Benefits of a Healthy Vegetarian Diet

Everyone is getting more focused on a healthy lifestyle. We are living greener, recycling and carpooling to work to help the environment. Even our diets are becoming healthier. In the last few years, people have changed to low fat diet, low carb diets, low sodium diets, The Zone, The South Beach Diet, and a few others in an attempt to eat healthier. Now the focus is on green living and green diets. Two healthy green diets are the Vegetarian Diet and the Vegan Diet. In past years there was a myth populated saying that vegetarian diets weren't good for you because you couldn't get adequate sources of protein and iron. This is not true. One of the main questions people ask is can you get enough protein without eating meat? Yes, definitely. You can get plenty of sources of protein and iron in a vegetarian diet. In fact more than non-vegetarians. And vegetarianism is economical as well. Eating less meat is a benefit in two ways, it helps your body with digestion with not having to expend that energy to digest a portion of meat and it helps your budget by costing you less money at the grocery store.

Studies have shown that diets high in animal fats lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and other health issues. Some animals are fed growth hormones that may be a link to cancer rates. And if you have ever gone through, or worked for a meat processing plant or slaughter house, you would never want to eat meat again.

The British Medical Association (BMA) did a study on the benefits of a vegetarian diet in 1986. It concluded that the people who ate a vegetarian diet had lower instances of obesity, lower cholesterol, lower rates of cancer and other health disorders.

In 1983, there was a study that included China, The United Kingdom, and The United States. They studied 6,500 participants for several years, the basis of their studies was lifestyle, dietary habits and general health. The findings were astounding, the less meat that was consumed, the lower the risk of developing common chronic diseases. And they proved that you don't need to eat meat to get enough protein and iron. The average vegetarian consumed twice as much iron as the average U.S. Citizen.

There were also studies done by The World Health Organization (WHO), Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), and the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

The vegetarian diet includes proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Proteins help us build muscle and are essential to have a healthy body.Protein can come from a variety of sources. A good source of protein is beans and dried peas, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, whole grains like wheat and barley, soybeans or soy based protein, vegetables and fruits all contain protein as well.

There are some vegetarians that eat eggs and drink milk. Ovo-Lacto vegetarian eat both eggs and dairy products. They just do not eat meat from animals (meaning that the animal did not die in the process of providing the food like hens laying eggs or cows giving milk, it doesn't harm the animal in any way) Some vegetarians that eat a pure diet are called vegans. This means that they do not eat or wear anything that is produced by or from animals in any way. No dairy, no eggs, no fur, and etc.

Just like any diet, as long as the diet includes all types of foods like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats it is healthy. So vegetarian diets are healthy and good for you. Limiting the consumption of meat helps to lower your cholesterol and is healthier for your heart. And buying less meat is good for your wallet and means you can buy more fruits and vegetables.

If you are considering making the change to a vegetarian diet, there are many cookbooks and online resources for vegetarian recipes. Try some out recipes to see if you like them, then make the transition slowly. The down side of any diet is repetition, having a limited group of foods to eat. So look for as many recipes as you can. There is a dozen things you can do with zucchini, eggplant, and squash. And these can be substituted for meat in your favorite family recipes such as Lasagna and pasta dishes. Casseroles can be made with zucchini and mushrooms and cheese. Macaroni and cheese with broccoli. Many possibilities.

And if you choose to become a vegetarian you will be in good company. There is quite a long list of celebrity vegetarians.

Famous celebrity vegetarians:

Prince,Brad Pitt,Carrie Underwood,Gavin Rossdale,Kim Bassinger,Lisa Bonet,Lisa Kudrow,Orlando Bloom,Pamela Anderson,Ricki Lake, Rob Zombie,Shannon Elizabeth, Shinead O'Connor, Ann Hathaway, Ashley Judd, Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go's, and many, many others.

Informational Sources:
http://www.happycow.net/vegetarian_diet.html
http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/has-it-been-proven-that-a-vegetarian-diet-is-really-healthier.htm