Fruits and vegetables posses the essential nutrients that is good for your body’s health. Having the necessary nutrients enable your body to function normally and ensure overall wellness. Consequently, when your body’s processes are uninterrupted, then you can be assured that your body is protected by disease fighting elements.
Informed Vegetarian Diet
A vegetarian diet, despite of its entailing benefits, can be harmful if not coupled with proper food choices. Your choices of food must be in accordance with your body’s nutritional needs. Hence, you can be aware of what type of nutrients your body needs and which ones you can do without.
Because a vegetarian diet is based on plant food sources, it is typically low in cholesterol. Hence, you can expect lower blood pressure and lower risks of certain diseases like heart disease and cancer. Because these illnesses pose a threat to your overall health, you cannot ignore it and something must be done.
The best thing about a vegetarian diet is it is basically preventive. It stops diseases before they happen.
Guidelines to Disease-Preventing Diet
Depending on whichever type of vegetarian diet you are in, you can bear in mind the following reminders to get more out of your health efforts:
– Increase protein intake – to get the required amount of protein, you can try one or a combination of the following: beans, lentils, soy, nut butters, nuts, cereals, and whole grains.
– Meet required iron – you can get iron from the following food types: peas, whole-grain breads, beans, raisins, spinach, peaches, apricots, seeds, and nuts
– Reduce fat – if you want less fat in your diet, you must refrain from the following type of foods: ice cream, whole milk, french fries, lots of nuts, and cheese
Helpful Substances in Vegetarian Diet
Most doctors reveal that the high presence of fiber in a vegetarian diet contributes in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. By increasing your intake of fiber, you can achieve the following:
1. reduced level of blood cholesterol
2. reduced risks of heart disease
3. low blood pressure
4. more weight control
5. control of your blood’s glucose control
6. reduced risk of cancer
7. healthier digestive system
To increase the amount of fiber in your diet, your body needs enough servings of fruits and vegetables, dried beans and peas, and whole grains. Meanwhile, an adequate intake of iron also impacts a well balanced vegetarian diet.
Chronic Disease Prevention
Here is valuable information that reflects how a well planned and balanced vegetarian diet can contribute to certain types of life-threatening diseases:
Cancer
– Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in the world.
– Risks of acquiring pancreatic cancer can be reduced through higher intake of dried fruits, soy-based products, and legumes.
– Chances of bladder cancer doubles with high intake of meat.
– Prostate cancer can be prevented by increasing the amount of tomatoes, legumes, and dried fruit consumed.
– Lung cancer can be prevented or treated by consuming the following: onions, green tea, and garlic. More importantly, these vegetables and herbs are common to most households to aid in prevention of lung cancer and other respiratory problems.
Other diseases that this type of diet helps to prevent include:
– Osteoporosis
– Diabetes
– Stroke
– Bowel Disease
– Hypertension
More and more studies have supported and shown evidence regarding the important role that fruits and vegetables play in reducing the chances of suffering from cancer. Other types of vegetables that have cancer preventing properties include cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale.
Longevity: Benefit of Vegetarianism
Choosing to go vegetarian is recognized as one of the single most effective ways to stop further development and progression of certain life-threatening illnesses. Indeed, this type of diet is more healthful compared to typical and traditional diets in most American societies.
Cholesterol and high-fat diet is the major contributor to highly dangerous diseases. Hence, choosing to practice a vegetarian diet will dramatically reduce the amount of unhealthy fat that gets into your body. Plus, the large percentage of fiber and antioxidants in your diet assist in regulating body processes which aid in growth and repair.
The impact of choosing a vegetarian diet expands beyond just disease prevention. It instills a healthier perspective when it comes to choices of food and creating a balanced diet. Indeed, vegetarianism is an excellent way to create awareness when it comes to your health. After all, the saying “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure” speaks the truth.