The Health Benefits of Vegetarianism

This is one of my favorite topics. No, I'm not one of those vegetarians who goes around telling other people that they shouldn't eat meat. But I will defend my veggie lifestyle by testifying to the health benefits of eating less meat.


Here are three of the main benefits that people can expect when they remove meat from their diet and replace it with healthier vegetarian options.

1. Reduced Risk of Heart Disease

Study after study proves that vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels than their meat-eating brethren. Eating meat increases your body's cholesterol levels, especially when you eat lots of red meat. A vegetarian diet is generally lower in saturated fats than a diet that contains meat. The plant proteins we veggies eat are MUCH lower in cholesterol than proteins derived from animals. Since cholesterol and saturated fat are two major contributors to heart disease, removing them from your diet decreases your chance of having heart problems.

2. Reduced Risk of Cancer

Almost all forms of cancer can be prevented by increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest thing that protects vegetarians from cancer are things called phytochemicals found in fruits and veggies.

3. Weight Loss

Losing weight is a simple thing when you break it down to its most basic parts - eat fewer calories, exercise more, and drink plenty of water. Vegetarian diets are naturally lower in calories, as long as you don't substitute meat with unhealthy snack foods or candies, as many brand-new vegetarians do. If your vegetarian diet is a low-calorie one, you're highly likely to reach a healthy weight.