by Elsie Bohn

Created on: February 01, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

Studies have shown that vegetarians often have a lower risk of coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity, digestive disorders, osteoporosis, asthma, and some forms of cancer (colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers). Avoiding meat and animal fats and increasing physical activity add to a healthy way of life. There are a variety of nutrients in plants that have healthy qualities; such are:

Fiber: foods such as whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts provide excellent sources of fiber. Adding fiber in your diet may decrease your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer.

Phytonutrients: many plants have nutrients such as phytoestrogens, indoles, isothiocyanates, and flavonoids. These nutrients may aid in preventing cancer, heart disease, and additional diseases.

In the past, vegetarian diets have been rejected by nutritionists for having insufficient amounts of vital nutrients that are found in animal foods such as iron, protein, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. However, it is now known that vegetarian diets, if balanced properly, can meet or surpass the nutritional requirements of most people.

To correct a lack of iron, vegetarians use large amounts of vitamin C, which increases one's ingestion of iron. And vegetarians now do not need to eat additional proteins as long as they eat foods containing amino acids. To obtain a reasonable amount of vitamin D, vegetarians can acquire supplements and can also get the vitamin by exposure to the sun. For calcium, they could eat more dark-green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, etc.) and tofu or other soy products.

People who would profit the most from such a diet are people who are overweight, diabetic, have high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Not everyone can handle a vegetarian diet, such as infants, children, teenagers, and pregnant women who have to meet specific high nutrient needs. As long as they maintain a balanced diet and make sure that they meet their nutrient requirements, such a diet is useful.

A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option, but it is important to be well balanced, otherwise it will have an adverse effect. It is also important to gradually ease into such a diet so that you are not overwhelmed. This step is best for people who wish to have a healthy diet, but would have a hard time giving up certain foods to meet the diet requirements.

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