7 Surprising Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet from milaeryomina's blog

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For many individuals, meat is the star of a meal. But cutting back on meat — or cutting it out altogether — could help you become a healthier version of yourself. A vegetarian diet can offer unique benefits to your body and the environment. So, whether you are considering going vegetarian or you’ve been eating that way for years, let’s explore some of the unique benefits of eliminating meat from your diet.

Vegetarian Diet

First things first, a vegetarian diet could refer to several different eating patterns. Generally, vegetarian diets include non-animal products, like fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, etc. But when it comes to animal byproducts, like eggs and dairy, vegetarian diets can differ.

On EatLove, we categorize a vegetarian diet into the following groups:

  • Vegetarian (lacto-ovo): A diet that excludes meat and seafood but includes dairy and eggs
  • Lacto-vegetarian: A diet that excludes meat, seafood, and eggs but includes dairy
  • Ovo-vegetarian: A diet that excludes meat, seafood, and dairy but includes eggs
  • Vegan: A diet that excludes meat, seafood, dairy, and eggs

For the purpose of this blog post, we mean the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet when we refer to a vegetarian diet.

Note that a vegetarian diet is a general approach to eating. It does not include specific macro or micro requirements. This diet just focuses on eating more plant-based foods.

Now that we’ve discussed the basics of a vegetarian diet, let’s dive into some of the surprising benefits.

Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

When individuals follow a vegetarian diet that provides them with the adequate nutrients they need, this type of diet can result in a number of health benefits. Check out the list below to discover some of the unique advantages to a vegetarian diet.

1. Boost Heart Health

A vegetarian diet has been shown to help boost your heart health in a number of different ways.

  • Lower blood pressure
  • Reduce risk of heart disease
  • Lower cholesterol

A vegetarian diet may offer these heart-healthy benefits due to foods that are higher in fiber and unsaturated fats. Both of these nutrients help manage the body’s cholesterol. Plus, a vegetarian diet has lower levels of saturated fats, total fats, and cholesterol in the diet compared to meat-based diets.

2. Help the Environment

Eating a vegetarian diet can also benefit the environment. Animals emit greenhouse gases, resulting in a larger carbon footprint than vegetables or grains. In fact, a meat-based diet increases carbon emissions 2.5 times more than a plant-based diet. These greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and climate changes around the world.

In addition to contributing to greenhouse gases, a meat-based diet requires a lot of other resources. Animals need water to survive and grow. A single chicken breast requires over 140 gallons of water. In contrast, plants generally don’t require as much water throughout their lifetime compared to their yield. A study by the European Commission revealed that a vegetarian diet could reduce water consumption by 27% to 41%.

Finally, animals require more land than plants to thrive. Cattle, in particular, take up more agricultural land than other domesticated animals and crops combined! A vegetarian diet requires less than half of the agricultural land that domesticated animals need.

3. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

A vegetarian diet may also help you avoid Type 2 diabetes as you age. In studies, sticking to a vegetarian diet was associated with a 35% to 53% lower risk of developing diabetes.

How can plant-based foods help reduce the risk of diabetes? Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include obesity and fat distribution in the body. Fatty tissue causes the body to be more resistant to insulin. A plant-based diet reduces saturated fats and cholesterol, which can help reduce fatty tissue in turn.

4. Manage Weight

Plant-based diets can help you manage your weight, too. While this lifestyle choice doesn’t inherently cause weight loss, it can help you cut down on fatty tissues and empty calories so that you can better manage your weight.

However, a vegetarian diet could cause you to gain weight if your portion sizes are too big or if you eat more high-calorie or high-fat foods. To best manage your weight, you should follow a vegetarian diet tailored to your health and body composition. EatLove makes it easy to find meals with the perfect balance of nutrients to help you manage your weight while sticking to a vegetarian diet.

5. Keep Your Brain Sharp

Plant-based foods can help keep your brain healthy. Studies have shown that consuming more plant-based foods could be linked to lower rates of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and cognitive impairments. This could be because produce and whole grains are rich in polyphenols, which have been found to slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. However, further research is needed to determine the exact correlation between a vegetarian diet and cognitive performance.

6. Prevent Cancer

Eating a vegetarian diet could also help you reduce your risk of developing cancer. Plants contain phytochemicals that may help protect your cells from damage. They are also high in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, helping individuals remain healthier. Plus, a vegetarian diet may help manage weight — as we’ve discussed — which is a risk factor for cancer.

Additionally, red meat and processed meats have been linked to certain kinds of cancers, including colon, rectum, prostate, pancreatic, and stomach. By eliminating these meats from your diet, you can reduce cancer risk.

7. Reduce Risk of Food-Borne Illness

Have you ever had food poisoning? Not fun. While eating vegetarian doesn’t completely eliminate your risk of food-borne illness, it does significantly cut down on the risk. That’s because meat, poultry, seafood, and fish are the common culprits in cases of food-borne illness. But don’t think that a vegetarian or vegan diet will keep you from getting sick. There are still plenty of bacteria and contaminants that can appear on your produce as well.

Conclusion

A vegetarian diet could help you boost your overall health and reduce your risk for health complications if you stick to proper portions and nutrient levels for your body. However, you don’t have to be a strict vegetarian to enjoy these benefits. You can try eating vegetarian for 1 or 2 meals each week. Get ideas on vegetarian meals that fit your nutritional needs and food preferences on EatLove. Sign up for a free trial to get started.


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annaroccova
May 10 '22, 04:11AM
When a person wants to switch to vegetarianism, he is tormented by one question: will he not spend more on food? After all, a small piece of meat is enough to fill up, while vegetarians have to eat portions of a much larger, at first glance, size. Especially if a vegetarian leads an active lifestyle. Experienced or just people who understand this issue know that there is a way not to spend more on food. For example, at https://20easyrecipes.com/ you will find many interesting recipes.When a person wants to switch to vegetarianism, he is tormented by one question: will he not spend more on food? After all, a small piece of meat is enough to fill up, while vegetarians have to eat po...See more
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