What Are The Benefits Of Being A Vegetarian
Sep 6, 2010 Gourmet Food
In our Western society, a common nutritional belief is that meat and animal products must be consumed in order to maintain a well-balanced, muscle-building healthy diet.
In most cases, if someone dares to stray away from this line of thinking, they’re immediately branded as being some sort of a hippie, or just downright weird.
With that said, the number of people turning to vegetarian diets is increasing by the day. Even well respected doctors and other health related experts are starting to change their opinions, and many have also begun prescribing vegetarian meals in order to prevent and treat certain conditions, one of which is obesity.
Although the concept of vegetarianism is seen by many as being a relatively new concept, it has in fact been around for hundreds of years already. In fact, this is especially apparent in countries such as India for example, where a large percentage of the population refrain from eating meat, either for spiritual reasons or for health reasons. Interestingly enough, a group of people living near the Himalayan Mountains, known as the “Hunza”, are devout vegetarians, and if reports are anything to go by, many of them live past the age of 100.
According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet includes the following benefits: 1) lower body fat; 2) lower levels of saturated fat; 3) lower cholesterol levels; 4) higher levels of antioxidant vitamins and minerals; 5) lower blood pressure; 6) lower instances of some cancers; 7) lower rates of type-2 diabetes; 
lower rates of heart disease.
Obesity is a serious health concern in many Western countries, and yet it can be controlled by means of vegetarian diets which increase fiber intake while at the same time reducing protein and fat consumption. Because a vegetarian diet results in people having a lower Body Mass Index, they can be effective at managing several chronic illnesses.
Most people who consider going on a vegetarian diet are concerned about whether or not they’ll be able to get enough protein. This is certainly a valid concern, but one also needs to realize that providing your vegetarian diet is a well balanced one; you’ll get all the protein your body requires
Contrary to what many believe, a meat based diet usually provides a person with too much protein, and several studies are now starting to suggest that too much protein can be detrimental to your body. In fact, one study even reports that excessive protein intake can reduce kidney function by as much as 30 % by the time you reach old age. Some health professionals also believe there’s a link between protein and osteoporosis.
Contrary to what many people believe, when you become a vegetarian you don’t need to limit yourself to heating only a handful of boring foods. In fact, you get different types of vegetarians, and while none of them eat meat, they do eat certain other animal products. These combinations could include the following:
Lacto vegetarians, eat dairy products, but don’t eat meat or eggs.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not eat meat, but will eat dairy products and eggs.
Ovo vegetarians will quite happily consume eggs, but they won’t eat meat or any dairy products.
Vegans don’t consume meat, dairy products, eggs, or any animal products at all.
There are many medical and health organizations that promote, endorse, and support people on a path toward changing their dietary lifestyle to one that includes more plant-based foods.
Additionally, many restaurants and grocery stores provide meals and products to vegetarians, making it simpler to choose this healthy lifestyle.
For those who would like to discover more, there’s a wealth of information available on the Internet and also via several medical providers and health organizations.
The truth of the matter is; a vegetarian diet is perfectly healthy for you, and in fact, it may even end up saving your life one day.
Tap into Charles Carr’s extensive cooking experience as a home cook, and what he has learn from a few master chefs by getting free access to his vegetarian guide. In addition, here’s a free limited report Master Chef Secrets on how you can save a ton of money on your culinary equipment.
Tags: Cooking, Diet, Food, Food And Beverage, Food And Drink, Gourmet, Gourmet Food, Health, Recipes, Vegetarian, vegetarian cooking, Vegetarian Diet, vegetarian meal ideas, vegetarian recipes
What You Should Know Before Putting Your Child On A Vegetarian Diet
Aug 29, 2010 Gourmet Food
If you’ve been a vegetarian for any length of time, and you have kids of your own, then you may already have thought about getting them onto a vegetarian diet as well. Not only would it make your life easier in terms of preparing meals, but you may also believe a vegetarian diet would be a better, healthier option for your kids.
Conversely, you may not be a vegetarian but you may have a child who is at a vegetarian phase where he or she is rejecting meat but doesn’t eat enough healthy foods to compensate for the nutritional gap.
Either way, you’re probably wondering whether or not a vegetarian diet would be a healthy choice for your kids, although at the same time, you may have heard rumors that vegetarian diets can stunt a child’s growth.
Who could blame you if these concerns have resulted in you being hesitant to put your child on a vegetarian diet?
Now, nobody is saying that these concerns aren’t legitimate, but providing a vegetarian diet is well planned, you will have very little to worry about as far as long term and short term vitamin and mineral deficiencies are concerned.
If you have not done sufficient research and are not well-prepared for the task of putting your child on a vegetarian diet, then you probably should not. However, if you’ve done your research and are aware of the kind of nutrients that vegetarian diets lack, then you know that these problems can easily be over-come with some meal planning.
You’ve probably also discovered that a vegetarian diet can improve the overall health of your children tremendously. This is essentially because it will limit your child’s exposure to not only regular meats, but it will also mean your children won’t be eating processed, meat-based foods which are generally loaded with hormones, preservatives, coloring agents, and several other harmful ingredients.
If you decide to go ahead and start your children on a vegetarian diet, then your meal planning will need to take into account that a vegetarian diet usually has a few deficiencies, and as such, you’ll need to make sure that you provide enough of the following:
1) Protein – make sure that your child is getting enough protein from additional sources such as nuts and soybeans.
2) Calcium – always make sure your children are getting enough calcium by including plenty of leafy greens in their diet.
3) Iron – If there’s any chance their diet is lacking iron, you can rectify the problem by increasing the amount of beans, soybeans, and cereals they usually consume.
4) Zinc – In order to increase their zinc intake; simply encourage them to eat more nuts and mushrooms. In fact, even peanut butter is a great source of zinc for people on a vegetarian diet, and as we all know, practically all children love peanut butter.
Providing you focus on compensating for the above mentioned deficiencies, your children can be put on a vegetarian diet, and you certainly won’t have any reason to be concerned about their health.
Take advantage of Charles Carr’s extensive culinary experience as a home cook, and what he has learn from a few master chefs by getting free access to his vegetarian guide. In addition, here’s a free special report Master Chef Secrets on how you can save a ton of money on your culinary equipment.
Tags: Cooking, Diet, Food, Food And Beverage, Food And Drink, Gourmet, Gourmet Food, Health, Recipes, Vegetarian, vegetarian cooking, Vegetarian Diet, vegetarian meal ideas, vegetarian recipes
