Benefits of Eating Vegetarian Once in a While

It is known that vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer than non-vegetarians. You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy vegetarian dishes and the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Trying a couple of meat-free days each week can help your digestion and detox your body.

Vegetarians get abundant fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals that help to prevent cancer. In addition, blood analysis of vegetarians reveals a higher level of specialized white blood cells that attack cancer cells.

According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians are at lower risk for developing heart disease, Colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

People who follow vegetarian diets typically have lower blood pressure. No one knows exactly why vegetarian diets work so well. It is probable that cutting out meat and dairy products reduces the blood’s viscosity which, in turn, brings down blood pressure. Vegetables and fruits are also rich in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure.

A vegetarian diet, if followed properly would consist mostly of alkaline forming foods. Our blood is slightly alkaline and needs to be kept that way by reducing intake of acid-forming foods like meat and more of alkaline forming foods like vegetables.

This is probably one of the main reasons that people who are sick see health benefits when they go to these diets. However, some vegetarians eat French fries and potato chips with soft drinks everyday, and do not see the benefits of the alkaline diet.

Also, some vegetarian diets are very heavy on the carbohydrates. As a result, many vegetarians have found themselves full of candida and other pathogens, since candida thrives on foods that contain carbohydrates and sugar.

Another mistake some vegetarians make is almost totally eliminating high quality fats and proteins. Fats give you the energy you need to do your daily activities. Fats also provide essential nutrients like fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Your body requires a certain amount of these fat nutrients.

The fat in coconut oil is a high quality fat. The medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil are more easily digested than the long-chain fatty acids found in other oils. This is because they are processed directly in the liver and immediately converted into energy.

There is therefore less strain on the liver, pancreas and digestive system and, being easily digested, they also tend to improve the absorption of other nutrients. Thus, it is beneficial foe vegetarians to use coconut oil to cook and prepare their meals.

By: John Goh