There has been much controversy over vegetarian diets since they became popular. People start thinking one thing about the diet and soon the belief spreads like the flu. There are many truths and myths out there about vegetarian diets. This is due to people not being properly informed on vegetarian diets. They just believe whatever they hear about the diet and form their opinion based solely on that, regardless of facts. Although some of the rumors are accurate, people need to be better informed on the subject. The rumor I found interesting is that people believes eating a vegetarian diet makes you more healthy. I found this one so interesting because I have been a vegetarian for two and a half years and people have always told me that I have to be careful, but at the same time tell me that I must be very healthy. How is it that I have to be careful of my health but also be very healthy at the same time? I found myself with the incessant need to get to the bottom of it. When looking at this problem I found some really good information about personal health benefits and risks. What I found is that a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy for you but if properly done a vegetarian diet can be healthier then a diet that includes meat.

There are many personal health benefits to eating a vegetarian diet. Being Vegetarian for Dummies says, “The fact is that vegetarians enjoy better health then non vegetarians. The fewer animal products vegetarians consume, the better their health” (Havala 2001 19). Some of these health benefits are less likely to be obese, less fatty diets, less saturated fats, and less cholesterol (Havala 2001 20). There is also lower rates of some diseases when you partake in vegetarian diet, such as cancer, coronary artery disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, gall stones and kidney stones (Havala, 2001, 21). 

Many maybe wondering how do we know there is lower rates of obese, fats, saturated fats, and less cholesterol? Or why do vegetarians have less fat and cholesterol and lower rtes of obesity in their diet? When it comes to obesity studies have been done where they have looked at different kinds of vegetarians and meats eaters and saw that people who eat meat are more likely to be obese. A study done by earthtimes.org said they found when looking at BMI (body mass index) 40% of meat eater were obese and only 25% of the vegetarians were obese (eathtimes.org 2009). They also have a reason why this could be, they say “Plant foods are generally high-carb, but they also contain a lot of fiber -- which helps you to feel full” (earthtimes.org 2009). Foods that are high in fiber like peas, broccoli, sweet corn, black beans, split peas, almonds, pecans, brown rice, apples figs, pears, bananas, and raspberries will make you fill fuller with less food, which could also mean less calories (Mayo Clinic, 2009).  Another study was done with BMI where they took 48 healthy adult men where half of them were vegetarian and the other half was meat eaters. When they looked at their BMI’s they found that the average meat eaters BMI was 26.5(+ and -) 4.01, where the vegetarians was 23.0+ 1.09 (Kazimírov´, Alena, et al, 2009). Saturated fat come primarily from animal products (Havala, 2001, 20). When you are vegetarian you are less likely to eat as much animal product therefore eating less unhealthy saturated fat.  Saturated fat makes your body produce more cholesterol (Havala 2001 20). 

There are a lot of diseases now a days that kill so many people. One disease that kills many people is heart disease. A study shown in Harvard Women’s Health Watch, October 2009 indicates that vegetarians are 25% less likely to die from a heart disease like for example of a heart attack (Harvard). “For heart protection, it’s best to choose high-fiber whole grains and legumes, which are digested slowly and have a low glycemic index” (Harvard.) It seems to me that fiber is something really important to everyones diet. Cancer is a huge scare to everyone, there are so many kinds of cancer out there. One way you can reduce the risk is cut red meat out of your diet. If you cut out red meat you can reduce your risk of getting colon cancer (Harvard). Studies also show that if you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables you can reduces your risk of getting cancer and vegetarians usually make it easily to the recommend amount of fruits and vegetables (Harvard 2009). Type 2 Diabetes is another disease you can have a less risk getting it you partake in a vegetarian diet. A study done by Seventh-day Adventists says that vegetarians have half the risk for Type 2 Diabetes then meat eaters (Harvard). “The Harvard-based Women’s Health Study found a similar correlation between eating red meat and diabetes” (Harvard 2009).  It seems that there is a lot of health benefits to eating a vegetarian diet. You can reduce the risk of getting some of the world big killers. 

Although vegetarian diet can be very healthy they also can have some risks to them. “Becoming a vegetarian won’t necessarily be good for you. A diet of soda, cheese pizza, and candy, after all, is technically ‘vegetarian’ (Harvard 2009). You have to work to make sure you are still eating a healthy, well balanced diet. One thing that vegetarians have to worry about is not having enough micronutrients. Micronutrients are a chemical element or substance required in trace amounts for the normal growth and development of living organisms (Dictionary). A study was done where intake of micronutrients was looked at in vegetarians. The study found that there lack of micronutrients taken in, especially concerning vitamin C and zinc (Chiplonkar, Shashi Ajit, and Vaishali Vilas Agte, 2007). Vegetarians need to watch what they eat just as much as the meat eaters.  Another risk that vegetarians face is not having enough protein/ not having complete protein. Protein is important in your diet because it form enzymes that play key roles in all of the body (Hoeger 2008 70). Higher-quality or complete protein are usually from animal origin, with out eating meat it is hard to get a complete protein (Hoeger 2008 70). If you follow a vegetarian diet you have to make sure that you do get the right protein. 

Who would have know that when people tell me that I ’m healthy or I must be careful, that they both could be right? Over all, though, I feel like a vegetarian diet is a healthy choice to do. At the end of chapter three of Being Vegetarian for Dummies it said, 

Vegetarian diets are as important to health for what they don’t include- excessive amounts of animal protein, saturated fats, and cholesterol- as they are for what the do include. Vegetarian diets tend to be rich sources of dietary fiber, antioxidant vitamins and minerals and phytochemical, which all help protect the body against such ills as cancer and coronary artery disease, among others. (Havala 2001 33)

I feel like this quote gives us a new way to think about a vegetarian diet. Don’t just think about it being a diet without meat but something that you can healthy doing.  

For those of you how like the idea of a vegetarian but know they can’t cut meat out of their diet you might want to try the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid (Hoeger 2008 84).

Works Cited 

"Becoming a vegetarian." Harvard Women's Health Watch 17.2 (2009): 4-6. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.

Chiplonkar, Shashi Ajit, and Vaishali Vilas Agte "Association of micronutrient status with subclinical health complaints in lactovegetarian adults." Scandinavian Journal of Food & Nutrition 51.4 (2007): 159-166. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.

Dictionary on Mac Book. 

Havala, Suzanne. Being Vegetarian for Dummies. New York: For Dummies, 2001. Print.

Hoeger, Wener W. K., and Sharon A. Hoeger. Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness A Personalized Program. Belmont: Brooks Cole, 2008. Print.

Kazimírov´, Alena, et al. "Does a vegetarian diet influence genomic stability?." European Journal of Nutrition 43.1 (2004): 32-38. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.

Mayo Clinic staff. "High-fiber foods." Nutrition and healthy eating. Mayo clinic, 23 June 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/ NU00582>.

"Study says meat eaters more likely to be obese than vegetarians : Health." The Earth Times Online Newspaper, Serving the Planet with Breaking News. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. <http:// www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/3342.html>.

Picture from- http://www.gustolab.com/blog/uploads/2008/04/pyramid_med.gif