Vegetarians Are Slimmer Than Meat-Eaters

I think what much of the difference in the occurence of obesity can be explained fairly simply.

Many people who follow vegetarian diets are simply more health conscious than the average omnivore. Yes, some follow a vegetarian diet due to aversion to killing animals for food, but many others do it for health reasons.

Also what could also explain part of it is calorie density. Meats and other non-vegetarian products are very calorie dense (calories/weight). 1lb of meat contains more calories than 1lb of lettuce. Thus eating a lot of vegetables will contain a good bit of bulk for fewer calories.

Of course there would be fewer refined carbohydrates in any vegetarian diet. Many of the products with refined carbohydrates and added sugars (corn syrup is the worst) are products that are also likely to contain ingredients that aren't compatible with a vegetarian diet.

Were the food pyramid that the US government a decent guide, it would state that peple should eat more of the healthier foods like vegetables and whole grains (it does) and not be afraid to say things like DON'T eat x.

Personally, I don't think vegan diets are unhealthy but are very hard to follow in a way that is healthy due so some of the deficincies in nutrients. The diet I am starting is going to be a lot of vegetables and whole grains, but am not going to cut out all meats, still consuming fish and poultry.

BTW this is my first comment here, I just added Diet Blog to my RSS news reader, great blog.

Im 15 and I have no trouble conforming to a vegan diet. When we kill the animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings. You can get eveything you need perfectily happily from a vegan diet. "Deficincies in nutrients"- Nathan any diet can be harmful if you do not know what you are doing. I do not take any vitamin supplements nor don't see a need why I would need to. In Western countries, our problem is that we get too much protein. Most Americans get at least twice as much protein as they need, and too much protein, especially animal protein, can increase your risk of osteoporosis and kidney disease. And contrary to popular belief, fish is not a health food. Fish flesh contains toxins from the water that fish live in, and those toxins get passed on to people who eat fish. Fish raised on farms are given antibiotics, which are also passed on to consumers. The flesh of some sea animals, especially shrimps and scallops, contains even more cholesterol than beef. To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body.

I am not a vegan, however my family believes organics are critical when it comes to certain foods. I think the good mix of lean meat and plenty of veggies & fruits is a very healthy lifestyle.

Also, organic meats and dairy don't brutalize the animals we eat.

See dairy farm video here:
http://www.phillipholmes.com/?p=53

I am 15 and I am not a vegan, but a strict vegetarian. I also am semi-vegan. I only drink soy milk, although i do sometimes have eggs and cheese. I have milk when it's in things, like cake or cookies. But I do not take any supplements and I have no nutrient or vitamin deficiencies. I just thought I'd trow that in there. Also, I'd gladly be a vegan, and I don't think I'd have much trouble following it (mmm, sherbert!) save for my family. My mom wouldn't wnat to take the extra money and time to make two meals. A meaty one for her, and a vegan one for me. At least if I'm only a vegetarian, she can make veggie lasagna (cheese) and veggie tacos (also cheese). So, I don't think that being a vegan is too hard. I think any one who has the means to do it should. It's certainly far healthier.

Also, I don't exercise, or watch what i eat (i eat alot of junk food, like cookies and ice cream) yet I am still only 105 pounds, at 15. so, it must be just because of the saturated fats in meat that im not getting cause im not doing anything else to stay slim. I think its entirely the vegetarian diet. Best one out there.

Hi Lisa -

So you appear to be a lacto-ovo vegetarian. Vegans wouldn't eat cheese or eggs. I have no opinion about the pros/cons of the different forms of vegetarianism vs omnivorism. But, I do want to warn you that eventually, your metabolism will even out and you should work on establishing good eating habits now. I survived on Salt & Vinegar Chips, Hot Pretzels with Cheese, and Iced Tea all through high school and never gained a pound. But getting to college and getting out of the teen years, those habits catch up to you. They don't call it the freshman 15 because it's an anomaly. Just a little friendly advice for looking towards the future.

I agree with Nathan, that perhaps some people choose vegetarianism because of health reasons and this is why they weigh less? Also, if you're a strict vegetarian, I guess you're less likely to eat cake and ice cream? Makes it easier to avoid desserts when they all contain something you're morally opposed to.

-Danielle

I went on a vegan diet (and still am) and I have dropped 20 pounds and am only 14. i went from a 12 to a 4!

I have decided to try and become vegetarian. I am 26 and am 171 lbs (think that's right, I am in UK and work by stone.) I am 12 stone 3lbs and need to lose 2 stone. My friend is veggie and she said she lost 2 dress sizes so thought I'd give it a go. Anyway - I just ate my first veggie lasagne and it was good. Think I'll probably still eat chicken (at first anyway) as I find it hard to cut out everything in one go. I don't like eggs much and don't have milk in my tea. So anyway, I'll give it a go. And I read that veggies help in the fight against climate change, cos cows give out a lethal methane when they pass wind and the more they produce, the worse for our atmosphere, so if we don't eat cows any more, the climate will stop deteriorating!!

I don't think the cows farting has as big of an impact on the environment as everyone driving everywhere, but sure. I guess it may help make up for the fact everyone and their mother drives a gas-guzzling SUV these days.

The bovine methane source is cow BURPS, not cow FARTS (cow farts make for much more interesting press, which says something about humans). And, we don't know how big the effect is, but when you include the loss of forest to pasture for cattle, the impact of 1.4 billion cattle on global warming is significant.

But, yeah, we probably aren't going to whip global warming by cutting back on hamburgers.

I am 14 and I am a non meat eater and have been for two years because I chose to be. I dont eat any meats but do eat fish and I eat cheese egg and any other things like that. I am as healthy as my meat eating twin but i do weigh more than her.

Less protein = less muscle = lower weight = lower BMI

Anecdotally, I weighed 138 lbs after a year of vegetarianism and a month of raw veganism (began at 150 lbs). My empty, heavy-boned frame revealed wasted human potential.

I now weigh 195 lbs, obese according to the NIH (5'7"). Obese at 12% body fat? Hardly!

On a low carb diet (no grains, beans, starch or sugar), I'm stronger and more heavily muscled than I have ever been.

Environmental impact? Grazing animals typically feed in areas unsuitable for farming, such as mountainous terrain and scrubland. Take a look at where cattle ranching mostly occurs in the United States (the West) as opposed to "amber waves of grain" (the Great Plains), and the facts are laid bare.

Cow flatulence releases less carbon than tractors. And their meat is less doused in poison than crops. Particularly if you buy grass-fed, non-hormone (I do).

To exclude yourself from compassion is not compassion. Consider your own health, as well, when making the choice to eat animals or to abstain.

well i have been vegatarian for a year (or little more or little less not sure) and i eat dairy and fish (sometimes not very often) and i have been more hyper than ever im 14 (14 and a half in febuary 2008) but and actally i get less sick well i get sick but it is very mild and well i never really ever got sick so yeah that may not really say much but yeah well i dont really know my point i have alot to say but dont really know how to get it out (that always happens) well oh yeah ok well on my omnevorous not friend but friend says that vegans are more likely to be short than meat eaters and were saying there not does any one know if its true or not