, the worst thing that nutritionists write about, who assure of the need to switch to a vegetarian diet, are the harmful substances that enter the body of animals at the time of their slaughter. They experience stress and fear, resulting in biochemical changes that poison their meat with toxins. A huge amount of hormones, including adrenaline, are released into the bloodstream, which are included in the metabolism and lead to the appearance of aggressiveness and hypertension in a person who eats it. The famous physician and scientist V. Kaminsky wrote that meat food made from dead tissue contains a huge amount of poisons and other protein compounds that pollute our body.
There is an opinion that a person is a herbivore, in essence. It is based on numerous studies that have shown that his diet should contain mainly products that are genetically distant from himself. And based on the fact that humans and mammals are genetically 90% similar, it is not advisable to consume animal protein and fat. Another thing is milk and. Animals give them away without harm to themselves. You can also eat fish.
Can meat be replaced?
Meat is protein, and protein is the main building block of our body. Meanwhile, protein is composed of. Moreover, entering the body with food, it is split into amino acids, from which the necessary proteins are synthesized.
Synthesis requires 20 amino acids, 12 of which can be isolated from carbon, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen and other substances. And the remaining 8 are considered “irreplaceable”, since they cannot be obtained in any other way, except with food.
All 20 amino acids are found in animal products. In turn, in plant products, all amino acids are extremely rare at once, and if they are, then in much smaller quantities than in meat. But at the same time they are absorbed much better than animal protein and, therefore, bring much more benefit to the body.
All of these amino acids are found in legumes: peas, soybeans, beans, milk, and seafood. In the latter, among other things, there are also 40 – 70 times more trace elements than meat.
The health benefits of vegetarianism
Studies by American and British scientists have shown that vegetarians live 8-14 years longer than those who eat meat.
Plant-based foods benefit the intestines, either through the presence of dietary fiber or in their composition. Its uniqueness lies in the regulation of the intestines. It helps prevent constipation and has the property of binding harmful substances and removing them from the body. And a clean intestine means good immunity, clean skin and excellent health!
Plant food, if necessary, also has a therapeutic effect due to the presence of special natural compounds that are not in animal tissues. It lowers cholesterol levels, prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases, increases immunity and slows down the development of tumors.
In women who follow a vegetarian diet, the amount of secretion decreases, and in older women it stops altogether. Associating this condition with early menopause, they still successfully become pregnant in the end, which is extremely surprising.
But here everything is obvious: plant food effectively cleanses a woman’s body, so there is no need for abundant secretions. In women who eat meat, the products of the lymphatic system are regularly released outside. First through the large intestine, and after it is clogged with slags as a result of malnutrition, through the mucous membranes of the genitals (in the form of menstruation) and through the skin (in the form of various rashes). In advanced cases – through the bronchi and lungs.
Amenorrhea, or the absence of menstruation in healthy women, is considered a disease and is most often noted in the case of protein starvation or complete rejection of protein foods.
A vegetarian diet brings tremendous benefits to our bodies, as new research continues to prove relentlessly. But only when it is diverse and balanced. Otherwise, instead of health and longevity, a person risks getting other diseases and causing irreparable harm to himself.
Be careful with your diet. Plan it carefully! And be healthy!