Is being a vegetarian really healthier than not being a vegetarian?

Question

Is being a vegetarian really healthier than not being a vegetarian?

Answer 1

no because you dont get enough protein but its also bad to only eat meat you need to have a balanced diet of both

Answer 2

Yes it is. People always go on about veggies being skinny, but at least they aren't going to get heart attacks of colon cancer. Plus, being veggie is good for your soul.

Answer 3

I think yes ..I have always been a vegetarian & eat only eggs.

Answer 4

Yep.

It clogs up arteries due to all the high levels of saturated fat, doesn't digest properly and takes your body a few days.

Check out these sites for evidence and proof:

http://www.vernoncoleman.com/eatingfor.h...

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.ht...

http://www.juiceguy.com/Meat-toxic-subst...

^ Great site that explains everything.

Answer 5

It is difficult to get quality protein as a vegetarian.  You can eat lots of beans and nuts to get volume of protein and choose the best sources.  Human teeth indicate that humans are omnivores.  And a balanced diet appears to provide the best health results based on what we know today.

  A balanced diet would consist of limited red meat, plenty of vegetables, and fiber.  Soluble fiber helps reduce fat and cholesterol absorbed and promotes proper bowel function.  Vegetables contain lots of vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants.

  Substances called super-oxides are highly reactive and able to bond with molecules in cells, damaging them.  Antioxidants tend to bind with these super-oxides, so the presence of antioxidants protects your cells.

  Cooking can create super-oxides as the energy from the heat source can drive oxidization reactions to a higher reaction energy level than would naturally occur at room temperature.  In chemistry, this energy level dictates what products can be produced by a chemical reaction.  Certain products, like harder to produce super-oxides will only occur in the presence of an energy source such as heat, electricity (ozone is a super-oxide), or a catalyst.

  Not cooking subjects you to the perils of infectious disease, bacteria, and parasites.  So it is best to cook meats without burning them.  And eat plenty of vegetables and whole grains.

Answer 6

In my book, yes. As a meat eater I was always chubby and was sick all the time. If something was going around, I knew I was going to get it.

When I became vegetarian 8 years ago all the weight just melted right off and I almost never get sick anymore. My doctor was so inspired she decided to give it a try and now she recommends it to other patients.

Mind you, even as a meat eater I ate a lot of veggies and kept track of my diet to make sure it was balanced.

The key to being a healthy veghead is to keep things well rounded. A lot of vegheads eat a lot of overly processed breads and whatnot that makes them really unhealthy. It's like they forget about vegetables.

Answer 7

no its worse.  your body needs meat

Answer 8

not necessarily, but it could be if you know what you are doing.

you can be a vegetarian and be uneducated on getting essential nutrients and your whole quest to be healthy will be for nothing

Answer 9

you cant live on vegetables alone

Answer 10

The peer-reviewed scientific literature supports that veg*ns have lower rates of chronic illness and allergies than do non-veg*ns.

Answer 11

When you hear some medical news on TV, radio, or the internet, there are breakthroughs or just little blurbs about small studies. Often the studies center around food.

For plant based foods, there is always a positive outcome in the studies.  Red wine, chocolate, increasing one's intake of veggies and fruits, etc. has always come to show positive results.  Never once have there been studies saying "meat decreases odds of cancer," "turkey lowers cholesterol and blood pressure."  To the contrary it's a known fact that meat can be downright dangerous, and that's not just limited to red meat either...

Of course it is possible to be vegetarian and eat utter junk.  Some vegetarians all the sudden become pastatarians because they don't do research and can't think of what to eat, but this is rather rare.  Most vegetarians (over 50%) are so for health and they tend to get very balanced diets.

I went vegan for animal ethics and I wasn't really interested in the health aspect of it.  But, now I notice that I am eating an amalgam of fresh produce, beans, whole grains, legumes, and some meat alternatives.  

I can't say for all, but personally, I have never felt better.

Answer 12

It is potentially much less healthy. It takes much planning and using supplements to have proper nutrition on a herbivorous diet, when humans are natural omnivores. no plant has all of the amino acids we need to utilize protein. One way to get them from plants is to consume grains and legumes together, e.g. corn and beans or wheat and lentils. It is also difficult to get all of the needed minerals from plants alone. PeTA has a house doctor who does not mention such considerations. Endomorphs can do better on such diets than mesomorphs can, and ectomorphs may eat only meat with no vegetables.

Answer 13

statistically, vegetarians live longer. the best study of this was done by the 7th day advocates studies on their own members (they encourage vegetarianism) as it seems to do the best job of limiting other influencing factors (they more or less have a similar lifestyle, education ect) they found that vegetarians live about 5 years longer.

Answer 14

no, but i think vegetarians in general are more health conscious so it may seem that way

Answer 15

No, but like someone else here said "Vegetarians are usually more health conscious."  You can live on vegetables alone but you have to careful.  You need to eat enough protein, something that is usually found in meat.  You can find this in soy beans and a few other vegetables.  The truth is no one really knows what the best diet in the world is.. it varies from person to person.  Just make sure you eat what your body has to have and you will be just as healthy but no healthier than someone who watches their diet and eats meat.

Answer 16

A vegetarian diet is known to confer a wide range of health benefits. Research has shown vegetarians to suffer less heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, various cancers, diverticular disease, bowel disorders, gall stones, kidney stones, and osteoporosis. Vegetarian diets have also been used in the treatment of various illnesses, including rheumatoid arthritis and nephrotic syndrome.

Answer 17

NO because your body needs protein.

Answer 18

It depends.  One can eat a fairly healthy omnivorous diet.  And, one could possibly eat an unhealthy vegetarian diet - if they only eat junk.

I gave up eating meat for health reasons (to avoid colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.).  I think that becoming vegan has improved my current (and hopefully future) health immensely.

Answer 19

Of course it is better. But what's the best is being raw vegan. It consists of raw fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, and greens. People were not meant to cook their food. Isn't it strange the way humans are the only animals that cook their food? All health problems are caused by eating cooked food, because all the enzymes are killed at temperatures above 116 degress F, which makes it much harder to digest food. Even if we were meant to eat meat, we were meant to eat t raw, not cooked. If we think raw meat is gross, we were not meant to eat it.

However, being vegetarian includes dairy. After a certain age, all animals stop producing lactase, needed to digest lactose in milk. Only infants can produce lactase, but stop producing it when animals naturally stop nursing.

I am a raw foodist, and if you go to some raw community websites, you'll find it's becoming more and more popular. Eating raw does't have to be boring - in fact, you can make delicious recipes such as cookies and crackers in a dehydrators, "ice creams" (not like the gross to some people soy ice creams), treats, actually there are even raw restaurants throughtout the country. Don't listen to people who say raw food doesn't have enough nutrients - but it actually has more nutrients. Gone Raw has over 4,000 free raw recipes posted on their site, about 10 recipes a day. It also has forums you may want to check out. Everybody there is sharing how much they love raw food, posting their favorite recipes, and chatting. There are also raw food online stores - you can have raw chcocolate (tastes just like a hershey bar, but alot healthier),exotic foods, special equipment, it is really quite fun. There are already so many books out also.

Answer 20

Vegetarians have significantly lower rates of heart disease, colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.  They also live an average of 6 years longer than omnivores.

Answer 21

I am for eating proteins, however obtained conveniently, at lowest cost for all of society including carbon issues, and wonder if there is a correlation to veganism and serious diseases.  Not regular daily health, diabetes or heart, but others like MS, muscle and nerve problems.  Just a thought.

Answer 22

i dont believe its healthier but you could live off of it eat regular veggies and lots of peanuts for protein also u can also eat fish idk why but some vegitariens eat fish for protien.

hope i help.