There are many different ways to become a healthier person.
One of the main ways is carefully choosing what you will put in your body. On
this blog I will explore different healthy dietary options.
One healthier diet is becoming a vegan. A vegan is a person
who chooses to not consume any products from an animal. A more extreme vegan
will not wear animal products, such as leather, but I'm focusing more on food.
A Vegan diet is good for your body because you are avoiding all the bad
cholesterol I discussed in my previous blog. Many people wonder what a vegan
even eats. The vegan diet is very simple. Vegans eat grains like wheat, corn
and oats. Eating whole grains are great for our overall health. Whole grains
are full of fiber and vitamins that you will not get from meat products. Also researchers
are finding that the risk of cardiovascular disease is lessened by consuming
more whole grains. “In the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study, women who ate 2
to 3 servings of whole-grain products (mostly bread and breakfast cereals) each
day were 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack or die from heart
disease over a 10-year period than women who ate less than 1 serving per week.”
Eating more whole grains could literally save your life! Vegans also consume
high amounts of fruits and vegetables to get their vitamins and nutrients.
Vegans also eat nuts, and beans. “A vegan diet appears to be useful for
increasing the intake of protective nutrients and phytochemicals and for
minimizing the intake of dietary factors implicated in several chronic diseases”.
(“The American Journal”). The vegan diet is the most natural way to go.
Another diet is the vegetarian diet. A vegetarian does not
consume meat products. There are different “The word “pescatarian” is
occasionally used to describe those who abstain from eating all meat and animal
flesh with the exception of fish.” (“Top 7 Types”). This type of diet is usually a stepping stone
for becoming a full out vegetarian. A Vegetarian is “a person who does not eat
meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or
health reasons.” (“Definition of Vegetarian”). Even the dictionary suggests that being a vegetarian
is healthy. You must be careful in thinking that because you are vegetarian you
will automatically be healthy, because it all comes down to how you prepare
your foods. You could be a vegetarian and eat French fries every day. Healthy eating is what will make you a healthy
individual.
Works Cited
"Definition of Vegetarian in English:."
Vegetarian: Definition of Vegetarian in Oxford Dictionary (American English)
(US). Oxford Dictionaries. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
"The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."
Health Effects of Vegan Diets. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
"Top 7 Types of Vegetarians." About.com Vegetarian
Food. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
Celina,
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a diabetic, he has changed his eating habits and I have changed the way I cook, for a healthier life. We are eating more baked foods instead of fried and watching sugar intake, so when I go to the store, I try to find sugar free items. This has caused me to watch more closely what I purchase and have noticed a difference just from the small changes that we have made. This is a great reminder that healthy eating and exercise can increase your life span.
Asserting that “the vegan diet is the most natural way to go” to live a healthier lifestyle, is in my opinion an overstatement, because it fails to bring awareness of the health risk associated with eliminating all animal products from one’s diet. Veganism does not provide the body with all the complete essentials nutrients and proteins necessary for the body to function properly. When vegans choose to eliminate animal products from their diet like: eggs, yogurt, cheese, fish, meat, they are depleting their bodies of five essential nutrients : Vitamin D = helps make DNA and new cells (found in salmon, tuna, beef, yogurt, milk), Calcium= maintains strong bones (found in milk, cheese, sardines with bones, yogurt); Iron= transport oxygen and makes red blood cells (found in beef, clams, chicken, tuna) and Omega 3 fatty acids= reduce triglyceride levels, anti inflammatory, blood thinner (found in anchovies, salmon, albacore) and Vitamin B12=
ReplyDeleteIf vegan diet is the healthiest, most natural way to go, then how do we explain why do they get affected by diseases like cancer and high blood pressure as the people who are not vegans? There is also an increase of them developing anemia (iron deficiency), chronic fatigue and lower immune system which they are advised to take supplements for.
I believe a better alternative to living a healthier live is not strict diets that can cause more harm than good,but to strive for a well-balanced diet, to cut process food, reduce the intake of salt and sugar, exercise on a regular basis and not to smoke.
Works cited:
MedicineNet.com/vegetarian-and-vegan-diet/index.htm
Good comment Giuliana
DeleteGreat post! I am interested in the research you provided. It seems the definition of what is "healthy" changes every year. I have always heard of the vegan and vegetarian dieters and always assumed them to be the healthiest. Speaking of changing definitions, I recently found an article pertaining to the study of a vegetarian diet. A study out of a university in Austria found that the vegetarian diet carries elevated risks of cancer, allergies and mental health disorders. What I found most interesting in the article was that it stated "Subjects who consumed lower amounts of animal fat were also linked to poor health care practices, such as avoidance of vaccinations and a lack of preventive care." The article/study seems to contradict what I always thought of the healthiest diet and lifestyle. I totally agree and believe that we should know whats going into our bodies, and I myself try to change up my diet when I get advice from different dieters,but when studies come out like this it gets me thinking that I will always be skeptical of everything pertaining to food. Who is right? What is right? What is healthy? The definition is always changing...
ReplyDeleteSource:
"Study: Vegetarians Less Healthy, Lower Quality Of Life Than Meat-Eaters." CBS Atlanta. 03 Apr. 2014 http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2014/04/01/study-vegetarians-less-healthy-lower-quality-of-life-than-meat-eaters/.
Good comment, Duque.
DeleteSince we are researching close to the same topic we can both understand that there is no "best" or "perfect" diet plan or eating choice. There is always going to be a downside to everything. A vegan diet is a great way to stay healthy but it does leave out protein that you get from meat. This is a link to aarp's take on the vegan diet. http://www.aarp.org/food/diet-nutrition/info-02-2011/9-pros-and-cons-to-going-vegan.2.html It gives both pros and cons. I hope our research inspires people to become healthier eaters and live good healthy lives.
ReplyDelete