What is a Vegetarian diet?
Vegetarian diet is a kind of diet that incorporates a bunch of food groups in it that can be plant based or animal sources. There has always been a misconception on vegetarians are vegans but actually that not completely true.
Vegans are people that strictly follow a plant-based diet that only includes all kinds of produce taken or obtained via plant sources, even the milk they use is a plant-based milk and do not consume any other animal sourced good. Whereas vegetarians are quite flexible when it comes to their type of diet. They include food from various sources like plants, animals and bees making it more doable for people who wish to switch their eating habits from non-vegetarians to becoming a vegetarian and then a vegan.
In recent times the popularity of vegan foods has been peaked immensely but it gets a bit difficult for people with a non-vegetarian appetite to consume a complete plant-based meal. And so, this transitioning is done by taking the help of a vegetarian diet that provides flexibility in choosing their meal and still be healthier than an average non-vegetarian diet.
Is Vegetarian diet healthier than a non-vegetarian diet?
A vegetarian diet being obtained majorly from a plant-based source is considered significantly healthier than the non-vegetarian diet. As we all know that vegetarian diet has more flexibility in it as compared to other kinds of diet and that is why vegetarian diet is classified into these types,
- Lacto-vegetarian: Where addition of dairy and dairy products is done.
- Ovo-vegetarian: Where addition of eggs take place, but it's still considered vegetarian.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarian: Where a person can eat dairy as well as eggs and be called as a vegetarian. Now why does vegetarian diet stand as a better option than a non-vegetarian diet is because of the following points,
- Provides more nutrition
- Is safe to consume
- Can relieve stress
- Is more fresh and energy giving
- Has a variety to offer
- More colourful, more nutritious
- Has more vitamins and mineral sources
- provides more fibre
- Is easily digestible
These types demonstrate the variety and flexibility a vegetarian diet has to offer that does not restrict animal sources completely, but it does restrict some major sources that were also a reason to various health issues and problems.
Now, a non-vegetarian diet is one that includes all kinds of animal sources, be it poultry, meat, seafood and other sources that become a part of non-vegetarian eaters collectively. Though a non-vegetarian diet has great source of protein options, but they do are on a heavier part.
Non-vegetarian diet does have a lot of drawbacks as compared to vegetarian diet because they are animal based that can be heavier on the palate and can also affect our immunity and gut health making it difficult to digest the food properly and cause more infections and allergies altogether. Non-vegetarian food can,
- Heavier on the palate
- Hard to digest
- Can cause more infections
- Can cause digestion issues
- Increase cholesterol
- Increase weight
- Has no fibre and other nutrients
- High on saturated fats
- Can have allergic reactions
These drawbacks demonstrate the flaw in a non-vegetarian diet that could be a reason why people are switching their diet to a strictly vegetarian diet and why there might be a lot of health problems involved in this kind of diet.
8 health benefits of being vegetarian.
1.Healthy Heart: Vegetarian food is packed with nutritious food sources that enable better absorption of these nutrients and provide nutrition to heart and help pump blood more efficiently with less load. Unlike a non-vegetarian diet, this diet helps gain healthy fats like from nuts, seeds, avocado and eggs that are not heavier for our heart and are easily absorbed in the body without clogging our blood vessels.
2. High fibre: As we know vegetarian does have more fresh vegetable and fruits included in it to provide with good amounts of fibre in order to strengthen our digestive systema and also provide nourishment to our healthy gut bacteria. Vegetarian diet also provides crude fibre, exclusively available through whole grains and millets that as well contribute in the betterment of our gut health and strengthen immunity.
3. Reduces cholesterol: Bad cholesterol levels has peaked recently, where every 3 out 5 people are suffering from fatty liver and obesity. This happens due to an increased intake of red meat and poultry sources that decent protein amounts but are high in cholesterol fats that affects our heart health, liver health and result in obesity and overweight issues.
4. Easy to digest: As the diet speaks about it's availability of fresh produce and more fibre, it ultimately ensures the improvement to be seen in our digestive system. As discussed earlier, a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre, millets and fluid intake, results in a better metabolism. A better metabolism is obtained only by having food which is easy to digest, and vegetarian food is indeed easy to digest.
5. Improves skin texture: Skin issues like pimples, fine lines, wrinkles and dullness are all experienced due to lack of vitamins and minerals in the body plus a lower level of collagen in it as well. Incorporation of a colourful variety of fruits and vegetables ensure the fulfilment of lost nutrients and provide a smooth, glowy skin texture and also helps to maintain it.
6. Nutrients absorption: vegetarian meals aften are composed of whole grains, legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds, fresh vegetables, fruits and dairy products that are fermented which ensures the digestibility of food that in return mark a good absorption of all eaten nutrients and minerals.
7. Manages weight: Weight management is ensured by having a vegetarian diet, that consist of such dietary items that are fibre rich, protein rich and less in fats that ultimately helps our body to maintain its optimum weight.
8. Ethical Considerations: Avoiding meat and other animal products in some countries or areas are a part of humanitarian act as well as a cultural demand that restricts that ensures a diet free from cruelty and explores the ideology of compassion towards a green and clean food choices.Conclusion:
The blog talks about the importance of vegetarian diets and why are they a better option than non-vegetarian diet and also some major health benefits that we get from consuming vegetarian diet.
FAQs
Q. How does non-vegetarian diet affect our health?
A- non-vegetarian diet does have a lot of drawbacks as compared to vegetarian diet because they are animal based that can be heavier on the palate and can also affect our immunity and gut health making it difficult to digest the food properly and cause more infections and allergies altogether.
