Saturday, April 12, 2008

FASCINATING VEGGIE FACTS







Fascinating veggie facts.

Vegetarianism is a term originated from Latin word “vegetare” which means “to grow”, the word vegetarian was made popular by the vegetarian society at Rams gate England in 1847.Vegetarianism is a practice of diet that includes plant based foods and no flesh from animals. Plant based foods include vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans &grains. Animal fleshes are fowl, fish, pork, beef&any kind of animal meat. Many vegetarians do consume some animal derived products like eggs, milk cheese and other dairy products. Those who consume a pure diet of plant-based foods are called ‘vegans”

People become vegetarians for many reasons, these may include religious reasons, health, economic, fad, or moral (against the killing of animals) reasons.

Varieties of vegetarianism

There is variety of different practices of vegetarianism. Here are some of the most common.
1. Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism-includes dairy, eggs and honey in the food and no meat including fish poultry.

2. Lacto-vegetarianism-includes dairy and honey but no eggs and meat including fish poultry.

3. Ovo-vegetarianism-includes eggs and honey but no dairy and meat including fish poultry.

4. Vegans-No meat including fish poultry, eggs, dairy and honey. (Consume only plant based foods)


Other dietary practices-
*Fruitarians-is a diet of only fruit, nuts, seeds, &other plant matter that can be gathered without harming the plant.

*Macrobiotic-whole grain&beans (some consume fish)

*Raw vegans-fresh uncooked fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables.

# Semi vegetarianism-a diet in which the only animal flesh consumed is seafood and/or poultry in limited amounts.

*Pescetarianism-the only animals consumed are fish or other seafood.

*Pollotarianism-the only animals consumed are fowl &poultry


#Flexitarianism-a diet that consists primarily of vegan food, but that allows occasional exceptions.




An increasing number of studies point to the health benefits of a plant-based diet, which may reduce the risk of several chronic diseases. Research has also shown that vegetarians are less prone to many other illnesses, including heart diseases,stroke,type2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and possibly kidney stones, gall stones, and osteoporosis.
Vegetarianism is the fastest growing trend in the developed world. Vegetarians are fitter than meat eaters are. Many of the world’s most successful athletes are vegetarians.

Fascinating facts:
*Just under a quarter of the world’s population has a mainly vegetarian diet.
*Vegetarians from the animal kingdom include the elephant, rhinoceros&gorilla.
*Baked beans are packed full of protein.

What are the possible benefits of a vegetarian diet?
It is difficult to generalize about the benefits and risks of the vegetarian diet. However, vegetarianism is considered a healthy, viable alternative diet. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein as well as higher levels of CHO, fiber, mg, k, folate&antioxidants such as vitC, E&phytochemicals.

Nature’s wonder foods-
Vegetables are rich in fiber, which helps promote normal bowel function, prevent diverticulosis, and lower high cholesterol levels. Fiber may even help prevent colon cancer. Vegetables are also excellent sources of vitaminC.
Folic acid is found in many vegetables but it is plentiful in dark, leafy greens, such as spinach.
The various pigments that make vegetables colorful also make them healthful. Dark, leafy greens such as spinach are rich in lutein, a pigment linked with cancer protection.green; yellow, orange, and red vegetables are good sources of carotenoids, pigments that may ward off heart diseases and cancers. They also prevent blindness by lowering the risk of macular degeneration. Tomatoes-especially cooked ones are rich in lycopene, another carotenoid linked to reduced risk of cancer and heart disease. Vegetables in the cabbage family contain isothiocyanates, which stimulate the body to detoxify potential carcinogens. Onions, leeks and garlic are rich in sulfur compounds that protect against both cancer and heart disease.Phthalides, found in celery and parsnips, have also shown cancer-protective properties.

Measurable benefits of vegetarianism
*Reduced risk of many cancers, especially stomach, esophagus, mouth, lung.throat, endometrial, pancreatic and colon cancer.
*lower blood pressure
*prevent stroke
*reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

FRUITS
An apple a day: you know it is a wholesome snack, but can it really keep the doctor away? Yes.people who eats apples frequently is less likely to have heart attacks or strokes or to develop any of several kinds of cancers. The pectin, a soluble fiber found just beneath the skin reduces cholesterol. Fruits are also good sources of flavonoids as well as vitamins and minerals. Most fruits are low in sodium and high in potassium-a winning combination that lowers the risk of high blood pressure.
The health benefits found in vegetarians may not be solely due to diet. Lifestyle habits other than diet, such as exercise, religious practices, smoking&alcohol can also influence health.

What are the possible problems with vegetarian diets?
Plant food proteins are not as high quality as meat, dairy or egg proteins. Plant food contains less of Essential Amino Acids (building blocks of protein) necessary for the body to make complete protein. However, a plant-based diet still provides enough quality proteins if a mixture of plant food be eaten.

It may be more difficult for vegetarians to get enough iron because the iron from plant foods is not as well absorbed as iron from meat. In addition, iron absorption is inhibited by fiber, phylates (in cereals) &oxalates (in green leafy vegetables) which may be more abundant in vegetarian diets. However, the iron from plants can be better absorbed if a some of vitC is eaten at the same time.
Vegans may have difficulty in getting enough vit B12 if they do not take supplements or eat foods fortified with vitB12.
Vitamin D may be lacking in the diets of some vegetarians especially vegans, because most of the VitD is from fortified milk dairy products. We can get vit-D from sunlight on our skin. Vegans should be careful to get vitB12, D, &iron.
The vegetarian society says that some 4million people in Britain are vegetarians.

Some famous veggies&vegans.
*Albert Einstein
*Bryans Adams
*Leonardo da vinci
*Drew Barry more.

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