A Healthy Lifestyle?

Vegetarian diets are often known to be “more healthy” than the typical omnivorous diet.  The main reason being: there is no meat.  Meat can be very high in saturated fat which often contributes to the development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and strokes. 

Vegetarians are at lower risk of developing these diseases since they usually eat high quantities of fruits and vegetables which are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  Jinan Banna of Livestrong.com says, “Vegetarian diets may be very nutritious if carefully planned.”  This is true; however, vegetarians need to be careful that they adequately substitute for the protein they do not get from meat.  This is an entire topic of discussion in itself, so I will hold off on the protein talk until next week.

Banna also says that vegetarian diets “may also be high in unwanted nutrients and low in those that are needed.”  So the question remains – is a vegetarian diet the more healthy option?  I suppose the answer is still up for debate.

If you are interested in healthy lifestyles and want to learn more, check out Free to be Fit – a blog on being active and getting fit.