You want to prevent disease. A vegetarian diet is better at preventing and treating heart disease and reducing the risk of cancer than the diet of the average American.* A low-fat vegetarian diet is the single most effective way to stop or prevent coronary heart disease from progressing. Cardiovascular disease kills 1 million Americans every year and is the leading cause of death in the US. “The death rate from cardiovascular disease is lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians,” says Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live. A revolutionary formula for rapid and sustainable weight loss.” A vegan diet is inherently healthier because vegetarians consume less animal fat and cholesterol, instead increasing their fiber and antioxidant-rich foods – that’s why you should have listened to your mom and eat vegetables as a kid!
Your weight will decrease or remain stable. The typical American diet – high in saturated fat and low in plant foods and complex carbohydrates – makes people fat and kills slowly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its branch of the National Center for Health Statistics, 64% of adults and 15% of children aged 6 to 19 are obese and at risk for obesity-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease. , stroke and diabetes. A study conducted between 1986 and 1992 by Dean Ornish, M.D., president of the Institute for Preventive Medicine Research 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 all your extra weight over the next five. Importantly, vegetarians lose weight without counting calories and carbohydrates, without weighing portions, and without feeling hungry.
You will live longer. “If you change the standard American diet to a vegetarian one, you can add 13 active years to your life,” says Michael Roizen, MD, author of The Youthful Diet. People who consume saturated fat not only shorten their lifespan, but also get sicker in old age. Animal foods clog arteries, deprive the body of energy and slow down the immune system. It has also been proven that meat eaters develop cognitive and sexual dysfunctions at an earlier age.
Want another confirmation of longevity? According to a 30-year study, residents of the Okinawa Peninsula (Japan) live longer than the average residents of other areas of Japan and the longest in the world. Their secret lies in a low-calorie diet with an emphasis on complex carbohydrates and fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and soy.
You will have strong bones. When the body lacks calcium, it primarily takes it from the bones. As a result, the bones of the skeleton become porous and lose strength. Most practitioners recommend increasing calcium intake in the body in a natural way – through proper nutrition. Healthy food provides us with elements such as phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin D, which are necessary for the body to absorb and better assimilate calcium. And even if you avoid dairy, you can still get a decent dose of calcium from beans, tofu, soy milk, and dark green vegetables like broccoli, kale, kale, and turnip greens.
You reduce the risk of diet-related diseases. 76 million diseases a year are caused by poor dietary habits and, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, result in 325 hospitalizations and 000 deaths in the US.
You will reduce the symptoms of menopause. There are many different products that contain the elements that women need during menopause. So, phytoestrogens can increase and decrease the levels of progesterone and estrogen, thereby maintaining their balance. Soy is the most well-known source of natural phytoestrogens, although these elements are also found in a thousand different vegetables and fruits: apples, beets, cherries, dates, garlic, olives, plums, raspberries, yams. Menopause is often accompanied by weight gain and a slower metabolism, so a low-fat, high-fiber diet can help shed those extra pounds.
You will have more energy. “Good nutrition generates a lot of much-needed energy that will help you keep up with your kids and do better at home,” says Michael Rosen, author of The Youthful Diet. Too much fat in the blood supply means that the arteries have little capacity and your cells and tissues are not getting enough oxygen. Result? You feel almost killed. A balanced vegetarian diet, in turn, does not contain arterial-clogging cholesterol.
You won’t have bowel problems. Eating vegetables means consuming more fiber, which in turn helps speed up digestion. People who eat grass, as trite as it may sound, tend to reduce the symptoms of constipation, hemorrhoids, and duodenal diverticulum.
You will reduce environmental pollution. Some people become vegetarians because they learn about how the meat industry affects the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, chemical and animal waste from farms pollutes more than 173 miles of rivers and other bodies of water. Today, waste from the meat industry is one of the main causes of poor water quality. Agricultural activities, including keeping animals in poor conditions in captivity, spraying with pesticides, irrigation, applying chemical fertilizers, and some methods of plowing and harvesting to feed animals on farms, also lead to environmental pollution.
You will be able to avoid a large part of the toxins and chemicals. The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that about 95% of pesticides the average American receives from meat, fish and dairy products. Fish, in particular, contains carcinogens and heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium), which, unfortunately, do not disappear during heat treatment. Meat and dairy products can also contain steroids and hormones, so be sure to read dairy product labels carefully before purchasing.
You can reduce world hunger. It is known that about 70% of the grain produced in the United States is fed to animals that will be slaughtered. The 7 billion livestock in the US consume five times more grain than the entire population of America. “If all the grain that now goes to feed these animals went to people, about 5 million more people could be fed,” says David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell University.
You save animals. Many vegetarians give up meat in the name of animal love. Approximately 10 billion animals die from human actions. They spend their short lives in pens and stalls where they can barely turn around. Farm animals are not legally protected from cruelty—the vast majority of US animal cruelty laws exclude farm animals.
You will save money. Meat costs account for almost 10% of all food spending. Eating vegetables, grains, and fruit instead of 200 pounds of beef, chicken, and fish (the average non-vegetarian eats each year) will save you an average of $4000.*
Your plate will be colorful. Antioxidants, known for their fight against free radicals, give a bright color to most vegetables and fruits. They are divided into two main classes: carotenoids and anthocyanins. All yellow and orange fruits and vegetables – carrots, oranges, sweet potatoes, mangoes, pumpkins, corn – are rich in carotenoids. Leafy green vegetables are also rich in carotenoids, but their color comes from their chlorophyll content. Red, blue and purple fruits and vegetables – plums, cherries, red peppers – contain anthocyanins. Drawing up a “colored diet” is a way not only to a variety of food consumed, but also to increase immunity and prevent a number of diseases.
It is easy. Nowadays, vegetarian food can be found almost effortlessly, walking between the shelves in the supermarket or walking down the street during lunch. If you are looking for inspiration for culinary exploits, there are many specialized blogs and websites on the Internet. If you eat out, many cafes and restaurants have healthy and healthy salads, sandwiches and snacks.
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Now, if you are asked why you became a vegetarian, you can safely answer: “Why are you not yet?”
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