The advantages of being a vegetarian The most important are to prevent cancer, reduce blood pressure, help lose weight, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, or avoid premature aging. However, it also has disadvantages that we will discuss.
It is difficult to relate being a vegetarian with some kind of positive or negative effect, since it is associated with an idea of guaranteeing health, without the possibility of causing problems. And although this statement is not without reason, the truth is that little is also said about the adverse repercussions.
Experts do not recommend converting to this mode of nutrition if you are in a growth period (adolescence) or if you are in an advanced age. Also, people who are breastfeeding should also not adhere to vegetarianism. In short, the ideal age range is between 20 and 60 years.
If you are a vegetarian, you can significantly reduce your risk of colon cancer. Increasing the intake of fiber and reducing that of red meat are two of the most important keys.
This benefit has already been proven by various investigations, among which we find that of Loma Linda University in California (United States).
In it, they studied 77,000 adults for seven years, including vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Finally, it was concluded that those who followed a vegetarian diet showed a lower percentage to suffer from colon cancer than those who did not..
Subsequently, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also reaffirmed these studies.
According to various researches, the vegetarian diet helps to lower blood pressure naturally. So if you suffer from high blood pressure, feel free to try a vegetarian diet..
Going vegetarian will also help you lose weight. A well-planned diet can help you lose up to two kilos a week. Therefore, you have to choose which low-calorie foods are appropriate.
This has been confirmed by research carried out in Nutrition Reviews, who affirmed that the loss of kilos is one of the main causes of stopping eating meats. Likewise, another study carried out with 50 thousand people reached the same conclusion.
Did you know that one of the consequences of being a vegetarian leads to a reduction in the possibility of suffering from type 2 diabetes?
The following study found that following a vegetarian diet helps to avoid obesity and consequently reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
On the other hand, if you already have diabetes, you can help control it naturally. This has been affirmed by this scientific research. The "fault" is with fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, which increase insulin resistance, resulting in a lower risk of contracting some type of complication.
When we stop eating foods of animal origin, our levels of triglycerides, general cholesterol and therefore, LDL or bad cholesterol are reduced.
A study carried out by the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), analyzed 2000 subjects, concluding that vegetarians tend to have lower cholesterol levels than the rest.
Being a vegetarian results in a production of a higher number of antioxidants for our body. According to research, there is less antioxidant stress and what leads to a better preservation of our body, both externally and internally.
Derived from the previous consequence, by enjoying a higher concentration of antioxidants, we will tend to prevent our body from wearing out more quickly.
The consequence of this will be a lower risk of suffering from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
When we stop eating meats, we also stop introducing saturated fat and cholesterol into our body, thus providing soluble fiber.
What does this translate to? At a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks or atherosclerosis.
Several studies have shown that women who are vegetarians have a lower risk of breast cancer.
In addition, the data reflect that this type of cancer is less in places where the consumption of meat is not so widespread, such as the countries of Southeast Asia.
It is proven that diets that are rich in meats eliminate large amounts of uric acid and oxalate for the kidneys, which leads to the formation of kidney stones.
For this reason, the vegetarian diet ensures that patients prone to kidney stone formations can effectively prevent them.
Likewise, once meat consumption is reduced, both the level of saturated fat and cholesterol decrease, avoiding gallstones..
Bones are nourished by animal protein, and as this study points out, its deficiency causes our bone health to be weakened.
Other scientific research claimed that vegetarians had approximately 5% lower bone density than non-vegetarians.
That is why you have to take special care with the consumption of proteins, calcium, iron or vitamin D.
Did you know that vitamin B12 is only obtained from meat foods? This is one of the main problems of vegetarians.
The fatal consequence of this is iron deficiency, which leads to the appearance of anemia. According to a study, 92% of vegans have clear symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiencies.
Another of the great problems of vitamin B12 deficiency is the decrease in energy. Vegetarian foods do not by themselves provide the necessary amount to make our body manage to maintain itself in the same way as it would with meats.
The solution is translated into the intake of supplements or algae that acquire the vitamin through bacterial synthesis or contamination..
The set of deficiencies, such as the aforementioned vitamin B12, zinc or other types of nutrients make our immune system less strong and increase the chances of contracting some type of disease.
If you know a vegetarian, it is very likely that they show cavities and different dental deficiencies.
A study found that meat foods help improve our dental plaque and keep various dental diseases at bay. This is because L-arginine, which reduces the microorganisms that cause oral problems.
With this you have to be careful. In a document published by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vegetarians are claimed to have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
This is essential to maintain proper cardiovascular health. Now, if you solve the problem with supplements, you will even be able to strengthen your health, as explained in the section on positive consequences..
Vegetarianism is not generally recommended for bodybuilders. Large doses of protein are needed to build muscle mass, something that a vegetarian diet lacks.
For this reason, if you want to gain muscle mass and not lose it, you should not stop eating meat..
Vegetable proteins are termed incomplete. This means that they are much more difficult to absorb than animal proteins..
This will force you to ingest the appropriate supplements and to make a correct combination of vegetables so as not to suffer any type of problem.
Starting a vegetarian diet can lead to a series of unsatisfactory side effects for our body.
Due to the immediate decrease in arachymonic acid, we will be more likely to suffer depressive episodes. This has been verified by research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Also, another of the effects that usually appear during the first days of a diet is the common feeling of discomfort. This is explained by the lack of tryptophan, a generator of seretonin that is responsible for the production of the sensation of well-being..
This is stated by Julia Ross, nutritionist and founder of The Nutriotional Therapy Institute: "Vegetarian diets contain low amounts of tryptophan, which makes people vulnerable".
There are a large number of types of vegetarians. Depending on the branch, we can find the following:
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