Definition of Vegetarian and Vegetarianism
There is no exact definition of the words 'vegetarian' or 'vegetarianism.' They cover a wide range of meat-restricted eating habits.
In general, a vegetarian is someone whose diet omits animal products, but some vegetarians do eat some meat-products (milk, eggs, meat fats) and some "vegetarians" eat fish, although we prefer a stricter definition of vegetarianism which excludes ALL flesh or meat-eating.
The strictest type of vegetarian is a 'vegan' who avoids all flesh as well as all meat-by-products and who avoids all products of animal origin.
Vegetarian Diet - Adolescents and Teenagers
U.S. researchers say vegetarian teenagers have a healthier diet than their meat-eating counterparts. According to diet researchers at the University of Minnesota a vegetarian diet is actually a good way to get the recommended vitamins and minerals — and avoid fatty junk food in the process.
Adolescent Vegetarianism
“It seems that rather than viewing adolescent vegetarianism as a difficult phase or fad, the dietary pattern could be viewed as a healthy alternative to the traditional American meat-based diet,” epidemiologist Cheryl Perry and colleagues wrote in Sunday’s issue of the journal Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine.
Vegetarian Diet Study
They studied more than 4,500 teenagers and adolescents, average age of about 15, from 31 middle schools and high schools in Minnesota. Of them, about 262, or nearly 6 percent, said they were vegetarian.
They compared the diets of these boys and girls to the Healthy People 2010 recommendations, which are dietary targets issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They include goals of getting less than 30 percent of one’s daily calories from fat and less than 10 percent from saturated fat, eating more than two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables daily.
“Overall, adolescent vegetarians were significantly more likely to meet the dietary recommendations of Healthy People 2010,” Perry’s group wrote. “Vegetarian adolescents were more than twice as likely to eat less than 30 percent of their calories from fat and nearly three times more likely to eat less than 10 percent of their calories from saturated fat,” they added. “They were also 1.4 to two times more likely to eat two or more servings of fruit, three or more servings of vegetables ... and five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily.”
Both the vegetarians and the meat-eaters failed to get enough calcium every day, the researchers found, but the vegetarians got significantly more iron, vitamin A, folate and fiber. They also drank more diet soda and caffeine, which the researchers said reflected the desire of most of the teen-agers to keep weight off.
Vegetarian Diet Study: Conclusions
“Vegetarian adolescents, similar to their adult counterparts, have dietary patterns that, if maintained, could significantly lower their risk of the leading causes of death as adults,” the researchers said.
(Thanks to http://www.greaterthings.com/)
A recent Knight Ridder News Service reported that the decreased age for puberty in girls "could be related to polycarbonate plastic products such as baby bottles, food-can linings and food storage containers."
A much more profound contributor to the diminished age of puberty for both girls and boys is the hormones they get by eating meat and dairy products -- a dietary trend which significantly increases with the affluence of society, helped along by the scientific advances enabling the meat and dairy industries to pump their animals full of hormones.
In his book "Diet for a New America," the Baskin and Robbins fortune heir apparent turned Vegan, John Robbins, cites data showing the change in the age of puberty for Japanese girls from 16.5 years in 1875 to 12.2 years in 1974. He says this is attributable to them changing from their traditional vegetable and rice diet to a "a diet much higher in animal fat."
Even in its optimal performance, the human body can be affected by ingested hormones and hormone look-alike chemicals. (A scary thought when you think of the adrenaline-heavy "fight/flight" response evoked in animals at the time of slaughter.)
The hormonal system of animals is not that much different from humans. When they are eaten, their hormones are added to ours -- even though only a small proportion of the hormones present may be assimilated.
So why should we be surprised that with the dramatic increase in meat and dairy consumption over the past few decades that we would likewise see our children's age of puberty diminishing (and sex and violence increasing)?
Yet another reason to admire the wisdom in the health code revealed through Joseph Smith. "Flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; and it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine." (Doctrine and Covenants 89:12,13.)
The puberty issue is but one of many reasons why this counsel is wise and timely. Increased health from diminished fat and cholesterol intake is another huge benefit. Also the increased meat/dairy-based diet has contributed tremendously to the pillaging of the earth's resources. It is probably 100-fold less efficient to cycle grains and water through animals to be eaten as meat compared to eating grains, fruits, vegetables ourselves.
But more profoundly, think of the social implications that would come if we reverenced life rather than raping it.
The promiscuity and violence of our youngsters may indeed be caused in part by the physical hormones contained in animal products. But how profoundly are our youth effected emotionally by the disregard for life taught by our dietary practices?
Vegetarian Health and Heart Disease
Vegetarians have a significantly lower incidence of coronary heart disease than meat-eaters. Here are details of some studies into vegetarian diet, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and health.
- One study found vegetarians to suffer significantly lower mortality from heart disease than health conscious non-vegetarians. Mortality from ischaemic heart disease was 57% lower in vegetarians than the general population, and 18% lower than in non-vegetarians following a healthy lifestyle. Deaths due to cerebrovascular disease was 43% lower in the vegetarians compared with the general population.
- A study of 25,000 vegetarian Seventh-Day Adventists noted a definite dose-related link between meat consumption and heart disease. Among men aged 45 to 64, those who ate meat daily were three times more likely to die from heart disease than those who did not eat meat.
- The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study examined the relationship between diet and health in more than 5,000 young adults aged 18 to 30. Vegetarians were found to have a greatly improved cardiovascular fitness and a lower risk of heart disease.
- One way that a vegetarian diet is thought to protect against heart disease is the lower cholesterol levels seen in vegetarians. Raised cholesterol is widely recognised as a primary risk factor for heart disease and studies have consistently demonstrated serum cholesterol levels in vegetarians as being around 10 per cent lower than in non-vegetarians.
- The California Lifestyle Heart Trial indicated that a low-fat vegetarian diet together with other lifestyle changes such as increased exercise and stress management can actually reverse the progress of heart disease by reducing cholesterol plaques in arteries.
- Vegetarians suffer markedly lower mortality from coronary heart disease compared to non-vegetarians. This reduced risk may be related to the lower blood cholesterol levels of vegetarians.
- An 11-year study of 1,900 German vegetarians has found mortality from cardiovascular disease to be 61% lower in male vegetarians and 44% lower in female vegetarians than the general population.
- Vegetarian Heart research: A recent collaborative analysis of 8,300 deaths among 76,000 men and women in five prospective studies concluded that vegetarians have a 24% reduction in mortality from ischaemic heart disease, this increased to 45% in the under 65s. When compared with regular meat eaters the vegetarians showed 34% less mortality.
Hypertension - Vegetarian Diet Health
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can contribute to heart disease, strokes and kidney failure.
- A number of studies have shown vegetarians to have lower blood pressure than non-vegetarians.
- A vegetarian diet has also been shown to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
Diabetes and Vegetarian Health
Vegetarians Have Much Lower Risk of Type II Diabetes
Studies show that vegetarians have a substantially lower risk of type II diabetes than non-vegetarians. The link between meat consumption and incidence of diabetes remains after contributory factors such as weight, physical activity and other dietary factors are accounted for.
Vegetarian Diet Reflects Diabetic Dietary Guidelines
An average vegetarian diet closely matches dietary guidelines (eg. British Diabetic Association's recommendations) for diabetic patients.
Vegetarian diets tend to be high in complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre, which has a beneficial effect on carbohydrate metabolism, lowering blood sugar levels.
Vegetarians: Less Obesity and Lower Cholesterol - Both Affect Diabetes
The leanness of vegetarians also contributes to reduced incidence of diabetes. Diabetes is often associated with raised blood cholesterol levels and a vegetarian diet confers protection against this.
Gallstones and Vegetarian Health
A study of more than 750 women found that non-vegetarians were almost twice as likely to develop gall stones as vegetarians.
Vegetarians are leaner, and consume more dietary fibre and less dietary cholesterol, all of which is believed to protect against gallstone formation.
Cancer and Vegetarian Diet Health
It is estimated that 30-70% of all cancers are related to diet. Research has indicated that vegetarian diets may offer protection against diet-related cancer.
Vegetarian Plant Foods, Phytochemicals and Cancer
Plant foods contain a number of micronutrients (phytochemicals) which are believed to protect against cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors and others have all been shown to be potent anti-carcinogens and may play an important role in the lower cancer incidence among vegetarians.
In contrast, cooked meat and fish contains carcinogens known as heterocyclic amines (HA's). These are present at high levels in the urine of people consuming cooked meats and have been shown to be metabolically active in humans. Evidence suggests meat-derived HA's may play a role in breast, colon and pancreatic cancer.
Cancer and Vegetarian Diet - Findings
- Research shows that certain cancers, such as colon, breast and prostate are directly related to diet.
- The Oxford Vegetarian Study found cancer mortality to be 39% lower among vegetarians compared with meat-eaters.
- A study of 23,000 largely vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists found cancer mortality rates to be 50-70% of those of the general population for several cancer sites unrelated to smoking or alcohol.
- Professor Nick Day of the University of Cambridge and the European Prospective Study into Cancer has stated that vegetarians may suffer 40% fewer cancers than the general population.
- The World Cancer Research Fund's dietary advice to minimise cancer risk involve reducing the intake of dietary fat and increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains.
- Research has found pancreatic cancer to be associated with consumption of animal products. Increasing consumption of fruit, vegetables and pulses was shown to have a protective effect.
- Another study found a vegetarian diet to be protective against oesophageal cancer.
Breast Cancer and Vegetarian Health
No clear evidence exists that vegetarian diets reduce the risk of breast cancer. More research is needed.
Some studies have suggested a casual relationship between dietary fat intake and breast cancer, with populations eating high-fat and high-animal protein diets having the highest breast cancer mortality rates. However, other studies have found little or no relationship between fat intake and breast cancer.
Evidence suggesting vegetarian women are at lower risk than non-vegetarian women is limited as differences in the incidence of breast cancer between vegetarian and non-vegetarian women are inconsistent.
However, among women with a relatively early menopause (48 years of age or younger) meat consumption and risk of breast cancer were linked.
Vegetarian Diet May Lessen Other Breast Cancer Risk Factors
Certain of the known risk factors for breast cancer may be lessened on a vegetarian diet.
- Obesity is less common and age of menarche may be delayed.
- Vegetarian women also have altered sex hormone profiles with lower levels of circulating estrogens.
- Lignans and isoflavonoid phyto-estrogens, present at high levels on vegetarian diets, may affect sex hormone metabolism and so protect against breast cancer.
Osteoporosis, Vegetarian Diet and Health
Osteoporosis is a major cause of bone fractures in post-menopausal women and is a considerable public health problem. There are a number of risk factors for osteoporosis, including diet. Some studies have suggested that vegetarians may be at lower risk of osteoporosis than non-vegetarians, although more evidence is required.
- One research study found that elderly women with a high dietary ratio of animal to vegetable protein intake had more rapid femoral neck bone loss and a greater risk of hip fracture than those with a low ratio.
- Another study found vegetarian women aged between 50 and 89 years lost 18 per cent of bone mass while a control group of non-vegetarian women had a 35 per cent bone loss and suggested a vegetarian diet may be beneficial in protecting against postmenopausal osteoporosis.
- Hip fractures associated with osteoporosis has been shown to be higher in countries consuming a diet high in animal protein.
- Dietary protein has been shown to increase the loss of calcium from bones and urinary calcium excretion. Calcium loss is greater on a diet high in animal protein.
- Yet some studies have found no difference in bone density and bone mineral content between vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
Prostate Cancer and Vegetarian Diet
Prostate cancer has been strongly linked to meat consumption.
- In a study of nearly 48,000 men aged between 40 and 75, those eating red meat five or more times a week were 2.6 times more likely to suffer from prostate cancer than those who ate it once a week or less.
- Another study looked at the incidence of prostate cancer amongst 14,000 Seventh Day Adventists and found a relationship between increased risk and increasing animal product consumption.
Colon, Rectal Cancer and Vegetarian Diet
- Research shows that vegetarians have lower rates of colon cancer than non-vegetarians, and that incidence of colon and rectal cancer has been strongly linked to the consumption of meat.
- In a study of over 88 000 women aged 34 to 59 years, women eating red meat daily ran over twice the risk of developing colon cancer than women eating red meat less than once a month.
- Exactly how a vegetarian diet is protective against colon cancer is unclear and a great deal of research is being carried out in this area. It has been suggested that secondary bile acids may be a causal factor, and research has shown that vegetarians have lower levels of secondary bile acids than non-vegetarians.
- The role of dietary fibre in prevention of colon cancer may also be important. Other dietary components associated with high fibre foods, such as folate, have also been implicated as having protective effects.
- Other research shows that the risk of distal stomach adenocarcinoma is positively associated with red meat intake.
- Vegetarian diets also usually include high levels of antioxidant nutrients. Mounting evidence suggests antioxidants exert a considerable protective effect against both cancer and heart disease.
Protein in a Vegetarian Diet
Protein is essential for growth and repair. Proteins play a vital role in nearly all biological processes in the body. Thus adequate protein-intake is vital for any healthy vegetarian diet.
Although a healthy vegetarian diet usually meets or exceeds protein requirements, typically it is lower in total intake of protein than meat-diets. Experts believe that this lower protein intake may well be beneficial as some studies show that high protein intake is associated with osteoporosis and poor kidney function.
Sources of Protein in a Vegetarian Diet
Ovo-lacto vegetarians obtain protein from: nuts (eg. almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazel nuts, peanuts, pine kernels), seeds (eg. flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower seeds), legumes/pulses (eg. peas, beans, lentils), grains/cereals (eg. wheat, pasta, barley, rye, oats, millet, maize, sweetcorn, rice), soy products (eg. tofu, tempeh, tvp, soya milks), dairy foods (eg. milk, cheese, yoghurt), and free range eggs.
Protein Uptake in Vegetarian Diet
Protein that contains all 8 essential amino acids is called "complete" protein. Protein that lacks one or more essential amino acids is called "incomplete" protein. Most plant foods contain "incomplete" protein, so vegetarians need to eat a variety of "incomplete" protein foods to reach the total of 8.
Previously, it was thought that vegetarians had to consume ALL 8 amino acids at the same meal - from a mixture of foods that together contained all 8 amino acids - in order to consume the necessary "complete" protein. We now know that as long as all 8 essential amino acids are in the diet, it does not matter if the proteins are eaten at the same time.
Protein in a Vegetarian Diet - Bottom Line
A well-balanced vegetarian diet will supply all the protein and essential amino acids needed by the body.
Protein in a Vegan Diet
Protein is essential for growth and repair, therefore adequate protein-intake is vital for any healthy vegan diet. That said, only 8-10 percent of our calories need to come from protein, so a varied vegan diet will easily provide sufficient protein for good health.
That said, vegans typically have a lower protein-intake than meat-eaters. Experts believe that this lower protein intake may be beneficial as some studies show that high protein intake is associated with osteoporosis and poor kidney function.
Sources of Protein in a Vegan Diet
Vegans obtain protein from: nuts (eg. almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazel nuts, peanuts, pine kernels), seeds (eg. flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower seeds), legumes/pulses (eg. peas, beans, lentils), grains/cereals (eg. wheat, pasta, barley, rye, oats, millet, maize, sweetcorn, rice) and soy products (eg. tofu, tempeh, tvp, soya milks).
Protein Uptake in Vegan Diet
Most vegan plant foods contain "incomplete" protein (lacking 1 or more of the 8 amino acids that constitute "complete" protein), so vegans need to eat a mixture of "incomplete" protein foods to ensure they are ingesting "complete" protein. But whereas previously, it was thought that vegans had to consume ALL 8 amino acids at the same meal - from a mixture of foods that together contained all 8 amino acids - in order to take in the necessary "complete" protein, we now know that as long as all 8 essential amino acids are in the diet, it does not matter if the proteins are eaten at the same time.
Protein in a Vegan Diet - Bottom Line
A well-balanced vegan diet supplies all the protein and essential amino acids required for good health.
Thanks to http://www.vegetarian-diet.info/
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