I know this sounds horrible, but when I was a kid, I thought that a vegetarian was a kind of gastronomical zombie, roaming the streets pale, wan, and thin, nibbling on pita bread and Oreos. And while vegetarianism may carry some health risks if not approached with an understanding of your body’s needs, experts are finding that cutting meat from your diet can greatly benefit your general health.
According to KidsHealth.org, the web’s leading children’s health site, there are four types of non-meat-eaters that fall under the umbrella of what we call “vegetarianism:”
- Ovo-vegetarian: eats eggs; no meat
- Lacto-ovo vegetarian: eats dairy and egg products; no meat
- Lacto-vegetarian: eats dairy products; no eggs or meat
- Vegan: eats only food from plant sources
Since the way in which vegetarians eat varies from person to person, it can be difficult to conduct over-arching general studies on the risks and benefits of vegetarianism. “Much remains to be understood,” concludes a study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Though the waters may be murky, specialists agree that avoiding meat means avoiding the cholesterol, saturated fats and animal proteins that are abundant in meat. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine details the following benefits of a vegetarian diet:
- Lower Risk of Heart Disease: Animal products are the main source of saturated fat and the only source of cholesterol in the diet. Vegetarians avoid these risky products. Additionally, fiber helps reduce cholesterol levels and animal products contain no fiber. When individuals switch to a high-fiber, low-fat diet their serum cholesterol levels often drop dramatically.
- Lower Blood Pressure: In the early 1900s, nutritionists noted that people who ate no meat had lower blood pressure.20 They also discovered that vegetarian diets could, within two weeks, significantly reduce a person’s blood pressure.21 These results were evident regardless of the sodium levels in the vegetarian diets. People who follow vegetarian diets typically have lower blood pressure.
- Preventing Diabetes: Non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset) diabetes can be better controlled and sometimes even eliminated through a low-fat, vegetarian diet along with regular exercise.26 Such a diet, low in fat and high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, allows insulin to work more effectively. The diabetic person can more easily regulate glucose levels. While a vegetarian diet cannot eliminate the need for insulin in people with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, it can often reduce the amounts of insulin used. Some scientists believe that insulin-dependent diabetes may be caused by an auto-immune reaction to dairy proteins.27,28
Many critics of vegetarianism posit that the non-meat-eating are deficient in essential vitamins like B12. While it is true that B12 is only found in animal products, vegetarians can get the B12 they need through fortified cereals, soy or supplements, according to the California government’s Food Guide.
Are you a vegetarian? What benefits have you seen as a result? Let us know on our Facebook page.
