According to the Harvard Medical School at least, yes, appropriately planned plant based eating can be better for you. Remember it is possible to just eat cake and be vegan and that’s probably not going to be advantageous for your long term health outcomes!
Strictly speaking, vegetarians don’t eat meat, poultry, or seafood. But people with many different dietary patterns identify with being vegetarians, including the following:
Vegans (total vegetarians): Do not eat meat, poultry, fish, or any products derived from animals, including eggs, dairy products, and gelatin.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians: Do not eat meat, poultry, or fish, but do eat eggs and dairy products.
Lacto vegetarians: Eat no meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, but do consume dairy products.
Ovo vegetarians: Eat no meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products, but do eat eggs.
Partial vegetarians: Avoid meat but may eat fish (pesco-vegetarian, pescatarian)
Does being a vegetarian reduce your chance of getting a major disease?
Yes maybe – here’s what some of the research suggests so far:
Heart disease. There’s some evidence that vegetarians have a lower risk for cardiac problems (such as a heart attack) and even death from cardiac causes.
Cancer. Many studies indicate eating lots of fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of developing certain cancers, and there’s evidence that vegetarians have a lower incidence of cancer than non-vegetarians do.
If you stop eating red meat (whether or not you become a vegetarian), you’ll certainly reduce a risk factor for colon cancer.
Type 2 diabetes. Research suggests that a predominantly plant-based diet can reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Do vegetarians have worse bone health?
Lacto-ovo vegetarians consume at least as much calcium as meat-eaters, but full vegans typically consume less.
Certain vegetables can supply calcium, including bok choy, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, collards, and kale.
But people who follow a vegetarian diet and especially a vegan diet may be at risk of not getting enough vitamin D and vitamin K, both required for good bones. Some leafy greens contain vitamin K, but full vegans may also need to rely on fortified foods.
What are the health consequences of going vegetarian?
Will I get enough protein?
Research shows that lacto-ovo vegetarians generally get the recommended daily amount of protein, which is easily obtained from dairy products and eggs. Even full vegans can obtain sufficient complete protein by carefully combining different plant sources of protein to make complete proteins (plant proteins are generally considered incomplete proteins as they lack some essential amino acids). Health experts now say the combining process does not need to be done in every meal it can be done across the course of the day.
Vitamin B12 : is found only in animal products, but those products include dairy foods and eggs, so vegetarians that eat dairy and eggs probably get all they need. Vegans will need to eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 or take a vitamin B12 supplement to avoid a deficiency, which can cause neurological problems and anemia.
Iron: Studies show vegetarians often eat the same amount of iron as meat eaters. But absorption of iron can be a problem – the iron in meat is more easily absorbed than the kind of iron found in plants, but the absorption of plant based iron can be enhanced by vitamin C and other acids found in fruits and vegetables.
However the phytic acid in whole grains, beans, lentils, seeds, and nuts can inhibit it and both vegetarians and vegans both need to be careful to consume sufficient iron.
Zinc: Interestingly phytic acid in whole grains, seeds, beans, and legumes can reduce zinc absorption, but vegetarians do not appear to be zinc-deficient.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Diets excluding fish and eggs are low in two essential omega 3 fatty acids – EPA and DHA. Our bodies can convert the omega 3 fatty acids which are found in plant foods to EPA and DHA, but not very efficiently.
Vegans can get DHA from algae supplements, which increase blood levels of DHA as well as EPA. Good ALA sources include flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, and soy.
In summary a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet may offer many positive health outcomes with a few drawbacks that can be managed through some careful dietary planning.
Leave a Reply