Benefits of Vegetarian Diets

According to Brown University Health Education, "Broadly defined, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarians eat mainly fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. Many vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products but avoid hidden animal products such as beef and chicken stocks, lard, and gelatin. Whether you're vegan, ovo-vegetarian or lacto-ovovegetarian, there are many benefits of a well-planned vegetarian diet.

Arteries

• Vegetarian diets, particularly those that exclude eggs, are low in saturated fats that clog arteries and lead to high cholesterol and coronary heart disease.

Cancer

• Diets that are primarily plant based reduce the risk of certain cancers. The National Cancer Institute has linked the consumption of low-fat diets to decreased risks of breast cancer in women.

Weight

• Maintaining a healthy weight on a plant based vegetarian diet is easy because of the low fat content. If your vegetarian diet is high in carbohydrates such as white rice and bread, maintaining a healthy weight will be more difficult to do.

Diabetes

• Plant based vegetarian diets that are rich in fiber can help regulate blood sugar and prevent diabetes.

Food-Borne Illnesses

• You'll minimize your risk of contracting food borne illnesses such as e-coli and salmonella on a vegetarian diet.

Considerations

• To reap all the benefits of a vegetarian diet, it should be well-planned and exclude unhealthy snack foods.