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Kristhin
Posts: 442 Member
Study: Vegetarian diets HEALTHIER IN EVERY WAY than diets with meat
PCRM.org | Neal Barnard, MD | 06/14/11
Vegetarian diets are not just better for weight management, they are more nutritious than diets that include meat, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. With two out of three Americans needing to lose weight, the message is more urgent than ever.
The new findings are based on a study including 13,292 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Not only were vegetarians slimmer than their meat-eating counterparts, their fiber intake was 24 percent higher and calcium intake was 17 percent higher. Vegetarians also consumed more magnesium, potassium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E, and less total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
The study was accompanied by an editorial concluding that “the benefits of following a plant-based diet can be valuable beyond weight loss goals.” Specifically, the editorial noted, vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and “lower risk for many disease states including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and hypertension.”
At PCRM, we have often used vegan diets to help people lose weight or improve diabetes or other health problems. In our 2006 review, 38 of 40 published studies comparing vegetarians and nonvegetarians showed that vegetarians weighed less. We also found that adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet brings a dramatic improvement in nutrition. Cholesterol and saturated fat intake plummet, while fiber, beta-carotene, and important vitamins increase. Using the Harvard School of Public Health’s Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) score, we have found that vegan participants excel in every AHEI category.
So this raises the question: If meat tends to crowd out nutritious vegetables, beans, and whole grains, and increases the risk for disease, why would anyone recommend it? The answer is that they shouldn’t.
When the USDA released its new MyPlate diagram on June 2, it looked very much like PCRM’s Power Plate developed in 2009 in that it included no meat group. However, instead of PCRM’s “legume group,” USDA opted for a “protein” group that includes beans and soy products, as well as meat. While USDA is slowly moving in the right direction, there is no scientific reason to include meat at all. Avoiding animal products is a key step for maximizing good nutrition and good health.
PCRM.org | Neal Barnard, MD | 06/14/11
Vegetarian diets are not just better for weight management, they are more nutritious than diets that include meat, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. With two out of three Americans needing to lose weight, the message is more urgent than ever.
The new findings are based on a study including 13,292 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Not only were vegetarians slimmer than their meat-eating counterparts, their fiber intake was 24 percent higher and calcium intake was 17 percent higher. Vegetarians also consumed more magnesium, potassium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E, and less total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
The study was accompanied by an editorial concluding that “the benefits of following a plant-based diet can be valuable beyond weight loss goals.” Specifically, the editorial noted, vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and “lower risk for many disease states including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and hypertension.”
At PCRM, we have often used vegan diets to help people lose weight or improve diabetes or other health problems. In our 2006 review, 38 of 40 published studies comparing vegetarians and nonvegetarians showed that vegetarians weighed less. We also found that adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet brings a dramatic improvement in nutrition. Cholesterol and saturated fat intake plummet, while fiber, beta-carotene, and important vitamins increase. Using the Harvard School of Public Health’s Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) score, we have found that vegan participants excel in every AHEI category.
So this raises the question: If meat tends to crowd out nutritious vegetables, beans, and whole grains, and increases the risk for disease, why would anyone recommend it? The answer is that they shouldn’t.
When the USDA released its new MyPlate diagram on June 2, it looked very much like PCRM’s Power Plate developed in 2009 in that it included no meat group. However, instead of PCRM’s “legume group,” USDA opted for a “protein” group that includes beans and soy products, as well as meat. While USDA is slowly moving in the right direction, there is no scientific reason to include meat at all. Avoiding animal products is a key step for maximizing good nutrition and good health.
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Replies
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And that's why I've been a vegetarian for over a year! Flexitarian before that for about 12 years.
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I love my meat never giving it away :blushing:0
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I love my meat never giving it away :blushing:
I'm totally with you on that one...love, love, love0 -
For every poorly written vegetarian study that suggests meat is the devil, I'll raise you 3 that say it's perfectly fine for a healthy diet.0
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...provided you substitute the meat for beans or other vegetables, not "veggie burgers, veggie chicken, etc" because that can be worse for you. Whole foods, not processed. I was vegetarian for 15 years and because I did it the "wrong" way by substituting all the wrong things in for meat, my thyroid was all screwed up. After going back onto meat, my thyroid was better within 1 year. I'm not saying this doesn't work, but only if it's done properly.0
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i love me my chicken.
i gave up beef.
but my chicken is good for me. lol0 -
Belly Roll, please see the summary of our anatomy compared to that of omnivores below.
If you'd care to read the entire article which gives much more detail I'd be happy to send it.
Basically this means our bodies are designed for us to be herbivores. Which means two things:
1. You were TAUGHT to eat meat rather than it being part of who you really are.
2. You kill every day be eating meat even though it isn't natural for you to do so.
When I learned this, I knew that I could never go back to eating meat. It is inherently wrong for us as herbivores to do so.
I haven't seen any cows walking around with shotguns, anyway.
Facial Muscles
Carnivore Reduced to allow wide mouth gape
Herbivore Well-developed
Omnivore Reduced
Human Well-developed
Jaw Type
Carnivore Angle not expanded
Herbivore Expanded angle
Omnivore Angle not expanded
Human Expanded angle
Jaw Joint Location
Carnivore On same plane as molar teeth
Herbivore Above the plane of the molars
Omnivore On same plane as molar teeth
Human Above the plane of the molars
Jaw Motion
Carnivore Shearing; minimal side-to-side motion
Herbivore No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
Omnivore Shearing; minimal side-to-side
Human No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
Major Jaw Muscles
Carnivore Temporalis
Herbivore Masseter and pterygoids
Omnivore Temporalis
Human Masseter and pterygoids
Mouth Opening vs. Head Size
Carnivore Large
Herbivore Small
Omnivore Large
Human Small
Teeth (Incisors)
Carnivore Short and pointed
Herbivore Broad, flattened and spade shaped
Omnivore Short and pointed
Human Broad, flattened and spade shaped
Teeth (Canines)
Carnivore Long, sharp and curved
Herbivore Dull and short or long (for defense), or none
Omnivore Long, sharp and curved
Human Short and blunted
Teeth (Molars)
Carnivore Sharp, jagged and blade shaped
Herbivore Flattened with cusps vs complex surface
Omnivore Sharp blades and/or flattened
Human Flattened with nodular cusps
Chewing
Carnivore None; swallows food whole
Herbivore Extensive chewing necessary
Omnivore Swallows food whole and/or simple crushing
Human Extensive chewing necessary
Saliva
Carnivore No digestive enzymes
Herbivore Carbohydrate digesting enzymes
Omnivore No digestive enzymes
Human Carbohydrate digesting enzymes
Stomach Type
Carnivore Simple
Herbivore Simple or multiple chambers
Omnivore Simple
Human Simple
Stomach Acidity
Carnivore Less than or equal to pH 1 with food in stomach
Herbivore pH 4 to 5 with food in stomach
Omnivore Less than or equal to pH 1 with food in stomach
Human pH 4 to 5 with food in stomach
Stomach Capacity
Carnivore 60% to 70% of total volume of digestive tract
Herbivore Less than 30% of total volume of digestive tract
Omnivore 60% to 70% of total volume of digestive tract
Human 21% to 27% of total volume of digestive tract
Length of Small Intestine
Carnivore 3 to 6 times body length
Herbivore 10 to more than 12 times body length
Omnivore 4 to 6 times body length
Human 10 to 11 times body length
Colon
Carnivore Simple, short and smooth
Herbivore Long, complex; may be sacculated
Omnivore Simple, short and smooth
Human Long, sacculated
Liver
Carnivore Can detoxify vitamin A
Herbivore Cannot detoxify vitamin A
Omnivore Can detoxify vitamin A
Human Cannot detoxify vitamin A
Kidney
Carnivore Extremely concentrated urine
Herbivore Moderately concentrated urine
Omnivore Extremely concentrated urine
Human Moderately concentrated urine
Nails
Carnivore Sharp claws
Herbivore Flattened nails or blunt hooves
Omnivore Sharp claws
Human Flattened nails0 -
Just because vegetarians as a whole are "healthier" than non-vegetarians does not mean that you have to be a vegetarian to be healthy and does not mean that vegetarians are as healthy as they could be.0
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thankfully, for all of us, there is more than one healthy way to live!0
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Vegetarianism caused major health issues for me. A metabolic condition and a food allergy practically make being a vegetarian impossible for me. I was a vegetarian for three years, and it was the sickest I have ever been in my life.
Different things work for different people. :-)0 -
So vegetarians are more healthy as a whole compared with people who eat meat, as well as deficient in several less vitamins and minerals, and yet meat is healthy?
Meat has been shown through much research over many years, conclusively (as of recent), to be a contributor to cancer as well as a whole slew of other lifestyle diseases.
I posted this because I liked the article and wanted to share. If you have to argue with it in order to make yourself feel better,
you don't be long on the thread.0 -
...provided you substitute the meat for beans or other vegetables, not "veggie burgers, veggie chicken, etc" because that can be worse for you. Whole foods, not processed. I was vegetarian for 15 years and because I did it the "wrong" way by substituting all the wrong things in for meat, my thyroid was all screwed up. After going back onto meat, my thyroid was better within 1 year. I'm not saying this doesn't work, but only if it's done properly.
*Agreed*0 -
While I do enjoy the convenience of processed faux meats, I do agree that the healthiest way to go is a whole foods diet, as nature intended for us.0
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I'm not going to deprive cows, pigs, chickens, etc.... of their chance to fulfill their destiny, which is to be grilled over an open flame and enjoyed by me. Their only purpose in life is to become a meal for a person. How sad would they be if they wound up dying of old age never getting a chance to make someone happy and full?0
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So vegetarians are more healthy as a whole compared with people who eat meat, as well as deficient in several less vitamins and minerals, and yet meat is healthy?
Meat has been shown through much research over many years, conclusively (as of recent), to be a contributor to cancer as well as a whole slew of other lifestyle diseases.
I posted this because I liked the article and wanted to share. If you have to argue with it in order to make yourself feel better,
you don't be long on the thread.
I know this wasn't in response to me, but still...
we're just saying that there are several healthy ways to live, you're saying there is only one...
i eat turkey and chicken, and yet, am not vitamin deficient, get my vegetables, and beans, etc. etc., am not lacking in fiber, or calcium, and am healthy according to all the tests i've had run.
i think it just depends on the person.
i agree red meat has been proven to cause cancer and other diseases in excess, which is why people should limit, or exclude it from their diet. but red meat is not the only meat in existence. :P
i have read articles such as the one you are referring to, as well as ones that state the complete opposite. no two people are the same.0 -
So vegetarians are more healthy as a whole compared with people who eat meat, as well as deficient in several less vitamins and minerals, and yet meat is healthy?
Meat has been shown through much research over many years, conclusively (as of recent), to be a contributor to cancer as well as a whole slew of other lifestyle diseases.
I posted this because I liked the article and wanted to share. If you have to argue with it in order to make yourself feel better,
you don't be long on the thread.
I ask you cite the unbiased studies and their source that [all] meat is the direct contributor of lifestyle diseases and cancer. Also cite the studies that PROVE all vegetarians are healthy regardless of their consumption of processed non-meat products.
Since you're so passionate about the subject, I'm assuming you can produce these at convenience.
Until then, I patiently await your response.0 -
No, it wasn't directed at you.
I think its really great that you eat lots of veggies and get tested to be sure all of your vitamin levels are where they should be.
I think the correct way to say it is that you can still be healthy despite that fact that you eat meat, but not because you incorporate
meat. The body is an incredible thing which will do its best with what it is given. Cows, in factory farms are fed a diet or soy,
corn, and fish meal. Their natural diet is grass, and yet they live and grow.
Deli turkey is processed and therefore has been proven to be just as carcinogenic as a hot dog.
I'm sure an unprocessed turkey, such as Thanksgiving style, is not as unhealthy though.
As for chicken, because of the way 98% of them are raised on the factory farms, chicken has been shown to contain arsenic in it.
Though I do generally agree it is much better to eat poultry rather than mammals.0 -
I find this entire conversation hilarious...why is it even on here so folks can argue about it?
I've been vegetarian for 15 yrs...personal choice and all that. I'm also a master herbalist and natural health practitioner...and quite frankly there is no right or wrong in my opinion...(yes, my opinion) . I see healthy people and unhealthy people...vegans, meat eaters, vegetarians etc. Health is a state of mind as well as what you put in your body. Look around you...you will find people and circumstances to validate any view.0 -
No, it wasn't directed at you.
I think its really great that you eat lots of veggies and get tested to be sure all of your vitamin levels are where they should be.
I think the correct way to say it is that you can still be healthy despite that fact that you eat meat, but not because you incorporate
meat. The body is an incredible thing which will do its best with what it is given. Cows, in factory farms are fed a diet or soy,
corn, and fish meal. Their natural diet is grass, and yet they live and grow.
Deli turkey is processed and therefore has been proven to be just as carcinogenic as a hot dog.
I'm sure an unprocessed turkey, such as Thanksgiving style, is not as unhealthy though.
As for chicken, because of the way 98% of them are raised on the factory farms, chicken has been shown to contain arsenic in it.
Though I do generally agree it is much better to eat poultry rather than mammals.
I get free range, unprocessed, uncured, organic, etc. etc.
I was less healthy when I was vegetarian. Different strokes, I guess.0 -
Belly Roll, please see the summary of our anatomy compared to that of omnivores below.
If you'd care to read the entire article which gives much more detail I'd be happy to send it.
Basically this means our bodies are designed for us to be herbivores. Which means two things:
1. You were TAUGHT to eat meat rather than it being part of who you really are.
2. You kill every day be eating meat even though it isn't natural for you to do so.
When I learned this, I knew that I could never go back to eating meat. It is inherently wrong for us as herbivores to do so.
I haven't seen any cows walking around with shotguns, anyway.
Facial Muscles
Carnivore Reduced to allow wide mouth gape
Herbivore Well-developed
Omnivore Reduced
Human Well-developed
Jaw Type
Carnivore Angle not expanded
Herbivore Expanded angle
Omnivore Angle not expanded
Human Expanded angle
Jaw Joint Location
Carnivore On same plane as molar teeth
Herbivore Above the plane of the molars
Omnivore On same plane as molar teeth
Human Above the plane of the molars
Jaw Motion
Carnivore Shearing; minimal side-to-side motion
Herbivore No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
Omnivore Shearing; minimal side-to-side
Human No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
Major Jaw Muscles
Carnivore Temporalis
Herbivore Masseter and pterygoids
Omnivore Temporalis
Human Masseter and pterygoids
Mouth Opening vs. Head Size
Carnivore Large
Herbivore Small
Omnivore Large
Human Small
Teeth (Incisors)
Carnivore Short and pointed
Herbivore Broad, flattened and spade shaped
Omnivore Short and pointed
Human Broad, flattened and spade shaped
Teeth (Canines)
Carnivore Long, sharp and curved
Herbivore Dull and short or long (for defense), or none
Omnivore Long, sharp and curved
Human Short and blunted
Teeth (Molars)
Carnivore Sharp, jagged and blade shaped
Herbivore Flattened with cusps vs complex surface
Omnivore Sharp blades and/or flattened
Human Flattened with nodular cusps
Chewing
Carnivore None; swallows food whole
Herbivore Extensive chewing necessary
Omnivore Swallows food whole and/or simple crushing
Human Extensive chewing necessary
Saliva
Carnivore No digestive enzymes
Herbivore Carbohydrate digesting enzymes
Omnivore No digestive enzymes
Human Carbohydrate digesting enzymes
Stomach Type
Carnivore Simple
Herbivore Simple or multiple chambers
Omnivore Simple
Human Simple
Stomach Acidity
Carnivore Less than or equal to pH 1 with food in stomach
Herbivore pH 4 to 5 with food in stomach
Omnivore Less than or equal to pH 1 with food in stomach
Human pH 4 to 5 with food in stomach
Stomach Capacity
Carnivore 60% to 70% of total volume of digestive tract
Herbivore Less than 30% of total volume of digestive tract
Omnivore 60% to 70% of total volume of digestive tract
Human 21% to 27% of total volume of digestive tract
Length of Small Intestine
Carnivore 3 to 6 times body length
Herbivore 10 to more than 12 times body length
Omnivore 4 to 6 times body length
Human 10 to 11 times body length
Colon
Carnivore Simple, short and smooth
Herbivore Long, complex; may be sacculated
Omnivore Simple, short and smooth
Human Long, sacculated
Liver
Carnivore Can detoxify vitamin A
Herbivore Cannot detoxify vitamin A
Omnivore Can detoxify vitamin A
Human Cannot detoxify vitamin A
Kidney
Carnivore Extremely concentrated urine
Herbivore Moderately concentrated urine
Omnivore Extremely concentrated urine
Human Moderately concentrated urine
Nails
Carnivore Sharp claws
Herbivore Flattened nails or blunt hooves
Omnivore Sharp claws
Human Flattened nails
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.0
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