A Vegetarian Lifestyle

Greetings Fit Britt Followers! I have asked my lil sis, who is a vegetarian, to write a little bit about the health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. She wrote her senior paper in high school on this very topic and just started her first year at UNC-W for creative writing. I hope that if nothing else, this post will encourage you to add more veggies and "vegetarian" foods into your daily diet. Or, consider taking my personal challenge of eating vegetarian for lunch every day. My good blogger friend, Environmental Mama, is also a vegetarian - I hope she will chime in with additional health benefits, suggestions and ideas for delicious meals!

Take it away Paige...

What comes to mind when you think of the word vegetarian? I know for some people, it is a synonym for self-righteous, tree-hugging lunatic. But when you delve deeper into the meaning of the word, most vegetarians are just trying to live a healthy lifestyle. The following paragraph is an excerpt from my senior paper and is all factual.

“It has been proven that, time and time again, a meatless lifestyle is the most beneficial way to live, nutrition-wise. Of his switch to vegetarianism, Dr. John A. McDougall, medical director of the McDougall Program, says, “my stomachaches became sorrows of the past, and so did my constipation. I lost unnecessary weight, my skin became less oily, the cholesterol levels in my blood dropped precipitously, and I had more energy” (McDougall 26). Compared to meat-eating, vegetarianism does wonders for your heart and bloodstream; those who steer away from eating animal flesh are a much less likely to get heart disease (Perry 10). In fact, through a scientific study by Dr. Roland L. Phillips, an epidemiologist (a scientist who compares deaths of meat eaters to deaths of vegetarians), it was proven that meat eaters are ten times more likely to acquire coronary heart disease (Cox 6-7, 10). This is because animal products, including dairy and eggs, all contain lots of saturated fat. An excess of dietary fat can cause high cholesterol, thus causing diet-related heart troubles (Wolfe 100-101). Eating meat also has tremendous effects on blood pressure. Dr. Ryde, a British practitioner, suggested to one of his patients with a 185/120 blood pressure to go on a vegan diet—soon, the pressure dropped to 115/75. Even medication can’t produce those kinds of results (Cox 23)! Plus, meat-eaters have a much higher risk of becoming obese as opposed to vegetarians (Perry 10). Part of this is because not only do vegetarians and vegans exclude animal products, but they also are very health-conscience and eat many completely organic foods instead of processed foods containing lots of chemicals, flavorings, and preservatives, which turn directly into fat (Wolfe 126, 129). Besides, it is proven that people who cut meat out of their diet live 6 to 10 years longer than those who don’t (PETA 1).”

Surprising, right? The health benefits seem pretty ideal. But what if you’re not ready to give up meat full-time? Believe it or not, there are actually many different types of vegetarianism. The following paragraph is another excerpt from my research paper that explains all the terms.

“There are so many different classifications of vegetarian that each individual can choose what suits him or her best. Vegans, for example, are the most strict—they don’t eat anything that comes from an animal, including milk or eggs. Lacto-ovo vegetarians, on the other hand, will consume milk and eggs—just no flesh. There are also less strict forms; the pesco-vegetarian eats fish and the semi-vegetarian will occasionally eat all types of meat (Perry 15). According to an excerpt from the magazine Ebony, “Health specialists agree that with careful planning, a vegetarian diet can be healthy and nutritionally sound, no matter which type of vegetarian diet you choose” (Hughes 77).

So there you have it, folks. There’s a slight possibility that I am a tree-hugging lunatic, but, like my sister, I do realize how important it is to keep my body healthy. Below are the sources that I have cited in this blog; if it triggers your interest, I definitely recommend checking them out. This stuff is fascinating!

Cox, Peter. You Don’t Need Meat. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2002.

Hughes, Zondra. "Should you become a vegetarian? Think before you eat. Go veg for life. (Health & Fitness)." Ebony. July 2003: 70+. 15 December 2007.

McDougall, John A. The McDougall Program: Twelve Days to Dynamic Health. New York: NAL Books, 1990.

Perry, Cheryl L., Leslie A. Lytle, and Teresa G. Jacobs. The Vegetarian Manifesto. Philadelphia: Running Press Book Publishers, 2004.

Wolfe, Frankie Avalon. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Being Vegetarian. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2000.