Would you like to be a Vegetarian?
We try to eat vegetarian meals for about 70% of our diet. We would love to be completely vegetarian but we just can’t quite make it happen and still have fish and free range meat in our diets. Here in Spain it is not culturally ‘ normal’ to not eat meat and even in a ‘vegetarian’ salad you may find slithers of jamon!
This is an interesting article about some of the facts about introducing a vegetarian style diet into your life:
Did you know these facts?
- Vegetarian foods are a major source of nutrition for most people in the world.
- Vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer than non-vegetarians.
- Vegetarian diets can be simple and easy to prepare.
What is a vegetarian?
Broadly defined, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarians eat mainly fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. Many vegetarians eat eggs and/or dairy products but avoid hidden animal products such as beef and chicken stocks, lard, and gelatin.
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) classifies vegetarians more specifically in the following ways:
- Vegans or total vegetarians exclude all animal products (e.g. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, and other dairy products). Many vegans also do not eat honey.
- Lactovegetarians exclude meat, poultry, fish, and eggs but include dairy products.
- Lacto-ovovegetarians exclude meat, poultry, and fish but include dairy products and eggs. Most vegetarians in the US are lacto-ovovegetarians.
Why are people vegetarians?
People are vegetarians for many reasons, including concern for personal health and the environment, economic and world hunger concerns, compassion for animals, belief in nonviolence, food preferences, or spiritual reasons. People may become vegetarians for one reason, and then later on adopt some of the other reasons as well. Vegetarian diets are somewhat more common among adolescents with eating disorders than in the general population. According to the ADA position paper on vegetarian diets, however, “recent data suggest that adopting a vegetarian diet does not lead to eating disorders, rather that vegetarian diets may be selected to camouflage an existing eating disorder.” Be sure you fully understand your own reasons for choosing vegetarianism.
What are the health benefits of a vegetarian diet?
According to the ADA, vegetarians are at lower risk for developing:
- Heart disease
- Colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
This is because a healthy vegetarian diet is typically low in fat and high in fiber. However, even a vegetarian diet can be high in fat if it includes excessive amounts of fatty snack foods, fried foods, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Therefore, a vegetarian diet, like any healthy diet, must be well planned in order to help prevent and treat certain diseases.
What is the healthiest way to become a vegetarian?
Some people stop eating meat “cold turkey.” Others may prefer to make dietary changes more gradually. However you choose to make the change, you can begin to achieve the health benefits of vegetarianism by significantly cutting down on the amount of meats consumed, and making vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains the focus of your meals. The ADA suggests the following tips for following a vegetarian diet:
- Choose whole-grain products (e.g. whole wheat bread, brown rice, or whole-grain cereals instead of refined or white grains.
- Eat a wide variety of foods.
- If you eat dairy products, choose non-fat or low-fat varieties.
- Use eggs in moderation.
- Limit intake of sweets and high fat foods.
- Use a regular source of vitamin B-12, and if sunlight exposure is limited, of vitamin D.
- Many vegetarian foods can be found in any grocery store. Specialty food stores may carry some of the more uncommon items, as well as many vegetarian convenience foods.
Source:
February 11th, 2013 → 2:47 pm @ mandydetox
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