Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
A Guide to the Health and Global Impact of Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism makes sense for reasons ranging from the ethical, religious, spiritual, environmental, and economic - and may have a positive effect on health.
According to a study conducted in 2002, the most common reason that Americans choose not to eat meat is to improve their health. The second most popular reason is the desire to avoid the hormones and other additives in animal products - a more specific health consideration. Vegetarianism certainly has health benefits, although there are disadvantages to going veg, as well. On a balanced vegetarian diet, many people experience weight loss, high energy levels, and less risk of toxicity issues like parasites, food poisoning, and more that are associated with eating meat.
Health isn’t the only reason that one might choose to be vegetarian (consuming no meat, although some vegetarians will eat fish, eggs, or milk products), vegan (no animal products whatsoever), or anything in between. Many people make the choice for reasons having to do with their religious beliefs, spiritual progression, or environmental or political activism. According to a 2004 poll, 2.8% of Americans are vegetarian - for all of these reasons and more.
If you’re avoiding meat for ethical reasons having to do with the treatment of animals, you might be interested to learn that many religious and spiritual traditions decry the use of animals as food. Many people experience greater mental and spiritual “clarity” by going on a vegetarian diet.
As for the environment, vegetarianism is seen as a solution to the destruction of rainforests (many of which are clear-cut in order to create pasture land for cattle and other meat animals) as well as world hunger. An article tag line on the website of Viva (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals) states, “While 750 million people go to bed hungry every night, one-third of the world’s grain is fed to farmed animals. A typical Western meat-based diet can only feed 2.5 billion people [a little over 35% of the world population]: a plant-based diet will feed every one of us.”
That’s because the amount of vegetable matter required to grow and feed animals for meat is, as far as human food production is concerned, more efficiently used to feed human beings directly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Veg consumption is much more efficient than growing feed for meat production and dairying.”
The merits of a vegetarian diet on a worldwide scale seem clear. The health benefits of vegetarianism are hotly debated, however, because they depend so greatly on other dietary and lifestyle factors.
A vegetarian diet that leans heavily on raw fruits and vegetables is healthier than a mainstream, heavily processed non-veg diet, because a steady dependence on raw produce means more enzymes, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and vital nutrients arrive in the system. Enzymes from raw foods are one of the best ways to boost vitality, increase the efficiency of the digestive system, and promote maintenance at a healthy weight. (Granted, not all vegetarian diets are high in raw produce - please see the warnings and health risks associated with vegetarianism.)
Studies show that vegetarians tend to weigh less than their meat-eating peers, have a lower mortality rate, and are less likely to be affected by sudden illness. However, this is usually assumed to be due to other factors in vegetarians’ lifestyles. They may have an interest in health or a social conscience which makes them less likely to smoke, drink excessively, or eat fast food on the scale that most North Americans do so.
Vegetarian meals may be easier on the digestive system, since "heavy" meat and animal products require so many enzymes and a great deal of energy to digest. This is challenged, however, by nutritional concepts which present vegetarian protein as especially difficult to digest and absorb.
Vegetarian meals are often simpler to prepare (you don’t have to roast a Tofurkey for 5 hours!) and involve less risk of food poisoning, animal-borne parasites, and other toxins that accumulate in animal tissues but not in plants. Eating vegetarian can also be less expensive, as anyone who’s noticed the price of prime steak on a menu can no doubt imagine. Avoiding meat eliminates the health risks associated with the hormones and additives given to non-organic cattle, poultry, and other animals raised for meat, although vegetarians would do well to pay especial attention to the pesticides on “conventionally grown” (non-organic) fruits and vegetables.
For the other side of the coin, read on for the Disadvantages of Going Veg.
