Vegetarianism : How is it Healthier and Better?

Everybody has their personal choice of food. Different people, different food habits. While talking about food habits, and choices, I will begin from the base. Vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism. There is a myth all-over, that if you avoid meat or non-vegetarian diet then you will be losing a lot of necessary nutrients from your diet. Breaking the myth, you can get enough nutrients from your vegetarian diet.

It is not necessary to eat meat to get all the nutrients needed for good health. On the contrary, a person who chooses not to eat meat may enjoy better health, because they depend on a plant-based diet and also, they may be better in making healthy choices.

When you eat an only vegetarian diet, you keep yourself away from numerous infections, diseases and hormonal defects that can easily be caught from a non-vegetarian diet. Studies have proved that non-vegetarians are more prone to the risk of cholesterol and heart diseases.

Now, after the basic concept of vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, let’s move on to the next level of food choices that are now being popular amongst the crowd. Since we are talking about vegetarianism and its benefits, then here is a little guide to the extended form of the vegetarianism.

1. Vegan (complete vegetarians) – The ones who do not eat meat, fish, eggs or any kind of food coming from animals.
2. Lacto-Ovo vegetarians – The ones who do not eat meat, fish but do consume eggs and dairy products.
3. Lacto vegetarians – The ones who do not eat meat, fish, poultry or eggs but consume milk.
4. Ovo vegetarians – The ones who eat meat, poultry or dairy but do not eat eggs.

While the choice completely depends on a person’s interest and preferences, following a vegetarian diet can be quite helpful to lead a healthy life combining with the nutritious options from the diet.

Why vegetarianism is healthier

India has always been a country with a thick population of vegetarian people. About 500 million people of the country prefer bailing on the non-veg diet. That’s huge! India with the largest population of Hindus carries the prior reason of religious sentiments, for not eating meat. The other part of the world or the western world, also have started to understand the value of vegetarianism. Supporting the argument. Here are a few facts, stating why a vegetarian diet is healthier.

1. Prevents Heart Diseases-

Non-vegetarian foods like meat, fish and eggs are high in fat and calories that can increase the risk of increasing the bad cholesterol in our body. Fatty foods are harmful to cardiac health. That’s why when you follow a vegetarian diet, you prevent yourself from catching these problems.

2. Prevention from cancer

It has been known that a regular diet of colourful fruits and vegetables keep deadly diseases like cancer at a distance. Red meat and chicken, on the other hand, may contribute to colorectal cancer. To make sure that the toxic food never enters your body, eat organic fruits and vegetables that are free from harmful chemicals.

3. Controls weight

It has been proven, that the average (BMI) of the people from the non-vegetarian group is higher than that or the people who follow a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is rich in fibre, essential proteins and vitamins in diversity that helps in regulating the body weight to a much healthier level

4. Avoids toxic foods and contamination

Non-vegetarian diet is much riskier, why? Because it becomes hard to know if the food that we are purchasing is free from toxic injections and hormones and the bad effects of such foods are on the human body are much severe.  The toxins we are talking about are all fat-soluble, they concentrate in the fatty flesh of the animals. Not to mention the viruses, bacteria and parasites such as salmonella, trichinella and other worms, and toxoplasmosis parasites.

Other reason to follow a vegetarian diet

1. Good for the environment-

The green-house effect created by the live-stocks is much higher than from the auto-mobiles. They release gases like CO2, methane and CO. So, here is another reason, vegetarianism helps environment that too without compromising on your necessary nutrients in your food.

2. Compassion to animals

When you eat a vegetarian diet, you help save animals. They are no less than humans in feeling pain and emotion. We pet cats and dogs but consider goats, chickens and fishes our food. Yet, they are no less than good companions.

“Friends, Not Food”

Making the right choice-

While continuing the health factor of the vegetarian diet. It is very important to choose correct options in vegetarian food too. Just turning vegetarian won’t make you healthy. What that means is that, if you are eating a veg burger and French fries for your lunch and your friend is having grilled chicken on the other hand then, obviously you are making a wrong choice and your friend is eating healthier. If you follow the organic food diet, you stay away from the harmful chemicals in vegetables and fruits too.

Conclusion

Vegetarianism is an ancient practice in India. Being followed due to faith, morality and religion, now it also has been proven to be beneficial for health. We have an ample choice of foods in fruits, vegetables and grains. Follow the rainbow diet, stay healthy and be compassionate to the other species.

Author Bio:

I am Shraddha, graduate from Amity University and associated with OMKITCHEN. I am a passionate content creator who likes to produce informative and engaging content related to health and lifestyle. When not doing that, you can find me trying different kinds of organic food and herbal teas.