Benefits of being a vegetarian
Studies show that being a vegetarian brings health benefits and promotes a long life
In addition to helping the environment, one of the other benefits of being a vegetarian includes improvements in health and well-being, such as decreased risk of heart disease and increased longevity.
Longevity
Being a vegetarian can result in longer life, according to a study published in the journal. JAMA Internal Medicine. According to the survey, conducted by professionals at the Loma Linda Seventh-day Adventist University in the United States, strict vegetarians (who only eat vegetables) have a 15% lower risk of death, while those who are lacto-ovo vegetarians (who only eat vegetables) have a diet based on vegetables, eggs, milk and dairy products) have a 9% lower risk of death than people who eat meat. Pesco-vegetarians (who eat fish, vegetables, eggs and dairy products) have a 19% lower risk of death. Finally, semi-vegetarians (they consume less meat than a person on a standard diet and do not eat beef and pork, although they eat chicken and fish) have an 8% lower risk of death compared to those who eat more meat. frequency.
The study included 73,308 men and women (all Seventh-day Adventists as well as the institution) who were recruited between 2002 and 2007, and were followed for an average period of 5.79 years. During that period, 2,570 people died.
The research also showed that being a vegetarian is correlated with some characteristics such as: being married, highly educated, older and thinner. Most vegetarians exercise more, do not smoke or drink - factors that may also explain this longer longevity.
Loma Linda University is known for its studies in vegetarianism and health. Another survey conducted at this institution revealed that California Adventist men with a vegetarian lifestyle live 9.5% longer than other men who do not have that profile; California Adventist vegetarian women live 6.1% longer than other Californian women with different habits.
Decreases the risk of heart disease
A study by researchers at Oxford University, which came out in early 2013, showed that being a vegetarian reduced the risk of heart disease by 32 percent, compared to a diet based on meat and fish. This survey included 45,000 people in the UK, 34% of them vegetarians. Researchers found in this study that being a vegetarian is less likely to have high body mass indexes, as well as to have diabetes. A 2011 study published in the journal Diabetes Care showed that being a vegetarian is associated with a decrease in risk factors for metabolic syndrome, which is a set of disorders that are associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Being a vegetarian is more effective against the greenhouse effect than stopping driving in a car
According to a survey by Yale University, the production of red meat has a much greater environmental impact compared to other types of meat (pork and poultry), vegetables and animal derivatives (dairy and eggs). This is because, according to a study, there is a loss of trophic energy with the process of rumination in cattle.
The study looked at the amount of land, water and nitrogen fertilizers needed to expand meat production and compared that with poultry, pigs, eggs and dairy products. It was concluded that between 2% and 12% of the gross energy consumed by cattle is wasted in the production and elimination of methane gas.
"Only a fraction of the food consumed by cattle passes into the bloodstream, so some of the energy is lost",said the expert who led the research Gidon Eshel.
Feeding cattle with grain instead of grass aggravates this inefficiency, although Eshel points out that even cattle fed with grass still have a greater environmental footprint than other animal products.
Eshel also stated that "eating less red meat would reduce the carbon footprint more than giving up driving a car."
take the first step
If you want to be a vegetarian, but want to take it easy, follow some tips to get used to the practice. Start meatless on Monday and then become a vegetarian throughout weekdays. Give preference to organic vegetables, which do not contain pesticides or nitrogen fertilizers. In addition to being healthy, being a vegetarian is also a habit that is less harmful to the environment, as the cost of emissions from meat production, as well as its water footprint, are too high.
