6 Vegetarian Diet Benefits
1. High in Antioxidants and Vitamins
Almost all plant-based foods offer high amounts of antioxidants and/or have some anti-inflammatory properties, which means they help stop the progression of disease by supplying nutrients that fight oxidative stress. Diets that are high in vegetables, fruit and other plant foods like legumes or ancient grains provide lots of nutrients, including antioxidants and phytonutrients, such as flavonoids, resveratrol, quercetin, beta-carotene and more; essential vitamins, such as vitamin C, E and A; trace minerals, such as manganese or phosphorus; and electrolytes like potassium and magnesium.
A nutrient-dense diet is beneficial for gut health, boosting immunity against illnesses, slowing down the effects of aging, protecting against cancer and heart disease, and preventing deficiencies that can lead to many negative reactions.
2. Can Help Support Heart Health
Plant-based foods provide help to lower inflammation, a root cause of heart disease, and also provide dietary fiber. Research has shown that there’s often a link between eating a high-fiber diet and having increased protection against high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes.One study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology found that “higher intake of a plant-based diet index rich in healthier plant foods is associated with substantially lower coronary heart disease risk.”Another study published in 2015 in the Permanente Journal found evidence that vegetarian diets can be beneficial for significantly lowering body mass index, high obesity rates, high blood pressure, high triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and diabetes risk.
3. May Help with Weight Loss
People who eat a high amount of vegetables and fruit daily tend to have the best protection against weight gain as they age. Because plant-based foods like fresh veggies and fruit are very low in calories yet are high in terms of volume and therefore take up lots of room in your stomach, they are filling and keep you from over-eating. Plant-based (or “mostly plant-based”) diets are tied to a lowered risk for obesity, lower BMI status and reduced complications related to obesity, such as heart problems or metabolic syndrome.
4. Provides More Digestive Enzymes
If you choose to include a good amount raw foods in your diet, you’ll benefit from obtaining higher amounts of enzymes that serve many purposes. When cooked over a certain temperature, enzymes found in raw food often become destabilized.
Enzymes are important because they are needed to break down the food into smaller nutritional units that the body can handle.
Some nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids, are destroyed or altered when food is cooked at high temperatures or for long periods. Eating too much cooked food creates waste in the body that cannot even be used, which in turn may have a clogging effect on the body. While the pancreas and other cells make enzymes in the body, raw foods provide more enzymes for the body to use.
In a diet of purely cooked foods, the pancreas and other organs may become overworked due to how there is no external enzyme source.
“Raw foodists” believe that because raw plant foods contain biophotons, or “sun stored energy,” they contribute to important processes in the body. If your diet provides adequate calories overall and is balanced, then the more biophotons you consume the more you should experience having higher levels of energy and improved moods.
5. Eliminates Additives and Byproducts Found in Cooked Meat
When meat is cooked at high temperatures, certain chemical compounds called heterocyclic amines can be created that may have carcinogenic effects. Recently published research has pointed to a link between consumption of highly processed meat products and higher risk for cancer. The higher the cooking temperature of meat, the greater chance of these byproducts being created.
Additionally, vegetarian diets eliminate processed meats, which are also considered carcinogenic. These include foods like packaged cold cuts, hot dogs, salami and cured meats. On the other hand, plant-based proteins offer amino acids (the specific types and amount differs from food to food) in addition to fiber and antioxidants, but without the carcinogenic effects.
6. Is Sustainable and Helpful for the Environment
Many people choose to reduce the amount of meat, fish and other animal foods in their diets in order to lower their carbon footprints. Plant foods are “lower on the food chain” and require less natural resources, such as water and others, to produce. According to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, manufacturing animal foods requires a higher proportion of water, land, fossil fuels and energy than most plant foods do.