Understanding Vegetarianism

Like the Sun, Moon, and Earth, there are three kinds of vegetarians in existence: ovo-lacto, a vegetarian that eats vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds and nuts, as well as eggs and dairy products. Lacto, a vegetarian that eats everything the "ovo-lacto" does, except eggs. Finally, we have vegans, a vegetarian that eats what the rest of the others eat, except for any kind of animal products, period. Each group of vegetarian is unique, but branches from the same tree of life.

Why would anyone want to be a vegetarian? Well there are many reasons as there are stars in the heavens. Some reasons are for health purposes, religious/spiritual, environmental, and the love and protection of animals. Other reasons may be for very personal ones. No matter the reason, we all meet at the same intersection on the road of health.

What Can Vegetarianism Do For Me?

Science has proven time and again that vegetarians are among the healthiest people on the planet. They live longer and are less prone to chronic diseases. Eating a low fat vegetarian diet can also help in losing excess weight. Obesity can lead to adult onset diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer. Eating a vegetarian type diet can reverse heart disease and other health complaints such as arthritis. In addition, the vegetarian diet can lower blood pressure. Because potassium is plentiful in fruits and vegetables, the vegetarian diet lowers blood pressure by helping the kidneys abolish sodium and modify blood pressure-regulating enzymes.

A vegetarian diet decreases the thickness of blood. As a result, it flows more easily through blood vessels. This in turn means the heart works less to push the blood. Further more, a vegetarian diet benefits you by using millions of kidney cells to filter and purify your blood. A meat diet over works the kidneys and slowly kills off the kidney cells called nephrons. Animal protein, when broken down in the body, produces waste products that strain the filtering power of the kidneys. If you've lost any kind of kidney function, due to infection, diabetes or even high blood pressure, your increased chances of nephrons damaging your kidneys are high. Plant based proteins on the other hand, do not damage or harm your kidneys in anyway.

Nutritional Vegetarians

As a new vegetarian, no doubt you'll be wondering if you'll be getting the right nutrition and certainly enough of it. Yes and yes, there's no reason why you would be under nourished being a vegetarian. Fruits and vegetables provide crucial nutrients such as vitamins C and E, beta carotene and lycopene. Such nutrients are referred to as antioxidants and their function is to help fight diseases by neutralizing substances called free radicals. Antioxidants contain disease fighting properties that protect cells from damage.

Religious & Spiritual Paths

Many religions practice some form of vegetarianism. In the East, you have the Hindus and Buddhists. In the West, you have Christians like the Seventh Day Adventist. Many Eastern and Western Mystics also follow the vegetarian path. Through meditation and other spiritual practices, they have gained a greater awareness of how they should be eating and treating their bodies. Even Jewish Mystics follow the vegetarian lifestyle.

For The Love of Planet & Animals

Among other reasons for becoming a vegetarian are environmental and animal rights issues. Raising animals for food causes topsoil loss, erosion and isn't a light matter. This sort of farming (livestock agriculture) is rapidly deteriorating the world's crop lands. It takes 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat, compared to 390 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef. Livestock produce massive amounts of excrement, which has been shown to pollute soil, water, and air. Animals such as chickens, pigs and cows are forced to live in In-Humane conditions which cultivate disease and emotional, physical, and mental pain, as well as discomfort. The methods used to kill these creatures for the sake of feeding the masses are usually pretty violent and heart breaking. Scientist has proven that animals have feelings too and they surely feel pain.

Eat Right -- Live Well

That's right, many people just want to eat healthy and feel better in there lives. It truly feels good to be a vegetarian in everyway. You can't go wrong with better health, helping the planet and its creatures. You also share a common bond with some of the world's most famous people: Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Gandhi, and Charles Darwin. There are plenty of other famous people such as actors and actresses of our time, that are vegetarians and proud of it.

A New Beginning

Vegetarianism isn't just something that you do or way of eating, but also a state of being that illuminates your mind, spirit, emotion and body in a way of existing, that allows you to experience life in a very rewarding and positive way. To be a vegetarian, is to see the hidden harmony in a world of disguised chaos. I can assure you, we're unique individuals.

Gabriel Foster is the editor for http://www.gabrielfoster.com, the online magazine for both vegetarians and natural health enthusiasts.

---

Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin!

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin like A and E. This vitamin is hard to obtain from food. Luckily, sunshine is a significant source of this vitamin because UV rays from the sun... Read More

Finding the Elusive Complete-Protein Source

Images of "protein powder" containers with accomplished bodybuilders on their labels help inform consumers that protein is a critical macronutrient in strength training success. Yet what is sometimes lost in this protein-bodybuilding link... Read More

High Blood Pressure? Natural Alternatives Can Help!

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a dangerous condition that can lead= to stroke, enlarged heart, congestive heart failure, kidney and eye damage, atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries, and premature death.According to a recent... Read More

Free List of Fat Burning Foods

This free list of fat burning foods will help you make the right choices to burn off more fat than you ingest by eating them. The fat burning secret to losing weight is... Read More

Do You Eat Breakfast?

It is not a myth. Eating breakfast is an important part of attaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The morning meal enables your body to refuel itself after enduring a nightlong fast or... Read More

The Sneak Attack of Trans- Fats

If you are like most people, you are probably confused about trans fats. What are they? Which foods have them? What is the health risk?The truth is, trans fats are everywhere. They are... Read More

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

Essential Fatty Acids are oils, omega-3 and omega-6, that you can find, in certain amounts, in all oils that you can purchase in most the health food and regular grocery stores. These fatty... Read More

Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Reproductive System

Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential to the development and proper performance of the reproductive system. Nutrition plays a vital role in the development and maturity of the reproductive system through childhood... Read More

Startling New Evidence: You Can Slow the Aging Process, Scientists Say

What if you could actually slow your rate of aging, and live healthier longer, simply by eating certain foods? U.S. Government scientists now say it's possible.Floyd P. Horn, then Administrator of the scientific... Read More

Studies Prove Magnesium Boosts Memory & Learning Ability

According to the National Institute of Health, Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions, including maintenance of normal muscle and nerve function, strong bones and steady heart rhythm. It is also... Read More

That Cookie Might Kill You!

Chances are you may have had a food product that contained Trans Fatty Acids. What's the danger you ask? I 'm about to share with you just a little of the hidden dangers... Read More

Fat: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

When it comes to planning a healthy diet, fat is a complex subject. It's useful to understand some basic information.There are 4 types of fat: Monounsaturated, Polyunsaturated, Saturated and Trans fat.MonounsaturatedMonounsaturated fats are... Read More

What is a Healthy Eating Plan?

Healthy eating is important for everyone, from babies to the elderly. Learning to eat well is more than just eating a variety of foods so that your body gets the proper nutrients. It... Read More

Avocado - Ooh, What a Lovely Pear!

Many people avoid avocados thinking them to be fattening, but the truth is they are packed with Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) which burn fat so actually they make you thin! So now you... Read More

Go Nuts!

Nuts of all kinds (I am talking peanuts, cashews etc) have a mixed reputation. They are high in fat, but have no carbohydrates. Many people I know will not eat any type of... Read More

Surrender To The Spell Of The Pyramid

Food in general has the distinction of being probably the first thing we all think about in the mornings before our feet hit the floor. The main reason for this is we cannot... Read More

Alkalize Your Way to Better Health

Today we're shifting our focus from wealth to health. First of all, I am not an expert. If you have a health condition, you should go see your doctor. What I'm going to... Read More

How You Can Support Your Immune System

Media coverage of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has incited fear among the American public, emptied Chinatowns all over North America and stopped much of the travel between the U.S., Toronto, Canada, China,... Read More

Whey Protein Importance

Studies on whey demonstrate it's an even better protein supplement than previously thought. Although whey protein's health benefits have only recently been elucidated, the use of whey protein for medicinal purposes has been... Read More

Magnesium Deficiency Causes Personality Change and WLS Patients are at Risk

Have you ever felt like you were completely losing your mind? Like the world was swallowing you up and little things were out of your control and unmanageable? Like you were confused, tired,... Read More

5 Favorite Summer-Break Tips

You can trust me that I make sure to take care to have as EnergyRich? a vacation as possible (why come back from vacation feeling bloated, a few pounds heavier, experiencing heartburn etc,... Read More

Hidden Poison

Did you know that there might be poison in many of your favorite foods found on grocery store shelves everywhere? Breads, crackers, cookies, energy bars, tortillas, frozen pizza are just a few examples... Read More

Ambrotose Complex

Mannatech's patent-pending glyconutrients complex, Ambrotose, is perhaps the greatest wellness discover in the last 50 years. By understanding it, you are in a better position to help others realize that they too would... Read More

Explanation of Ambrotose

There are basically four major components, or essential molecular components that the body requires for what we call good health.We know about amino acids and proteins, that's category one. We know about fatty... Read More

Building Better Bones

"It is a bone-deep change you are going into, my beloved," counsels Grandmother Growth. "You must open to your very marrow for this transformation. No cell is to remain untouched. You are to... Read More

Cholesterol Does Not Cause Heart Disease

Cholesterol is an essential building block of every cell in the body, required for all metabolic processes. It is particularly important in the production of nerve tissue, bile and certain hormones. On average,... Read More

Got Soy? Milk, Snuff, and Soy Beans

Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in a calcium crisis today because consumers aren't drinking enough milk.Milk is highly overrated. Experts say,If you really want to play it safe, you... Read More

How Can I Uncover Hidden Sugar And Prevent Carb Creep?

Many low carb dieters fall victim to "carb creep," which is triggered carb binges, caused by creeping intakes of carbs. This is particularly a problem after finishing the stricter early phases of their... Read More

ACAI Berry Named Top 10 Superfoods For Anti-Aging by Dr. Nicholas Perricone

The benefits from eating healthy are endless. And, according to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, some foods can be eaten to help you look and age better! At the top of the list is the... Read More