Health Effects of Vegetarian & Vegan Diets
Vegetarian and vegan diets offer protection in two ways. They reduce the number of harmful food choices a person can make and they increase the number of healthy food choices, simply by reducing or eliminating animal products as an option.
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Lower Cancer Rates
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Eliminating red meat from the diet has been shown to lower the rates of specific cancers of the lung and liver. Cancers of the esophagus and colon have also been shown to be directly associated with the ingestion of red meat.
Improved Hearts
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Vegetarian diets have been shown to lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of hypertension. Vegetarians also suffer fewer issues with heart disease.
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Lower Cholesterol
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Eliminating or eating fewer animal fats lowers serum cholesterol by reducing saturated fat, which enters the bloodstream from the foods we eat. Products made from soy, often consumed as a meat or dairy substitute, actively reduce cholesterol levels because of the isoflavones they contain.
Overall Health
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Vegetarian and vegan diets are being prescribed by doctors for patients in recovery from chronic disease and major surgery. The associated nutritional advantages, paired with elimination of poor food choices, relieve the body of the negative impact of a number of risk factors for disease.
Leaner Body
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Because the food items vegetarians and vegans do consume (fruits, vegetables and grains) are filled with fiber, they tend to eat less than those who consume meals poor in fiber. Fiber helps the stomach to feel full faster and helps flush the digestive tract.
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- Photo Credit Photo by twenty_questions @ Flickr and everystockphoto
