Fruitarian | Fruitarian Diet

Despite the reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet, the health benefits of eliminating meat from the diet is very easy to notice.  By limiting the food consumption to fruits, vegetables and legumes, vegetarians can lower the levels of their blood fats, triglycerides and cholesterol compared with those who consume eat.  The presence of high levels of fats can increase a person’s risk to having heart disease.

Vegetarian health varies depending on the type of vegetarian

Lacto ovo vegetarians, or those who refrain from eating meat yet still consume dairy products, have higher blood levels of saturated fats and cholesterols, than vegans, or those who refrain from all animal products and by-products.  Still, cholesterol levels of lacto-ovo vegetarians are still lower than those of non-vegetarians.

Comparison of vegetarian health and health of meat-eaters

In a research, it was found that men who refrain from eating meat can reduce their risk of having heart disease by half compared with men who consume meat more than five times each week.  The same study also observed that middle-aged men who eat meat have four times the risk of suffering a heart attack.

The results for the women vary.  Because the risk in having a heart attack in women is reduced by the presence of female hormones, a vegetarian diet can only lower the risk of heart attack in older women.  However, this doesn’t mean that there are no benefits in becoming a vegetarian while younger.  A 1982 study made by British researchers concluded that the greater the meat consumption, the higher the risks of a heart attack.

By removing meat from the diet of both men and women, the intake of fats and cholesterols that are detrimental to the heart’s health is greatly reduced.  However, new vegetarians should not make the mistake of increasing the intake of dairy products (which contain high quantities of fat) and eggs (which have high cholesterol content).  To maximize the health benefits of becoming a vegetarian, a person should limit, if not eliminate, the consumption of eggs and dairy products.

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It is easy to understand that being a vegetarian has many health benefits.  However, few people know that being a vegetarian also reduces the risk of having certain types of cancers.

A vegetarian diet reduces the cancer cause

Because a diet consisting of vegetables, fruits and legumes have low levels of saturated fats, high in fiber content, and in cancer-fighting phytochemicals, a vegetarian can lower his or her risk of having cancer.

Studies that show lower cancer cause in vegetarians

There are studies made in Germany and England in which it was found that vegetarians have 40 percent lower cancer risk that meat eaters of the same age and lifestyle.  In a study made by the Seventh-day Adventist church in the United States, their members, who are mostly lacto-ovo vegetarians, have low cancer risk.  In a study in China, in which most people depend on plants, rates of breast cancer are lower than in meat consuming countries.  It is also interesting to find out that Japanese women, who have diets similar to the Western women, have eight times the risk of getting breast cancer than the vegetarian women.  The consumption of meat, including dairy products, may be associated with cancers of the breast, colon, ovaries and prostate.

Meat consumption increases cancer risk

In a Harvard study, women who consume meat regularly have three times the risk of having colon cancer.  The consumption of a high fat diet can increase the production of estrogen.  An abnormally high level of this hormone can increase the risk of having breast cancer.  The rate of premenopausal women who have breast cancer is one-third higher in the meat eating group that in vegetarians.

Cancer risk in the reproductive organs

In another study, the development of ovarian cancer is linked with the consumption of dairy products.  The process of metabolism of lactose (milk sugar) in the body can damage the ovaries.  Men who consume meat daily have three times the risk of getting prostate cancer than that of non-meat consumers.  The regular consumption of milk can double this risk while lack of vegetables in the diet can multiply the risk by four times.

Aside from avoiding the cancer causes that are present in meat, vegetarian also benefit from the high levels of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants present in a plant diet.

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There are many health benefits for having a vegetarian diet.  Many of these can be traced to having a healthy stomach and bowels.  With the way that we have evolved, the digestive system of humans has been designed to carry out the metabolism of vegetable products more appropriately than animal products.  A diet that includes fruits, vegetables and legumes can provide the body with the fiber that the digestive system requires in order to perform its functions.  A diet that consists of high amounts of processed sugar, flour and animal products that were produced through the use of antibiotics and hormones can damage a person’s digestive system.

How a meat diet affects the digestive system health

If a person’s digestive system cannot function properly, the risk of having diseases from infections is increased.  It is also possible that the cellular DNA of the colon and the stomach undergo harmful changes.  A diet that does not reach the required fiber content can lead to digestion and bowel movement problems that have more negative effects than we can imagine.  The most common of these conditions are hemorrhoids and constipation.  Studies show that vegetarians have lower risks of having these conditions and other digestive system syndromes than the meat consumers.

How a vegetarian diet improves the digestive system health

By having a diet that is rich in fiber content, the risk of having other bowel-related diseases such as chronic ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome is also reduced.  The fiber-rich diet can also reduce the possibility of developing cancer of the colon and other cancers of the digestive organs.

Digestive system health is improved by eliminating meat from the diet

When weighing the risk of developing digestive system diseases and cancers against the benefits of sticking with a vegetarian diet, it becomes more attractive to pass on the meat during your next meal.  If you really feel that you cannot make such sudden adjustments, it could help by starting to reduce the meat proportions until you are ready to make a complete shift to vegetarianism.

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Most people think that vegetarians are composed of a single type of people who refrain from eating meat.  However, if we look at this classification further, there are several types of vegetarians just are there are various reasons for becoming one.

What is a vegetarian?

A person doesn’t eat meat is tagged as a vegetarian.  However, there are vegetarians who consume dairy products including eggs, milk and cheese.

The lacto ovo vegetarian is the type of vegetarian who consumes dairy products.

This type of vegetarian refrains from eating meat, including poultry and fish.  However, he or she does not restrict himself of herself from consuming eggs, cheese and milk.  A related type of vegetarian is the lacto vegetarian who consumes milk and other dairy products, however he or she refrains from egg consumption.

A vegan is the type of vegetarian who consumes no animal products and by-products.

A vegan does not consume any meat product including dairy foods.  Vegan foods only include fruits, vegetables, nuts and other legumes.  Vegans also decline the use of leather and other products that come from animals.  They also don’t use white sugar, which is usually whitened using a substance from animal bones.

There are still other types of vegetarians.

The fruitarian is also another type of vegetarian.  From the name itself, it is easy to understand that their diet only includes fruits.  Their reason for strict fruit consumption is that fruits grow naturally without the need to be perpetuated artificially.  They believe that this is the best way to eat in harmony with nature.

The mentioned types of vegetarians will all eat cooked fruits, vegetables and legumes.  There is also a group of vegetarians that advocate the consumption of only raw and living plant products.  This is because of the belief that the process of cooking can remove many nutrients from the food.  Thus, in order to maximize the nutritional benefits of the vitamins and minerals in food, it has to be eaten while raw.

When you understand the benefits of becoming a vegetarian, you still have to make sure that you get the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

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In the United States, the consumption of turkeys has increased over the years.  Although turkey meat is still most popular during Christmas and Thanksgiving, it is also now consumed gaining popularity as a part of other the dining table during other celebrations.  Because of this increasing demand, the process of turkey meat mass production has become barbaric, similar to the mass production of chickens to meet the market demand.

Turkey meat comes from animals living in extreme conditions

To prevent the animals’ aggressive behavior when allowed to roam freely, the turkeys are stored in small spaces that limit their movement.  They are fed much more than necessary that it becomes difficult for the legs of the turkey to support its sudden increase in body weight.  Because of this, the animals’ life span only reaches two years instead of the normal 10-year turkey life span.

Turkey meat may also have been exposed to diseases

Because the turkeys are in overcrowded and abnormal environment, turkeys for commercial consumption suffer diseases.  It was recorded that 2.7 million of the animals in this unsuitable living condition die every year.  The animals suffer physical deformities, stress and starvation because the crowding prevents them from finding the feeding troughs.  The overcrowding also leads to inefficient sanitation.  The contact with the waste matter can cause ulceration and hock burns on the feet of the turkeys.

These facts can change the way you look at the roasted turkey at the center of the holiday dinner table.  Turkey meat portions have to be cooked with the same cleanliness standards as for chicken meat.  There is a recommended cooking temperature for turkeys to make sure that all bacteria are killed.  The kitchen also has to be disinfected after the food preparation to kill any microorganisms on the counter.

For this reason, more and more people find reason to adopt a vegetarian diet.  Some people may still find it funny and odd to have a fruits-and-vegetables-only diet.  However, when you weigh the benefits, both on a health and humane perspective, it makes sense to spare the turkey during your next holiday dinner.

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There are people who refrain from eating pork because of diet restrictions and religious beliefs.  When a person has decided to get into a vegetarian diet, it is usually the red meats that have to go first.  Upon doing this, it can be observed that their blood pressures, cholesterol levels and other health indicators begin to improve.  While health is the primary reason for choosing a vegetarian diet, the inhumane treatment of mass-produced animals for meat consumption is another reason to be considered.

Pig farms follow the same inhumane procedure as other types of animal farming

Pig farming is not very much different from chicken farming and other types of animal mass production.  The animals are kept in areas that limit their growth and movement.  Because of the demand in pork, pigs become overcrowded in their crates.  To make them reach their desired size and weight quickly, these animals are overfed and are injected with growth hormones to maximize their growth potential.  Their living habitats become dirty due to overcrowding and lack of good sanitation.  To prevent the spread of diseases, the animals are also given antibiotics.

The conditions in pig farms can lead the animals to experience stress

Because of the extreme conditions in pig farming, the animals that were able to survive the conditions show signs of chronic stress.  This is the same phenomenon exhibited by other animals that are mass-produced for human consumption.  They tend to chew their cages bars and they worry excessively.  The natural rooting behavior of pigs is also prevented due to the limited space in their cages.

In order to support he demand for pork consumption, these animals in pig farms have to suffer this beyond normal living conditions.  Our anatomy is not made for eating meat.  Human teeth are not developed for tearing and ripping meat.  Human beings are the product of evolution of earlier herbivores.  This is still the best lifestyle for us.  By taking out red meats from a person’s diet, he or she becomes healthier and leaner.  It also helps to know that no animals were hurt just to provide for our food.

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It is a common belief that getting rid of the red meats and poultry from a person’s diet is enough to live a vegetarian lifestyle.  While this is a good start, a person must also know that there are also dangers to eating fish and other animals from the water.  Because the humans were not able to take care of the bodies of water, fish and other seafoods pose some health risks.

Eating fish has several health benefits

Fish and other seafoods have nutrients that are essential to a person’s health.  Omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality proteins, which are present in fish, can aid in a person’s growth and development.  The small amount of saturated fat in fish makes it an ideal food for people with health problems.  Because of the many health benefits from fish, women and children can benefit from including fish in their diets.

Eating fish poses risks of mercury intake

Because of the current environmental conditions, it is possible that fish and shellfish contain mercury.  While some people might consider that a small amount of mercury is not a big problem, there are fishes that contain amounts of mercury that are beyond the tolerable levels.  The presence of mercury in the diet can harm a child in the mother’s womb and newborn babies.  Because of this risk, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released advisories to pregnant women and nursing mothers against eating certain types of seafood.  Women and young children should limit themselves to eating fish and shellfish that have low mercury content.

Eating is supposed to nourish us with nutrients that are vital to our existence.  However, it is difficult to continue fish consumption without worrying about the risks that it poses to mothers and young children.  If a vegetarian has already started eliminating red meat from his or her diet, he or she should also consider taking out fish and seafood from the diet to limit the exposure to mercury in the diet.

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There are several reasons that we eat food.  The primary reason that we consume food is to revitalize and nourish our bodies with nutrients that are essential for our growth.  There are also some people who use food as a method of emotional gratification.  Many of us consume foods from both plants and animals, thus the term omnivores.

Cruelty to animals is another reason for having a vegetarian diet

There are many reasons why people should consider having a vegetarian diet.  Most of these reasons are related to the health benefits of restricting one’s diet to food coming from plants.  There are also people who get rid of the meat from their diet because of the cruel treatment of the animals that are mass-produced for human consumption.  To satisfy the demands of the US population, animal farming has become an inhumane act.

Cruelty to animals has to be done to hasten their growth

When a person consumes meat, he or she eats meat from an animal that has been overfed to hasten its life span and make it ready for human consumption the soonest time possible.  The animals also suffer chronic stress because they are kept in a crowded environment with very limited room for movement and with little sanitation.

Abnormal living conditions is a form of cruelty to animals

Aside from the antibiotics that are administered to prevent the spread of diseases, the animals are also fed with growth hormones that make their development abnormally fast.  The animals are not allowed to move freely as they would in their normal environments.  Chickens also suffer physical damages as their beaks are taken off with a very hot knife.  This has to be done to limit their aggressive behavior, which is usually the result of their abnormal living conditions.

It is hard to believe that the suffering of the animals’ bodies are different from that of their spirits and energies.  If a stressed human can feel the damaging effects of stress on different parts of the body, it is safe to say that this can also be true for animals.  Every cell of their bodies can experience the stress due to the inhumane conditions.  Do we want to consume meats from stressed animals?

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One of the causes being championed by vegans is their non-consumption of meat because of the method in which it was acquired.  The slaughter of animals isn’t just the inhumane thing one could do, but the methods in which animals for human consumption were raised gives them a lifetime of suffering that ends with more suffering.  Take for example veal, the tender meat prized by many for gourmet dishes.  Veal comes from very young calves who were raised in very extreme conditions in order to produce the special quality of meat.

How calves are raised for veal

After just a day, suitable calves are taken from their mother cows and raised in conditions that will keep their muscles soft.  Pens and methods that restrict movement ensure that their muscles don’t develop and strengthen, while artificial liquid diets that exclude iron and fiber are continuously fed to the calves.  As a result, growth is stunted and the calves develop anemia, producing the pale and tender veal prized by meat-eaters.

If you think that consuming veal is healthy because of the lack of growth hormones fed to young calves, think again.  Due to their living conditions, these animals are always stressed, prompting for more substances and medications to be administered to them.  These substances may do their job in further keeping the calves’ meat soft and tender but may prove harmful to humans when the meat is consumed.

In the 20 weeks that a calf is raised for veal, it has known nothing but artificial liquid diets, cramped cells, longing for its mother, frustration, and lots of stress.  Aside from the artificial hormones, veal’s meat is also infused with the anger and frustration that the calves have felt in their short lives.  The chemicals may do our physical body harm, but the frustration and suffering ingrained in the meat does a lot more not only to our physical health, but possibly to our spiritual selves as well.

Going vegan

Going vegan not only spares these calves the cruelty of being raised for their meat, but it also helps us live healthier lives.  Just as we spare these calves from the chemicals, we also spare ourselves from the effects of these artificial substances.  Though meat is a valuable source of nutrition, more and more studies show that its consumption leads to more diseases. Vegetables and other edible plants are rich in the nutrients that the human body needs and vegans are doing so much more than just getting their nutrition in much more humane ways.  Stopping our inhumane ways such as raising calves and slaughtering them for veal can also help us regain that balance with nature.

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Those new to the vegan ways of eating may just shun eating the meat of any animal but consume by-products such as milk.  If you think drinking milk does not go against the principles of not inflicting pain on animals, think again. Milking cows progressed from the olden days when farmers get up before sunrise to perform their duties gently by hand.  Even though cows aren’t slaughtered to get their milk, there’s so much more that they go through that can make you think twice about drinking that glass of milk before sleeping.

Treatment of cows for milk production

Cows used for producing milk are subjected to different conditions and treatments to get them to produce the milk for mass consumption. Often, these milking cows are housed in cramped and unsanitary conditions, and are dosed with hormones and stimulants so that they become fertile, give birth to calves, and produce milk often.  However, when calves are born, these are taken away from their mother cows.  The male ones are raised to   be destined at the slaughterhouse while the female ones grow up to be just like their moms.

Some vegans believe that consuming the meat and partaking of products coming from the slaughter and mistreatment of animals is inhumane, but drink milk and eat cheese and eggs.  However, the harvesting of these products still inflict some measure of pain to the animals that produce them.  Mother cows have an emotional bond with their young and will mourn or feel anguish at the loss of their young ones. The electric pumps attached to their udders,as well as the forced fertility, breaks their spirit as well as their natural cycles.  And when they have reached that age when they can  no longer bear calves and produce milk, off to the slaughterhouse they go.

Effects of mass-producing cow’s milk

Sustaining these milking cows is also taking its toll on our environment, with water resources running out and becoming polluted, and even the ozone layer suffering from the methane they excrete.  A cow’s milk is for it’s own, just like how a human mother’s milk is for her child.  Studies have actually shown that children nursed on cow’s milk were less healthier than those   who were raised on mother’s milk.  Though cow’s milk may have been proven to be a valuable supplement for the whole human race for so long,  maybe  it’s time to rethink our sources for nutrition.  The nutrients in cow’s milk can also be found in other sources, such as vegetables and plants (that cows consume).  Why not skip the cow and just go straight ahead to the green and leafy sources of nutrition instead?

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