10.16.2010 10:26 AM

Discover the Benefits of Vegetarianism

Find out how a vegetarian diet is beneficial to both your personal health and the health of the planet.

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The Real Food Diet

Photo: Istock

By Great Green Idea Staff

Healthy eating is not just a fad anymore. People are convinced that what they eat is extremely important and that bad eating habits are just not worth the health risks. Not everyone who eats healthy follows a strict vegan diet. But, vegetarian cooking isn’t just for vegetarians anymore. As more people learn to enjoy vegetarian cooking, more questions are asked about the vegan way of life.

Here are some common questions people ask:

Q: Exactly how does a vegan diet improve health?

A: One of the main health benefits of a vegan diet is improved cardiovascular function. This is because on the whole, vegetarians do not eat saturated fats. These fats have proven to cause artery blockage. As such, even people who do eat some meat can relate to why the vegan way of eating shuns red meat. One of the many other health benefits is that the high fiber found in the whole grains that are typically eaten has been proven to defend against colon and other cancers.

Q: Is there any relation between vegetarian cooking and the environment?

A: Yes there is a relation between the two and here's how they are connected. Vegan diets are prepared with ingredients like fruits and vegetables, which require fewer resources to grow. On the other hand, a lot of resources are used in the preparation of meat for human consumption. This would include things like watering, feeding and the processing of the animals before they can be eaten. This preparation consumes massive amounts of nonrenewable energy, which takes a toll on the environment. It is for reasons such as these that green cuisine has become so widely adopted around the world.

Q: Soy seems to be a popular ingredient in vegetarian cooking. But what is it and what food can me made from it that will be both healthy and tasty?

A: Tofu, which is rich in calcium and protein, is a staple in vegetarian cooking. It is easy to digest and absorbs flavor from other food quite easily, which improves its taste. Miso is a very tasty vegan ingredient used in mostly Japanese inspired dishes and soups to provide flavor. There have been studies that indicated women who ate three bowls of miso soup per day reduced cancer by 45%. Soy milk is full of protein, isolators and B vitamins. It also is a healthy alternative to people who are allergic to cow's milk because it is free from lactose.

Q: Where does green cuisine fit into the picture?

A: Green cuisine focuses on environmental related food concepts. Green cuisine means dishes prepared with organic food and with fewer synthetic, or petroleum-derived, pesticides, fertilizers or genetic engineering. Just as with vegetarian cooking, how a food is processed and grown relates directly to the environment. Organic farmers grow green cuisine crops and are committed to use only natural fertilizers such as compost.

This article was written by the staff of www.GreatGreenIdea.com, a site dedicated to teaching about great green ideas and healthy green living. The goal of the site is to help the public on the quest for "Guilt Free Green Living."

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