LegendaryLife Blog

Extremes at either end of the scale can lead to health problems.

It seems that there are as many definitions of what vegetarianism is as there are people who practice it but using the dictionary, a vegetarian is an eater of fruits and grains and nuts; someone who eats no meat or fish or (often) any animal products. In layman’s terms, a vegetarian is somebody whose primary diet comes from plant based sources.

Vegetarianism… is it good for you?

You bet it is but as with anything else, if taken to an extreme it can become detrimental to your health as well. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits and nuts is very nutritious, full of all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep up with daily activities. Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source of the body and this diet has them in abundance. Plants also contain large amounts of indigestible cellulose (fiber) which is fantastic for cleaning out your bowels and keeping you regular naturally.

…but a vegetarian diet lacks calcium and protein needed by my body!

Actually, this is very untrue statement — a complete myth. Where do you think cows that produce milk get their protein? No, farmers don’t inject their cows or infuse calcium into their milk, cows get it naturally by just grassing on plants all day. You see, there is more calcium in plants then any milk you can drink. Especially green and leafy vegetables!

“Humans where designed to eat meat”

You are assuming we where designed… anyways, that is an argument for another day If you look at strict herbivores (plant eaters like cows), they have a very long intestinal track to allow them to squeeze out all the food stuffs they can from their diet but if you look at strict carnivores (meat eaters lions), you will see that they have a relatively short intestinal track for quick food processing. Humans “intestinally speaking” are neither carnivores or herbivores, we are in between — omnivores. We have evolved to be able to digest both meat and plant based nutrients as our intestinal track is right about in the middle of the two extremes.

What is the problem with an all meat diet?

The biggest problem with an all meat diet is the lack of fiber, unless you love to be constipated with clogged up bowels. Meat in itself is very healthy, it is very high in amino acid profiles (protein) and fats. It also has a nice nutrient profile and is a very dense source of nutrition. Problems arise because of the steroids, growth hormones and other “boosts” given to livestock to produce more meat in a shorter amount of time.

What is the problem with an all non-meat diet?

The biggest problem with an vegetarian diet is the shier amount of food you must eat to get enough protein and fats in your diet. Although if you plan out your diet throughout the day and have a very wide variety of foods you can easily manage this problem but to the unexperienced thinking that a vegetarian diet consists of eating cabbage and carrots all day, you are begging to be malnourished. If you are new to the world of plants, you are most likely not eating enough of them to get what your body needs from them. Plants also are sprayed with chemicals to keep pests away and even if they aren’t, they still take them up from the soil and air that surrounds them.

Which do you advocate?

Personally, I believe there is a reason why herbivores spend most of their lives eating while carnivores spend most of their life sleeping Many of the health problems people suffer from today is because they have gone to the extreme with either end of the spectrum. Ask any coroner where death begins and they will tell you “death begins in the intestines”, in other words, a bad diet no matter its source is a sure way to limit your chances of a long healthy life.

The Bottom Line

No matter your dietary choices, try to get it from as wide a variety of whole foods as you can.