Helping You in Your Understanding of Vegetarianism

You may be wondering why anyone would want to become a vegetarian. Well there might just be as many reasons as there are stars in the heavens. One reason may be for health purposes, another may be environmental, still another reason may be spiritual or religious or even the protection and love of animals. Still other reasons may be very personal. Although the reasons for wanting to become a vegetarian may differ, we all meet on the same road to health.

It is commonly agreed that there are three types of vegetarians.  The first is the ovo-lacto, which is a vegetarian that eats fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and also dairy products and eggs. The second type,the Lacto is a vegetarian that will eat everything an ovo-lacto will except the eggs. And last is the vegan who is a vegetarian who will eat what the other two eats except this vegetarian eats no animal products at all. Each of these types of vegetarians is unique but is still a vegetarian just the same.

What Can Vegetarianism Do For You?

It’s been proven over and over again that some of the healthiest people on Earth are vegetarians. Vegetarians have been shown to live longer as well as being less prone to certain chronic diseases. The consumption of a vegetarian low fat diet may also aid in losing weight. Obesity can lead to all types of chronic health challenges including hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

It has been shown that the consumption of a vegetarian diet may even reverse such health ailments as heart disease and arthritis. Additionally a vegetarian diet may even lower your blood pressure. Because potassium is found in great abundance in fruits and vegetables, a vegetarian diet aids in helping your kidneys get rid of sodium thus helping to lower blood pressure and modifying blood pressure regulating enzymes.

A vegetarian diet can also help to decrease the thickness of your blood. This results in blood flowing more easily through your blood vessels. This of course results in your heart having to work less to push your blood.

In addition you gain other benefits of a vegetarian diet through the millions of cells in your kidney that filter and purify your blood. A diet containing meat tends to overwork your kidneys and over time will kill kidney cells called nephrons.

When broken down in the body, animal protein will produce waste products that put a strain on the filtering power of your kidneys. If your kidney function is already compromised due to such things as diabetes, infection, or high blood pressure, you increase your chances of further damaging your kidneys. Proteins that are plant-based however, will not harm or damage your kidneys in any way.

Nutritional Vegetarians

If you are new to vegetarianism I’m sure you will be wondering if you’ll be getting the correct nutrition or even enough of it. The answer to your question is an unequivocal yes.

Being a vegetarian does not mean being undernourished-quite the contrary. Vegetables and fruits in your diet provide you with crucial nutrients such as vitamins E, C, beta-carotene, and lycopene. These nutrients are called antioxidants and function by helping your body fight diseases by helping to eliminate and neutralize damaging substances in your body called free radicals.

Religious and Spiritual Reasons for Becoming a Vegetarian

You will find that many religions practice some form of vegetarianism. In the East, you have the Buddhists and Hindus. And in the West, there are the Christians like the Seventh Day Adventists.

You will find that many Eastern and Western mystics follow the vegetarian path as well. These mystics have found through meditation and other practices, a greater awareness of what they should be putting into their bodies. You will find that Jewish mystics follow the vegetarian lifestyle as well.

For Your Love of Animals and the Planet

Animal rights issues and the environment play a reason for some folks deciding to become a vegetarian. It is thought that the process of raising animals for food may cause the loss of topsoil and erosion. It is known that livestock agriculture is resulting in the deterioration of the world’s crop lands. The production of a pound of wheat takes 25 gallons of water to produce as opposed to 390 gallons of water required to produce a pound of beef.

Massive amounts of excrement are produced by livestock.  This has been shown to pollute soil, water, and the air. Animals like the chicken, pig, and cow, are are often raised in conditions that are inhumane and which also can breed disease and certain emotional and physical pain. Also the ways used to kill these animals for the sake of food can oftentimes be violent and painful. Research has shown that these animals can feel pain and that they surely suffer.

Eat Right and Live Well

And yes some people become vegetarians simply to eat healthy and to feel better about their lives. Becoming a vegetarian truly feels good in every way. How can you go wrong with better health as well as helping the planet and the animals on it. You will also be sharing a common bond with some of the famous people of the world.  People such as Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Gandhi, and Pythagoras were vegetarians. There are numerous other famous folks that have also chosen to become vegetarians.

A New Beginning

Vegetarianism is so much more than simply a way of doing something or a way of eating.  Vegetarianism is also a state of being that illuminates your mind, emotion, spirit, and body to a new way of existing that allows you to experience life in a very positive and rewarding way. Becoming a vegetarian allows you to see harmony through a world full of chaos. As vegetarians we are surely unique individuals.