by Wordy

Created on: February 12, 2009

Vegetarianism in the public eye is something of a dichotomy; to many there are innumerable health benefits to eating a meat-free diet, to others vegetarians are thin, pale and sickly. Which is right?

There have been many studies on this issue, with notably inconclusive results! Some studies say, yes, vegetarians are healthier and live longer, other say no, they do not.

Many new vegetarians claim to feel healthier than they did when eating meat, and it is certainly true that followed correctly, a vegetarian diet is healthy. It also avoids potential health issues sometimes associated with meat, like BSE or salmonella from chicken not cooked properly. But like any other diet, it is easy to eat the wrong things.

The real answer to healthier and longer lives is, of course, far more complex than the simple issue of whether or not you eat meat, although a healthy diet plays a very significant part in this.

Human beings are omnivores, which means that they can eat, digest and extract nutrients from both plant and animal sources. Choosing a vegetarian diet means restricting that intake to only plant sources. Most people's main source of protein is meat and fish, so eliminating these from the diet means that other sources must be found. A lot of new vegetarians turn to diary, since this is a form of protein that they know and are used to eating; however this has its own health issues, not least the fat content of cheeses.

A vegetarian diet, therefore, take a bit of commitment to discovering new foods and working hard to ensure that the nutrients that have been eliminated by not eating food from animal sources are replaced with plant-based foods.

That said, when was the last time you heard a nutritionist urging members of the public to eat more meat? Exactly! The health benefits of fruit and vegetables are well known and well documented and it seems to be the case that Mr or Mrs Average should eat more fresh produce and less meat, "because it's good for them".

But even assuming that a vegetarian is eating a perfect diet, does it automatically follow that he or she will live longer? There are many factors that contribute to health, for example the amount of exercise undertaken, whether or not one smokes or drinks a lot, not forgetting the risk of contracting a serious illness.

So do vegetarians live longer and healthier lives? The real answer is... some do, some don't!

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