Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet for Women

I switched to a vegetarian diet almost 3 years ago and have never looked back. I did it for a variety of reasons, including health. I had never eaten much meat and, as I looked for ways to fine tune my diet as I approached middle age and faced the very real physical effects of a high-fat, low exercise lifestyle, I determined that the vegetarian lifestyle was the way to go. Vegetarianism is healthy for both men and women, but it can be especially beneficial for women. Some of the most common illnesses and complaints women face can be eliminated or reduced by a vegetarian diet. Below are six ways a vegetarian diet offers health benefits to women.

Benefit #1 -Helps you maintain a healthy weight

One study showed that people who follow a low-fat vegetarian diet can expect to lose about 20 pounds and keep it off. The best part is that on a vegetarian diet you don't have to count calories or measure out your food. Food from vegetable sources is naturally low in fat and calories. When I switched to a veg diet and began walking daily I lost 30 pounds in a little less than a year. I hesitate to say it was effortless, but in comparison to formal diet plans it was effortless.

Benefit #2 - Helps you build strong bones

Osteoporosis, also known as bone loss or thinning bones, is a serious problem for many women. I don't think anyone has missed those TV commercials with Sally Fields touting the benefits of a prescription medication to help prevent bone loss. Too bad she didn't know about a vegetarian diet when she was younger. The best way to keep your bones strong is to consume foods that are high in calcium and to get regular exercise. Without enough calcium in your bloodstream, your body leaches it from the bones making them weak. A vegetarian diet naturally provides sufficient calcium from dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale and collard greens. Additional veg calcium sources are soymilk and dried beans. In fact, getting your protein from vegetable sources, such as beans and soy products, is better than animal protein. Why? As your body processes animal protein it leaches calcium from the bones.

Benefit #3 - Helps prevent constipation

Maybe I'm just watching the wrong TV shows, but in addition to the commercials selling me on drugs to save my bones, I'm bombarded with laxative and fiber supplement commercials. Although men and women both get constipation, women seem to experience this problem more frequently. Vegetables are naturally rich in fiber. Eat lots of veggies and you'll get plenty of fiber in your diet - nothing to mix into water, no giant pills to swallow, no laxatives to make you feel sick to your stomach. In addition to preventing constipation, vegetarians also tend to have lower incidences of hemorrhoids and diverticulitis. Speaking from personal experience, being "regular" is much better than the alternative.

Benefit #4 - Prevents heart disease

Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Heart disease is very often the result of a high-fat diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Animal products are chock full of artery-clogging saturated fats. Reduce the animal products in your diet and you instantly reduce the fat in your diet. In addition, the fiber in vegetable food sources helps reduce cholesterol levels. Once again, we've all seen the commercials touting oatmeal as a good way to reduce your cholesterol. But who wants to eat oatmeal day after day? Why not eat a wide variety of vegetables to get lots of cholesterol-busting fiber? Another heart-healthy benefit is a reduction in blood pressure. Some studies have shown that blood pressure went down within two weeks of switching to a veg diet.

Benefit #5 - Prevents diabetes

It seems like every other day there is a story on the news about the diabetes epidemic. The alarming rate of adults with Type 2 diabetes has many health professionals concerned. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, adult-onset non-insulin-dependent diabetes is best controlled by a low-fat, vegetarian diet and regular exercise. Apparently, a veg diet with all its fiber and complex carbohydrates helps the body more efficiently use insulin. Most adults who develop diabetes are counseled to lose weight and modify their diet in order to avoid having to take medication. A vegetarian diet can achieve both of those ends.

Benefit #6 - Eases the symptoms of menopause

A number of herbal/holistic menopause supplements are on the market to help women deal with the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Usually these products contain some type of phytoestrogen. Once again, a vegetarian diet can provide all the phytoestrogens you need without having to spend any extra money or take a pill. Soy products are a good source of phytoestrogens, but they can also be found in fruits and vegetables such as cherries, raspberries, apples, olives, squash and garlic. I'd much rather eat some cherries than swallow a pill to ward off those hot flashes. The weight-control benefits of a veg diet are also helpful since women tend to notice a slowing of the metabolism and weight gain during menopause.

These six benefits are just the beginning of the benefits of a vegetarian diet. I've found that I have more energy and fewer sick days since I went veg. And here's one more benefit of a vegetarian diet - it saves you money. Meat products are one of the most expensive items in women's grocery carts. Vegetarian Times magazine estimates that eliminating meat would cut $4,000 from the grocery bill per year per person.

Resources

http://www.mcgill.ca/studenthealth/information/nutritionalhealth/vegetarian/

http://www.pcrm.org/health/PDFs/info_vegfoods.pdf

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/resources/why_go_veg/

http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/strong_bones.html

http://www.lulu.com/content/2230522