Vegetarian: Got Milk? Reasons not to Grab for the Glass

Many Americans, including some vegetarians, still consume large amounts of dairy products, but here are several strong reasons to eliminate dairy products from your diet.

Milk has long been praised as a ‘weapon’ in the war against osteoporosis, but recent clinical research shows that it really is associated with a higher break risk, and there’s been no protective effect of dairy calcium on bone. Increasing your intake of green leafy vegetables and beans, along with exercising have been shown to help strengthen bones and increase their density.

Dairy products are also a significant source of stout and cholesterol in the diet, which can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. A low-stout vegetarian diet that eliminates dairy products, as well as adequate amounts of exercise, proper stress management and quitting smoking not only will help prevent heart disease, but could also reverse it.

Ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers have been linked to dairy product consumption. According to a recent study by Daniel Cramer, a Harvard doctor, when excessive amounts of dairy products are consumed and the body’s enzymes are unable to keep pace with breaking down the lactose; it can build up in the blood and affect a woman’s ovaries.

Another recent study showed that men who had the highest levels of IGF-I, (insulin-like growth factor) which is found in cow’s milk, they were at four times the risk of prostate cancer compared to those men who had the lowest levels of IGF-I.

In addition, milk may not provide a consistent and reliable source of Vitamin D in the diet. Milk samplings have been found to have inconsistent levels of Vitamin D, and some have been found to have as much as 500 times the indicated safe level. Excess Vitamin d in the blood can be toxic and can result in calcium deposits in the body’s soft tissues.

Milk proteins, milk sugar, stout, and saturated stout in dairy products may pose health risks for children and lead to the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and formation of plaques in the circulatory system that can lead to heart disease.

By choosing to consume a nutrient-dense, healthful diet of grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fortified foods including cereals and juices, you can help meet your body’s calcium, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin D requirements easily and simply, without the added health risks from dairy product consumption.

Vegetarian Dishes: Remembering The Reasons For A Vegetarian Season

Christmas is a season of peace, like and harmony. It’s a time that brings families and friends together to reconnect and find comfort and happiness being together. It’s also about respect for fellow man, appreciating and embracing one another’s differences. Take some time over the holiday season to reflect on the reasons for your choice to become vegetarian, and enforce your commitment and dedication to the vegetarian lifestyle. What reason, or reasons, helped you choose that vegetarianism was the right choice for you?

Was it Economic? A meat-based diet can be very expensive. Fresh produce bought in season can be very affordable, and can be prepared (dried, canned, frozen) so that it can be loved later in the season.

Was it Ethical? Did you choose not to eat meat because of the meat processing techniques are incredibly cruel to animals? Do some research on the internet or the library, visit the PETA website, and you’re very likely to find more credible reasoning that affirms your choice.

Was it Environmental? A vegetarian lifestyle is more environmentally friendly – large ranching operations cause topsoil erosion, coyotes and other natural predators are ruined routinely to protect herds of cows which are only slaughtered anyway later on, and commercial fishing operations are damaging the ocean’s ecosystems.

Was it to Improve Your Health? Eating a vegetarian diet has been shown to be a very healthy lifestyle, as it helps fight heart disease, reduces cancer risks, lowers cholesterol, helps lower blood sugar and reverse the effects of diabetes, lowers the obesity risk, and reduces the risk of osteoporosis, as meat consumption has been shown to promote bone loss.

And remember: just because it’s Christmas, it doesn’t mean you can’t delight in many of the same wonderful holiday treats you’ve become accustomed to, as long as they are prepared with your vegetarian lifestyle in mind. Breads, cookies prepared with vegetable shortening, egg substitutes, whole grain flours and soymilks, numerous choices for vegetable dishes and salads can all be loved by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike during the holiday! So remember the reason for the season, reaffirm your reasoning for your life choice, and be proud of it, and of yourself.

Turning Vegetarian – Some Good Reasons To Adopt Vegetarianism

The modern diet that relies heavily on meat and animal products is both unhealthy and wasteful of the earth’s resources. By becoming a vegetarian you can contribute to the preservation of scarce resources and delight in a healthier diet.

Meat and dairy production is a large scale industry that consumes vast amounts of grain and soy beans. Fantastic tracts of forest have been cut down to provide grazing land for cattle contributing to the problem of global warming.

This resource hungry industry provides more food for the rich world than ever before. Yet many people go hungry while we in the rich industrialized world suffer from a whole range of diseases that are caused by eating too much meat and animal stout.

An estimated 800 million people live in the shadow of hunger. World hunger is increasing at a rate of 4 million a year.

If all the farm produce that is used to feed animals was used to feed people a vegetarian diet then no one in the world would need to be hungry. It takes 7.5 pounds of animal feed to produce 1 pound an pork and 5 pounds to produce 1 pound of chicken.

The American pork industry consumed 1.08 billion bushels of corn in 2004 and 265 million bushels of soybeans. This makes competition between humans and animals.

When we factor in the use of fossil fuels in the livestock industry for heating, lighting and transportation then the modern meat based diet starts to look really unsustainable.

It takes one sixth of an acre of land to produce enough food for a vegan but more than three acres to feed a meat eater.

The high price of meat has encouraged many farmers in poor countries to shift away from their traditional crops that provided a largely vegetarian diet. They are increasingly producing livestock that they can sell to richer countries. Two-thirds of the grain that is exported from America goes to feed livestock.

Fishing does not use up grain. But it does not really provide a sustainable alternative to meat. Most of the world’s major fisheries are in decline because of over fishing.

Fish farming is as costly in terms of feed as other forms of livestock farming. It takes 5 pounds of feed to produce a pound of fish.

The only real alternative to this waste of resources is for vegetarianism to become the diet of more people. A vegetarian is taking a stand against the wasteful use of resources.

Choose Health, Choose a Vegetarian or Vegan Diet – 4 Health Reasons

If your health isn’t what it used to be and you want to feel like you did when you were younger, consider a vegetarian or even a vegan diet. Imagine losing weight and having the energy of your childhood all at the same time.

People are looking for a healthier diet more and more. The ancient typical American diet is being questioned and becoming vegetarian or vegan is finding it’s way in to more lifestyles.

Don’t know if you can to go vegetarian or vegan? Wonder if it’s even a healthy diet? I remember being at the same crossroads about 2 years ago. So, I did some research to see if it was for me.

Let’s explore some reasons together and then you choose for yourself.

1. Lower Blood Pressure – studies have shown vegetarians to have lower blood pressure than meat-eaters. When meat is added to a vegetarian diet, blood pressure rises.

2. Cancer Prevention – a plant-based diet is rich in cancer-fighting substances called phytochemicals. Studies have shown a certain reduction in certain types of cancers such as breast cancer, prostrate, ovarian, colon and lung cancer.

3. A Healthy Heart – replacing animal protein with plant protein lowers blood cholesterol levels.

4. Diabetes – current studies have found that in order to control diabetes, foods low in stout and high in fiber and complex carbohydrates is what’s needed. Thus a vegetarian or a vegan diet is the best choice.

And that’s just the beginning to all the health benefits. Research will show additional health benefits.

Still reckon you can’t give up your favorite foods? Wouldn’t it be incredible if you didn’t have to? Well, guess what? You don’t; all you need to do is simply substitute them!

Here’s what you can still eat:

vegetarian “tuna” salad sandwiches
vegetarian “crab” cakes with horseradish sauce
vegetarian “ribs” with corn-on-the-cob and baked potatoes
vegetarian Italian “sausage” with saute’ onion and green peppers

 

Yes that’s right! And that’s just a sample of how fantastic you can eat with meat and dairy substitutes. With meat and dairy substitutes, you’d be surprised how fantastic these meals are.

Here are some of the substitutes I’m talking about:

sour cream
milk (plain and chocolate)
cheddar cheese
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese
cream cheese
margarine
mayonaise
meat substitutes

 

But, you may question, is a vegetarian and especially a vegan diet a healthy one? Well, my research amazed me. You will be surprised to know that it’s not the amount of protein or calcium you should be concerned with, as much as, the quality.

That’s right, QUALITY of protein and calcium is much more vital than amount. Wow, I would never have guessed that.

Fortunately, you will find that all the quality you need is in vegetables, legumes (beans, peas and lentils), grains, fruit and tofu.

As intelligent consumers, it’s time we open our eyes to the information we’ve been given by the meat and dairy industry since 1912. It’s time we do research not paid for by these two industries so we can choose what we want for our own bodies.

Reasons for Choosing a Vegetarian Diet

Let us start with a brief background on some the reasons people have chosen a vegetarian diet in our history:

The thought of vegetarianism is not a new one, by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed man has in one way or another eaten vegetarian diets since his beginnings. Granted, the first vegetarians did so only out necessity. Meat may not have been available due to harsh winters, animal migrational patterns or even poor tribal leadership. Only foraged food would have been available under such circumstances.

As man evolved and became more able to manipulate his environment, so came the option to choose. Available facts point to the first vegetarian ideologies being practiced in Egypt around 3,200BC where some religious groups abstained from eating flesh, as they believed it produced terrible karma with regards to their reincarnation.

Around 2000BC Hindus, on the Indian sub-continent, started practising vegetarianism in the belief that a vegetarian diet is needed to reach spiritual enlightenment. Even today, Hindus make up the largest percentage of vegetarians on the Earth.

Also from the Indian sub-continent, around 600BC, came the religion of Jainism. In its teachings, Jainism insists that we honor the spiritual nature of all life. Extemely dedicated Jainists go to the extent of straining insects from drinking water and even wearing masks to avoid inhaling small, airborne creatures. They will only eat fruits that have natually fallen from trees and are not supposed to eat honey or rooted plants.

Janism is the only religion requiring their monks to be vegetarian.

Vegetarianism was also popularised in Ancient Greece by many of the fantastic philosophers including Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. Indeed vegetarians in Europe were originally referred to as Pythagoreans, after the Greek Philosopher Pythagoras advocated a vegetarian diet for its nutritional and ethical values. He claimed,

“As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and like.”

It was not until 1847, when the first vegetarian society was formed in Ramsgate, Kent UK, that the name Vegetarian was first conceived. Contrary to well loved belief, the word Vegetarian arose from the Latin word `vegetus`, meaning `lively` which was how early vegetarians claimed their diet made them feel.

Many reason have been voiced in favour of vegetarianism in our history including the long held philosophy that vegetarians are living longer, healthier lives than their meat eating counter-parts. Much evidence has already been accumulated to support these claims.

Now let us look at some of the reasons that justify becoming vegetarian in our modern society.

Necessity

The case of necessity speaks for itself really; anyone unable to find a supply of meat sufficient to sustain life must find an alternative until such time that meat becomes available again.

Economic

An Economic Vegetarian is someone who practices vegetarianism either out of necessity, lack of funds for instance, or because of a conscious or philosophical viewpoint that the consumption of meat is economically unsound and that vegetarianism will help improve public health and curb many starvation issues.

Environmental

Environmental Vegetarians are similar to Economic Vegetarians. According to the United Nations, the livestock sector (cows, chickens, pigs, etc) is one of the three most significant contributors to our most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases. The use of feedlots, for cattle feeding, is one of the most inefficient and environmentally harmful ways of producing meat; yet they still remain widespread throughout cattle farming.

Religion

Many religions support vegetarianism including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Taoism. They offer similar teachings which stress the value of all life and forbids the act of destroying life simply for human gains.

Distaste

Some people genuinely do not delight in the taste of meat, suggesting it tastes sweaty or fatty. Others choose to be vegetarian because they find meat products aesthetically unappetizing. An example being, the carcass of a herd animal lying in a field would attract real carnivores such as huge cats or wolves, but the mere sight would disgust most humans.

Animal Welfare

Many vegetarians, especially western vegetarians, are motivated by animal welfare. They see animals as our friends, with whom we share the world and not as mere food. The fact that most parents actively encourage their children to like and appreciate animals is really contradictory to the way in which humans really respect and treat animals.

Personal Health

Possibly the single most reason more and more people are turning to vegetarianism, current studies are showing that vegetarians are living longer and healthier. A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999 found that the mortality ratio in fish eaters was lowest (0.82) then followed by vegetarians (0.84) occasional meat eaters also at (0.84) compared to regular meat eaters at (1.0).

A recent study shown in the British Medical Journal concluded that,

“Higher IQ at age 10 years was associated with an increased likelihood of being vegetarian at age 30…IQ remained a statistically significant predictor of being vegetarian as an adult…”

Conscience

Conscience is a conglomeration of all the other reasons. It is our moral conscience, which allows us to weigh up what we see, hear and know. It is our choice whether we allow it to influence out daily life. Those who are able to suppress their consciousness, deliberately or otherwise, will ultimately make a choice that will not favour the miss-fortunes of animals.

I hope, that in some way, this article will encourage people to explore vegetarianism as a real option. Whatever reasons for becoming vegetarian, one thing is not in doubt; vegetarianism is here to stay and it looks likely to become the preferred diet of choice for all humans in the not too distant future.