The Way to a Better (Vegan) Life

Too many people in the United States who eat the standard American diet are unhealthy. The rates of heart disease, cancer, and obesity are very high here in America. Could it be that the standard American diet is to blame? Some experts feel that a diet based on meats, eggs, and dairy products is too high in fat and too low in fiber. A vegetarian diet is high in fiber and low in fat, which is the type of diet humans thrive on. Many believe something is wrong with the Standard American Diet and we need to look for a better option; that better option is vegetarianism.

As one expert source has declared, "[h]eart attacks are by far the largest cause of death in the United States today" (Robbins, Diet for a New America, 204). Saturated fat is a leading cause of high cholesterol, and Cholesterol causes atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. Cholesterol is found in meats, dairy, and eggs. In addition, animal products also have the highest saturated fat of any foods. Fast food is a known culprit by most experts; however, many people do not realize that home cooked meals can be equally dangerous. If you are going to have eggs for breakfast, a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, and a steak for dinner, you are going to increase your risk for heart attacks.

It is interesting that heart attacks account for one of the major causes of death, considering that we know of numerous ways to prevent them. An ounce of prevention is said to be worth a pound of cure, but it seems that given their meat-filled diet, many people still would rather not prevent a heart attack. On the other hand, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains are all cholesterol free and low in saturated fat. It is informative to note that the average cholesterol level in the United States is 210, the average cholesterol level of United States vegetarians is 161, and the average cholesterol level of United States vegans is only 133 (Robbins, The Food Revolution, 21). According to one expert, "[w]hen people keep their cholesterol levels below 150, they are virtually assured of never suffering a heart attack" (Robbins, The Food Revolution, 21). So it seems that a vegetarian diet is better than the standard American diet, but a vegan diet is definitely superior. A vegan diet is a vegetarian diet that does not include eggs or dairy products; vegans do not eat or use any animal products. A vegan diet is an excellent way to help prevent having a heart attack.

Some people believe that being a vegan is too expensive. It is true that "veggie" burgers, heart-healthy vegetarian frozen dinners, and other specialty health food store items can be expensive. However, the consequences of eating meat are also expensive. If meat is as damaging to our health as some authorities believe, the hospital bills will eventually add up. And as one source points out, "
[c]ost effectiveness is very important to consider when choosing a diet plan. Excluding meat will reduce the average grocery bill by approximately on third. Compared to vegetables, meat is extremely expensive. For the cost of one 12 oz. Steak, you can buy enough food to make salad, stir-fry, and bread for three people (http://www.studentnow.com/features/vegetarianism.html).

It is quite possible that we can attribute the misunderstanding about the cost of a vegetarian diet to a lack of imagination in the kitchen.

There is a lot of research pointing to certain diets as causes of cancers of the colon, breast, uterus, ovaries, cervix, prostate, and lungs. For example, a low fiber diet will often cause constipation and polyps in the colon, which may cause cancer. A high fat diet is also connected to the cancer rates of countries. Countries with higher fat consumption have a greater risk of cancer (Robbins, Diet for a New America, 255).

A vegetarian diet helps to prevent cancer. Vegetables are mostly high in fiber and low in fat. Also, many contain free radical scavengers. Free radicals are unstable and highly reactive. Free radical scavengers, also known as antioxidants attach to the free radicals to prevent cellular damage by the oxidized free radicals. According to one health website, "[t]he various antioxidants cooperate with one another to achieve their goal of protection against free-radical damage" (http://www.fruitvegcaps.com/products/antiox.htm). By preventing cell damage, vegetables help to prevent cancer.

Many people believe that, since humans have been eating meat for thousands of years, we should continue. However, meat has not always been mass-produced and full of preservatives, hormones, and antibiotics. This new way of processing meat is unhealthy because it is not as fresh, is unnatural, and creates antibiotic resistance. Since the meat is not as fresh, it may cause food poisoning. Furthermore, many of the preservatives and pesticides are known carcinogens and this means that eating the meats of today is more likely to cause cancer than ever before. Overall, today's meats are unhealthier than those of the past.

Yet another pertinent health issue argues for the wisdom of a vegetarian diet. 280,000 Americans are killed annually due to diseases caused by excess weight (Robbins, The Food Revolution, 58). Obesity is a significant problem in the United States today. The root of the problem is the standard American diet, which contains far too much fat. Another factor that causes obesity among meat-eaters is that, since people who eat mostly meats do not get enough carbohydrates, they do not have enough energy to be motivated to exercise. Eating mostly proteins makes you sluggish and less likely to even want to exercise. A healthier diet would give you more energy and motivation to improve exercising habits.

Eating a low fat vegetarian diet would greatly reduce obesity rates. There is a lower fat content in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains compared to meats, eggs, and dairy products. The extra energy will also improve exercise rates. 18% of the United States population is obese, only 6% of vegetarians are obese, and only 2% of vegans are obese (Robbins, The Food Revolution, 58). If everyone in American switched to a vegan diet we would be a much healthier country.

While non-vegetarians believe that you will not get enough protein from a vegan diet, this is a myth; it is nearly impossible to create a diet without enough protein unless you wanted to live off soda and potato chips. When looking for protein in a vegetarian diet, we must keep in mind that "[v]egetables, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts all contain protein" (Havala, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian, 34).

If you wanted to be as healthy as you can be, this can be done with a vegetarian diet. It is currently possible to prevent so many diseases, and it is far less expensive to prevent diseases than to cure them, and not only monetarily. Is that cheeseburger you're eating worth losing an extra day of your life? You don't want to be just another statistic of someone who died from eating the standard American diet. You can easily switch your diet to a vegetarian diet and be healthy.

Bibliography

Havala, Suzanne. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian. Alpha Books, 1999.

Robbins, John. Diet for a New America. Tiburon: H J Kramer, 1987.

Robbins, John. The Food Revolution. Berkeley: Conari Press, 2001.

http://www.fruitvegcaps.com/products/antiox.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/20922/text-only/how_cost.htm

http://www.studentnow.com/features/vegetarianism.html