WHY BE A VEGAN?

Vegan diet means absolutely no animal products—no meat, poultry, fish and eggs nor milk and dairy products. Vegan diet consists of only foods that grow on plants and tress. The main reason for becoming vegan is self-preservation. The consumption of animal products causes the pH of the body to become acidic, leading to cellular degeneration and the onslaught of disease. This has been confirmed in hundreds of scientific studies all over the world. An acidic pH in the body is the primary precurser to all disease. When we choose a vegan lifestyle, we not only help ourselves, but we help the planet as well.

On a vegan diet, one is far less likely to get a bacterial infection such as E coli, camphylobacter and salmonella. Vegetarians get fewer of stomach, bladder, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma cancers.

The lowest levels of clot-promoting fibrinogen are found in vegans who eat no animal products at all, not even eggs and milk. This is due to the fact that compounds in fruits and vegetables lower fibrinogen, while animal fat and cholesterol increase it. According to latest research a gluten-free vegan diet full of nuts, sunflower seeds, fruits and vegetables offer protection against strokes for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

A 24-year-long American study has offered the strongest evidence yet to show that a diet rich in vegetables, low on animal protein and moderate intake of low-fat dairy products cuts chances of heart attack in middle-aged women by nearly a quarter.

The study, which followed over 88,000 otherwise-healthy nurses, found that those who followed the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and plant-based protein—over meat had 24% less chances of suffering a heart attack and 18% less likely to have a stroke than women who consume more meat.

Women in the study were in their mid-30s to late 50s when the research began in 1980.
Reporting this finding in the latest edition of the journal “Archives of Internal Medicine”, scientists from Simmons College, Boston, said that even though the study only followed women, men too would benefit equally by following a similar dietary regime.

BENEFITS OF VEGAN DIET

Detoxifies: A veggie diet is more rich in dietary fibre (bottle gourd, pumpkins, spinach, cabbages, citrus fruits, fruits with seeds, legumes, cereals and grains), which flushes toxins out of the body. Those who have a diet rich in dietary fibre have reduced risk of diseases like coronary heart diseases, cancer of intestinal tract (colon and rectum), piles, obesity, diabetes, constipation, hiatus hernia, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, dental caries and gallstones. A diet containing only eggs, fish and mutton is a poor source of fibre. Vegetarian diet is more rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, which help to cleanse the body’s system.

Stronger bones: Gorging on meat can lead to protein overload. This can tax our kidneys, cause uric acid (gout) problem, interfere with the absorption of calcium and prompt the body to extract existing calcium from the bones. Such calcium excretion is rare amongst vegans.

Strengthens Immunity: Vegetarians have more powerful immune defences. A study at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg compared the blood of male vegetarians and meat eaters. They found that ehite cells of vegetarians were twice as deadly against tumour cells as those of meat eaters. This means vegetarians needed only half as many white cells to do the same job as meat eaters did. Researchers thought that vegetarian’s white cells were more deadly, presumably due to their yielding greater armies of natural killer cells or more ferocious natural killer cellls. Vegetarians also have higher levels of carotene in their blood, which greatly helps strengthen immune system. 

Easy digestion: Digestion begins with the saliva, which can only digest complex carbohydrates present in plant foods. Complex carbohydrates in vegetarian foods are digested gradually providing a steady source of glucose. Conversely, meats rich in fat and proteins are difficult to digest. Digestion of vegetarian food is easier for our bodies.

Boosts cardiovascular health: According to Dr. Rahul Gupta, interventional cardiologist, consumption of a vegetarian diet consisting of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts and fruits and abstaining from meat and high fat animal products, along with regular exercise, is consistently associated with lower (LDL) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, less obesity, lower risk of diabetes and consequently less heart disease.

Fruits, green leafy vegetables and some legumes, are abundant in folic acid, which help lower homocysteine levels (associated with heart disease). Many whole and unrefined plant foods are also important sources of minerals such as copper and magnesium, both of which protects against cardiovascular disease. Many phytochemicals / flavonoid in fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains have properties that reduce the risk of heart disease. Various nuts are the source of heart healthy fatty acids (Omega-3, MUFA, PUFA). On the other hand, non-vegetarian diet is associated with an adverse impact on cholesterol levels and increases the incidence of heart disease.

Eases menopause: Diet and mood swings have a direct connection. So while certain foods like melons and peaches can take the edge off hot flashes, chicken cooked with a lot of masaalaa-s adds to the irritation.    

Healthy skin: Eating beetroot, tomato, pumpkin and bitter gourd can clear off blemishes. Guava, apples, pears and peaches, eaten along with their peel, promise a glowing complexion.

Weight management: Avoiding meat is the simplest way to reduce fat intake. Instead, eating whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, and fruits, lowers cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and obesity.

Easy on the teeth: Our molars are more suitable for grinding grains and vegetables than tearing flesh.

Phyto-nutrients: Diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, stroke and bone loss are partially preventable with a good intake of phytonurtients. As these are present only in vegetarian diet, the non-vegetarians are at a loss. A vegetarian diet helps prevent diabetes, often relieves the symptoms, and can even eliminate the need for insulin treatments. It is often a quick cure for ulcerative colitis.

Iron and vitamin C: Spinach has 14 times the iron content of sirloin steak. Animal products are deficient in vitamin C, which is needed for iron absorption.

Virility: Real men eat meat, right? Wrong. Far from macho, meat makes one less of a man. Here's medical evidence that vegans make better lovers. All bodily organs depend on blood supply. When arteries to the heart get jammed, the ticker stops. Similarly it’s with the male genital organ; when its arteries start to clog, one experiences erectile dysfunction. Once the obstruction worsens it leads to impotence. In America, where they live on steak and hamburger, one in four over 60-year-old men have at least one major arterial blockage. Turning from red to white meat won't help either, both chicken and fish have plenty of cholesterol and fat. Turning veggie on the other hand, can reverse arterial blockage, restoring one’s libido, plus providing looks to match since the average man who turns veggie becomes 10% leaner.

Not only are plant foods themselves low in calories, but their natural starches stimulate two natural hormones in our body which accelerate our calorie-burning metabolism. Going veggie means one gets to keep one’s hair longer. In Japan as the diet has become westernized, i.e. more meat and fat, baldness is more common, especially in younger men. Meat hastens hair loss because testosterone enters and kills hair follicles. Excess testosterone produced by a meat-based diet also causes overproduction of cells in the prostate gland. An overgrown prostate can pinch off urinary flow needing frequent trips to the toilet. Going veggie also brings a man closer to the new-age male ideal as research has shown that the more fibre in a man's diet, the less likely is he to be aggressive and domineering. Animal foods don't contain any fibre at all. So, the more one fills up on them, the less fibre in one's digestive tract, which results in constipation and a host of other diseases. So, there it is, the most effective sexual aid is not a little blue pill but those greens on the grocery shelf. To clinch the argument, pigeons live on grains—they mate several times a day, 365 days a year without break!!!

Economics: Vegan food is far cheaper to produce and therefore cheaper to buy. Many vegetarian produce can be stored, at least for a few days, without the need for refrigeration, thereby reducing the cost of preservation. Many fruits are plucked raw and then stored for several days for ripening without getting spoilt. The same cannot be said about the non-vegetarian food. The moment an animal is slaughtered it starts decaying.

Colourfully appetising: Good food is not restricted to taste, its visual appeal is equally important. Vegetables come in an array of colours, which makes them more appetising and appealing to our eyes. If the food is visual treat one is bound to eat and enjoy it even more. Using many coloured food items in cooking is a great way to eat natural foods that boost our health.

Longevity: Vegetarians live on average about six to ten years longer and are healthier than meat eaters. Studies show that vegetarian kids grow taller and have higher IQ compared to non-vegetarian kids.

The Allied naval blockade during World War I forced Denmark dramatically into nationwide vegetarianism. The death rate, from diseases, during the period dropped by 34%.

Doctors learn to treat diseases with drugs and surgery. Today’s physician has virtually no education on nutrition.

The gross aspect of food we consume goes in the formation of the physical body and the subtle aspect of food goes in the formation of the mind and the intellect. The type and quality of food we consume determines our physical health, the quality and texture of our mind and the intellect and the thought and actions that spring forth. If we put garbage within our system, in the long run the texture of our thoughts and actions have a tendency to become more unreconciling, extremely selfish, less concerned for others, lusty and therefore dangerous to social order. Toxins in the system bring about a lot of mental disturbances. Those who take non-vegetarian food, because of the toxins, are very uncontrolled. Watch a carniverous and a herbiverous animal.

It is evident that the mind becomes soft and receptive and available for training only when it is mellow and it had been found that vegetarian food makes the mind more mellow, more plastic and the personality is gentle rather than vicious. Some of the Greek philosophers, like Archimedes urged people to become vegetarian. They said this knowing that there is a definite relationship between what we eat and our state of mind. For example, alcohol has a rapid and direct influence on human behaviour both emotionally and mentally; the same too with various drugs. Therefore the food we eat also has profound repercussions on our emotional and mental attitudes. Even Lord Jesus took only bread and water while in the desert. Similarly sages and saints in India took vegetarian food for tapas or austerities and meditation. Throughout the ages, it has been said that meat eating is conducive to internal tension and disharmony, whereas vegetarian food tends to promote inner calmness. Vegetarian food by itself cannot make a person noble. There are other factors which also have influence on a person’s behaviour.

By Swami Avdhutananda, Ex Acahrya,Chinmaya Mission-Sikkim