"Are Vegetarians Healthier."?!


Question: "Are Vegetarians Healthier."?
Could veggie burgers increase your lifespan? Many experts insist that switching to a vegetarian lifestyle can greatly increase overall health,

Thank you..

Answers:

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I love it when people say "no" to this question but don't provide any scientific evidence to back it up.
As it happens, I was just looking at this report from 2009 which looked at mortality and diet in over half a million Americans. Comparing the 20% who ate the most meat to the 20% who ate the least, the meat eaters had highest risks of mortality. They concluded that "[r]ed and processed meat intakes were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality."

-Sinha et al. (2009). Meat Intake and Mortality- A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People. Archives of Internal Medicine. 169(6):562-571.

http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content…



No, a lot of them will argue that in today's climate and attatuide towards eating they "will" say that they are more healthy and live longer than the average omnivore. Which is not a good comparison when the majority eats too much saturated fats, ready made foods and not able to cook form scratch using a more varied diet.

The only reason why they can carry out their diet in the UK is with convenience with importation of different foods as the UK with the climate will not be able to grow enough varied fruit and veg for them to survive, access to vitamin shops and modern housing that offers better heating!!

You can get an omnivore who eats healthy and exercise getting plenty of fresh air will live a long and happy lifespan. Currently the people who are breaking age records the now came from a generation that would eat less, eat more meat and veg form scratch, no processed rubbish and worked hard. They will also admit having a wee glass of port, sherry or whiskey before bed!!

I find some veg/vegans (more vegans) look very ill and lean if they do not follow their diet properly!!

Any change form processed rubbish, high salt and sugar content will increase health and well being. Being more selective to what you buy ie prepare your own food, choosing healthy cuts and vegetables. lentils and pulses will make a big difference.

Their is no prof that being a veg/vegan will make you more healthy than a healthy omnivore unless you have to change for health reasons if the healthy omnivore option is not working!!

Healthy and concerning omnivore



You can have a healthy diet eating or not eating meat, just as much as you can have an unhealthy diet eating or not eating meat. Statistics show that on the whole vegetarians are healthier, but this can be misleading in some respects as it does not mean that by simply switching to a vegetarian diet it will ensure that you will be healthier.

I think its a bit silly/pointless to try and generalise entire food groups as either "bad for you" or "good for you" as every food product has its pro's & cons.



I think that in general vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters and their are many studies that can back this up.
I do not think that a vegetarian is healthier than a healthy meat eater. Many vegetarians take protein pills to supplement their diets, while a healthy diet containing meat provides all of what a vegetarian diet needs to be supplemented. Sure in general, vegetarians are healthier than omnivores because your average vegetarian is much more health conscious than your average meat eater. Their is no proof that vegetarians are any healthier than a health conscious meat eater.



Yes and no.

Anybody, including meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans can all be unhealthy. It all depends on if you're eating right, exercising, and drinking enough water. Anybody who sits around and eats fried food, cakes, cookies, pies, and food high in cholesterol with be unhealthy.

Vegetarian



No not really. the overall health of a person depends on living conditions, diet and genetics. Vegetarians made the choice to remove proteins from animals from their diets and so in order to gain that nutrition they need to supplement it somehow.

But i do believe that a meat eater with an overall healthy diet of fresh ingredients and low fat will be healthier than any vegetarian any day



Being vegitarian does not garuntee you will be healthier and live longer.

Eating a healthy diet no matter what you choose will help you eat healthier. As far as veggie burgers. Commecialy produced veggie burgers are nasty and extremely over processed. If you are going to eat veggie burgers make yor own.



Not necessarily. We are meat eaters by design, the very fact that we have incisor teeth tell us this and therefore our bodies demand certain minerals and vitamins that can only be obtained by eating meat, Therefore if you have to take supplements to give you these extra ingredients then i.m.o vegetarianism cannot be totally healthy. Why do vegetarians try to make meals that look like meat, ie Vegetarian "sausages", vegetarian "meat"loaf, nut "cutlets"?? Why not just put the ingredients on a plate unformed into "meat" shapes???? Never could understander this surely if you are a true vegetarian than these word alone must disturb you????? I know it would me!!!



Definately, i have spent 25 years as an healthy vegetarian and raised 3 children who have never ate meat and now they are all healthy adults, my oldest daughter is raising her 1 year old child on a meat free diet and the doctor agrees that this is an healthy way to feed a child.Eating meat is increasing your chances of developing heart disease,diabetes,bowel cancer,high blood pressure and cholestrial.Veggies are also less likely to suffer from obesity. Many doctors are now admitting that meat is unhealthy, my doctor is vegetarian and he runs marathons.



both are good but yes comparatively VEGETABLES consist of a variety of vitamins , minerals or watever u call it ...... it is healthier but both play a important role in our lifes , if u are into gaining some muscles or sum xtra fat/energy then i would suggest non-veg and veg both



Not veggie burgers, but vegetarianism. If you're a vegetarian, you get less saturated fat, and none of the gross things they inject into the animals you would have ate if you were an omnivore.



Actually, to correct Daisy, a good, balanced diet does *not* have to include meat.

Edit: And Soup Dragon, humans are *not* "meat eaters by design," since "by design" insinuates there is some creator.

Vegetarian since birth



No. I don't think so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdB_aI-En…



Not necessarily. Some vegetarians don't really eat that many fruits and vegetables. They load up on a lot of pasta and cheese to make up for not eating meat.



Of course vegetarians are healthier.



I think that is probably down to the individual and their personal food regime



not really!



I would like to point out that although the article that G C used is a perfectly credible resource, it is important to remember that "moderate increase" is not synonymous with "vegetarians will live longer". I'm not attacking anyone, simply stating that a moderate increase is not a definitive death sentence for those of us who are omnivorous.

I personally choose to eat meat, and I sincerely doubt that it makes me any less unhealthy than the next person. Some argue that meat is bad for you, and of course it is if you eat it in excess. ANYTHING is bad for you if you eat it in excess, and it is important to remember that fruits and vegetables are not an exception.

Overall, I feel that no, veggie burgers will not increase your lifespan. Switching to a vegetarian lifestyle can increase your overall health, but only if approached in a balanced manner. I exercise on a regular basis, avoid processed and fast foods, choose lean meats when possible, and see my doctor yearly. I am as healthy as a horse, so to speak. You cannot justify that simply because someone chooses to cut meat out of their diet, they will live longer than me.

It's also really important to remember that some conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and cancers, can be linked to what we eat, but are also hereditary and sometimes unavoidable. A dear friend of mine from school ate extremely healthy all the time, ran and played soccer for hours everyday, and cancer still struck and took his life. My uncle has cut out many meats, processed foods, and fats from his diet, but that does not change the fact that he has trouble with his cholesterol.

Heath is not just composed of diet. Cutting meat out of your diet does not guarantee you will be healthier and live longer. You may be what you eat, but all vegetables and fruits doesn't make you healthy by definition. I have many vegetarian friends who are having health problems (although I don't blame it on the vegetarianism :] ) Being healthy is a lifestyle, and you can be healthy and live a very long time whether you eat meat or not. :)

Omnivore, second year Microbiology student



No, vegetarians are NOT healthier. A good balanced diet that includes some meat, some veggies, some fruit, low in carbs and sugars is the optimal diet for humans. That's what our ancestors evolved on.

Veggie burgers are some of the worst foods you can eat! They're highly processed, chemical laden bean curd. And expensive, too.

"In Kenya two tribes, the Maasai and the Kikuyu, live in the same country, the same climate, the same political system and the same environment. The Maasai, when wholly carnivorous, drinking only the blood and milk of their cattle, were tall, healthy, long-lived and slim. The Kikuyu, when wholly vegetarian, were stunted, diseased, short-lived and pot-bellied. Over the last few decades, the Kikuyu have started to eat meat — and their health has improved. Since 1960 the Maasai diet has also changed, but in the opposite direction. They are now eating less blood, milk and meat, replacing it with maize and beans. Their health has deteriorated (34) .

A study by Drs. W. S. McClellan and E. F. Du Bois (35) found that the Eskimos in Baffin Island and Greenland living on a diet composed almost entirely of meat and fish, and eating no starchy or sugary foods, suffered few diseases. This was not the case with the Labrador Eskimos. They had been 'civilised' and lived on preserved foods, dried potatoes, flour, canned foods and cereals. Among them the diseases of civilisation were rife.

Dr. Sir Robert McCarrison (36) , working in India, similarly compared the northern tribes — Pathans, Sikhs and Hunzas — who ate meat and fresh vegetables, had fine physiques and were healthy and long-lived with the Plains peoples — Madrassis, Bengalis and Kanarese — who ate little meat or milk, living mainly on rice and who were overweight and unhealthy."



They claim so and it is certain that those who binge on fat, red meat etc have a shorter life.

But what about a better life. All veggies I have known have been wizened, grumpy entusiasts with absolutley no sense of humour.



Most vegetarians I've ever seen look as though a good meal would do them the world of good and as for making them healthy, who wants to be a healthy misery guts !



I doubt it, because most vegetarians don't have a balanced diet, some cut out protein altogether which can't be good can it?



Most vegetarians I have known look sickly and like death warmed over.



No, there is no mentally healthy vegetarian out there



No, not necessarily.




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