What are the benefits to becoming a vegetarian?

Question

Do you miss meat? Is it easier to lose weight?

Answer 1

Lets rebuke some points here.

"be healthier"

Carefully worded and explained as this answer is, it's not quite true. I think that a veggie diet, if planned very well, can be as good as a good meat eating diet. Any benefits I think come from eating a wide range of fruit and veg. Thus these benefits do not require the omission of meat.
On the contrary, meat is healthy for a number of reasons, and an uncarefully planned veggie diet can be terrible. I don't really want to post a several page long answer as it is quite a complex argument, so I'll let links do the talking for me.

http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/dietbad/293/
http://www.mercola.com/2002/feb/2/vegetarian.htm
http://www.vanguardonline.f9.co.uk/00509.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2001/dec/29/vegetarian.htm

"to loose weight exercise daily and eat healthy"

This isn't a point rebuke, because it's a very good point. Exercise is a hugely healthier method of losing weight.

"By avoiding meat, eggs, and dairy, we can greatly reduce the amount of saturated fat and all the cholesterol that contribute to heart disease."

"It's better for your body (less fat, less chance of a heart attack) the planet (less water and land consumed) and your spirit (you won't have the energy of an unhappy animal in your system)."

The links above deal with the health points, but anyway. Less fat? Well, less dietary fat, any unused carbohydrates in your diet are turned into saturated fat by your body, so the same end result can be achieved.

As for heart attacks, another link: http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/dietbad/136/2/.

In essence, the point there relates to cholesterol (which is why I linked to that cholesterol article). Eating cholesterol does not give you a heart attack. Most peoples bodies are perfectly well adapted to deal with large amounts of cholesterol, it's only if your body has a problem that eating that you have to worry about it at all. Your body creates four/fives times as much as you eat, and compensates if you eat less by making more. The amount of veggies with heart troubles is only marginally less than that of meat eaters (2/3%) and that ignores that veggies are less likely to smoke or eat junk food.

As for the point about the planet, much of the land used for pastoral farming would be unsuitable for crops, and it takes much less water to produce a pound of meat than a pound of rice (I forget the exact figures)

And as for the spirit and negative energy point, I'm not even going to bother to comment on that.

"Antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains, such as salmonella, campylobacter, and E.coli, are increasingly found in animal products."

Irrelevant unless you eat completely raw meat. It's ironic that I've eaten meat my entire life, and the only time I've had any trouble with eating meat was when my stomach reacted badly to the spices in some sausages, which it was unused to.

"...add quite a few years to your life"

Utter rubbish. There are studies which say as much (most financed by PETA) but there has been as yet no studies which have managed to isolate meat eating as the only variable. Veggies are less likely to smoke, eat junk food and are generally more health conscious, an I think those reasons had much more to do with it.

Answer 2

Good health and feeling good are the benefits. I've been veg for 2 years now, and I have never felt better! I don't miss meat b/c I never really liked it to begin with. I was raised by a family who believes that you have to eat meat to be healthy, yet they all have heart probs. It can be easy to lose weight, but you have to watch what you eat. Being a vegetarian means that you might eat more carbs. Try to stay away from those if losing weight is your goal. If you love meat, then the transition will be hard for you, but if it is something you really want to do, then you can. Good Luck!

Answer 3

The Benefits of Vegetarian Eating:

By avoiding meat, eggs, and dairy, we can greatly reduce the amount of saturated fat and all the cholesterol that contribute to heart disease.

Typically, vegetarians have lower rates of colon cancer than non-vegetarians, and a recent study found that a low-fat, vegetarian diet with routine exercise can help stop and even reverse prostate cancer.

A low-fat, vegetarian diet with moderate exercise can take off—and keep off—the weight.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains, such as salmonella, campylobacter, and E.coli, are increasingly found in animal products.

Answer 4

There are only advantages to becoming a vegetarian. The consumption of meat is directly related to arteriosclerosis and coronary diseases, colon cancer and higher risk of getting other cancers as well (such as breast cancer in women), impotence, obesity, etc. Animal meat can have E. Coli contamination, Salmonella enterica (disease-causing bacteria) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob ("mad cow") disease, it acumulates fat and dangerous chemicals such as dioxins, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides and even the most toxic forms of arsenic. Every year there're millions of cases of diseases derived by the concumption of meat, many of which are fatal.

Vegetarians are usually healthier people who live longer and have more energy, and stay in shape with a lot less effort.

Here's a list of only a few (out of many) famous vegetarian athletes that might surprise you:

* Hank Aaron [Hall of Fame Baseball Player]
* Dave Scott [Hawaii Ironman 4-time Triathlon Champion]
* Christ Evert [Tennis Champion]
* Sean Yates [Professional Cyclist -Tour de France Stage Winner]
* Desmond Howard [Pro Football Player]
* Carl Lewis [Olympic Champion Sprinter]
* Edwin Moses [Olympic Champion Hurdler]
* Larry Bird [NBA Basketball Star]
* Stan Price [World Record Holder Bench Press]
* Bill Pearl [4x "Mr Universe"]
* Killer Kowalski [Professional Wrestler]
* Jackie Chan [you know who he is!]

And here's another shortened list, this time of vegetarians that became famous for their great minds:

* Albert Einstein (although only in the last year of his life)
* Charles Darwin
* Thomas Edison
* Mark Twain
* Henry David Thoreau
* Leo Tolstoy
* Mahatma Gandhi
* George Bernard Shaw
* Isaac Bashevis Singer
* Isaac Newton
* Leonardo da Vinci

On top of all that, and perhaps most importantly, vegetarians do not have the burden of a guilty conscience for being a part of the unnecessary killing and exploitation of animals. Being a vegetarian is good for the body, for the mind and for the soul.

Answer 5

U will definitely miss meat but its worth it! You lose weight and add quite a few years to your life

Answer 6

None at all for most people. Humans are naturally omnivores, not herbivores. It is difficult to get all of the nutrients you need without eating meat. No vegetable has all of the essential amino acids we need to utilize protein. One must eat legumes and grains together, e.g. beans and corn, to get complete protein. That may not be convenient, and it causes chronic indigestion. The few vegetarians I've known were such nasty people that I quit associating with them. Why needlessly complicate your life for no good reason?

Answer 7

I have been a vegetarian for nearly ten years. I don't miss meat, and I don't gain weight easily.

Answer 8

It's better for your body (less fat, less chance of a heart attack) the planet (less water and land consumed) and your spirit (you won't have the energy of an unhappy animal in your system).

I don't miss eating animals in the least.

Losing weight is as tough for vegetarians as non. There are lots of good, but fattening, veggie foods, too (pizza, ice cream, burritos, etc.)!!

Answer 9

I do miss meat, especially since my family is packed with big meat eaters. It's hard, but if you have enough resistance and want it bad enough you can do it. I do feel healthier...I eat a lot more fruits and veggies than I ever did before.

Answer 10

No I don't miss meat, and yes, when I went veg a year ago I lost weight. Here's a website with a lot of information that will help you...
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/index.php?referrerid=12059

Good luck!