Vegetarian Diet and Heart Benefits

No matter what your reasons for eating a more vegetarian diet, there's no denying the obvious health benefits that are derived from the elimination of red meat from your diet. On average, vegetarians have lower levels of the blood fats, cholesterol and triglycerides than meat eaters of similar age and social status have. High levels of blood fats are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Lacto-ovo vegetarians, those who eat eggs and dairy products, which contain cholesterol-raising saturated fats and cholesterol, have higher cholesterol levels than do vegans, as those who abstain from all animal foods are called. But even among lacto-ovo vegetarians, cholesterol levels are generally lower than they are among meat eaters.

Researchers have found that older men who eat meat six or more times a week are twice as likely to die of heart disease as those who abstain from meat. Among middle-aged men, meat eaters were four times more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack, according to the study. As for women, who are partly protected by their hormones and generally develop heart disease later in life than men do, the risk of fatal heart disease has been found to be lower only among the older vegetarians. In a 1982 study of more than 10,000 vegetarians and meat eaters, British researchers found that the more meat consumed, the greater the risk of suffering a heart attack. Though eliminating meat from the diet is likely to reduce your consumption of heart-damaging fats and cholesterol, substituting large amounts of high-fat dairy products and cholesterol-rich eggs can negate the benefit. To glean the heart-saving benefits of vegetarianism, consumption of such foods as hard cheese, cream cheese, ice cream and eggs should be moderate. And the introduction of more vegetables, fruits and raw foods will definitely enhance the benefits of abstaining from eating meat.

By Jill Smi

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Learn about watermelon nutrition and growing watermelon at the Watermelon Facts site.

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A Vegetarian Diet - Lower the Chance of Heart Disease and Create a Healthy Digestive System

The well known saying 'we become what we eat' is generally true, as it has been established over and over again, that healthy people consume healthy foods. When we make the correction from eating meat to a vegetarian diet, our cholesterol levels drop, our body fat reading decreases, we are less likely to contract many types of cancers, the chances of having diabetes reduces, our blood pressure falls into a normal range and generally, our overall health and fitness improves. Moving towards a meat-free way of life has been shown statistically to decrease the occurrence of so many of the diseases of industrialized countries.

A great benefit of this lifestyle is the plentiful supply of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts that assist in the prevention of certain cancers and also create a healthy digestive system. The majority of these people who are genuine about changing the way they eat have also eliminated poultry from their daily diet. They feel repulsive about the way chickens are contained in such crammed and inhumane conditions and filled with growth promoting substances and antibiotics making them taste nothing like chicken should taste with reduced nutritional value.

The best result is to eliminate red meat from your eating habits altogether. At least you are stopping and controlling the worst villain of all when it comes to diseases of the digestive tract and a number of other body functions. Apart from reducing your cholesterol or blood pressure, you may reduce your risk of diseases including colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. All of these cancers have been connected in studies to western style meat-based eating habits. Vegetarians don't eat animal fat known to link to these cancers.

Deciding to make healthy food choices that are known to be good for your heart can really lower the chances of heart disease. Thousands of American people die each year from obesity related illnesses the most common being diabetes and heart disease. Finding out the advantages of vegetarian style eating can change your prospects for the better, of a prolonged and vigorous life. Not taking action about your well being is like waiting for a miracle 'health fairy' to fly down from the heavens and wave her magic powers to make you feel better.

Immediately after the decision has taken place to shift to a more healthy way of living, you will have the opportunity to appreciate a variety of wonderful, nourishing and hardy meals that all of the family will acknowledge and appreciate. With some creativity on your part, you will be surprised the amount of variety you are able to create with your vegetarian meals. By learning about the number of meat-free dishes available you will quickly become the expert and will be able to pass this knowledge on to the people you care for the most.

By Bill Hansen

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Bill Hansen is a writer and researcher on vegetarian food and recipes. If you want to know more about how to follow a healthy vegetarian diet please visit:- http://www.aboutvegetarianrecipes.com

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Vegetarian Diet Secrets: Vegan Foods Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

The major source of heart disease is cholesterol circulating in the blood stream. Scientists agree that the levels of cholesterol should stay balanced in order to avoid serious health conditions, like heart attacks or blood pressure problems. If you suffer from heart disease your doctor will prescribe all sorts of chemical medication to reduce cholesterol.

Now scientists have come up to the conclusion that eating vegan foods like vegetables, seeds, nuts and other "Green Foods" may be as effective at reducing cholesterol as medicines. Experiments involving different types of vegan foods proved that a balanced vegan diet with vegetables, soy products, bread, fruits and nuts could be a possible drug-free alternative to reduce cholesterol and protect your body against heart threats.

What is really important when implementing this diet is to combine all sorts of food. Researches proved that a combination of vegan foods can cut cholesterol by up to three times more than when you insist on eating a single vegan food (e.g. only vegetables and soy products).

Here's the diet I recommend for a typical weekday.

- In the morning consume soy milk, cereals, fruits and nuts. You can also eat some bread with vegan butter and honey.

- For lunch you can have a vegetable soup with lots of bread and fruits for dessert.

- For dinner you can have a fruit salad or a vegetable salad combined with nuts like almonds or walnuts.

A similar diet was adopted by a dozen of people during experiments done by Canadian scientists. The results were amazing. Their cholesterol levels had dropped by almost 30% in just a few months. This combined diet could be as effective as medication according to the researchers.

Even though a lot more experiments and research are needed before the diet could be recommended to people, one thing is certain. There is hope for a natural treatment that doesn’t involve chemicals, for people with heart disease or high cholesterol.

By Maria Markella

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Maria Markella is a webmaster of DigitalStarProducts Directory of Digital Products. Are you following a vegan diet? If not maybe its time you reconsider. And here's the raw vegan diet secrets guide that can bring you boundless energy and amazing health. Increased energy, improved appearance, outstanding performance and brighter eyes is what you will get. There's also a free weekly newsletter with how-to articles and practical advice for vegetarians.

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