Vegetarian diet, vegan diets, types of vegetarians

Health benefits and risks of vegetarian diet and non vegetarian diet

2010-09-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Diet is a matter of personal choice, so it’s up to you to decide what kind of food you want to eat and what is good for your body. Some people prefer to go vegetarian while others cannot do without their quota of meat products. Yet others take the vegan route while the rest prefer to eat raw food. We need to understand that no matter what we decide to eat, we must assume responsibility for our health.

The problem with non-vegetarian food is that it is high in cholesterol and fat, and as you grow older, it puts you at a high risk for heart disease, obesity and their related ills. Red meats like mutton and beef are more dangerous than lean meats like chicken and turkey, but even with the latter, the issue of artificially fattened poultry comes to the fore – when the weight of chickens and turkeys are boosted with hormones, the side effects pass on to the humans who eat them, and whether we admit it or not, this has a major effect on both male and female fertility and overall health. Another detrimental aspect of non-vegetarian food is that they are easily contaminated and spread diseases like E-coli which are fatal if not diagnosed and treated immediately.
Perhaps the only drawback of vegetarian food is that it does not provide you with certain vitamins like B12 and other nutrients like iron and zinc. However, people who have been vegetarian all their life learn to adapt and make do with supplements or fortified vegetarian equivalents. Also, since meat is a rich source of protein, vegetarians must find their daily requirement in legumes like chick peas and dhal.

Some people prefer to avoid dairy products too since they feel that it comes from animals and so, is not healthy either for their bodies or the environment. Since dairy is the main source of calcium for the human body, vegans have to ensure that they get their required amount from alternatives like soy and green leafy vegetables.

In general, vegetarian food is a better lifestyle choice since it does not cause unnecessary health complications, it does not make you gain weight, it reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and it is more hygienic and easily digestible. So even if you’re not able to give up non-vegetarian food completely, try and go vegetarian for most of the week and eat meat only occasionally – you’re sure to notice a remarkable difference in the way you look and feel.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Paul Hench, he writes on the topic of master in public health programs. He welcomes your comments at his email id: paul.23hench@gmail.com.

Become a Vegetarian, Without Too Much Trouble

2010-02-03T00:39:00.001-08:00

There are many reasons to become a vegetarian, besides the most obvious humanitarian one. It’s wrong to take a life just because we are more powerful, and when the killing is for hedonistic reasons, it’s even worse. When you become a vegetarian, your health improves and you feel fitter and more energetic than ever before without all that unhealthy fat that hinders digestion and adds to your weight. So if you’re contemplating turning over a new leaf and forgoing all meat products for good, here’s how you can do it the easy way:

• Start out slowly: Some people find that quitting cold turkey works for them, but for most others who love eating meat, it’s the slow method that works permanently. Start out by giving up a few non-vegetarian items that are the unhealthiest and then slowly eliminate the rest from your diet. Eat less of pork and other fatty red meats, and more of fish and chicken to satisfy your taste buds. And as the days go on, you know you can give these up too because you’ve kept your resolve with the other meats.

• Try it for a month: Some people take it up as a challenge and go vegetarian for a month. They find that it is easier to stick to being a vegetarian when they have a time limit, and at the end of it, when they find that they feel much better and have lost weight, it’s easier to continue this diet. When you know you can do it for a limited period of time, it’s easy to do it permanently too.

• Buy vegetarian: My journey to vegetarianism began when I avoided buying meats during any shopping trip. With only veggies and fruits in my fridge and freezer, I had no choice but to cook vegetarian. I found that I did not miss meat all that much when it was not available, so it was easy to avoid it on the rare occasions we did eat out. So shop healthy, and become a vegetarian the easy way.

• Indulge your favourite veggie treats: If you feel the craving for meat, indulge your taste buds with your favourite vegetarian food like cake or ice cream. This helps you stick to your resolve during the initial period when temptation tries to get the better of you. But remember that this is a short term strategy and not one to be adopted forever if you want to remain healthy and slim.

• Substitute non vegetarian ingredients in recipes: If a recipe calls for meat, find a tasty vegetarian alternative. In general, the key is to trick your taste buds into loving vegetarian food and not missing meat so much that you break your resolve and go back to eating unhealthy and fatty food.

If you’re on the borderline and wondering if you should cross over to becoming a vegetarian, don’t think twice; just do it!

By-line:
This article is written by Shannon Wills, who writes on the topic of Physical Therapy Assistant Schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id : shannonwills23@gmail.com .

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2009-01-01T04:01:00.000-08:00

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Tulsi - Ocimum.basilicum

2008-11-09T00:46:00.000-08:00

Tulsi plant can be grown at home. Its scientific name is Ocimum sanctum , Ocimum Basilicum. and Indian name is Tulsi. Its leaves are used in savoury dishes. Its a kind of sacred plant in India.
Ayurvedic practice recommends Tulsi in several formulations to enhance immunity and metabolic functions as well as in the management of respiratory problems (Shwas).
A decoction of the stlaks and leaves of Tulsi is a universal remedy in cases of malarial fever.

Beautiful vegetables-Go Green!

2008-05-20T05:03:00.001-07:00

Tigers killed for skin

2008-04-25T02:15:00.000-07:00

Baby Elephants tortured mercilessly in Thailand

2008-04-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

In Thailand, approximately 3,800 of the country's estimated 5,000 endangered Asian elephants are in private hands. Most are used as tourist attractions in elephant camps where they are forced to perform circus tricks and give rides. PETA U.S. has uncovered the horrific torture that is routine in Thailand's secret "training" camps. Still-nursing baby elephants are literally dragged from their mothers, kicking and screaming. They are immobilized, beaten mercilessly, and gouged with nails for days at a time. These ritualized "training" sessions leave the elephants badly injured, traumatized, or even dead.
In a village, deep in the jungles of Thailand, a baby elephant is offered a piece of fruit. Born into captivity, she has lived in the village with elephant trainers, called mahouts, since she first came into the world only two years ago. She is trusting of the villagers, the only humans she has ever known.
Delicately, she reaches for the fruit with her tiny, wrinkled, grey trunk. Her large round feet, attached to four stubby baby elephant legs, move gently across the earth. The fruit is held just out of her reach, forcing her to move forward, unaware that each step brings her closer to the ultimate betrayal and seven days of torture that will shake her to her very core.
She is still growing and is not much taller than the villagers who have surreptitiously moved in to surround her. As she steps forward, two men suddenly toss a noose made of thick, heavy rope around her neck. Startled, she attempts to back out of the noose but it is too late, the trap has been sprung and there is no escape.
The villagers scramble to avoid her thrashing trunk and panicked struggles to escape. She screams in fear, but her calls go unanswered, her traumatized mother having been removed from the village in anticipation of this day. She is powerful, but she is no match for the dozens of villagers mightily yanking on the noose that slices ever deeper into the delicate flesh of her neck.
There is an air of celebration in the village as the baby elephant, unable to move in any direction, awaits her fate. Young and old come to watch and participate in the spectacle before them.
wrapping elephants legs One by one, additional ropes and steel cables are wrapped around her belly, legs, and feet—even her tail is bound. She desperately tries to thwart off her tormentors to no avail, using her trunk to push the ropes away and to defend herself from their painful blows. But there is no mercy. Her trunk and the sensitive skin between her toenails are hit with clubs and punctured with nail-studded sticks, and nails are inserted into her ear canals.
Bound and exhausted, she can no longer stand. Her legs give out, forcing her to hang by the ropes choking her neck or wrapped around her belly or to collapse against the sides of the cage. A jab to the ribs sends her momentarily upright again.
A village elder climbs on top of her and straddles her neck. He holds a stick attached to a long, curved, and pointed blade. Speaking in Thai, he delivers a message to the baby elephant, “Remember, if you don’t go against us, we won’t hurt you.” He raises the blade, spits on it, and sinks it into her head, directly between her ears. Each time he drives the blade into her head, he strains to work it back out of her tortured and bloodied flesh. Later, it is discovered that she has lost her ability to hear, most likely the result of this elder’s sadistic lesson.
The elder dismounts and two young men take his place. They casually sit atop her back, one smoking a cigarette. His cigarette break over, the man fervently works the pointed end of a stick into the wound in her head, placed there by the village elder. She roars in inescapable agony, lifting her head in a futile attempt to shake off this instrument of pain.
Dusk has fallen upon the village, and through the smoke of a campfire burning beside her cage, her sorrowful eyes reveal the fear and confusion of a baby elephant whose world has been turned upside down. Her mother is gone and she has been bound, beaten, and abused by those she trusted. However, her ordeal is far from over. For the next several days, she is denied food, water, and sleep. Taking shifts, the villagers beat her day and night, ensuring that her subjugation is absolute and complete.
A week later, witnesses to the beatings discover her tied to a tree outside the village. Her eyes are swollen shut, blood and pus run down her large, torn ears, and her body is covered with raw wounds. Footage of other caged baby elephants with diarrhea coating the backs of their legs is graphic evidence of the pure terror that they endure. Beatings will be used regularly for the rest of their lives to remind them “who’s boss.” Some will eventually snap from the strain of relentless abuse, attacking and killing mahouts and tourists. Click here for a partial list of elephant incidents in Thailand.

You are invited to write here !

2008-04-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO THE BLOG OF VEGETARIANS, FOR VEGETARIANS & BY VEGETARIANS!

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PETA no longer at war with Beyonce

2008-04-14T03:02:00.000-07:00

Animal rights group People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) has called off its war with Beyonce Knowles after discovering the newlywed pop sensation has ended her love affair with fur.
The singer was once near the top of PETA's 'hitlist' because of frequent sightings of her wearing fur coats.
A member even won an auction to have lunch with her, only to confront her with video footage showing animals being skinned for fur.
But the group has decided Knowles is now fur-free - and sent her a fake fur throw as a wedding present to mark her marriage to Jay-Z last week.
The accompanying note reads: "From all of us at PETA, we wish you much happiness in your life together. Please accept this faux-fur throw with many good wishes and a hope from us that together, you'll be a fur-free couple!"
PETA Vice President Lisa Lange says: "Celebrities know that the easiest way to keep PETA off their backs is by keeping fur off their backs. Time will tell if Beyonce is truly committed to being fur-free, but all indications are that she's become a real 'dreamgirl' for fur-bearing animals."

Vegetarians have higher childhood IQ

2008-04-11T03:43:00.000-07:00

Vegetarians have higher childhood IQ, .although a third seem to suffer from conceptual problems! A paper published in December 2006 by the British Medical Journal reported that children with higher IQs tend to go on to become vegetarian.
Adults who classified themselves as vegetarian tended to be five points higher in IQ when they were tested at age 10.
Interestingly, the results remained stable after education and social class were controlled for.
However, a third of people who classified themselves as vegetarian ate chicken or fish, suggesting most people work with a reasonably flexible definition.
This study is from a research group in Southhampton who are looking at the link between childhood factors and adult brain development.

Vegetarian eating

2008-04-09T03:41:00.001-07:00

Vegetarians are people who don’t eat meat. With careful planning, a vegetarian diet can provide all the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for a long and healthy life. A vegetarian diet has many health benefits, but can result in some vitamin and mineral deficiencies if it is not carefully planned.

Types of vegetarians
There are three main types of vegetarianism. These are:

* Lacto-ovo vegetarians - people who avoid meat, but include dairy foods (such as milk and eggs) and plant foods.
* Lacto-vegetarians - people who avoid meat and eggs, but include dairy foods and plant foods.
* Vegans - people who consume only plant foods.

Health benefits of a vegetarian diet
A well-balanced vegetarian diet can provide many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including:

* Obesity
* Coronary artery disease
* Hypertension (high blood pressure)
* Diabetes
* Some types of cancer.

Vegetarians also have lower rates of illness and death from a number of degenerative diseases.

Quotes from Famous Vegetarians

2008-04-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

I don't have any understanding of a human being who doesn't respect the beauty of life and that goes for all creatures that have thoughts, feelings and needs.
-Alicia Silverstone

The American fast food diet and the meat eating habits of the wealthy around the world support a world food system that diverts food resources from the hungry.A diet higher in whole grains and legumes and lower in beef and other meat is not just healthier for ourselves but also contributes to changing the world system that feeds some people and leaves others hungry.
-Dr.Walden Bello

The fact is that there is enough food in the world for everyone. But tragically, much of the world's food and land resources are tied up in producing beef and other livestock--food for the well off--while millions of children and adults suffer from malnutrition and starvation.
-Dr.Walden Bello

When you see the golden arches you are probably on your way to the pearly gates.
-William Castelli,M.D.

Our food system takes abundant grain,which people can't afford,and shrinks it into meat,which better-off people will pay for.
-Frances Moore Lappe

There exists a substantial body of competent and reliable scientific evidence that eating eggs increases the risk of heart attacks or heart disease....This evidence is systematic,consistent,strong,and congruent.
-Ernest G. Barnes

An important fact to remember is that all natural diets, including purely vegetarian diets without a hint of dairy products, contain amounts of calcium that are above the treshold for meeting your nutritional needs....In fact,calcium deficiency caused by an insufficient amount if calcium in the diet is not known to occur in humans.
-John McDougall