| Vegetarianism certainly has its rewards but there are | | | | diets have health benefits, the more restrictive vegan |
| risks involved if you're not careful. It all depends on | | | | diet may spell trouble for some people. |
| the kind of diet you follow. | | | | "A vegetarian or fruit diet is safe as long as it |
| There are three types of vegetarian diets, namely, | | | | provides some protein from dairy products such as |
| vegan (the rare and true type) where no animal flesh | | | | cheese and milk or from fish or eggs. The reason for |
| or byproducts like eggs or dairy products are eaten; | | | | this is that eggs, milk, and animal flesh contain |
| the ovolactovegetarian, where no animal flesh is | | | | complete protein but most plant foods do not," |
| eaten but animal products are allowed; and the | | | | according to Theodore Berland in Consumer Guide's |
| semi-vegetarian, where no red meat is eaten but | | | | "Rating the Diets." |
| poultry and fish may be taken once in a while. | | | | Vegans are also more likely to suffer from a vitamin |
| What are the advantages of vegetarianism? Dr. Jack | | | | B12 (cobalamine) deficiency since this is found in |
| Yetiv, a well-known nutrition expert, said this diet can | | | | animal foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. |
| give you: | | | | Lack of this important vitamin may cause neurological |
| 1) Decreased risk of heart disease. Vegetarians have | | | | and gastrointestinal problems. |
| a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than | | | | Strict vegetarians likewise lack vitamin D which is |
| non-vegetarians. The reason behind this is that | | | | found in fortified milk and eggs. To remedy this, they |
| vegetarians normally have low cholesterol levels than | | | | should expose themselves to sunlight for about 20 to |
| other people. They are also less likely to be | | | | 30 minutes daily. If not, the use of supplements is |
| overweight and suffer from high blood pressure. | | | | advised. |
| 2) Better management of diabetes. Experts say a | | | | Rickets, another deficiency disease that causes |
| high carbohydrate intake improves diabetic control. | | | | deformed bones and a curved spine, has been |
| Combined with a high fiber diet that vegetarians | | | | observed in vegans. So have calcium and iron |
| enjoy greatly eliminates the need for drugs in some | | | | deficiencies. Children who adhere to vegetarianism |
| people. | | | | tend to be smaller than omnivorous kids, Yetiv |
| 3) Decreased severity of colonic disease. Since they | | | | revealed. |
| are high in fiber, vegetarian diets can be useful in | | | | "If you are considering vegetarianism, think twice. We |
| diverticulosis (the presence of small, saclike swellings | | | | human beings change habits slowly. We resist giving |
| in the wall of the colon), constipation, and other | | | | up the high calorie foods we have eaten all our lives. |
| colonic diseases. | | | | Becoming a vegetarian may take a year or so or |
| 4) Decreased obesity. Vegetarians are less | | | | even a decade. The speed with which you change |
| overweight than their non-vegetarian counterparts. | | | | lifelong habits depends on your motivation, your |
| That's because they eat a lot of fiber which is filling | | | | environment, and other factors over which you have |
| but not fattening. | | | | some but not total control," Berland concluded. |
| And now the bad news. While all three vegetarian | | | | |