Interested in a healthier lifestyle? Are you fed up with unhealthy foods? Then you should start learning to follow a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. Fruits, vegetables and certain plant sources are natural and healthy foods conducive for healthy living. What makes these foods healthy is dietary fiber and the essential amino acids present. Dietary fiber is known to promote regular excretion habits, speed up digestion and even speed up metabolic rate. Through excretion, these dietary fibers can expel carcinogens and other harmful substances, balancing the intestinal pH level and intestinal fermentation production of short-chain fatty acids to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. These dietary fibers can also reduce total and low-density lipoprotein levels in the blood as well as regulate the blood sugar levels to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, respectively.
Meat is also important to the average person’s diet because it contains protein and other nutrients essential to the body. However, most meat sold today may contain chemicals used as sweeteners or preservatives. Some of these chemicals are even found to be even carcinogenic, increasing the risk of cancer the more these foods are consumed. Not only that, but meat contain cholesterol, which can lead to the inflammation and clogging of the blood vessels and arteries. The fatter the meat or the more fatty portions it has, the more cholesterol is present.
What’s more, carcinogens can also be present during the cooking of meat. When meat is smoked or barbecued, it is unavoidable that there are overcooked or burned portions. These portions are carcinogenic, and the more burned it appears, the worse it can be for your health.
One healthy way to avoid problems from eating meat is eating moderation. However, there are those who want to stay on the safe side by not eating meat at all. So how can these people obtain sufficient daily essential nutrients? Fruits, vegetables, and certain plant sources contain essential nutrients, but they should be mixed or combined so that they could provide sufficient amounts of these nutrients and all of the essential amino acids needed by the body. Alone, these foods only contain one particular essential amino acid. To be able to get the needed amino acids, it is a must that these foods should be combined. Examples of such combinations are tofu with rice and peanut butter with bread.
As for protein, eggs, milk, and other dairy products can provide the needed protein; however, these may not be an option for those with vegan diets. The vegan diet strictly excludes any form of animal byproducts – be it in the form of eggs, dairy products, and even honey. Proteins are, in essence, composed of amino acids. Examples of vegetable sources capable of supplying these essential amino acids (all eight types) are lupin, soy, hempseed, amaranth and buckwheat.
Learning to follow a healthy vegetarian lifestyle is very important to those who value their health above all else. There is nothing wrong with eating meat, and there is nothing wrong with not eating meat either – in fact, it’s even a healthier choice not to.
