Vegetarianism and It’s Benefits |
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Though I’m not vegetarian, I’ve always been intrigued with those who are. I admire their fortitude in a world that pushes meat through every advertisement possible. I simply couldn’t manage it.
I’m always amazed at the different reasons people have for becoming vegetarians. People cite many reasons such as: health, dislike of taste of meat, a love of animals, religion, culture, and probably a few more that I’m forgetting. Not only are people vegetarians for different reasons, but there seem to be many varieties. Some include:
- Veganism - The most strict of the vegetarian diets. People following this
dietlifestyle eat do no consume animal products including eggs, milk, and in many cases honey. - Lacto vegetarianism - Similar to veganism, but does eat milk and honey
- Ovo vegetarianism - Similar to veganism, but does eat eggs and honey
- Lacto-ovo vegetarianism - No meat, fish, poultry, but eggs, dairy and honey are acceptable
- Other types - I won’t go into them here, but there are a lot of other varieties such as Fruitarianism, Macrobiotic Diet, Raw Veganism, and the most interesting of all, Freeganism (not necessarily vegetarian, but I felt the need to include it).
Benefits of going vegetarian
Scientific research shows that a vegetarian diet is associated with lower risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Vegetarians generally have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and lower weight. It all adds up a longer, healthier life.
The reduced risk of cancer seems to be one of the biggest benefits. It’s not just a small reduction, vegetarians cut cancer risk in half. Just reading that made me break out an apple for a snack.
Vegans get some of the best benefits in preventing heart disease. This is key since heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the United States. How much to vegans reduce their risk of heart disease? It’s 57 percent according to this report. The same report shows than vegetarians (vs. vegans) only reduce their risk by 24%.
If you aren’t vegetarian, it seems like a switch might really help your health.
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February 14th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I’m not a vegetarian myself, but I do admire all the health benefits of a vegetarian diet.
I’m always surprised, though, since there are a lot of nutrients in lean meats and lots of unhealthy vegetarian choices available too. You’d think it would be more of a trade-off situation rather than a clear health advantage for vegetarians.
Just shows that the subject of nutrition is really complicated.
February 14th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I applaud them. Especially the vegans. They really have to do their homework as so many foods contain animal products. I have a passion both for health and for animals, but I’ve never had enough willpower to go this far.
February 17th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Vegetarian Carnival #13: something for everyone!…
Welcome to the February 18, 2008, edition of the vegetarian carnival. Instead of organizing this one by topic, I’m going to start off with my 5 favorite entries (in no particular order):
Lisa presents Paneer Pizza on Naan Bread posted at Lisa&#…
February 19th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Whoops, I screwed up the link in my prior post.
I am a vegan and have been so for six years now. I also eat about 95% organic.
Thanks for posting this Lazy Man, especially considering you’re not vegetarian.
I used to think I would never be able to even go vegetarian, but I was wrong. I was the guy who ate fast food three times a week and loved meat. I realized the environmental, health, and ethical implications and decided to go vegetarian, then vegan. Vegetarianism wasn’t difficult. In fact, I was surprised at how easy it was.
I really enjoy reading your blog!
March 18th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I’m a lacto ovo vegetarian myself and I can tell you being a vegetarian is not the magic bullet that will enable a healthy lifestyle.