Vegetarian Diet
Great For Weight Loss, Health And The Planet
by Donald Nelson
"Animals are my friends and I don't eat my friends" was how George Bernard Shaw explained his
vegetarian diet. Albert Einstein said that the adoption of "the vegetarian manner of
living...would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind."
Vegetarian Diet
Whether you are interested in vegetarianism because of lofty moral ideals such as those held by Shaw and
Einstein, or because you just want to lose weight and feel better physically you are not alone. Throughout the
world there is a growing interest in vegetarianism.
Let's take a look at the main reasons for being a vegetarian.
Physical: There is a long list of modern diseases that are aggravated by meat eating: colon cancer, heart
disease, kidney disease, arthritis and gout top the list.
In addition, many toxins accumulate in meat, as animals are on the top of an agricultural food chain that is
heavily dependent on chemicals and pesticides. Added to the chemicals of the environment, are the hormones secreted
into an animal's bloodstream as it faces death. "The flesh of an animal is loaded with toxic blood and other waste
products," was how the Nutrition Institute of America described it.
Vegetarian Diet
If that isn't enough to make you think about trying a vegetarian diet, there is more
You Can Live Without Meat: You can get all the vitamins, minerals and even protein that you need without
eating any meat products. A diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products will certainly provide you
with what you need. And such a diet is not boring. Have you ever tasted an elaborate vegetarian Indian dinner, or
vegetarian Chinese cuisine, or vegetarian Italian food?
While it is possible to be vegetarian and also be fat, it is much harder! A vegetarian diet is not a fad diet
that you will do for a period, but something you can follow and enjoy for your whole life.
Vegetarian Diet
But there are more reasons why a vegetarian diet makes sense.
Moral and Social Reasons: We all love our cats, dogs, and house pets. We regard them as beautiful creatures who
are part of our family. Other animals, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens ducks, etc. are also beautiful creatures and
they too want to live. If we can live our lives without killing them, then why should we?
Finally, our Mother earth is small and has limited resources. Feeding humanity with meat takes a big toll on the
environment. It makes more sense for us to get nourishment from plant proteins rather than growing grains and then
feeding it to animals. Every year millions of people die of hunger in the developing countries, while thousands die
of avoidable diseases in the developed countries due to overeating the wrong kind of food. Surely, in the 21st
Century, we can do better than this. The spread of the vegetarian diet may be the best way to correct this crazy
imbalance.
So, think about it, and try out a vegetarian diet. It will help you to slim down, feel great
physically and connect you with the other living beings on planet Earth.
Read more:Atkins diet and
gout
About the Author
Dada Vedaprajinananda is yoga teacher and writer. He is the author of "Yoga Weight Loss Secrets" , available at
http://www.yogaweightlosssecrets.com and is the publisher
of the Life Weight Loss Article Directory - http://www.lifeweightloss.com - where you can find articles and
information about health, fitness and weight loss.
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