Vegetarian food is easy to digest
Consider making this healthy choice as one of your new year's
resolutions. ..
Stacks of studies confirm that a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables
and grains is your best bet for living a longer, healthier and more
enjoyable life. There are literally hundreds of great reasons to
switch to a
plant-based diet; here are 22 of the best:
1 You'll live a lot longer.
Vegetarians live about seven years longer, and vegans (who eat no animal
products) about 15 years longer than meat eaters, according to a study
from
Loma Linda University. These findings are backed up by the China Health
Project (the largest population study on diet and health to date), which
found that Chinese people who eat the least amount of fat and animal
products have the lowest risks of cancer, heart attack and other chronic
degenerative diseases.
2 You'll save your heart.
Cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer in the United
States,
and the standard American diet (SAD) that's laden with saturated fat and
cholesterol from meat and dairy is largely to blame. Plus, produce
contains
no saturated fat or cholesterol. Incidentally, cholesterol levels for
vegetarians are 14 percent lower than meat eaters.
3 You can put more money in your mutual fund.
Replacing meat, chicken and fish with vegetables and fruits is
estimated to
cut food bills.
4 You'll reduce your risk of cancer.
Studies done at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg
suggest that
this is because vegetarians' immune systems are more effective in killing
off tumour cells than meat eaters'. Studies have also found a plantbased
diet helps protect against prostate, colon and skin cancers.
5 You'll add color to your plate.
Meat, chicken and fish tend to come in boring shades of brown and
beige, but
fruits and vegetables come in all colours of the rainbow. Diseasefighting
phytochemicals are responsible for giving produce their rich, varied hues.
So cooking by colour is a good way to ensure you re eating a variety of
naturally occurring substances that boost immunity and prevent a range of
illnesses.
6 You'll fit into your old jeans.
On average, vegetarians are slimmer than meat eaters, and when we diet, we
keep the weight off up to seven years longer. That's because diets
that are
higher in vegetable proteins are much lower in fat and calories than the
SAD. Vegetarians are also less likely to fall victim to weight-related
disorders like heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
7 You'll give your body a spring cleaning.
Giving up meat helps purge the body of toxins (pesticides, environmental
pollutants, preservatives) that overload our systems and cause
illness. When
people begin formal detoxification programs, their first step is to
replace
meats and dairy products with fruits and vegetables and juices.
8 You'll make a strong political statement.
It's a wonderful thing to be able to finish a delicious meal, knowing that
no beings have suffered to make it..
9 Your meals will taste delicious.
Vegetables are endlessly interesting to cook and a joy to eat. It's an
ever-changing parade of flavours and colors and textures and tastes.
10 You'll help reduce waste and air pollution.
Livestock farms creates phenomenal amounts of waste. The tons of manure, a
substance that's rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as
a top
pollutants. And that's not even counting the methane gas released by
goats,
pigs and poultry (which contributes to the greenhouse effect); the ammonia
gases from urine; poison gases that emanate from manure lagoons; toxic
chemicals from pesticides; and exhaust from farm equipment used to raise
feed for animals.
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11 Your bones will last longer.
The average bone loss for a vegetarian woman at age 65 is 18 percent; for
non-vegetarian women, it's double that. Researchers attribute this to the
consumption of excess protein. Excess protein interferes with the
absorption
and retention of calcium and actually prompts the body to excrete calcium,
laying the ground for the brittle bone disease osteoporosis. Animal
proteins, including milk, make the blood acidic, and to balance that
condition, the body pulls calcium from bones. So rather than rely on milk
for calcium, vegetarians turn to dark green leafy vegetables, such as
broccoli and legumes, which, calorie for calorie, are superior sources.
12 You'll help reduce famine.
It takes 15 pounds of feed to get one pound of meat. But if the grain were
given directly to people, there'd be enough food to feed the entire
planet.
In addition, using land for animal agriculture is inefficient in terms of
maximizing food production. According to the journal Soil and Water, one
acre of land could produce 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, 40,000 pounds of
potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots or just 250 pounds of beef.
13 You'll avoid toxic chemicals.
The EPA estimates that nearly 95 per cent of pesticide residue in our diet
comes from meat, fish and dairy products. Fish, in particular, contain
carcinogens (PCBs, DDT) and heavy metals (mercury, arsenic; lead, cadmium)
that cannot be removed through cooking or freezing. Meat and dairy
products
are also laced with steroids and hormones.
14 You'll protect yourself from foodborne illnesses.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest in the US,
which
has stringent food standards, 25 per cent of all chicken sold in the
United
States carries salmonella bacteria and, the CDC estimates, 70 percent
to 90
percent of chickens contain the bacteria campy-lobacter (some strains of
which are antibiotic-resistan t), approximately 5 percent of cows
carry the
lethal strain of E. coli O157:H7 (which causes virulent diseases and
death),
and 30 percent of pigs slaughtered each year for food are infected with
toxoplasmosis (caused by parasites).
15 You may get rid of your back problems.
Back pain appears to begin, not in the back, but in the arteries. The
degeneration of discs, for instance, which leads to nerves being pinched,
starts with the arteries leading to the back. Eating a plant-based diet
keeps these arteries clear of cholesterol- causing blockages to help
maintain a healthy back.
16 You'll be more 'regular.'
Eating a lot of vegetables necessarily means consuming fiber, which pushes
waste out of the body. Meat contains no fibre. Studies done at Harvard and
Brigham Women's Hospital found that people who ate a high-fiber diet had a
42 percent lower risk of diverticulitis. People who eat lower on the food
chain also tend to have fewer incidences of constipation, hemorrhoids and
spastic colon.
17 You'll cool those hot flashes.
Plants, grains and legumes contain phytoestrogens that are believed to
balance fluctuating hormones, so vegetarian women tend to go through
menopause with fewer complaints of sleep problems, hot flashes, fatigue,
mood swings, weight gain, depression and a diminished sex drive.
18 You'll help to bring down the national debt.
We spend large amounts annually to treat the heart disease, cancer,
obesity,
and food poisoning that are byproducts of a diet heavy on animal products.
19 You'll preserve our fish population.
Because of our voracious appetite for fish, 39 per cent of the oceans'
fish
species are overharvested, and the Food & Agriculture Organization reports
that 11 of 15 of the world's major fishing grounds have become depleted.
20 You'll help protect the purity of water.
It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of mutton, but
just 25
gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat. Not only is this
wasteful, but
it contributes to rampant water pollution.
21 You'll provide a great role model for your kids.
If you set a good example and feed your children good food, chances are
they'll live a longer and healthier life. You're also providing a
market for
vegetarian products and making it more likely that they'll be
available for
the children.
22 Going vegetarian is easy!
Vegetarian cooking has never been so simple. We live in a country that has
been vegetarian by default. Our traditional dishes are loaded with the
goodness of vegetarian food. Switching over it very simple indeed.
Jai Gurudev !!!
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Source : Bombay Times, The Times of India dt. 4/1/2008
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