Vegetarianism has been promoted as a more healthy way of eating for many decades. And this can be true, but is not necessarily! For people with high cholesterol, for example, eliminating animal products from their diet will remove all sources of dietary cholesterol (that's right--cholesterol is ONLY found in animal sources), and could help them lower their blood cholesterol levels.
But, one must keep in mind that a person who lives on cookies, cake, and candy could also be calling themselves a vegetarian because they don't eat meat! No one would call this a healthy diet.
In order to assess the healthfulness of a diet, one must examine what the diet includes, as well as what it excludes: whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and a source of lean protein, calcium, and riboflavin all contribute to a diet that provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, and is based on variety and moderation.
A diet including lean meats, fish, and chicken can be just as healthy as a vegetarian diet. Before assuming a diet is healthy just because they are not eating meat, closer examination to what they ARE eating must also be acknowledged.
Of course, high blood serum cholesterol isn't necessarily a problem.
As we all know, many native populations have incredibly high blood cholesterol levels and at the same time heart disease is almost unheard of.
Saturated fat in reasonable quantities for someone who is active is perfectly fine. The body needs saturated fat. It would be exceedingly unwise to purge your diet of saturated fat.
On the other hand, "whole grains" are totally unnecessary for optimal health. A diet completely devoid of grains of any kind will not result in any deficiencies of any kind assuming an adequate intake of fruits and vegetables.
ReplyWell, Barry, as a registered dietitian for over 25 years I happen to know as a fact that elevated cholesterol levels are strongly linked to heart disease, so that is a problem. I did not know that many native populations are walking around healthy with elevated cholesterol levels.... they did not print those epidemiological studies in any medical journals in this country over the past 30 years.
There are, however, many epidemiological studies (starting with Burkitt in the 1970's since I know you will demand the references about which I am speaking) that show populations who consume large amounts of whole grains in their diet have lower incidence of heart disease, and cancer as well.
It would not be unwise at all to purge your diet of saturated fat, although if a healthy person does include some it is not a problem.
ReplyLaurie, if you are really unaware of the native populations I'm talking about then you need to do some further research and reading. The Inuit are a great example.
Also your recommendation that a person have a diet high in grains and low in fat is bad advice on the simple basis that it's going to produce an imbalance of Omega-6 to 3.
Also, I notice you didn't contest my assertion: There is no biological requirement for "whole grains" in the diet. There IS however a requirement for protein and fat.
A diet devoid of fats and proteins will KILL YOU. A diet devoid of "whole grains" will do nothing except make you feel better.
ReplyHow do you know there is a direct causal link between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol. Site me the studies that prove that.
ReplyArrow,
ReplyGood point: there is actually a correlation between intake of saturated fat and production of serum cholesterol in people prone to higher cholesterol levels in their blood--not specifically dietary cholesterol.... usually these (cholesterol and saturated fat) are found in the same food (like butter, meat, cream, etc) but there are exceptions: shrimp and other shellfish are high in cholesterol but not high in saturated fats and are on the "OK" list for patients given cholesterol-lowering diets: thanks for pointing that out!
It's also worth pointing out the dietary cholesterol does not necessarily equal heart disease. Certain indigenous populations (especially Arctic communities) have a traditional diet incredibly high in cholesterol, and yet heart disease was very rare. As modernization (and the dietary conveniences that it brought) reached these communities in the 70s and 80s, heart disease eventually began to skyrocket, even as dietary cholesterol was apparently decreasing. And on the other side, I think we all know of someone who ate an incredibly clean diet and still had bypass surgery or a heart attack by their 40s or 50s.
And I say this as a vegan -- it's really not that clear cut.
ReplyBarry,
Just to clarify, those native population species you are referring to actually do not have high levels of blood cholesterol. I think you are confusing it with the fact that many of them eat a diet that's high in cholesterol and saturated fat, but they still have low blood cholesterol. Big difference. There is very little doubt that high blood cholesterol is strongly linked to heart disease. What's unclear however, is whether or not a DIET high in cholesterol causes a high BLOOD cholesterol. The prevailing line of thought these days is that it doesn't.
ReplyMy opinion is that for some people it is healthier. I follow a Vegetarian diet due to the fact the my only meat consumption was of high fat meats such as bacon and fried foods. I do not like the taste of meat, so in order to eat healthier I switched by cutting out meat. I don't believe people who eat junk food and no meat are really following a good healthy vegetarian diet but this goes both ways. Some people who eat meat do not eat health too.
ReplyEver heard of lean turkey and chicken, fish? The only meats you knew of were bacon?
ReplyObviously anyone on any kind of diet that makes unhealthy choices is not on a healthy diet ... I think the reason most people think of a vegetarian diet as "healthy" is because it is easier to eat fewer calories and feel full on a generally healthy vegetarian diet. Tofu and beans that will fill you up have far fewer calories than chicken and steak. Not to mention when someone switches to a vegetarian diet, they tend to make a more concerted effort to eat vegetables and fruits than they did before.
ReplyThis site is full of many people who believe their way is the only way. In my opinion, there are many different healthy diets depending on the individual. To me it is almost like religion, what works for you might not work for the rest of us. I think that putting every human into one category is wrong due to the variety of health issues people suffer, their environment, their exercise level, etc.
My cholesterol level was extremely high and due to the problems both my parents had with heart disease, I found it necessary to change my eating habits rather than take meds. I did a years worth of research and am still learning on a daily basis about the vegan diet. I found that the vegetarian diet was not restrictive enough (cheese, baked goods, etc.). It has changed my life for the better. My cholesterol dropped 100 points and am considered, by my doctor, no longer at risk. Nowadays, I am not a strict vegan due to a lifestyle that requires me to eat out a lot and living in an area of the country that doesn't cater to "new age" ways of eating. On average, I am about a 90% vegan.
With that said, if a person was going to a vegetarian lifestyle for cholesterol reasons, I would bypass that all together and look into a vegan diet. I know many people on this site don't approve, but too bad. What works for one may not work for all.
ReplyGreat work, Tina! Yes, certainly eating eggs, whole milk, and whole milk dairy products wouldn't help lower your cholesterol enough :) Glad the diet you have chosen is working so well for you and your health.
ReplyTina, congratulations on improving your health. I think you are correct in pointing out the fallacy of believing there is just one way.
For me, eating a healthy diet is real simple. Since I am a relatively active person who trains 5 days/week, I eat a lot of clean, unprocessed meats. I also eat a lot of fibrous veggies and fresh fruit and a moderate amount of starchy carbs. Although my cholesterol & saturated fat intake is very high, my blood lipid profile is excellent. I used to be scared to death of eating eggs. Now I eat over a dozen a week.
ReplyI'm vegan, fit and healthy. However, I went to a routine check up (my doctor didn't know I was vegan), and he said I was in good shape. However, then I told him about my diet and his reaction wasn't really that bad. First he said that he used to vegetarian and that there's nothing wrong with abstaining meat. But then he did go on to say that I should eat at least a few eggs every day. He told me that he eats at least 10 eggs every day!! I thought to myself "No way!". Anyway, I never took his advice and apart from the odd cold here and there, I've felt great.
ReplyYet you presume to judge on the rest of us non-vegans. You probably equate meat eating = obesity.
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