Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Fruit and vegetables are key parts of a nutritious diet. To promote health, at least two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and other substances good for health. They are naturally low in fat and calories are filling. Some are high in fiber, and many are quick to prepare and easy to eat.

In choosing fruits and vegetables, aim for variety. Try many colors and kinds. Choose any form: fresh, frozen, canned, dried, juices. All forms provide vitamins and minerals, and all provide fiber except for most juices.

As a group, vegetarians have lower morbidity and mortality rates from several chronic degenerative diseases than do non-vegetarians. Typically, vegetarian diets are lower in fat and saturated fat and have a higher concentration of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals) associated with health benefits.

Here are some of the benefits of a vegetarian’s diet over a non-vegetarian diet

➧ Lowers cholesterol level.
➧ Lowers the level of low-density lipoproteins
➧ Lower incidence of hypertension
➧ Fewer complications and lower mortality from type 2 diabetes mellitus.
➧ Reduced incidence of lung, colorectal, and breast cancer.
➧ Improved kidney function.
➧ Reduction of coronary artery disease.

Types of vegetarians.

Type	What is excluded from the diet	What is included in the diet
Vegans	All animal products	Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds
Lactovegetarians	Eggs, fish, poultry, and meat	Milk products and fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds
Ovolactovegetarians	Fish, poultry, and meat	Eggs(ova), milk products(lacto), fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds
Pescovegetarians	Poultry and meat	Fish(pesco), eggs, milk products, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds
Pollo-vegetarians	Red meat	Poultry(pollo), fish, eggs, milk products, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds