Yes, vegetarians (and vegans) are healthy
With all the surprising news coming out of California and Alaska the past couple of weeks, its no wonder the media skipped over this little tidbit of brand new, never-before-imagined breaking news:
Or rather, to be exact, "vegetarian diets, including...vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases...Vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life-cycle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence and for athletes." That is, you won't die if you don't eat meat (and even if you don't drink milk!) and, in fact, you're likely to live a longer and healthier life, whether you are male, female, young or old! Yay!
All snark aside, this statement is the updated position of the American Dietetic Association, published in their July 2009 journal, which is quite similar to their previous statement, though this one goes further in including vegan diets as well. For details about the role of plant-based diets in cancer and disease prevention and the seemingly endless other health and nutritional benefits, you can read the full report online.
No word on whether they have a position statement on a bacon-based or fast-food centered diet. Anyone?
Comments
please sign a petition for vegetarian food in restaurants http://www.blussa.com/sign-petition.htm?petitionId=29
I would be happy to sign the petition, but I can say that vegetarian entrees in restaurants tend to be high in fat, by using too much cheese, butter and dairy. These foods can be hard to digest when one is used to a low fat vegetarian (or vegan) diet.
I am not going to sign on to this either. If a restarant I go to doesn’t have anything vegetarian I just go next door. It is a business decision on the owners. If they don’t want your money, someone else will.
Geez, what’s with all the negativity, people? Did I miss something? Since when is actively trying to encourage more vegetarian options something to sneer at??? Seriously??? I commend this person’s efforts. And every time you eat a veggie burger anywhere in the world, you should too.
How will this obligation be enforced? Restaurants begrudgingly usually offer the “vegetarian option”, (I have yet to see the “vegan option”). I would like to see an equal amount of dishes available to vegetarians and vegans, affording us the same amount of choice as flesh eaters. This will only be achieved by legislation, and I do not think restaurants will do this voluntarily.
I dunno, call me a capitalist, but I think the almighty dollar screams much louder than loosely enforced laws. Create a demand (more vegetarians) and you’ll see supplies (more options) increasing like magic. One way to create more vegetarians? Make it easier with more vegetarian options at restaurants! See how that little circle works?
I’m still waiting for an optimist to comment, haha!
OK, I’m optimistic that market forces will encourage restaurants to offer more vegetarian and vegan options.
How’s that?
I fully agree, Charles! Now, lets start forcing those forces….
Let’s save legislation for things that really count. Restaurant menus don’t. If we don’t like the menus at certain restuarants we shouldn’t go there. That’s called freedom of choice.
Absolutely it’s about freedom of choice. So lets have a veggie choice and not just meat choices. What you put in your body does really count. That is where legislation misses the mark. Eat healthy and we’ll require less health care and reduced obesity problems.
I’ll sign,it might help. However,veg meals may be prepared where meat was prepared. So getting some animal product in your food is probable.
When I go out, I tell the server I am a vegetarian and they are very helpful.
One restaurant even had a menu just for vegetarians with several vegan options.
In fine restaurants I feel the chef’s are generally up to the challenge to be a bit more creative and accommodate request for vegan fare.
I would like to see more restaurants offer more variety but It is their business and their choice just as it is our choice to dine there – leave the government legislation out of it!
I agree with the “capitalist” above – let your wallet speak!