This blog is dedicated to providing health and wellness information and helping people achieve and maintain the best health possible.
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
Best HEALTH information available!
OK, this might possibly be the most significant book you could ever read (other than the Bible)!!! It is called The China Study written by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD. Their research is also discussed in a great documentary titled Forks over Knives, available on Netflix and Hulu.com. I hope that you take the time to learn this life changing information and live a long and healthy life!!!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Lifestyle changes that matter!
I made major changes to my diet (aka, what I eat everyday) in June of 2010. I weighed 203 lbs. at the time and I was working out a lot. I went to the gym Friday and weighed in at 177.5 lbs. I think that I was about 17 last time I weighed that much. I am now 99% vegetarian. I only eat some select fish and shrimp (grilled or sauteed) a couple times a month.
I now stay away from all milk, cheese, beef, chicken, pork, turkey, fast "food" and all processed foods. I have the same (or more) energy levels as I did when I was a teenager! I really challenge all my readers to look at the other posts I have on this blog and watch all the movies I have posted.
I now stay away from all milk, cheese, beef, chicken, pork, turkey, fast "food" and all processed foods. I have the same (or more) energy levels as I did when I was a teenager! I really challenge all my readers to look at the other posts I have on this blog and watch all the movies I have posted.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Forks Over Knives.
Another Must See Movie!!! Fork over Knives. http://www.hulu.com/watch/279734/forks-over-knives
Stay Away From Chemo!
Treat your body naturally. Take care of yourself. Stay away from Chemo!!! http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/15/breast-cancer-survivors-face-higher-risk-brain-problems/
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Becoming a Vegetarian!
I am slowly becoming a vegan, yes a pure vegetarian. No meat, eggs, fish, seafood, cheese, or milk. Here is some information about fish to avoid and why.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Mainstream Cancer Treatment Failed.
This is a very inspiring story about a lady that nearly died from conventional treatment of cancer and has made a full recovery using nutritional therapy! https://www.healthquarters.org
Thursday, November 3, 2011
A Cancer Battle Plan.
Most of you know that I have been studying health and wellness. Yesterday I found a book on my shelf called "A Cancer Battle Plan" published in 1992. It is an excellent book. It really reinforces everything that I have studied and implemented in my life. I urge you to check it out! ISBN 08910-96906
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Smoothies and Juice!
Smoothies and fresh made juice are part of my daily diet. Which is better? Well, here is an article to explain the differences. http://www.naturalnews.com/031512_smoothies_juicing.html
Monday, October 31, 2011
A Real Cure for Cancer!
A real cancer cure! Dr. Max Gerson developed and successfully used a real cure for cancer back in the 1940s. Watch this video and see it for yourself. http://www.hulu.com/watch/180363/the-gerson-miracle
Monday, October 24, 2011
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.
An excellent diet and wellness movie! http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122/fat-sick-and-nearly-dead
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Woman runs Chicago marathon 9 months pregnant!
Well, after seeing this news story, NO ONE has an excuse for not exercising! Here is the link, check it out for yourself!!!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Recommended Books
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine - ISBN 0-7615-1157-1
Health Care You Can Live With - by Dr. Scott Morris
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy - Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Healing by Design - Dr. Scott Hannen
The Gerson Therapy - Charolett Gerson and Morton Walker, D.P.M.
Health Care You Can Live With - by Dr. Scott Morris
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy - Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Healing by Design - Dr. Scott Hannen
The Gerson Therapy - Charolett Gerson and Morton Walker, D.P.M.
Ms. South Carolina Did It!!!
You Can Become Healthy and Fit.Bree Boyce was an overweight girl
that decided to change her lifestyle, lost 110 pounds, and became Ms.
South Carolina and then Ms. America!!! Click here to read her story!!!
that decided to change her lifestyle, lost 110 pounds, and became Ms.
South Carolina and then Ms. America!!! Click here to read her story!!!
Why Living Healthy Matters?
This is the new home of Living Healthy Matters!
The purpose of this blog is to provide a healthy alternative to the
traditional American diet and to assist you with achieving your best
health possible.
Food Facts and Information
As of July 2010, my family and I have been living as semi-vegetarians. Prior to
July, I ate healthy, or so I thought, but I read some intriguing articles in a
magazine named OnFitness that were talking about the use of antibiotics and
growth hormones in animals. Of particular concern was rBGH used in
cows to increase milk production. This hormone has been linked to breast and
prostate cancers. I also started reading a book written by Gary Null titled Gary
Null's Super Foods and a book written by Montel Williams called Living Well.
We stopped eating all processed meats, beef, chicken, and pork. We started
drinking soy milk and eating a lot of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. We still
eat some cheeses and some rBGH free milk. We eat some fish or shrimp once or
twice a week, but the majority of our nutrition comes from fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, nuts, and beans. For more info, check out The Cornucopia Institute.
The result? My wife and I have lost weight and have more energy. Even my
kids are participating in this new diet!
I wrote an academic research paper titled Vegetarian Diet and Health. In the paper
I researched the positive and negative health implications with eating a
vegetarian diet. With a strict vegetarian diet, there are some chances of being
deficient in a few vitamins and minerals, however, in a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet
or a semi vegetarian diet, there are no negative effects. There are many health
benefits of consuming a vegetarian diet: lower BMI, lower blood pressure,
decreased risk of heart attack, decreased risk of stroke, and decreased
risk of cancer.
The purpose of this blog is to provide a healthy alternative to the
traditional American diet and to assist you with achieving your best
health possible.
Food Facts and Information
As of July 2010, my family and I have been living as semi-vegetarians. Prior to
July, I ate healthy, or so I thought, but I read some intriguing articles in a
magazine named OnFitness that were talking about the use of antibiotics and
growth hormones in animals. Of particular concern was rBGH used in
cows to increase milk production. This hormone has been linked to breast and
prostate cancers. I also started reading a book written by Gary Null titled Gary
Null's Super Foods and a book written by Montel Williams called Living Well.
We stopped eating all processed meats, beef, chicken, and pork. We started
drinking soy milk and eating a lot of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. We still
eat some cheeses and some rBGH free milk. We eat some fish or shrimp once or
twice a week, but the majority of our nutrition comes from fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, nuts, and beans. For more info, check out The Cornucopia Institute.
The result? My wife and I have lost weight and have more energy. Even my
kids are participating in this new diet!
I wrote an academic research paper titled Vegetarian Diet and Health. In the paper
I researched the positive and negative health implications with eating a
vegetarian diet. With a strict vegetarian diet, there are some chances of being
deficient in a few vitamins and minerals, however, in a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet
or a semi vegetarian diet, there are no negative effects. There are many health
benefits of consuming a vegetarian diet: lower BMI, lower blood pressure,
decreased risk of heart attack, decreased risk of stroke, and decreased
risk of cancer.
You wouldn't pour a mystery substance into your car's fuel tank
and expect it to run properly, yet millions of Americans fill their "fuel
tanks" with unhealthy mystery foods every day! This site will help you
make healthy food and lifestyle choices.
Health care spending in America has reached an all time high and is
steadily growing. America spends more money on health care than any
other country in the world, and yet our health status is lower than many third
world countries. The best way to lower health care spending is to
prevent having to use the health care system in the first place! Getting
healthy and staying healthy will lower national health care spending.
We will offer healthy recipes, diet and exercise tips, and advice on Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) options. We would like to add complimentary health practitioners to this website, please contact us if you would like your business to be added.
and expect it to run properly, yet millions of Americans fill their "fuel
tanks" with unhealthy mystery foods every day! This site will help you
make healthy food and lifestyle choices.
Health care spending in America has reached an all time high and is
steadily growing. America spends more money on health care than any
other country in the world, and yet our health status is lower than many third
world countries. The best way to lower health care spending is to
prevent having to use the health care system in the first place! Getting
healthy and staying healthy will lower national health care spending.
We will offer healthy recipes, diet and exercise tips, and advice on Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) options. We would like to add complimentary health practitioners to this website, please contact us if you would like your business to be added.
Natural is Better!
Natural Dental Care.
Fluoride is POISON!
Click Here to learn more!
Learn how to make your own Healthy Toothpaste!
Click Here to see the video.
Non-GMO Project
Working together to ensure the sustained availability of non-GMO food & products!
rBGH FREE!!!
Why is bleached flour so bad?
Well, it is chemically treat with poison and basically void of nutrients! Click here to learn more.
Fluoride is POISON!
Click Here to learn more!
Learn how to make your own Healthy Toothpaste!
Click Here to see the video.
Non-GMO Project
Working together to ensure the sustained availability of non-GMO food & products!
rBGH FREE!!!
Why is bleached flour so bad?
Well, it is chemically treat with poison and basically void of nutrients! Click here to learn more.
Unhealthy Facts
Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of
death in America. 23.6 million
Americans have diabetes, which
equals almost 8% of the population.
Total health care and related costs
for the treatment of diabetes is $174
BILLION. Type 2 diabetes is
preventable and treatable with proper
diet and exercise. Obesity and lack
of exercise are the most common
causes of Type 2 diabetes.
A recent report stated that in
Memphis and Shelby County, TN
65% of the population is either
overweight or obese.
According to the CDC, only 25% of
Americans are getting the
recommended 5 or more servings of
fruits and vegetables a day and that
only 29% of Americans are getting
20 minutes of exercise a day, 3 or
more times a week. Is it any wonder
that we are unhealthy?
Americans eat way too much fast
food and processed food. Even
salads can contain as much, or more,
calories, fat, and sodium as a bacon
cheeseburger and French fries!
In the book Eat, Drink, and Be
Healthy, that other than NOT
SMOKING, maintaining a proper
weight and BMI is the best thing you
can do for your health!
Here is a list of 20 Salads Worse Than a Whopper!
Also, check out the recent list ofThe 30 Worst Foods in America!
Also read the 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America.
Also check out the 50 BEST snack foods in America.
Vegetarian Diet and Health Paper
What is a Vegetarian
There are several versions of the vegetarian
diet. According to the Mayo Clinic
website there are three main categories of vegetarians: vegan,
lacto-vegetarian, and lacto-ovo vegetarian (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596). The strictest form of vegetarianism is
vegan, where no animal products are consumed at all, including all meat, eggs,
cheese, and milk. The lacto-vegetarians exclude
all meat and eggs but include dairy products like milk, cheese, and
yogurt. The third type is lacto-ovo
vegetarians, and they still exclude all meats but do allow milk products and
eggs. A semi-vegetarian consumes primarily
a plant based diet but does eat some meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and cheese in
small amounts.
According to Koebnick
et al. (2005) there is another form of vegetarianism called the raw food diet
where food is consumed predominantly or exclusively as uncooked and unprocessed
raw food. The primary foods in this form
of diet are fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, and beans. The health benefits of each of these diets
will be discussed in more detail later on.
Why Become a Vegetarian
There are many reasons why one chooses to
practice a vegetarian diet. For some it
is for religious reasons, for some it is because they feel that they are
standing up for animal rights, like PETA, and for others it is purely to gain
the health benefits that a vegetarian diet can provide. This paper will primarily address the health
benefits of vegetarian diet and only briefly touch on the other reasons for
choosing not to consume animal products.
Struempler (1990)
explains that there are seven reasons one might choose to be a vegetarian:
religion, ecology, ethics, economics, food preference, personal convictions,
and health. Trappist Monks, Seventh Day
Adventists, and Hindus have a long history of vegetarianism. These groups tend to believe that vegetarian
diets can purify the body. The ecology
group feels that the growing of crops to feed livestock is not a sustainable and
jeopardizes the ability to feed the people of the world. Ethics comes into play because of
compassionate living and oppose the act of killing. A vegetarian diet is economically beneficial
because meat usually costs more that fruits, vegetables, and grains. Some people are vegetarians simply because of
food preference, they just don’t like meat.
The last two, personal convictions and health, both focus on the
increased quality of life and lower risk of chronic diseases and health
conditions.
Seventh-day Adventists
According to the
Seventh-day Adventists website (http://www.sdada.org/position.htm) they have practiced a vegetarian lifestyle for 130 years. The claim to practice a vegetarian lifestyle
because of their belief in the holistic nature of humankind and that whatever
they eat or drink should preserve the health of their mind, body, and spirit. Their website claims that since 1954 there
have been over 250 articles published about their lifestyle and health.
According to the
information posted on their website, Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) have 50%
less risk of heart disease, certain types of cancers, strokes, and
diabetes. They also claim that SDAs men
live an average of 8 years longer and SDAs women live an average of 7 years
longer, compared to men and women who eat meat.
They do claim that special attention needs to be given to intake of
protein, iron, zinc, calcium, Vitamin B 12, and protein. These issues will be addressed in more detail
later.
Benefits of Vegetarian Diet
There are many health
benefits associated with eating a vegetarian diet. One of the biggest health benefits of eating
a vegetarian based diet is the fact that more nutrient rich foods are consumed. A vegetarian diet usually includes more
fiber, less calories, and less saturated fat than non-vegetarian diets. Pharmaceutical companies make millions of
dollars by selling cholesterol lowering medications to Americans and they even
mention diet and exercise in their advertisements as a way to lower your cholesterol. These companies know the statistics that were
mentioned above and they realize that it is much easier for someone to take a
pill than to change their lifestyle.
White and Frank (1994) claim
that vegetarians usually have lower weight, lower total serum cholesterol
levels, and lower blood pressures than omnivores. Vegetarians also tend to have lower mortality
than the population at large, due mostly to lower death rates from ischemic
heart disease and certain cancers.
Vegetarians also have not to suffer from nutritional deficiencies even
among strict vegetarians.
Vegetarian Diet as a Medical Treatment
The Gerson Institute
developed an entire treatment regimen using a strict vegetarian diet to treat a
variety of health problems. According to
their website, their therapies have been used to treat cancer, diabetes, heart
disease, and arthritis (www.gerson.org).
Their brochure states that their treatment consists of diet, juices,
detoxification, medications and supplements, and rest. I will elaborate on the diet and juices
portion of their treatment. According to
their brochure, the diet consists of three vegetarian meals per day, 10 to 13
glasses of fresh made juice per day, and snacking on fresh fruits and
vegetables throughout the day. The daily
diet consists of nearly 20 pounds of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and
most of that is consumed by drinking one glass of juice per hour throughout the
day. By using this regimen, they claim
to be boost the “body’s own immune system and other defenses to heal cancer,
arthritis, heart disease and allergies, as well as many other chronic
conditions” (Gerson Brochure 2009).
A raw
food vegetarian diet was used to treat fibromyalgia. A report by Donaldson, Speight, and Loomis (2001)
found that a raw vegetarian diet was successful in helping fibromyalgia
patients. Fibromyalgia is a painful
disease that is often accompanied by unrestorative sleep patterns, fatigue,
headaches, irritable bowel and bladder syndrome, stiffness, anxiety, and
depression. The study consisted of 30
fibromyalgia patients who consumed a raw diet of fruits, salads, carrot juice,
tubers, grain products, nuts, seeds, and a dehydrated barley grass juice
(2001).
Treatment
effectiveness was determined by analyzing the results of fibromyalgia impact
questionnaire (FIQ), quality of life (QOL) surveys, food frequency
questionnaires (FFQ), and the SF-36 short form health survey. The SF-36 has been widely used to record how
a person perceives his or her own health status. These questionnaires were completed by the
patients at 0, 2, 4, and 7 months. The
results of these surveys were analyzed by repeated measures of analysis of
variance. The FIQ results showed a
significant trend for improvement in all categories. The QOL scores revealed significant
improvements, with the largest impact seen in active recreation, health,
socializing, and participating in organizations. The SF-36 results revealed that after 7
months of intervention that 4 of the 8 heath categories no longer showed a
statistically different score than the norms.
There were significant improvements in general health, vitality, role
emotional and mental health (Donaldson et al., 2001).
Meat Intake and Mortality
Sinha, Cross, Graubard, Leitzmann, and
Schatzkin (2009) conducted a 10 year study on the relationship between meat
intake and mortality. They looked at the
eating habits of the cohort from 1995 to 2005.
They saw a connection between red meat and processed meat consumption
and an increased risk in total mortality, cancer, and cardio vascular disease. The study showed an inverse correlation in total
mortality risk and cancer mortality with the consumption of white meat;
however, there was a light increase in risk for cardio vascular disease. This data shows that consuming less of all
types of meat can have a positive impact on cardiovascular disease and that
consumption of red and processed meats increase total mortality risk and
cancer.
Key et al. (2009) looked at the relationship between vegetarian diet and cancer. They followed 61,566 British men and women consisting of 32,403 meat eaters, 8,562 non-meat eaters that did eat fish (fish eaters), and 20,601 vegetarians. The average follow up time was 12.2 years and there were 3,350 incidents of cancer of which 2,204 were occurred in meat eaters, 317 occurred in fish eaters and 829 occurred in vegetarians (2009). The study estimated relative risks and stratified the data by sex, age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index, amount of physical activity, and for women taking oral contraceptives. Their analysis concluded “that all malignant neoplasms combined may be lower among fish eaters and vegetarians than among meat eaters” and that “the most striking finding was the relatively low risk for cancers of the lymphatic and haematopoietic tissues among vegetarians” (Key et al., 2009). Haematopoietic tissue refers to bone marrow and lymphatic cancers are cancers affecting the cells of the immune system, also known as lymphoma (http://www.emedicinehealth.com/lymphoma/article_em.htm).
Protein Intake and Vegetarians
Protein is needed for good health. Meat products are not the only way to get protein in your diet. The Loma Linda University website explains that proteins can either be complete or incomplete (http://lomalindahealth.org/health-library/a-z-health-guide/1/002465.htm). Complete proteins contain the necessary amounts of essential amino acids required for good health, whereas incomplete proteins contain only some of the necessary amino acids. They go on to explain that you do not need to eat animal products to get the essential proteins in your diet but you do have to combine incomplete proteins like milk and cereal, bread and peanut better, or rice and beans. By combining two or more incomplete proteins you are able to get the necessary amino acids your body needs without consuming meat.
Vegetarian Information
Vegetarian diet information is neither a secret nor is it hard to find. The CDC, The American Heart Association, The American Dietetic Association, and The Mayo Clinic all have detailed information on vegetarian diets and the health benefits they can provide. A Google search for the term “vegetarian diet” provides over 2,360,000 results. So why do Americans choose to live a lifestyle that can potentially harm them? Some argue that the fruits and vegetable are either not available or they are too expensive. In an article by Springen (2007) claims that rural Americans live too far from grocery stores and often shop at the local convenience store, where health food choices are simply not available and if they are available, they are too expensive (http://www.newsweek.com/2007/12/10/junk-food-county.html).
Unfortunately American
fast food is cheap and readily available.
The busy lifestyle of many Americans often leads to poor eating habits. It is a lot easier to go through the drive
through and get a bag full of cheeseburgers and French fries than it is to stop
at the grocery store a buy healthy, nutritious food that you will have to go
home and prepare and then have to dirty kitchen to clean up. One could argue that it is cheaper to eat
fast food than it is to eat a vegetarian diet, but the cost of poor heath is
much higher. In a 2008 report published
by Mayo Clinic Health Solutions, they state that obesity related claims
accounted for 2.8% of health care costs.
This might not seem like much, bit 2.8% of the $2 trillion that the U.S.
spends on health care is a lot of money.
The report also states that for every one point increase in BMI (body
mass index) that medical costs increase by $119.70 and medication costs go up
by $82.60 (http://ohp.nasa.gov/disciplines/hpromo/pdf/The_True_Cost_of_Poor_Health.pdf).
Lifestyle and Health
America has seen an increase in lifestyle
diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension,
coronary artery disease and cancer.
There is considerable epidemiological evidence suggesting that a
vegetarian lifestyle is associated with a lower risk for these diseases (http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/9/531.long). In
an article by White and Frank (1994) they claim that vegetarians tend to have
lower weight, total serum cholesterol levels, and blood pressures than
omnivores. Vegetarians have lower
mortality than the population at large, attributable primarily to lower death
rates from ischemic heart disease and certain cancers.
There is
a diet and lifestyle known as the Mediterranean diet. This diet is explained on Mayo Clinic’s
website (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011) as a heart-healthy way of eating. This form of diet includes plentiful amounts
of fruits and vegetables, fish, whole grains, and healthy fats and oils like
those in salmon and olive oil. According
to the website, research has shown that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk
of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s
disease. If you will notice by the image
below, this diet limits the amount of red meat and sweets and encourages
fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
The Traditional American Diet
The traditional American diet includes very
small amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Let’s consider some statistics from the CDC and particularly from the
BRFSS report. The 2009 Prevalence and
Trends data indicate that only 23.5% of Americans are consuming the recommended
5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSS/list.asp?cat=FV&yr=2009&qkey=4415&state=All).
When you add the static that 73.1% of Americans are either overweight or
obese and that only 29% of Americans are getting 20 minutes or more of exercise
three or more days a week, it is little wonder why we spend so much money on
health care in this country.
Vegetarian Diet vs. Traditional American Diet
The average American eats too many calories,
too much sodium, and too many grams of fat.
Consider these examples from Men’s Health Magazine: a McDonald’s meal
consisting of Chicken Selects® Premium Breast Strips (5 pc) with Creamy Ranch
Sauce with Large French Fries, and Large Coke has 1,670 calories, 87 grams of
fat (13 g saturated fat), and 2,370 mg sodium (http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/worst-fast-food-meals-america?article=14&page=1). According
to the calorie calculator available at www.mayoclinic.com, a 40 year old male that is 5 foot 11 inches
tall, weighs 188 pounds, and is somewhat active should have a daily intake of
2,450 calories. The McDonald’s meal
mentioned above would consist of more than 68% of their daily caloric
intake. The recommended daily intake of
sodium is 1,500mg to 2,300 mg and the recommended fat intake is 44 to 78 grams
(www.mayo.com).
Comparing this data with the McDonald’s meal listed above, one would consume
their entire daily amount of sodium and fat in this one meal. Now, if that same person stops by Starbucks
for a 16 ounce Toffee Mocha Frappuccino, they would consume another 450
calories, 290 mg of sodium, and 13 grams of fat (http://www.starbucks.com). Now the daily fat count is up to 100 grams,
sodium goes up to 2,660 mg, and total calories are at 2,120. This is only one meal and one
frappuccino. If that same person was to
go to Chili’s for supper and order a Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big
Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing, they would add another 1,901
calories, 138 grams of fat (47 g saturated), 4,201 mg sodium (http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/worst-burgers-america-2009?article=9&page=1). Now
the totals are 4,021 calories, 6,681mg of sodium, and 238 grams of fat. If this same person happens to have breakfast
at Bob Evans and ordered the Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes,
they would consume another 1,543 calories, 77 grams of fat (26 g saturated; 9 g
trans), and another 2,259 mg sodium. Now
the daily totals are 5,564 calories, 315 grams of fat, and 8,940 mg of sodium. Even salads are not as healthy as one would
assume. The Chevy's Fresh Mex
Tostada Grande Salad with Chicken contains 1,551 calories, 94 grams
fat (37 g saturated), and 2,840 mg sodium.
With nutritional data like these, it is no wonder that 73% of Americans
are either overweight or obese.
Now,
let’s look at the calories, sodium, and fat content of a vegetarian diet. According to Food Calorie Calculator on
WebMD, a slice of whole wheat bread has only 69 calories, 132 mg of sodium, and
1 gram of fat. One cup of fresh
strawberries has only 49 calories, zero fat, and 2 mg of sodium. A medium banana has only 105 calories, zero
fat, and 1 mg of sodium. One large fresh
apple has only 116 calories, zero fat, and 2 mg of sodium. A 5 inch head of bibb lettuce contains only
21 calories, zero fat, and 8 mg of sodium
(http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-food-calorie-counter). Also, according to Diet Bites website, a 16
ounce serving or orange juice has about 210 calories and a 16 ounce serving of
black coffee has about 4 calories. As
you can see, a vegetarian diet consists of much fewer calories (http://www.dietbites.com/Calories-Simple-Foods/).
The Food Pyramid
No matter what type of diet you practice,
eating more fruits and vegetable is essential to good health. The history of the Food Guide Pyramid began in
1894 (Scott, 2010). At this time,
vitamins and minerals had not even been discovered; however, the importance of
eating healthy was evident. According to
Scott, President Franklin D. Roosevelt organized a National Nutritional
Conference in 1941 to help American make healthy eating choices. It was during this time that separate food
groups were created and daily intake recommendations were being made. The USDA continues to update and make changes
to the Food Pyramid and their latest version is called My Food Pyramid and
allows you to create a recommended diet based on your individual needs and
goals.
The Harvard School of
Public Health has developed a Health Eating Pyramid. As you can see from there pyramid listed
below, the food recommendations are very close to the vegetarian pyramid except
for the addition of fish, poultry, and eggs.
The Harvard pyramid adds red meat to the top section, which is the use
sparingly section.
Source: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid-full-story/index.html
Vegetarian Food Pyramid
As you can see from the
vegetarian food pyramid below, the top of the pyramid does not include any
meats or dairy products. These items are
replaced by legumes, nuts and other protein containing foods. The top section of the pyramid is labeled
fats. According to the Mayo Clinic
website, these fats should be consumed from healthy fats like those found in
olive oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, and omega-3 fatty acids found in
flaxseed, flax oil, and walnuts (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262).
Eat Fruits and Vegetables
So, why
don’t Americans eat more fruits and vegetables?
Magee (2007) states that there are 9 excuses that people use for net
eating fruits and vegetables. These
excuses are as follows: 1. It’s not
convenient to eat fruits and vegetables.
2. I don’t like to fruits and vegetables.
3. I am out of the habit of eating fruits and vegetables.
4. I’m not motivated to eat fruits and vegetables.
5. I don’t know how to serve fruits and vegetables to my
family.
6. I eat out a lot.
7. Fresh produce spoils before I can eat it.
8. Other snacks are more convenient.
9. Fruits and vegetable cost too much.
Magee
recommends several ways to overcome these arguments and add more fruit and
vegetables to your diet. Make fruits and
vegetable more convenient by keeping fresh and dried fruit available and by
going to restaurants that offer salads and vegetarian menu items. Try eating a variety of different fruits and
vegetables, add fruits and vegetables to foods that you like, serve a green
salad with your meal, and include a fruit salad as part of your meal. Increase your motivation by understanding the
added health benefits that come from consuming more fruits and vegetables. If you eat out a lot, try ordering a salad or
a fruit cup with your meal. To control
the costs of fruits and vegetables, you should try to buy locally grown produce
and fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Canned or frozen fruits and vegetable are readily available and will not
spoil as quickly as fresh fruits and vegetables do.
Negative Health Impacts of Vegetarian Diet
There are some possible negative health
aspects of consuming a strict vegetarian diet.
It is very important to plan your meals to be sure that you are getting
the essential nutrients and calories that your body needs. According to the Position of the American
Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets, vegetarians tend to have lower intakes
of vitamin B-12, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and n-3 fatty acids (July
2009). Struempler (1990) published a
paper on vegetarian diets that claimed vegetarians were at risk of being
deficient in protein, vitamin B12, total calories, calcium, riboflavin, iron,
and vitamin D. Fontana, Shew, Holloszy, and Villareal (2005)
cite a study that evaluated people who consumed a strict raw vegetarian diet and
found an connection with low bone mass.
The study followed 18 individuals who consumed a strict raw food
vegetarian diet and they found “significantly lower BMC and BMD at the lumbar
spine and hip sites compared with age- and sex-matched individuals eating a
typical American diet” (Fontana et al., 2005).
BMC stands for Bone mineral content and BMD stands for bone mineral
density and are measurements of one’s bone density. The report claims that the decrease in bone
mass is due to the low calorie and low protein intake associated with a raw
food vegetarian diet.
In an
article by Craig (2009) the health effects of a vegetarian diet were
analyzed. A strict vegan is at a slight
risk of being deficient in n-3 polyunsaturated fats, vitamin D, iron, vitamin
B-12, and zinc. The risk of these
deficiencies is not significant in partial vegetarians that consume fish, eggs,
and sea vegetables (2009). They suggest
that for vegans to get the necessary nutrients they should be sure to eat
fortified foods and/or take vitamin supplements. The article confirms the benefits of reduced
BMI, lower serum cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower risk of
cardiovascular disease. According the
Mayo Clinic website, “If you're generally healthy and eat a wide variety of
foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, low-fat dairy
products, lean meats and fish, you likely don't need dietary supplements” (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/supplements/NU00198/NSECTIONGROUP=2).
However, they do recommend that a vegetarian who eats a limited variety
of foods should take a multivitamin to compensate for the lack of vitamins and
minerals in their diet.
Conclusion
For
those that practice a less stringent vegetarian diet there are few, if any,
negative health concerns. The American
Dietetic report states that “It is the
position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned
vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful,
nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and
treatment of certain diseases” (2009).
White and Frank (1994) claim that “the balance of the data
suggests that vegetarianism likely improves individual as well as societal
health” and state “our review of the data suggests that people, particularly
those at high risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer, should be encouraged
to consume increasingly vegetarian diets” (p. 470).
Going
back to the Struempler (1990) report, a vegetarian can get the nutrients that
they need by making sure to eat the right foods. Eating meat is not the only way to get
protein. Nuts, beans, peas, and whole
grains all contain significant amounts of protein. Complete proteins are only found in meat
sources, but vegetable proteins can be combined to achieve complete protein
consumption. For example, by combining
rice and black eyed peas or lima beans and corn, one would consume all
necessary protein components. Iron can
be obtained by eating dark green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, and
legumes. Vitamin B12 can be obtained by
eating fortified foods or taking a vitamin supplement. Vitamin D can be obtained by consuming egg
yolks or by drinking vitamin fortified milk; however, strict vegetarians would
probably need to take a vitamin supplement.
Calcium and Riboflavin can be obtained from dark green leafy vegetables,
legumes, enriched breads, and whole grains.
A
vegetarian lifestyle can be a healthy way of life as long as a variety of foods
are eaten. As mentioned earlier, even if
a person is a strict vegetarian, as long as they eat a wide variety of foods
and take a vitamin supplement that includes B12, Vitamin D, calcium, and zinc,
there are more health benefits than risks.
Vegetarians have lower risk of cancer, stroke, obesity, cardiovascular
disease, lower cholesterol, and diabetes.
A vegetarian diet can also result in lower overall cost of food. There are many reasons to choose to practice
a vegetarian lifestyle, no matter the reason that one chooses, it seems that
there are many health benefits to practicing a vegetarian lifestyle.
References
American Dietetic Association. Vegetarian
diets. (2009, July). Retrieved from http://www.eatright.org/about/content.aspx?id=8357.
BMC. Complementary and alternative
medicine. (2001,
June 20). Received from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/1/7.
CDC. (2009). Prevalence and trends data. Fruits and vegetables. Retrieved from |
Diet Bites. (n.d.). Calories in
common foods Index. Retrieved from http://www.dietbites.com/Calories-Simple-Foods/.
Donaldson, M., Speight, N., and Loomis, S. (2001,
September 26). Fibromyalgia syndrome improved
using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC57816/.
Emedicine health. Experts for everyday emergencies. Lymphoma. Retrieved from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/lymphoma/article_em.htm.
Fontana, L., Shew, J., Holloszy, J., and Villareal, D.
(2005, March 28). Low bone mass in subjects on a long-term raw vegetarian
diet. Retrieved from http://archinte.ama- assn.org/cgi/reprint/165/6/684.
Harvard School of Public Health. (n.d.). Food
Pyramids: What should you really eat? Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you- eat/pyramid-full-story/index.html.
Key, T., Appleby, P., Spencer, E., Travis, E., Allen, R.,
Allen, N., Thorogood, M., and Mann, J. (2009).
Cancer incidence in British vegetarians. British
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Koebnick, C., Garcia, A., Dagnelie, P., Strassner, C.,
Lindemans, J., Katz, J., Leitzmann, C.,
and Hoffmann, I. (2005). Human nutrition and metabolism. Long-Term consumption of a raw food diet is associated with favorable serum
LDL cholesterol and triglycerides but also
with elevated plasma homocysteine and low serum HDL cholesterol in humans. The Journal of Nutrition. Retrieved from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/135/10/2372.full.pdf+html.
Loma Linda University Medical Center. (n.d.). Vegetarianism. Retrieved from http://lomalindahealth.org/health-library/a-z-health-guide/1/002465.htm.
Magee, E. (2007). No excuses: Eat your fruits and vegetables. 9 reasons you're skimping on fruits and vegetables – and how to overcome them. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/no-excuses-eat-your-fruits-vegetables
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Dietary fats. Know which types to choose. When choosing fats, pick unsaturated fat over saturated or trans fat. Here's how to know the difference. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262.
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Mediterranean diet: Choose this heart-healthy diet option. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011.
Mayo Clinic Health Solutions. (2008). The true cost of poor health. Retrieved
from
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Vegetarian diet. How to get the best nutrition. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596.
Segasothy, M. and Phillips, P.(1999) Vegetarian diet:
panacea for modern lifestyle diseases? Oxford
Journals. QJM. Retrieved from http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/9/531.long.
Seventh-day Adventist. (n.d.). The Seventh-day Adventist position statement on vegetarian diets. Retrieved from http://www.sdada.org/position.htm.
Scott, L. (2010). History of the food guide pyramid. Retrieved from http://www.life123.com/health/nutrition/food-guide-pyramid/history-of-the-food-guide- pyramid.shtml.
Sinha , R., Cross, A., Graubard, B., Leitzman, M., and
Schatzkin, A. (2009). Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med. Retrieved from http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/169/6/562.
Springen, K. (2007, December 11). Junk Food County. Why many rural Americans can't get nutritious foods. The unhealthy truth about country living. News Week. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/2007/12/10/junk-food-county.html.
Struempler, B. (1990, June). Alabama Cooperative
Extension System. Vegetarian diets. Retrieved
from http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/H/HE-0470/
WebMD. (n.d.) Food-o-meter. Food
Calorie Calculator. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-food-calorie-counter.
White, R. and Frank, E. (1994, May). Health effects and prevalence
of vegetarianism.
White, R. and Frank, E. (1994). Special series health effects and prevalence of vegetarianism. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1022500/pdf/westjmed00069-0067.pdf
The Worst Fast-Food Meals in America. (2009). Men’s Health. Retrieved from http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/worst-fast-food-meals-america?article=14&page=1
The Worst Burgers in America 2009. (2009). Men’s Health. Retrieved from http://eatthis.menshealth.com/content/worst-burgers-america-2009?article=9&page=1.
Chris Beat Cancer!
An article in the March 2011 issue of Memphis Health + Fitness described how a
26 year old man named Chris Wark was diagnosed with colon cancer but chose
NOT to go through chemotherapy and radiation. He did have surgery to remove the
tumor but he used nutritional therapy to allow his body to heal itself.
He explains it all on his blog at http://chrisbeatcancer.com/.
26 year old man named Chris Wark was diagnosed with colon cancer but chose
NOT to go through chemotherapy and radiation. He did have surgery to remove the
tumor but he used nutritional therapy to allow his body to heal itself.
He explains it all on his blog at http://chrisbeatcancer.com/.
MOVIES
Movies
These are MUST SEE movies about the health and safety of our FOOD!
Food Inc.
Super Size Me
King Corn
The Future of Food
The World According to Monsanto
These are MUST SEE movies about the health and safety of our FOOD!
Food Inc.
Super Size Me
King Corn
The Future of Food
The World According to Monsanto
Website Suggestions
- Bartlett Recreation Center
- The Gesron Institute
- Gary Null
- Harvard School of Public Health
- Vegetarian Diet Information
- Health and Wellness Blog
- Examiner Alternative Medicine Information
- Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
- Vegetarian Diet and Health - Paper by Shawn G. Hert
- Take Part - Food Inc.
- OnFitness Magazine
- The Cornucopia Institute
- Natural Health - Natural health solutions for prevention and wellness
- Our Stolen Future - Environmental Health Hazards
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