Heal benifits to being vegetarian?

Hey all, I recently decided to go vegetarian. It was originally going to be for 2 weeks or so. Its been a little over 2 weeks now and I can't bring myself to eat meat, with the exception of seafood every now and again. Is there any health benefits to not eating red meat, chicken and pork? I never really ate pork before because its a dirty meat but that's beside the point.

Also if anyone have some nice vegetarian meal and snack ideas please share. I'm getting sick of pizza and stir fry.

Hey, tommy34.

There are many health benefits of going Vegetarian, some of which include lower cholesterol (and its associated risks like heart disease), lower risk of certain cancers, and "the ability to maintain weight easier" (last one's from a textbook on nutrition--I don't exactly agree!). Research has shown a correlation between red meat consumption and higher risk of certain cancers--May be due to the way heme-iron is digested. Jury's out on this one at the moment, lol.

As far as recipes go, do you like beans? There are tons of recipes you can make with beans. Have you tried quinoa? It's technically a seed used as a grain. Post back what foods you do like.

I like all foods. I love bean, my gf doesn't like the repercussions but she will live

P.s. the title is meant to be health not heal.

I don't think being vegetarian is automatically healthier. A diet based on whole, non-processed foods however is the best. Fiber, anti-oxidants, vits and minerals.

Mehm said:

I don't think being vegetarian is automatically healthier. A diet based on whole, non-processed foods however is the best. Fiber, anti-oxidants, vits and minerals.

Click to expand...

Vegetarian diets are typically healthier than the Standard American Diet (SAD), but a diet like you described is a ideal. The minimal amount of processing a food has had to go through to get to your table, the better.

I agree with Mehm about how unprocessed diets are best.

I'm a big fan of carrots dipped in hummus for a quick and easy snack. I also like dipping carrots in greek yogurt.

I'm not a big fan of cheese. I think it should be used more as a condiment, and never as a main course. A lot of vegetarians who do b/c of their love of animals (not neccessarily for health reasons) simply seem to replace meat with cheese. Or worse, those additive-ladled processed soy-shits. Cheese is mostly fat and soy is full of estrogen.

Veggie and bean soups and stews are both viable, cheap options. You can use a slow cooker to cook soups and stews all day, and then when you get home your house smells WONDERFUL!

I love veggie omelets, too. You can mix a few eggs with spinach, bell peppers, muchrooms, or onions etc. It makes a great meal ANY time of day.

My personal favorite lately is just a simple salad with romaine lettuce, onions, carrots, and tomatoes.

I'm not a vegetarian, but was one for years, and still eat mostly veg b/c you CAN be really healthy.

I'm a big fan of carrots dipped in hummus for a quick and easy snack.

Click to expand...

that is delicious! One thing I am careful with regarding hummus is the salt content of some brands...

some other recommends would be multi-grain hot meals such as oat, flax, quinoa. I've been sprouting recently which is a great way of preparing raw grains and beans. It takes a couple of days though so you have to be on top of it.

I agree that avoiding cheese as a staple is one of the hardest things for new vegetarians. Try re fried beans from a can (low sodium type) for an easy "substitute".

peace!

Vegetarian/Vegan diet is simply de facto healthier. (Even if you consume non-GMO, organic meat/dairy/poultry etc) Animal compouds speed up the aging process and promote disease. We know this is a scientific fact now.

See 'The China Study'.


Of course one can still have a shitty diet even if they are veg.

delta_9 said:

Vegetarian/Vegan diet is simply de facto healthier. (Even if you consume non-GMO, organic meat/dairy/poultry etc) Animal compouds speed up the aging process and promote disease. We know this is a scientific fact now.

See 'The China Study'.


Of course one can still have a shitty diet even if they are veg.

Click to expand...

Cheers! That was the kind of info I was looking for. I love hummus an I think ill make my own. I'm not doing this because I love animals (which I do) but one reason is that beef cattle have a negative side effect to the planet, so I guess I feel like I'm doing a little bit to help.

Thanks for all the healthy ideas

^^just want to point out that if you are concerned with beef farming you should consider giving up dairy as well.

^Indeed, you may as well just go all out and not eat any food at all from the animal kingdom like I do.
This way you can feel like you're doing even more to help and your body will also love you for it

if you like being veggie, try vegan!

They say that if you are a vegetarian who consistently consumes everything your body needs, you're likely to live a few years longer than the average person who eats meat. The problem is that most vegetarians are lacking essential nutrients in their diets. I'm not sure what's worse, eating a balanced diet with meat or not getting enough nutrients from a vegetarian diet. I feel totally fine eating a balanced diet with meat. Being vegetarian is too much work in my opinion. I've done it before and I was not the healthiest person, but that might be because I wasn't eating enough.

It's not really about what you don't eat. It's about what you do eat. I was vegetarian for years and my health went from bad to basically being at deaths door... why? Because I was loading up on things like soy, GMO corn, wheat, processed foods, cheese etc. All things I am pretty much completely allergic or intolerant to, not to mention things which are majorly acidifying.

Then I went back to eating meat and dropped all the grains and dairy. Was much healthier.

Now, I'm wanting to go completely vegan. But it will be totally different than before. I realize now that it's not as simple as just not eating meat. It's about what I will be eating. A 90% raw, completely organic whole foods diet based on living foods such as sprouts. Lots of alkaline greens, lemon water. Avocados and fresh fruit. Olives. Coconut. Tons of living protein (sprouted lentils are a good source). For me, getting and keeping myself alkaline seems to be the biggest thing in health. Since I've been getting myself alkaline, my teeth (which were already healing from oil pulling daily) have healed completely. There were cracks in them that are now filled in entirely with new bone. It's pretty amazing.

So yes I believe it can be the healthiest diet but it depends on how far you want to go with it. Not everyone wants to live on greens and sprouts the way I do (hint- it takes eating a LOT of greens to get enough nutrition, you wouldn't believe the steamed greens I eat per day and also it is expensive).

Sorry for rambling, basically what I'm trying to say is that being a lazy vegetarian is probably less healthy than just eating meat. It was for me. But being a super hardcore raw food vegan can be healthy, when done right.

edit- wanted to add that everyone has a different body in a unique state and some people need meat for whatever reason, at least for where they are currently at. I needed a lot of meat during the time I was healing from what all that soy did to my body. So I would never say that being vegan is healthy for everyone, just that it can be for some who are ready to do what it takes to do it right. Follow your intuition and listen to your body.

mynameisnotdeja, can i ask why would you become vegan again (even if you do it way more planned and better) when you admit you felt really healthy and well eating meat ?

nodeja: I want to tell you that I find your journey through nutrition to be incredibly interesting and inspiring

Also, you might want to consider a small indoor greens grow so you don't have to buy so much at the store. It would only take a few fluorescent lights, a cardboard box, and some planters. You could move it outside once it warms up. Just a thought

or better yet she can lower her consumption of what you kids now days refer to as "greens". too much of anything bad for you, i cant seem to understand why vegetarians think they are so superior that they can say the phrase "too much of anything is bad for you" to anyone who is not vegetarian but not look at themselves and consider their lifestyle.

^Were you like, beat up by a bunch of vegetarians or something? Because you seem quite angry at them(us) for no reason.

why would i beat up a bunch of vegetarians ? do you have such simple mind you seperate between meat eaters and plant eaters only ? im a normal person, meaning i eat both at moderate amounts. but by far if i have to be honest, i noticed vegetarians to be more bitter as people. they always whine about animals and meat products while compared to meat eaters who dont judge others.

asecin said:

why would i beat up a bunch of vegetarians ? do you have such simple mind you seperate between meat eaters and plant eaters only ? im a normal person, meaning i eat both at moderate amounts. but by far if i have to be honest, i noticed vegetarians to be more bitter as people. they always whine about animals and meat products while compared to meat eaters who dont judge others.

Click to expand...

Right, so I'm 'abnormal' because I choose not to eat meat? And you say I'm judging people? Wow.

Copy/Pasted from the other thread(vegetarians are lazy too )

Myself said:

Gimme a break dude, if you have nothing to contribute to this topic(it's obvious you don't), then kindly leave.

Click to expand...