Health Benefits of Being a Vegetarian

According to studies, vegetarians have better health than people who
eat meat. They have lower rates of coronary artery disease,
gallstones, cancer (particularly lung and colon cancer), kidney
stones, colon disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. It has been
shown that sometimes a vegetarian diet can help cure these diseases. A
vegetarian is also less likely to be overweight than a non-vegetarian.

In 1961, the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that
ninety to ninety-seven percent of heart disease, the cause of more
than half the deaths in the United States, could be prevented by a
vegetarian diet.

The American Heart Association report states, "In well-documented
population studies using standard methods of diet and coronary disease
assessment...evidence suggests that a high-saturated-fat diet is an
essential factor for a high incidence of coronary heart disease."

In 1990, the British Medical Journal Lancet reported on a study by Dr
Dean Ornish of the University of California. Dr Ornish found that a
vegetarian diet reversed clogging of the arteries in patients with
serious heart disease.

In 1990, Dr Walter Willet, who conducted a study of diet and colon
cancer, said, "If you step back and look at the data, the optimum
amount of red meat you eat should be zero."

The National Academy of Science reported in 1983 that "people may be
able to prevent many common cancers by eating less fatty meats and
more vegetables and grain."

The USDA recommends that people reduce saturated fat and cholesterol,
which are in high amounts in animal products, and low in vegetarian
diets.

In his Notes on the Causation of Cancer, Rollo Russell writes, "I have
found of twenty-five nations eating flesh largely, nineteen had a high
cancer rate and only one had a low rate, and that of thirty-five
nations eating little or no flesh, none had a high rate."

Various studies have shown that vegetarians have lower blood pressure
than non-vegetarians.

Vegetarians have much lower cholesterol levels than people who eat
meat. Heart disease is found much less in vegetarians. Studies have
also shown that vegetarians have [as little as] half the cancer rate
of those of non-vegetarians. Cases of breast cancer are much lower in
countries that have low meat diets.

Vegetarians eat more antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E,
beta-carotenes and phytochemicals. Phyotochemicals are components in
plants that help to prevent disease. Antioxidants decrease the chance
of getting heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Eating red meat increases the chances of dying from cancer of the
breast and colon, heart disease, or strokes. Meat eaters have much
higher rates of cancer than vegetarians. Cancer and cardiovascular
diseases are linked to diets with a high amount of saturated fat
(meat) and with a low amount of fiber (meat).

Animal products are high in sodium, which causes the blood to retain
water and also causes plaque to build up in the arteries, lowering the
flow of blood, which are major causes of high blood pressure.

According to a [12-year] study done in England, of 5,015 meat eaters
and 6,115 vegetarians, it was found that vegetarians had 40% less
chance of getting cancer.

According to William Castelli, MD, director of the Framingham Heart
Study, vegetarians live three to six years longer than meat eaters. He
said, "Vegetarians have the best diet. They have the lowest rate of
coronary disease of any group in the country and they have a fraction
of our heart attack rate and they have only 40% of our cancer rate."

Grains and plant foods contain fiber, while animal products contain
almost none. Because fiber is necessary for proper stool production,
lack of proper fiber accounts for societies with meat-based diets
having higher cases of colon cancer. The main reasons why people need
to take laxatives is because of lack of fiber in their diet and not
drinking enough water.

There were guidelines published in Circulation: Journal of the
American Heart Association (AHA). These guidelines were compiled by
members of the AHA's Nutrition Committee with the cooperation of the
American Cancer Society, National Institutes of Health, and the
American Academy of Pediatrics. Richard J Deckelbaum, MD, a co-author
of the journal article, is a professor of nutrition at Columbia
University and a member of the AHA Nutrition Committee. Edward A
Fisher, MD, PhD, a co-author of the article, is director of
lipoprotein research at New York's Mount Sinai Cardiovascular
Institute.

Their recommendations are that a healthy diet consists of getting 30%
of total calories from fat and no more than 10% of total calories from
saturated fat, and 55% of total calories should come from complex
carbohydrates such as grains, cereals, vegetables and fruits. It is
also recommended that a person eat only enough calories to maintain
their body weight. Problems come from eating too much fat, especially
saturated fats from meat and eggs, eating too many calories, and
getting too much calories from salt and sugar.

Because people in the US eat good amounts of meat, Americans eat five
times as much protein as is recommended. An excess of protein can
leach calcium from the bones, which is major cause of bone disorder.

It is important to get enough leafy vegetables that are high in
antioxidants, which are good for overall health.

Some Important Guidelines
1. Eat a variety of foods.
2. Mainly eat foods from plant sources.
3. Don't eat too much salt or sugar.
4. Eat at least six servings of grains, breads and pastas.
5. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits.
6. Avoid foods high in fat, especially those coming from animal
sources.

from http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.ne...lthBenefit.htm

Gadfly > wrote

Lots of good dietary and health advice (even if you don't go vegge), but
just one minor quibble....

> 4. Eat at least six servings of grains, breads and pastas.

_AT_LEAST_ 6 servings? Man, talk about carbs! Recently the main reason cited
(I think it was the AMA) as why we merkins are getting so obese is our carb
intake... the main culprits being rice, bread & pasta.

2-3 servings per day of grain-based foods (rice, bread & pasta) is enough.
If you are looking to snack, try a roughage fruit (apples or pears), or
celery (w/ peanut butter & raisins...).

/lee

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Shut up, Lee.



> _AT_LEAST_ 6 servings? Man, talk about carbs! Recently the main reason cited
> (I think it was the AMA) as why we merkins are getting so obese is our carb
> intake... the main culprits being rice, bread & pasta.
>
> 2-3 servings per day of grain-based foods (rice, bread & pasta) is enough.
> If you are looking to snack, try a roughage fruit (apples or pears), or
> celery (w/ peanut butter & raisins...).
>
> /lee