More and more studies are showing that a well-balanced vegetarian diet is a powerful way to protect health. Vegetarians, in general, have lower rates of cancer, heart disease. hypertension, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity. Some possible dietary explanations are that vegetarians generally eat less fat, especially saturated fat, and eat more fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals than meat-eaters. Also, plant protein may have some health benefits over animal protein. Meat-eaters can reap some of the benefits of a vegetarian diet by reducing their fat intake and consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, but current studies seem to suggest that the vegetarians, and especially vegans, still has the healthful edge.
Nutrients are the substances in foods that the body needs for the maintenance, repair and growth of body issues. The superiour health of vegetarians seems to be because their nutrient intake is properly balanced with the body’s needs. The six main categories of nutrients are:
Carbohydrates: Provide energy to the body; there are two kinds of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars, which are naturally occurring in fruits, plant foods and milk, and are rapidly absorbed by the body. Complex carbohydrates are more slowly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and include starches and fiber.
Proteins: Protein is made up from amino acids which are needed for the structural parts of the body (i.e., bones and muscle) as well as the many enzymes and hormones that your body needs to perform and regulate the processes that support life.
Fats: Fats are oils. There are three types of dietary fat, saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. The body uses fats as alternate energy sources, as well as to make some of structural parts of our body cells and hormones. Two fats are essential in our diet, omega-6 fats found in many vegetable oils, and omega- fats found in fish oil and soybeans, flax seed, walnuts, and others.
Vitamins: Vitamins are nutrients that are directly involved in bodily processes. They have a wide variety of functions.
Minerals: Minerals are indestructible elements I foods that the body needs or the structure of body cells, and sometimes as cofactors in bodily enzymatic reactions.
Water: About two thirds of the body is water. Water is use and produced by a variety of bodily processes. Without water, he body will die in as little as three days.
Some nutritionists also add phytochemicals to the list of nutrients that the body needs to thrive. But while it’s becoming increasingly evident that phytochemicals can help to prevent and even treat disease, they have not been shown to be necessary for life itself.
References:
Virginia Messina,
MPH, RD and Mark Messina, PhD. The Vegetarian Way - Total Health
for You and Your Family. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1996.
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