Meat, Weight, Health and diet

Vegetarians have always been considered a little odd. The domestication and slaughter of animals for food was, after all, one of man's great achievements. In the past, those who shunned meat for religious reasons were tolerated. But most people thought you had to be a nut to exclude such foods on mere dietary grounds.
Not any more, says nutrition expert Jane Brody. In recent years, the meatless way of life has surged in popularity, laregely because increasing evidence indicates that a sensible vegetarian diet is better for you than a meat-heavy one. Consider three potential reaons for switching to a menu that emphasizes vegetable foods.

1. To protect your heart:
A comparative study of diet and heart disease in seven countries showed that the death rate from coronary heart disease was highest in countries showed where the most animal products, including dairy foods, were consumed. The Finns, who consumed the most, had the highest death rate from heart disease.
Americans were next (except for seventh day Adventists, most of whom eat no meat or poultry; they have only half the amount of heart disease that other Americans have). In japan, where very little fat is eaten, the heart-disease death rate is lower than in any other industrialized nation.

Scientists at the university of Milan found that, on diets equally low in fat and cholesterol, persons eating animal protein had higher levels of cholesterol in their blood than who fed on a diet containing primarily vegetable protein. Recent research indicates that certain types of fibres found in plant foods can actually help to lower blood cholesterol.

2. To control your weight:

In view of today's obsession with slimness, it's surprising that more people have not switched to a vegetarian diet. A test group of 116 vegetarians wieghed on average almost two-and-a-half stones less than a comparable meat-eating group.
Why should this be so? Because a vegetarian diet is bulky and filling, it's difficult unless you gorge on cake and cheese to consume as many calories in a day as the typical meat and potatoes man. The calories in just two thick slices of bacon, for example, far exceed those in a whole cup of cooked porridge. And for the calorific value of a six-ounce steak (with its fat), a vegetarian could eat almost a pound of cooked pasta.

In addition to the social and psychological rewards of a trim figure, the health benefits of maintaining a normal body weight include a reduced risk of developing heart diseasen ang high blood pressure.

3. To reduce the risk of cancer

Research over the past decade suggests that the same kind of high animal-fat and cholesterol diet that may set the stage for heart disease may also contribute to the growth of cancers of the colon, breast and uterus. Among seventh-day Adventists and Japanese, these cancers are relatively uncommon, but they are leading types of cancer among people who eat a lot of meat.

There are several possible explanations for this relationship. With cancer of the colon, diets rich in saturated fats and cholesterol may result in large accumulations of natural cancer-promoting chemicals in the gut.

The relatively low fibre content of such diets may also result in slow-moving bowels and prolonged contact of the cancer promoting chemicals with body tissues. Finally, the growth of breast and uterine cancers can be stimulated by oestrogen hormones and diets high in fat an cholesterol tend to produce oestrogen-like hormones in the gut and in body fat.

A variety of vegetable foods - brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, cabbage and spinach can stimulate the production of anticancer anzymes in the body. In a study at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Professor Saxon Graham found that people who regularly consumed large amounts of vegetables in the cabbage family had lower than expected rates of cancer of the colon and rectum. A chemical in these vegetables in known to block the action of certain cancer-causing substances.

But, wait a minute! Weren't we designed to be meat-eaters? And don't we require animal protein for strength and energy?

The answer to both questions is a resounding "NO". Although we are historically omnivorous (both plant-and meat-eating), our anatomical equipment - teeth, jaws, digestive system - favors a diet that emphasizes plant foods. Most of mankind for much of human history has subsisted on near-vegetarian diets. Much of the world still lives that way. Faced with constant opportunity, we are probably eating more animal food than our bodies were designed to handle. (The average Briton eats more than 125 pounds of meat and poultry annually).

As for energy, a host of studies have shown that it is not protein but carbohydrates, mostly from vegetables, grains, legumes and fruit that fuel our muscles.

To be a good vegetarian, you don't need a lot of time, detailed knowledge of nutrition, or elaborate charts and formulas.

But there are several important facts you should know:
Most animal proteins are complete. Most vegetable proteins are incomplete. Since your body requires complete proteins to function properly, you must combine vegetable proteins in a way that makes them complete.
Two or more incomplete vegetable proteins can be combined in a meal to form complete protein, or small amounts of complete animal protein can be used to supplement an incomplete one. Here are three simple ways to do it. Combine legumes (dried peas, beans, peanuts, lentils) with grains (barely, buckwheat, rice, rye). Combine legumes with nuts, and seeds. Combine eggs or dairy products with any vegetable protein.

If the protein you eat is to be used to meet your protein requirement, your diet must contain enough calories to support your ideal weight. Otherwise, the body will use the protein for fuel and there won't be enough for growth and rebuilding of body tissues.

As a vegetarian you must also meet your vitamin and mineral needs. Strict vegetarians, who eat no animal foods, get inadequate amounts of vitamin B12, unless they take B12 supplement. But even if you eat milk or eggs as well as plant products, you should eat a variety of vegetable foods, since different kinds provide different essential nutrients. If you choose your foods properly, you will not have to take any vitamin or mineral supplements.

Select your daily menu from each of the following food groups, in addition to dairy products or eggs:

Legumes, nuts and seeds - two or more servings. Whole grain and enriched / fortified breads and cereals - three of more servings.

Vegetables and fruits - one or more servings of the following: citrus fruit, potato, melon, tomato, raw cabbage, strawberries, broccoli and spinach.

Two or more servings of dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables and fruits. Fats (vegetable oil - or margarine) about one or two tablespoons.

If you are pregnant or nursing a baby, your requirements of protein, vitamins and minerals increase significantly. Consult a doctor or a dietician.

Despite evidence that adults can live healthy on a strict vegetarian diet, some infants and very young children fed on this regimen suffer growth retardation and even malnutrition. This is not the case, however, when dairy products (beside the mother's breastmilk) and/or eggs are included in a child's vegetarian diet.

Percentage of FAT in MEAT

Fried streaky bacon - 45%
Grilled streaky bacon - 36%
Grilled lamb chops - 29%
Pork pie - 27%
Luncheon meat - 27%
Liver sausage - 27%
Roast lamb (shoulder) - 26%
Fried pork sausages - 25%
Roast leg of pork - 20%
Fried beef burgers - 17%
Grilled rump steak - 12%
Casseroled pigs liver - 8%
Stewed steak - 7%
Casseroled chicken - 7%
Fried lambs kidneys - 6%
Tinned ham - 5%

Even if you have no interest in becoming a vegetarian, there's no reason why you should have animal protein at every meal, or even every day. By adapting the vegetarian approach to your daily menu planning, you can greatly reduce your dependence on animal protein - especially on high-fat, high-calorie meats. If, for example, you prepare a vegetable casserole containing a substantial percentage of balanced vegetable protein, an ounce or meat, poultry or fish will be more than enough to complete your meal.

we woul all be better off if we stopped thinking of vegetables and grains merely as side dishes to embellish a chunk of meat. Meals based on vegetalbes can provide sound nutrition for everyone.