Healthy Diet: Great Fats, Awful Fats, and the Force of Omega-3s

For quite a long time, nutritionists and specialists have lectured that a low-fat diet is the way to getting thinner, overseeing cholesterol, and anticipating health issues. Anyway more than simply the measure of fat, its the sorts of fat you consume that truly matter. Terrible fats expand cholesterol and your danger of specific illnesses, while great fats secure your heart and help general health. Indeed, great fats, for example, omega-3 fats—are key to physical and enthusiastic health. Comprehending dietary fat A stroll down the basic supply walkway will affirm our fixation on low-fat nourishments. We're besieged with probably blame free choices: heated potato chips, without fat frozen yogurt, low-fat confections, treats, and cakes. In any case while our low-fat alternatives have blasted, so have corpulence rates. Plainly, low-fat nourishments and diets haven't conveyed on their trim, healthy guarantees. Notwithstanding what you may have been told, fat isn't generally the awful fellow in the waistline wars. Terrible fats, for example, trans fats and soaked fats, are liable of the unhealthy things all fats have been rebuked for—weight addition, stoped up conduits, et cetera. At the same time great fats, for example, the monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3s have the inverse impact. Actually, healthy fats assume an enormous part in helping you deal with your temperaments, stay on top of your psychological distraction, battle weariness, and even control your weight. The answer isn't removing the fat—its figuring out how to settle on healthy decisions and to supplant terrible fats with great ones that advance health and prosperity. Myths and actualities about fats Myth: All fats are equivalent and similarly awful for you. Reality: Trans fats and soaked fats are awful for you in light of the fact that they raise your cholesterol and build your danger for coronary illness. Anyhow monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are beneficial for you, bringing down cholesterol and diminishing your danger of coronary illness. Myth: Bringing down the measure of fat you consume is the thing that matters the most. Actuality: The mixof fats that you consume, instead of the aggregate sum in your diet, is the thing that matters most in the matter of your cholesterol and health. The key is to consume all the more great fats and less awful fats. Myth: without fat means healthy. Actuality: A "without fat" name doesn't mean you can consume all you need without outcomes to your waistline. Numerous without fat nourishments are high in sugar, refined carbs, and calories. Myth: Consuming a low-fat diet is the way to weight reduction. Truth: The heftiness rates for Americans have multiplied in the most recent 20 years, agreeing with the low-fat insurgency. Slicing calories is the way to weight reduction, and since fats are filling, they can help control indulging. Myth: All muscle to fat quotients is the same. Truth: Where you convey your fat matters. The health dangers are more noteworthy in the event that you have a tendency to bear your weight your mid-region, rather than your hips and thighs. A ton of gut fat is put away far beneath the skin encompassing the stomach organs and liver, and is nearly connected to insulin safety and diabetes. Sorts of dietary fat: Great fats versus terrible fats To see great and terrible fats, you have to know the names of the players and some data about them. There are four noteworthy sorts of fats: monounsaturated fats (great fats) polyunsaturated fats (great fats) trans fats (awful fats) immersed fats (terrible fats) Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the "great fats" in light of the fact that they are useful for your heart, your cholesterol, and your general health. Great FATS Monounsaturated fat Polyunsaturated fat Olive oil Canola oil Sunflower oil Shelled nut oil Sesame oil Avocados Olives Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews) Peanut spread Soybean oil Corn oil Safflower oil Walnuts Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds Flaxseed Greasy fish (salmon, fish, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines) Soymilk Tofu Immersed fats and trans fats are known as the "terrible fats" in light of the fact that they build your danger of ailment and raise cholesterol. Appearance-wise, immersed fats and trans fats have a tendency to be robust at room temperature (consider margarine or conventional stick margarine), while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have a tendency to be fluid (consider olive or corn oil). Terrible FATS Soaked fat Trans fat High-fat cuts of meat (hamburger, sheep, pork) Chicken with the skin Entire fat dairy items (drain and cream) Spread Cheddar Frozen yogurt Palm and coconut oil Fat Financially heated baked goods, treats, doughnuts, biscuits, cakes, pizza mixture Bundled nibble nourishments (saltines, microwave popcorn, chips) Stick margarine Vegetable shortening Seared sustenances (French fries, singed chicken, battered chicken bites, breaded fish) Confections The debate encompassing soaked fat For a considerable length of time, specialists, nutritionists and health powers have let us know that a diet high in soaked fats raises blood cholesterol levels and expands the danger of coronary illness and stroke. Nonetheless, late studies have stood out as truly newsworthy by giving occasion to feel qualms about those cases, presuming that individuals who consume heaps of immersed fat don't encounter more cardiovascular malady than the individuals who consume less. So does that mean its alright to consume soaked fat now? No. What these studies highlighted is that when eliminating immersed fats in your diet, its imperative to supplant them with the privilege sustenances. For instance, swapping creature fats for vegetable oils, for example, supplanting margarine with olive oil—can help to lower cholesterol and diminish your danger for illness. In any case, swapping creature fats for refined starches, for example, supplanting your breakfast bacon with a bagel or cake, won't have the same profits. That is on account of consuming refined sugars or sugary nourishments can likewise have a negative impact on cholesterol levels and your danger for coronary illness. 

Copyright: www.healthy.ga

Simple Tips for Arranging a Solid Eating regimen and Adhering to It

Adhering to a good diet tip 1: Set yourself up for achievement 

To set yourself up for achievement, think about arranging a solid eating regimen as various little, sensible steps instead of one major uncommon change. On the off chance that you approach the progressions continuously and with responsibility, you will have a sound eating methodology sooner than you might suspect. 

Rearrange. As opposed to being excessively concerned with checking calories or measuring bit sizes, think about your eating methodology as far as shade, assortment, and freshness. Along  these  lines it ought to be simpler to settle on sound decisions. Concentrate on discovering sustenances you cherish and simple formulas that fuse a couple of new fixings. Bit by bit, your eating regimen will get to be healthier and more heavenly. 

Begin moderate and roll out improvements to your eating propensities after some time. Attempting to make your eating methodology sound overnight isn't sensible or brilliant. Changing everything on the double typically prompts cheating or abandoning your new eating arrangement. Make little steps, such as including a mixed greens (loaded with diverse shade vegetables) to your eating regimen once a day or changing from margarine to olive oil when cooking. As your little changes get to be propensity, you can keep on adding more sound decisions to your eating methodology. 

Simple tips for arranging a solid eating regimen and adhering to it 

Each change you make to enhance your eating methodology matters. You don't need to be impeccable and you don't need to totally take out sustenances you appreciate to have a sound eating methodology. The long haul objective is to feel great, have more vitality, and diminish the danger of tumor and malady. Don't let your stumbles wreck you—each solid nourishment decision you make tallies. Consider water and practice as nutrition types in your eating regimen. 
Water. Water helps flush our frameworks of waste items and poisons, yet numerous individuals experience life dried out creating tiredness, low vitality, and cerebral pains. It's regular to mix up hunger for appetite, so staying decently hydrated will likewise help you settle on healthier nourishment decisions. 
Exercise. Discover something dynamic that you like to do and add it to your day, much the same as you would include sound greens, blueberries, or salmon. The profits of deep rooted activity are plenteous and customary activity may even inspire you to settle on solid nourishment decisions a propensity. 

Adhering to a good diet tip 2: Balance is key 

Individuals regularly consider adhering to a good diet as a win big or bust suggestion, yet a key establishment for any solid eating regimen is control. In any case what is balance? Basically, it means eating just as much nourishment as your body needs. You ought to feel fulfilled toward the end of a feast, yet not stuffed. Control is likewise about parity. Regardless of what certain craze weight control plans would have you accept, we all need a parity of carbs, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to maintain a solid body. 
The objective of good dieting is to create an eating methodology that you can keep up forever, not simply a couple of weeks or months, or until you've hit your perfect weight. For the greater part of us, that implies eating short of what we do now. All the more particularly, it means eating far less of the unfortunate stuff (refined sugar, immersed fat, for instance) and supplanting it with the sound, (for example, new leafy foods). In any case it doesn't mean disposing of the nourishments you cherish. Eating bacon for breakfast once a week, for instance, could be considered control on the off chance that you tail it with a solid lunch and supper yet not in the event that you tail it with a crate of donuts and a frankfurter pizza. In the event that you consume 100 calories of chocolate one evening, equalization it out by deducting 100 calories from your nighttime feast. In case you're still eager, load up with an additional serving of new vegetables. 
Make an effort not to think about specific sustenances as "beyond reach." When you boycott certain nourishments or nutrition types, it is characteristic to need those nourishments more, and after that vibe like a disappointment in the event that you offer into enticement. In the event that you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unfortunate nourishments, begin by decreasing parcel sizes and not eating them as frequently. In the event that whatever is left of your eating methodology is solid, eating a burger and fries once a week likely won't have excessively of an impeding impact on your wellbeing. Eating garbage nourishment simply once a month will have even less of an effect. As you decrease your admission of unfortunate nourishments, you may end up needing them less or considering them just incidental indulgences. 
Think littler shares. Serving sizes have ballooned as of late, especially in restaurants. At the point when feasting out, pick a starter rather than a dish, part a dish with a companion, and don't request supersized anything. At home, utilize littler plates, think about serving sizes in reasonable terms, and begin little. In the event that you don't feel fulfilled toward the end of a feast, take a stab at including more verdant green vegetables or adjusting off the dinner with crisp soil grown foods. Visual signs can help with segment sizes–your serving of meat, fish, or chicken ought to be the extent of a deck of cards and a large portion of a container of squashed potato, rice, or pasta is about the span of a customary light. 
Adhering to a good diet is about more than the sustenance on your plate—it is likewise about how you consider nourishment. Good dieting propensities can be learned and it is critical to back off and contemplate sustenance as support as opposed to simply something to swallow down in the middle of gatherings or on the best approach to get the children. 
Consume with others at whatever point conceivable. Eating with other individuals has various social and enthusiastic profits especially for kids and permits you to model good dieting propensities. Eating before the television or machine regularly prompts heedless overeating. 
Require significant investment to bite your sustenance and appreciate mealtimes. Bite your nourishment gradually, relishing each chomp. We have a tendency to surge however our suppers, neglecting to really taste the flavors and feel the surfaces of our nourishment. Reconnect with the delight of eating. 
Listen to your body. Inquire as to whether you are truly eager, or have a glass of water to check whether you are parched rather than hungry. Amid a dinner, quit eating before you feel full. It really takes a couple of minutes for your mind to tell you.

Aim for sufficient protein intake at each meal—including breakfast—in the leanest and healthiest form.
Food	Serving size	Protein grams	Sat. fat (g)	Calories
FISH
Canned tuna	3.5 oz (100g)	19	0.2	86
Salmon	3.5 oz (100g)	21	0.8	130
Halibut	3.5 oz (100g)	23	0.4	111
Fresh tuna	3.5 oz (100g)	30	1.6	184
POULTRY (skinless)
Turkey breast	3.5 oz (100g)	31	0.6	147
Chicken breast	3.5 oz (100g)	31	1	165
Chicken thigh	3.5 oz (100g)	25	2.3	179
Chicken leg	3.5 oz (100g)	24	2.1	174
MEAT
Pork chops	1 chop (145g)	39	5	286
Skirt steak	3.5 oz (100g)	27	4	205
Ground beef (70% lean)	3.5 oz (100g)	14	11	332
Leg of lamb	3.5 oz (100g)	26	6.9	258
Cured ham	3.5 oz (100g)	23	9	178
LEGUMES
Soy beans	1/3 cup (100g)	17	1.3	173
Kidney beans	1/3 cup (100g)	10	0	123
Black beans	1/3 cup (100g)	9	0.1	132
Baked beans (canned)	1/3 cup (100g)	5	0	94
Peas	1/3 cup (100g)	8	0	118
MILK & EGGS
Skim milk	1/2 cup (100g)	3.4	0	34
Soy milk	1/2 cup (100g)	3.3	0.2	54
Eggs	2 boiled (100g)	13	3.3	155
Egg white	3 eggs (100g)	11	0	52
CHEESE
Non-fat mozzarella	3.5 oz (100g)	32	0	141
Non-fat cottage cheese	3.5 oz (100g)	10	0	72
Low-fat cheddar	3.5 oz (100g)	24	4.3	173
Low-fat Swiss cheese	3.5 oz (100g)	28	3.3	179
NUTS & SEEDS
Peanuts	1/4 cup (28g)	7	2	164
Almonds	1/4 cup (28g)	6	1	167
Pistachios	1/4 cup (28g)	6	1	159
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup (28g)	6	2	166
Flaxseed	1/4 cup (28g)	5	1	150
OTHER PROTEIN OPTIONS
Veggie burger	1 patty (100g)	23	2	219
Tofu	3.5 oz (100g)	7	0.3	55
High-protein cereal	1 cup (50g)	13	1	160
Greek yogurt (non-fat)	1/2 cup (100g)	10	0	59
Whey protein powder	1/3 cup (32g)	19	0.2	120
* Nutrition values are approximate only; significant variations occur according to brand, cut of meat, cooking method, etc.

Adhering to a good diet tip 8: Include calcium for solid bones. Calcium is one of the key supplements that your body needs with a specific end goal to stay solid and sound. It is a crucial building piece for deep rooted bone wellbeing in both men and ladies, and also numerous other imperative capacities. You and your bones will advantage from eating a lot of calcium-rich sustenances, constraining nourishments that drain your body's calcium stores, and getting your day by day measurements of magnesium and vitamins D and K—supplements that help calcium do its occupation. Prescribed calcium levels are 1000 mg every day, 1200 mg on the off chance that you are in excess of 50 years of age. Attempt to get however much of your day by day calcium needs from sustenance as could reasonably be expected and utilize just low-measurements calcium supplements to make up any deficiency. 

Great wellsprings of calcium include: Dairy: Dairy items are rich in calcium in a structure that is effortlessly processed and assimilated by the body. Sources incorporate drain, yogurt, and cheddar. Vegetables and greens: Numerous vegetables, particularly verdant green ones, are rich wellsprings of calcium. Attempt turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms. Beans: For an alternate rich wellspring of calcium, attempt dark beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, dark peered toward peas, or heated beans. Adhering to a good diet tip 9: Cutoff sugar and salt. On the off chance that you succeed in arranging your eating regimen around fiber-rich soil grown foods, vegetables, entire grains, incline protein, and great  fats, you may end up regularly curtailing nourishments that can hinder your solid eating regimen sugar and salt. 

Sugar 

Sugar causes vitality good and bad times and can add to wellbeing and weight issues. Lamentably, diminishing the measure of sweet, cakes, and pastries we consume is just piece of the arrangement. Regularly you may not by any means be mindful of the measure of sugar you're devouring every day. A lot of included sugar can be covered up in sustenances, for example, bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, moment pureed potatoes, solidified suppers, fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup. Here are a few tips: Maintain a strategic distance from sugary beverages. One 12-oz pop has around 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, more than the day by day suggested farthest point! Have a go at shimmering water with lemon or a sprinkle of foods grown from the ground juice. Sweeten nourishments yourself. Purchase unsweetened frosted tea, plain yogurt, or unflavored cereal, for instance, and include sweetener (or products of the soil) yourself. You're prone to include far less sweetener than the maker would have. Consume characteristically sweet sustenance, for example, products of the soil, peppers, or characteristic peanut spread to fulfill your sweet tooth. Keep these sustenances convenient rather than sweet or treats. 

How sugar is covered up on nourishment marks Check nourishment marks deliberately. Sugar is frequently camouflaged utilizing terms, for example, natural sweetener or maple syrup corn sweetener or corn syrup nectar or molasses tan rice syrup solidified or dissipated stick juice soil grown foods juice condensed, for example, apple or pear Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, or Sucrose 

Salt 

The greater part of us expend a lot of salt in our eating methodologies. Eating an excessive amount of salt can result in hypertension and lead to other wellbeing issues. Attempt to point of confinement sodium admission to 1,500 to 2,300 mg every day, the likeness one teaspoon of salt. Keep away from transformed or prepackaged nourishments. Handled sustenances like canned soups or solidified meals contain shrouded sodium that rapidly surpasses as far as possible. Be watchful when eating out. Most restaurant and fast food suppers are stacked with sodium. Some offer lower-sodium decisions or you can request your dinner to be made without salt. Most sauce and sauces are stacked with salt, so request it to be served as an afterthought. Choose crisp or solidified vegetables rather than canned vegetables. salty snacks, for example, potato chips, nuts, and pretzels. Check names and pick low-salt or lessened sodium items, including breakfast grains. Gradually diminish the salt in your eating regimen to give your taste buds time to change. Good dieting tip 10: Mass up on fiber Eating nourishments high in dietary fiber can help you stay general, bring down your danger for coronary illness, stroke, and diabetes, and help you get more fit. Contingent upon your age and sex, sustenance masters prescribe you consume no less than 21 to 38 grams of fiber every day for ideal wellbeing. A hefty portion of us aren't eating a large portion of that sum. All in all, the more common and natural the nourishment, the higher it is in fiber. Great wellsprings of fiber incorporate entire grains, wheat oats, grain, cereal, beans, nuts, vegetables, for example, carrots, celery, and tomatoes, and tree grown foods, for example, fruits, berries, citrus products of the soil, and pears—all the more great motivations to add more foods grown from the ground to your eating methodology. There is no fiber in meat, dairy, or sugar. Refined or "white" sustenances, for example, white bread, white rice, and cakes, have had all or the greater part of their fiber uprooted. A simple approach to add more fiber to your eating regimen is to begin your day with an entire grain oat, for example, Fiber-One or All-Wheat, or by adding natural wheat grain to your most loved cereal. How fiber can help you get more fit Since fiber stays in the stomach longer than different sustenances, the inclination of completion will stay with you any longer, helping you consume less. Eating a lot of fiber can likewise move fat through your digestive framework at a speedier rate so that less of it can be consumed. Furthermore when you top off on high-fiber nourishments, you'll additionally have more vitality for working 

Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarian Diet

Introduction

The term "vegetarian" is used to describe any diet that emphasizes the consumption of plant foods and discourages the consumption of animal foods. In its most restrictive form, a vegetarian diet excludes all animal foods, including animal flesh, dairy products and eggs. Vegan, macrobiotic, and fruitarian diets fall into this category. Less restrictive forms include the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (includes dairy products and eggs) and the lacto-vegetarian diet (includes dairy products). The popularity of vegetarianism is on the rise in the United States, and converts cite personal health, spiritual and religious beliefs, concern about animal welfare, and distress about the economic and environmental consequences of a meat-based diet as reasons for adopting a plant-based diet. This movement towards vegetarianism is consistent with a growing body of research that touts the health benefits of plant-based diets including lower rates of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and heart disease. When carefully planned and well-balanced, vegetarian diets provide sufficent amounts of all essential nutrients. However, because infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women have increased caloric and nutrient needs, care must be taken to include a variety of foods from all food groups (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and, for those vegetarians who consume them, eggs and/or dairy products) to ensure that nutritional needs are met.

Vegetarian diet

History

Throughout human history, advocates of vegetarianism have employed moral and spiritual arguments to express their disdain for eating the flesh of animals. Ancient writers such as Ovid and Plutarch deplored the killing of innocent creatures for food. Plutarch stated: "I am astonished to think what appetite first induced man to taste of a dead carcass or what motive could suggest the notion of nourishing himself with the flesh of animals which he saw, just before, bleating, bellowing, walking, and looking about them." The Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who lived towards the end of the 6th century BC, argued that the flesh of beasts contaminated and brutalized the soul. In recognition of Pythagoras' commitment, vegetarians were known as Pythagoreans until the mid-19th century. Other writers have associated vegetarianism with spiritual enlightenment. According to the 17th century English vegetarian Thomas Tryon, "...by thoroughly cleansing the outward court of terrestrial nature, itopens the windows of the inward senses of the soul." (Whorton, 1994) For these reasons, a variety of religions, including Brahminism, Buddhism, Hinduism and the Seventh Day Adventists encourage followers to abstain from eating meat.
While philosophers have long articulated the moral and spiritual benefits of the vegetarian way of life, the pursuit of vegetarianism for the reasons of health did not begin until the 19th Century. Early in the 1800s, scientific and medical evidence for the benefits of plant-based diets began to emerge. In 1806, a London physician named William Lambe cured himself of longstanding illness by abstaining from meat. Encouraged by his experience, Lambe began to treat his patients with the same diet prescription. His work eventually convinced many of his colleagues that a plant-based diet was as, or more healthy than a meat-based diet. Around the same time in the United States, a popular health reform movement was gathering steam. This movement was initiated by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham, most well-known now as the father of the Graham cracker. Graham, who preached on temperance and denounced the growing use of refined flour, was also a vegetarian. Following the establishment of the British Vegetarian Society in 1847, Graham worked to organize a similar group in America, and the American Vegetarian Society was founded in 1850. In the late 1800s, John Harvey Kellog, a Seventh Day Adventist and the maker of cereals bearing his family name, labored to make Americans aware of the nutritional benefits of vegetarianism.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, scientists continued to evaluate the health benefits of vegetarian diets. But, even as a growing body of scientific evidence emerged to validate this way of life, vegetarianism remained, to a large extent, on the fringe of society. Even as late as the 1970s, vegetarianism was associated with the counter-culture, a diet adhered to only by flower children and religious fanatics.

Popularity

During the last few decades of the 20th Century, the popularity of vegetarianism surged in the United States and Europe, as evidenced by the number of people claiming to be vegetarian and the increase in published literature promoting the health benefits of vegetarian diets. According to one source, in 1994 more than 12 million people in the United States reported themselves to be vegetarians, compared to 6 million in 1986 (Rajaram and Sabate, 2000). The Vegetarian Resource Group, a leading source of information on vegetarianism, reported the results of a 2000 survey that estimated the number of vegetarians in the United States to be only about 5 million people. In Europe, it is estimated that 5% of the populations of both the United Kingdom and Germany are vegetarian, and 4% of the adult population of the Netherlands follows a vegetarian diet (Hebbelinck, 1999). Vegetarians cite personal health, spiritual and religious beliefs, concern about animal welfare, and distress over the economic and environmental consequences of a meat-based diet as reasons for adopting a plant-based diet.
Are you a vegetarian? If so, you are in good company! Famous vegetarians include Mahatma Ghandi, Carl Lewis (Olympic athlete), Natalie Merchant (musician); Vanessa Williams (actress and singer); Raffi (children's musician); Dean Ornish, MD (cardiologist and author); Paul McCartney (rock musician); Desmond Howard (Heisman trophy winner); Dustin Hoffman (actor); Tony LaRussa (pro-baseball manager); and Fred Rogers (TV's Mr. Rogers).

Principles

In general, the term "vegetarian" is used to describe any diet that emphasizes the consumption of plant foods, avoids the consumption of animal flesh, and discourages the consumption of other animal products. In its most restrictive form, a vegetarian diet excludes all animal foods, including animal flesh, dairy products and eggs. Vegan, macrobiotic, and fruitarian diets fall into this category. Less restrictive forms include the lacto-ovo vegatarian diet (includes dairy products and eggs) and the lacto-vegetarian diet (includes dairy products). Interestingly, many people who claim to be "vegetarian" do not fit into any of the categories above. Many who consider themselves vegetarian eat fish on occasion, while other self-defined vegetarians include poultry and/or pork in their diet.
To be considered healthy, a vegetarian diet should include daily consumption of a variety of foods from all the plant groups, such as grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, plant oils, herbs and spices. To maximize the nutritional value of their diet, vegetarians should choose whole, organic, minimally processed foods, and go easy on highly processed foods, junk foods and sweets. A vegetarian diet featuring lots of chips, cookies and frozen confections, even if made from organic ingredients, will not promote health.

Research

A significant body of population-based research documents the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. For example, a paper published in 1999 summarized the results of a study associating diet with chronic disease in a group of nearly 35,000 Seventh day Adventists living in California. The members of the group who followed a vegetarian diet (defined as eating no red meat, poultry, or fish)had lower incidences of many diseases, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ischemic heart disease than the nonvegetarians (Fraser, 1999). Also in 1999, Key, et al., analyzed the combined results from five studies involving a total of more than 76,000 people that compared the incidence of disease among vegetarians (defined as eating no red meat, poultry or fish) to that of nonvegetarians with similar lifestyles. Mortality from ischemic heart disease was 24% lower in vegetarians than nonvegetarians (Key, et al).
For many years, the health benefits of vegetarian diets were thought to be due to the absence of meat and other animal fats in the diet, and the subsequent reduction in the intake of several known dietary villains such as total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. In support of this explanation, scientists pointed to results of research studies that link high intake of the above-mentioned dietary villains to an increased risk for various medical conditions including heart disease and cancer. Researchers have also suggested that the health benefits of vegetarian diets are due, at least in part, to other healthy lifestyle choices that often accompany vegatarianism, such as increased physical activity and not smoking.
Clearly, avoiding meat and animal fats and increasing physical activity contribute to the health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. However, recent research has focused on the presence of a variety of specific nutrients in plant foods that have health-promoting qualities.

• Fiber: Plant foods such as whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and nuts provide dietary fiber. High intake of dietary fiber may reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, premenstrual syndrome, and colon cancer.
• Antioxidants: Fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, and carotenoids, all of which act as antioxidants, protecting your cells from the damaging effects of free radicals
• Phytonutrients: Plant foods contain a variety of unique nutrients such as phytoestrogens, indoles, isothiocyanates, and flavonoids. Emerging research indicates that these nutrients may help prevent cancer, heart disease, and other degenerative diseases.

Advocates of vegetarianism also point to research on the environmental impact of meat-based diets to support their lifestyle. Consider these facts:

• Thirty-eight percent of total grain production worldwide is fed to chicken, pigs, and cattle. Seventy percent of grain production in the United States is fed to livestock. (Gussow, 1994)
• The United States is losing approximately 4 million acres of cropland each year due to soil erosion. It is estimated that 85% of this topsoil loss is directly related to raising livestock. (The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook, 1995)
• More than 4,000 gallons of water are needed to produce a single day's worth of food for the typical meat eater. In comparison, an ovo-lacto vegetarian requires only 1,200 gallons of water, and a vegan needs a mere 300 gallons. (The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook, 1995)
• One pound of pork that provides between 1000 and 2000 calories takes 14,000 calories of energy to produce in the United States. (Gussow, 1994)
• Huge livestock farms generate an estimated five tons of animal manure for every person in the United States. In one day, a single hog farm produces the same amount of raw waste as a city of 12,000 people. In one year, a large egg farm yields enough manure to fill 1,400 dump trucks. Manure from livestock farms pollutes rivers and lakes, resulting in overgrowth of algae and pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms.
• In Latin America, 20 million hectares of tropical forest have been converted to cattle pasture since 1970. This deforestation has had a devastating impact on plant and animal diversity in Latin America. (Gussow, 1994)
• Many medical authorities link the emergence of foodborne pathogens such as E.coli and Mad Cow disease with factory farming methods.
• One-third of the irrigation water in the State of California is used to produce feed for dairy cattle.

Foods Emphasized

Vegetarian diets emphasize the consumption of grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, soy products, nuts, and seeds.

Foods Avoided

All true vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, and poultry. Strict vegetarian diets also exclude dairy products and eggs, while more liberal vegetarian diets include dairy products and eggs.

Nutrient Excesses/Deficiencies

Historically, vegetarian diets have been condemned by nutritionists for providing inadequate amounts of several important nutrients that are found primarily in animal foods including iron, protein, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. However, it is now widely accepted by most nutritionists that vegetarian diets, when a variety of plant foods are included, can meet or exceed the nutritional requirements of most individuals.
Although vegetarian diets do tend to be lower in iron than meat-based diets, vegetarians do not have a higher rate of iron deficiency anemia than meat eaters. This may be explained by the fact that the iron found in vegetarian diets (in vegetables and unrefined grains) is often accompanied, in the food or in the meal, by large amounts of vitamin C, which increases the absorption of the mineral.
Vegetarians also tend to eat less protein than meat-eaters, but their intake still exceeds the required amounts. Several decades ago, it was believed that vegetarians had to eat complementary proteins at each meal to ensure adequate intake of all the essential amino acids. It is now known that vegetarians need not worry about complementary proteins at each meal, as long as they ensure intake of foods containing all essential amino acids during the day. For more information on complementary proteins, see the article on protein in our nutrient database.
Since vitamin D-fortified milk is the primary food source of vitamin D in the United States, vegetarians who exclude dairy products from their diet may require a supplemental source, especially if they do not have consistent exposure to the sun.
As is the case with vitamin D, the calcium intake of vegetarians depends to a great extent on whether or not dairy products are included in the diet. All vegetarians should incorporate plant foods (dark green leafy vegetables and organic tofu) that contain calcium, but this is especially important for those who exclude dairy products. Interestingly, because vegetarian diets tend to be lower in protein, vegetarians may retain more calcium than meat-eaters, thus promoting bone health.
Vegans must pay attention to their intake of vitamin B12 since this vitamin occurs primarily in animal foods, and its deficiency can cause a variety of irreversible neurological problems. A study published in 1999 involving 245 Australian Seventh-day Adventist ministers evaluated the vitamin B12 status of lactovo-vegetarianns and vegans who were not taking vitamin B12 supplements. Seventy three percent of the participants had low serum vitamin B12 concentrations. (Hokin, 1999) Interestingly, vitamin B12 cannot be made by animals or plants, but only by microorganisms, like bacteria. When plant foods are fermented with the use of B12-producing bacteria, they end up containing B12. Otherwise, they usually don't. Sea plants are an exception to the fermented plant rule since they can contain small amounts of B12 from contact with microorganisms in the ocean. Although animals cannot make vitamin B12, they are able to store B12 in their liver and muscles. The storage of B12 by animals explains why animal foods are the primary food sources of dietary B12.
Another nutrient to which vegetarians should pay special attention is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is an omega 3 fatty acidsbelieved to play an important role in the development and function of the central nervous system, as well as the eyes. It occurs naturally in meat, fish, eggs, and milk. DHA an also be synthesized by the body from alpha-linolenic acid, an omega 3 essential fatty acid, although it is not yet clear to what extent this conversion actually takes place. This process is slowed by the presence of large amounts of another essential fatty acid called linoleic acid, which is an omega 6 fat found in corn, safflower and sunflower oils. Vegetarians, and especially vegans, may want to supplement with DHA. To maintain a beneficial ratio of omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6 fatty acids, they may also want to and/or substitute foods containing alpha-linolenic acid, such as flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and soybeans for foods containing linoleic acid.

Who Benefits

A vegetarian diet may be especially beneficial for overweight individuals, as well as for women with premenstrual syndrome and individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure and/or cardiovascular disease.

Who is Harmed

Because infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women have increased caloric and nutrient needs, individuals in any of these groups choosing to follow a vegetarian diet must take care to include a variety and adequate amount of food from all food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds) to ensure that nutritional needs are met.

Menu Ideas

These vegetarian recipes were developed by the George Mateljan Foundation.

Resources

For additional information about vegetarianism, contact the following organizations:

• Earthsave
• www.earthsave.org

• The North American Vegetarian Society
• P.O. Box 72
• Dolgeville, NY 13329
• Phone: 518-568-7970

• Vegetarian Resource Center
• P.O. Box 38-1068
• Cambridge, MA 02238
• Phone: 617-625-3790

• The Vegetarian Resource Group
• P.O. Box 1463
• Baltimore, MD 21203
• Phone: 410-366-8343

References

• Beilin LJ. Vegetarian and other complex diets, fats, fiber, and hypertension. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(suppl): 1130S-5S. 1994.
• Craig WJ. Iron status of vegetarians. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(suppl): 1233S-7S. 1994.
• Editors of Vegetarian Times. Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. Macmillan: New York, 1995. 1995.
• Fraser GE. Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70(suppl): 532S-8S. 1999.
• Gibson RS. Content and bioavailability of trace elements in vegetarian diets. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(suppl): 1223S-32S. 1994.
• Gussow JD. Ecology and vegetarian considerations: does environmental responsibility demand the elimination of livestock?. Am J Clin Nutr; 59(suppl): 1110S-6S. 0.
• Haddad EH, Sabate J, Whitten CG. Vegetarian food guide pyramid: a conceptual framework. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70(suppl): 615S-9S. 1999.
• Hebbelinck M, Clarys P, de Malsche A. Growth, development, and physical fitness of Flemish vegetarian children, adolescents and young adults. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70(suppl): 579S-85S. 1999.
• Herbert V. Staging vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) status in vegetarians. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(suppl): 1213S-22S. 1994.
• Hokin BD, Butler T. Cyanocobalamin (vitamin B-12) status in Seventh-day Adventist ministers in Australia. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70(suppl): 576S-8S. 1999.
• Key TJ, et al. Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70(suppl): 516S-24S. 1999.
• Rajaram S, Sabate J. Health benefits of a vegetarian diet. Nutrition 2000; 16: 531-533. 2000.
• Sanders TAB, Reddy S. Vegetarian diets and children. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(suppl):1176S-81S. 1994.
• Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(suppl): 1238S-41S. 1994.
• Whorton JC. Historical development of vegetarianism. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(suppl): 1103S-9S. 1994.
• Willett WC. Convergence of philosophy and science: the Third International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 79(suppl): 434S-8S. 1999.

Source: whfoods.com