When we are looking for the healthiest diet that will help us live a long and disease-free life, we must first consider which diet. A vegetarian diet or vegan diet. Two facts are known to us beyond any doubt. First, a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds and unroasted seeds, dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease and most cancers.
The second thing we know for sure is that as the amount of meat the population eats increases, so does its risk of developing heart disease and cancer. Many studies have shown that vegetarian people have heart attacks and cancers less common than omnivores. There are plenty of ways to include these delicious foods into your life without having to completely give up meat. Making radical dietary changes can also be harmful. You should consider recipes that are tasty and delicious. You can use items such as vegetarian stir fry sauce from Lee Kum Kee. Stir-fries are very healthy and can be used as leftovers.
Adopting a vegan diet
The main characteristic of the vegan diet that makes it more beneficial to our health compared to the conventional diet, is that in a vegan diet there is a higher chance that the person will consume vegetables and fruits rich in essential nutrients and contain dietary fibre and antioxidants that protect his health. Such a diet will most likely be low in saturated fat. Which is a known risk factor for both heart disease and cancer.
It is not surprising that vegetables and fruits are the two types of food that are most closely related to longevity in humans. Such a strong link, as that found between consuming a large amount of fresh green fruits and vegetables and decreasing mortality rates, is not found between consuming whole wheat bread, bran and even a vegetarian diet and decreasing mortality rates.
- If we eat large enough amounts of vegetables and fruits, they protect our body from all types of cancer. Thousands of scientific studies prove this.
- Fresh (uncooked) vegetables help to protect us from cancer more than any other type of food.
- Most legumes, and not just soy, have anti-cancer properties. They can help to protect us from cancer of the intimate organs, such as breast cancer or prostate cancer.
Vegetarianism does not make a person healthier unless they are actually eating healthier food. Studies suggest that heart disease, cancer, hypertension, diabetes and obesity, are massively lower in people who avoid eating meat and dairy products.
Whether you choose a vegan diet, or you eat very small amounts of animal food, to enjoy optimal health, you need to get the most calories from unprocessed plant foods. Therefore, minimize eating animal foods as much as possible. Eating large amounts of unprocessed plant foods guarantees you maximum protection against the development of serious diseases.
You can choose a sensible and planned vegetarian diet. Or a sensible and planned diet that contains food from plants and animals alike. In both cases, you need knowledge about nutrition in order to ensure excellent health and protection against diseases. Happy meal planning!
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