WHAT IS VEGETARIAN

Being a Vegetarian
Did you know these facts? I What is a vegetarian? I Why are people vegetarians?I What are the health benefits of aa vegetarian diet? I Are their any health risks of becoming a vegetarian?I Do vegetarians get proper nutrition? I What about athletes? I How do I become a vegetarian? I What are some options for a tasty vegetarian meal? I Links you can use
Just like any other diet, we recommend following the guidelines of the Food Guide Pyramid. Click here for more information on these guidelines.
Did you know these facts?
Vegetarian foods are a major source of nutrition for most people in the world.
Vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer than non-vegetarians.
Vegetarian diets can be simple and easy to prepare.
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What is a vegetarian?Broadly defined, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarians eat mainly fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts. Many vegetarians eat eggs and/or dairy products but avoid hidden animal products such as beef and chicken stocks, lard, and gelatin.
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) classifies vegetarians more specifically in the following ways:
Vegans or strict vegetarians exclude all animal products (e.g. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, and other dairy products). Many vegans also do not eat honey.
Lactovegetarians exclude meat, poultry, fish, and eggs but include dairy products.
Lacto-ovovegetarians exclude meat, poultry, and fish but include dairy products and eggs. Most vegetarians in the US are lacto-ovovegetarians.back to top
Why are people vegetarians?People are vegetarians for many reasons, including concern for personal health and the environment, economic and world hunger concerns, compassion for animals, belief in nonviolence, food preferences, or spiritual reasons. People may become vegetarians for one reason, and then later on adopt some of the other reasons as well.back to top
What are the health benefits of a vegetarian diet?According to the ADA, vegetarians are at lower risk for developing:
Heart disease
Colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers
Diabetes
Obesity
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
This is because a healthy vegetarian diet is typically low in fat and high in fiber. However, even a vegetarian diet can be high in fat if it includes excessive amounts of fatty snack foods, fried foods, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Therefore, a vegetarian diet, like any healthy diet, must be well planned in order to help prevent and treat certain diseases.back to top
Are there any health risks in becoming a vegetarian?Though being a vegetarian can be a healthy lifestyle, care needs to be taken that this is not a step towards a generally more restrictive, disordered eating pattern. Be sure you fully understand why you are choosing vegetarianism.back to top
Do vegetarians get proper nutrition?The key to any healthy diet is to choose a wide variety of foods, and to consume enough calories to meet your energy needs. It is important for vegetarians to pay attention to these five categories in particular.
ProteinProtein is found in both plant foods and animal foods. The ADA has said that it is NOT necessary to combine specific foods within a meal in order to "complete" the amino acids profile of the proteins found in plant foods. Eating a wide variety of foods and enough calories during the day will fulfill your protein needs. Good sources of protein include whole grains, lentils, beans, tofu, low-fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, tempeh, eggs, and peas.
CalciumThe ADA recommends consuming at least 1300 mg of calcium per day - the equivalent of over 4 cups of milk or yogurt! Vegetarians can meet their calcium needs if they consume adequate amounts of low-fat and fat-free dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. Calcium is also found in many plant foods including dark, leafy greens (e.g. spinach, kale, mustard, collard and turnip greens, and bok choy), broccoli, beans, dried figs, and sunflower seeds, as well as in calcium-fortified cereals, cereal bars and some juices.
Vegans (people who don't eat any animal products) must strive to meet their daily calcium requirements by regularly including these plant sources of calcium in their diets. Many soy milk products are fortified with calcium, but be sure to check the label for this. You can also include a calcium supplement in your diet, which is available at the pharmacy in Health Services.
Vitamin DVitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium. There are few foods that are naturally high in vitamin D, though. Therefore, dairy products in the US are fortified with vitamin D. Many soy milk products are also fortified with vitamin D. Your body can make its own vitamin D, but only when the skin is exposed to adequate sunlight (but that can have its own risks). People who do not consume dairy products and who do not receive direct exposure to sunlight regularly should consider taking supplemental vitamin D. This supplement should contain no more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Value, however, because larger doses can be dangerous. Both multivitamin supplements and calcium supplements with vitamin D are available at the pharmacy in Health Services
IronIron-fortified breads and cereals, dark green vegetables (e.g. spinach and broccoli), dried fruits, prune juice, blackstrap molasses, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and soybean nuts are good plant sources of iron. Consuming foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or juices, tomatoes, and green peppers helps your body absorb iron from these plant sources. Cooking food in iron pots and pans will also add to your iron intake.
Vitamin B-12Vitamin B-12 is produced in animals and by bacteria in the soil. Vegetarians who consume dairy products and/or eggs usually get enough B-12 since it is found in these foods. Vegans, however, should add vitamin B-12 fortified soy milk to their diets. Regularly taking a broad-spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement (available at the pharmacy in Health Services) will also supply the necessary amount of B-12. back to top
What about athletes?Being both an athlete and a vegetarian can be challenging, especially for vegans. It can be difficult to eat a volume of food high enough to meet an athlete's high caloric needs. Vegetarians who participate in sports should be aware of their increased energy needs, and should make a concerted effort to consume sufficient calories. Click for info on sports nutrition.back to top
How do I become a vegetarian?Some people stop eating meat "cold turkey." Others may prefer to make dietary changes more gradually. However you choose to make the change, you can begin to achieve the health benefits of vegetarianism by significantly cutting down on the amount of meats consumed, and making vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains the focus of your meals. The ADA suggests the following tips for following a vegetarian diet:
Choose whole-grain products (e.g. whole wheat bread, brown rice, or whole-grain cereals instead of refined or white grains.
Eat a wide variety of foods.
If you eat dairy products, choose non-fat or low-fat varieties.
Limit intake of eggs to 3-4 yolks/week.
Limit intake of sweets and high fat foods.
When shopping for food, plan ahead, shop with a list and read food labels.
Many vegetarian foods can be found in any grocery store. Specialty food stores may carry some of the more uncommon items, as well as many vegetarian convenience foods.back to top
What are some options for a tasty vegetarian meal?Becoming a vegetarian can be as easy as you choose to make it. Whether you enjoy preparing elaborate meals or choose quick and easy ones, vegetarian meals can be very satisfying. In order to make meal preparation easier, the ADA suggests having the following foods on hand:
Ready-to-eat, whole-grain breakfast cereals, and quick-cooking whole-grain cereals such as oatmeal
Whole-grain breads and crackers, such as rye, whole wheat, and mixed grain
Other grains such as barley and bulgur wheat
Canned beans, such as pinto, black beans, and garbanzo beans
Rice (including brown, wild, etc.)
Pasta (now available in whole wheat, spinach, and other flavors) with tomato sauce and canned beans and/or chopped veggies
Corn or flour tortillas
Vegetarian soups like lentil or minestrone
Plain frozen vegetables
Frozen fruit juice concentrate
Nut spreads (e.g. peanut or almond butter)
Canned and frozen fruitback to top
Links you can use
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This reliable source on vegetarian diets was given the top rating by the Tufts University Nutrition Navigator, a nutrition web site rating guide. Recipes, games and information on nutrients such as protein, calcium and iron included.
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Daily Tips and Feature Topics often have articles of interest. By sending an email, you can ask questions directly of registered dietitians in your area. Nutrition Network is a national referral service for registered dietitians in their areas nutrition. Award winning web site.
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This archive has over 4,000 fat-free and low-fat vegetarian recipes as well as information about vegetarian diets.
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This site provides updates on soybean research and has an online newsletter available with recipes.

NUTRITION OF LIFE

Health and Nutrition

Studies of human evolution have shown that our ancestors were vegetarian by nature. The structure of the human body is not suited for eating meat. This was demonstrated in an essay on comparative anatomy by Dr. G. S. Huntingen of Columbia University. He pointed out that carnivores have short small and large intestines. Their large intestine is characteristically very straight and smooth. In contrast, vegetarian animals have both a long small intestine and a long large intestine. Because of the low fiber content and high protein density of meat, the intestines do not require a long time to absorb nutrients; thus, the intestines of carnivores are shorter in length than those of vegetarian animals.

Humans, like other naturally vegetarian animals, have both a long small and large intestine. Together, our intestines are approximately twenty-eight feet (eight and a half meters) in length. The small intestine is folded back on itself many times, and its walls are convoluted, not smooth. Because they are longer than those found in carnivores, the meat we eat stays in our intestines for a longer period of time. Consequently, the meat can putrefy and create toxins. These toxins have been implicated as a cause of colon cancer, and they also increase the burden on the liver, which has the function of getting rid of toxins. This can cause cirrhosis and even cancer of the liver.

Meat contains a lot of urokinase protein and urea, which add to the burden on the kidneys, and can destroy kidney function. There are fourteen grams of urokinase protein in every pound of steak. If living cells are put into liquid urokinase protein, their metabolic function will degenerate. Furthermore, meat lacks cellulose or fiber, and lack of fiber can easily create constipation. It is known that constipation can cause rectal cancer or piles.

The cholesterol and saturated fats in flesh also create cardiovascular disorders. Cardiovascular disorders are the number one leading cause of death in the United States, and now in Formosa.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death. Experiments indicate that the burning and roasting of flesh creates a chemical element (Methylcholanthrene) which is a powerful carcinogen. Mice given this chemical develop cancers, such as bone tumors, cancer of the blood, cancer of the stomach, etc.

Research has shown that infant mice fed by a female mouse having breast cancer will also develop cancer. When human cancer cells were injected into animals, the animals also developed cancer. If the meat which we eat daily comes from animals that originally have such disorders, and we take them into our body, there is a good chance we will also get the diseases.

Most people assume that meat is clean and safe, that there are inspections done at all butcheries. There are far too many cattle, pigs, poultry, etc. killed for sale every day for each one to actually be examined. It's very difficult to check whether a piece of meat has cancer in it, let alone check every single animal. Currently, the meat industry just cuts off the head when it has a problem, or cuts off the leg which is diseased. Only the bad parts are removed and the rest is sold.

The famous vegetarian, Dr. J. H. Kellogg said, "When we eat vegetarian food, we don't have to worry about what kind of disease the food died of. This makes a joyful meal!"

There is yet another concern. Antibiotics as well as other drugs including steroids and growth hormones are either added to animal feed or injected directly into the animals. It has been reported that people eating these animals will absorb these drugs into their bodies. There is a possibility that antibiotics in meat are diminishing the effectiveness of antibiotics for human use.

There are some people who consider the vegetarian diet not sufficiently nourishing. An American surgical expert, Dr. Miller, practiced medicine for forty years in Formosa. He established a hospital there, where all the meals were vegetarian, for staff members as well as the patients. He said, "The mouse is one kind of animal which can support its life with both a vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet. If two mice are segregated, with one eating flesh and the other vegetarian food, we find that their growth and development are the same, but that the vegetarian mouse lives longer and has greater resistance to disease. Furthermore, when the two mice got sick, the vegetarian mouse recovered quicker." He then added, "The medicine given to us by modern science has improved greatly, but it can only treat illnesses. Food, however, can sustain our health." He pointed out that, "Food from plants is a more direct source of nutrition than meat. People eat animals, but the source of nutrition for the animals we eat is plants. The lives of most animals are short, and animals have nearly all the diseases that mankind has. It is very likely that the diseases of mankind come from eating the flesh of diseased animals. So, why don't people get their nutrition directly from plants?" Dr. Miller suggested that we only need cereals, beans and vegetables to get all the nourishment we need to maintain good health.

Many people have the idea that animal protein is 'superior' to plant protein because the former is considered a complete protein, and the latter is incomplete. The truth is that some plant proteins are complete, and that food combining can create complete proteins out of several incomplete protein foods.

In March 1988 the American Dietetic Association announced that: "It is the position of the ADA that vegetarian diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate when appropriately planned."

It is often falsely believed that meat eaters are stronger than vegetarians, but an experiment conducted by Professor Irving Fisher of Yale University on 32 vegetarians and 15 meat-eaters showed that vegetarians had more endurance than meat eaters. He had people hold out their arms for as long as possible. The outcome from the test was very clear. Among the 15 meat-eaters, only two persons could hold out their arms for fifteen to thirty minutes; however, among the 32 vegetarians, 22 persons held out their arms for fifteen to thirty minutes, 15 persons for over thirty minutes, 9 persons for over one hour, 4 persons for over two hours, and one vegetarian held his arms out for over three hours.

Many long distance track athletes keep a vegetarian diet for the time preceding competitions. Dr. Barbara More, an expert in vegetarian therapy, completed a one hundred and ten mile race in twenty-seven hours and thirty minutes. A woman of fifty-six years of age, she broke all the records held by young men. "I want to be an example to show that people who take a whole vegetarian diet will enjoy a strong body, a clear mind, and a purified life."

Does the vegetarian get enough protein in his diet? The World Health Organization recommends that 4.5% of daily calories be derived from protein. Wheat has 17% of it's calories as protein, broccoli has 45% and rice has 8%. It is very easy to have a protein rich diet without eating meat. With the additional benefit of avoiding the many diseases caused by high fat diets such as heart disease and many cancers, vegetarianism is clearly the superior choice.

The relationship between over consumption of meat, and other animal source foods containing high levels of saturated fats, and heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer and strokes has been proven. Other diseases which are often prevented and sometimes cured by a low fat vegetarian diet include: kidney stones, prostate cancer, diabetes, peptic ulcers, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, gum disease, acne, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, hypoglycemia, constipation, diverticulosis, hypertension, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, hemorrhoids, obesity, and asthma.

There is no greater personal health risk than eating meat, aside from smoking.

POWERFUL FOR HEALTH

Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health
World-renowned figures as diverse as philosophers Plato and Nietzsche, political leaders Benjamin Franklin and Gandhi, and pop icons Paul McCartney and Bob Marley have all advocated a vegetarian diet. Science is also on the side of vegetarianism. Multitudes of studies have demonstrated the remarkable health benefits of a vegetarian diet.

“Vegetarian” is defined as avoiding all animal flesh, including fish and poultry. Vegetarians who avoid flesh, but do eat animal products such as cheese, milk, and eggs, are ovo-lacto-vegetarians (ovo = egg; lacto = milk, cheese, etc.). The ranks of those who abstain from all animal products are rapidly growing; these people are referred to as pure vegetarians or vegans. Scientific research shows that health benefits increase as the amount of food from animal sources in the diet decreases, so vegan diets are the healthiest overall.

Preventing Cancer
Vegetarian diets—naturally low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and replete with cancer-protective phytochemicals—help to prevent cancer. Large studies in England and Germany have shown that vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to meat-eaters.1-3 In the United States, studies of Seventh-Day Adventists have shown significant reductions in cancer risk among those who avoided meat.4,5 Similarly, breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in nations, such as China, that follow plant-based diets.6 Interestingly, Japanese women who follow Western-style, meat-based diets are eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who follow a more traditional plant-based diet.7 Meat and dairy products contribute to many forms of cancer, including cancer of the colon, breast, ovaries, and prostate.

Harvard studies that included tens of thousands of women and men have shown that regular meat consumption increases colon cancer risk by roughly 300 percent.8,9 High-fat diets also encourage the body’s production of estrogens, in particular, estradiol. Increased levels of this sex hormone have been linked to breast cancer. A recent report noted that the rate of breast cancer among premenopausal women who ate the most animal (but not vegetable) fat was one-third higher than that of women who ate the least animal fat.10 A separate study from Cambridge University also linked diets high in saturated fat to breast cancer.11 One study linked dairy products to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. The process of breaking down the lactose (milk sugar) into galactose evidently damages the ovaries.12 Daily meat consumption triples the risk of prostate enlargement. Regular milk consumption doubles the risk and failure to consume vegetables regularly nearly quadruples the risk.13

Vegetarians avoid the animal fat linked to cancer and get abundant fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals that help to prevent cancer. In addition, blood analysis of vegetarians reveals a higher level of “natural killer cells,” specialized white blood cells that attack cancer cells.14

Beating Heart Disease
Vegetarian diets also help prevent heart disease. Animal products are the main source of saturated fat and the only source of cholesterol in the diet. Vegetarians avoid these risky products. Additionally, fiber helps reduce cholesterol levels15 and animal products contain no fiber. When individuals switch to a high-fiber, low-fat diet their serum cholesterol levels often drop dramatically.16,17 Studies have demonstrated that a low-fat, high-fiber, vegetarian or vegan diet combined with stress reduction techniques, smoking cessation, and exercise, or combined with prudent drug intervention, could actually reverse atherosclerosis—hardening of the arteries.18,19 Heart diets that include lean meat, dairy products, and chicken are much less effective, usually only slowing the process of atherosclerosis.

Lowering Blood Pressure
In the early 1900s, nutritionists noted that people who ate no meat had lower blood pressure.20 They also discovered that vegetarian diets could, within two weeks, significantly reduce a person’s blood pressure.21 These results were evident regardless of the sodium levels in the vegetarian diets. People who follow vegetarian diets typically have lower blood pressure.22-24 No one knows exactly why vegetarian diets work so well, but probably cutting out meat, dairy products, and added fats reduces the blood’s viscosity (or “thickness”) which, in turn, brings down blood pressure.25 Plant products are generally lower in fat and sodium and have no cholesterol at all. Vegetables and fruits are also rich in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure.

Preventing and Reversing Diabetes
Non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset) diabetes can be better controlled and sometimes even eliminated through a low-fat, vegetarian diet along with regular exercise.26 Such a diet, low in fat and high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, allows insulin to work more effectively. The diabetic person can more easily regulate glucose levels. While a vegetarian diet cannot eliminate the need for insulin in people with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, it can often reduce the amounts of insulin used. Some scientists believe that insulin-dependent diabetes may be caused by an auto-immune reaction to dairy proteins.27,28

Gallstones, Kidney Stones, and Osteoporosis
Vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce one’s chances of forming kidney stones and gallstones. Diets that are high in protein, especially animal protein, tend to cause the body to excrete more calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. These three substances are the main components of urinary tract stones. British researchers have advised that persons with a tendency to form kidney stones should follow a vegetarian diet.29 The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that high animal protein intake is largely responsible for the high prevalence of kidney stones in the United States and other developed countries and recommends protein restriction for the prevention of recurrent kidney stones.30

Similarly, high-cholesterol, high-fat diets—the typical meat-based diet—are implicated in the formation of gallstones. The consumption of meaty diets, compared to vegetarian diets, has been shown to nearly double the risk of gallstones in women.31

For many of the same reasons, vegetarians are at a lower risk for osteoporosis. Since animal products force calcium out of the body, eating meat can promote bone loss. In nations with mainly vegetable diets (and without dairy product consumption), osteoporosis is less common than in the U.S.,even when calcium intake is also less than in the U.S.32 Calcium is important, but there is no need to get calcium from dairy products. For more information on protecting your bones, contact PCRM for additional reference materials or visit www.strongbones.org.

Asthma
A 1985 Swedish study demonstrated that individuals with asthma practicing a vegan diet for a full year have a marked decrease in the need for medications and in the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. Twenty-two of the 24 subjects reported improvement by the end of the year.33

Common Concerns
Some people still worry about whether a vegetarian diet can provide all essential nutrients. However, it is very easy to have a well-balanced diet with vegetarian foods, since these foods provide plenty of protein. Careful combining of foods is not necessary. Any normal variety of plant foods provides more than enough protein for the body’s needs. Although there is somewhat less protein in a vegetarian diet than a meat-eater’s diet, this is actually an advantage. Excess protein has been linked to kidney stones, osteoporosis, and possibly heart disease and some cancers. A diet focused on beans, whole grains, and vegetables contains adequate amounts of protein without the “overdose” most meat-eaters get.

Calcium is easy to find in a vegetarian diet. Many dark green leafy vegetables and beans are loaded with calcium, and some orange juices, non-dairy “milks,” and cereals are calcium-fortified. Iron is plentiful in whole grains, beans, and fruits.

Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a genuine issue for vegans, although very easy to deal with. Found mainly in animal products, small amounts may be found in plant products due to bacterial contamination.34,35 However, these plant and fermented foods, such as spirulina, sea vegetables, tempeh, and miso, do not provide an active and reliable source,36 so vitamin B12 must be obtained elsewhere in the diet. Regular intake of vitamin B12 is important to meet nutritional needs. Good sources include all common multiple vitamins (including vegetarian vitamins), fortified cereals, nutritional yeast, and fortified soymilk. It is especially important for pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers, and children to get enough vitamin B12.

Special Concerns: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
During pregnancy, nutritional needs increase. The American Dietetic Association has found vegan diets adequate for fulfilling nutritional needs during pregnancy, but pregnant women and nursing mothers should supplement their diets with vitamins B12 and D.36 Most doctors also recommend that pregnant women supplement their diet with iron and folic acid, although vegetarians normally consume more folic acid than meat-eaters.

Vegetarian women have a lower incidence of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy and significantly more pure breast milk. Analyses of vegetarians’ breast milk show that the levels of environmental contaminants in their milk are much lower than in non-vegetarians.37 Studies have also shown that in families with a history of food allergies, when women abstain from allergenic foods, including milk, meat, and fish, during pregnancy, they are less likely to pass allergies onto the infant.38 Mothers who drink milk pass cow antibodies along to their nursing infants through their breast milk. These antibodies can cause colic.

Vegetarian children also have high nutritional needs, but these are met within a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian menu is life extending. As young children, vegetarians may grow more gradually, reach puberty somewhat later, and live substantially longer than do meat-eaters.

PEOPLE MUST BE VEGETARIAN

"A fully divine person is a fully human being. A fully human being is fully divine. Right now we are only half a human being. We do things with hesitation, we do things with ego. We don't believe that it is God who arranges all this for our enjoyment, for our experience. We separate sin and virtue. We make a big deal out of everything, and accordingly judge ourselves and other people. We suffer from our own limitations about what God should do. Understand? Actually, God is inside us and we limit Him. We like to enjoy ourselves and play, but we don't know how. We just say to others, 'Ah! You shouldn't do that,' and to ourselves, 'I shouldn't do that. I must not do this. So,why should I be vegetarian?' Yeah! I know. I am vegetarian because the God inside me wants it."
"When we are pure in our deeds, speech and thought, even for a second, all the deities, the gods, and the guardian angels will support us. At that moment, the entire universe belongs to us and supports us, and the throne is there for us to reign upon."


A lifetime commitment to a vegan or lacto-vegetarian diet is a prerequisite for initiation into the Quan Yin Method. Foods from plant sources and dairy products are permitted on this diet, but all other foods from animal sources including eggs should not be eaten. There are many reasons for this, but the most important comes from the First Precept, which tells us to refrain from taking the life of sentient beings, or "Thou shalt not kill."
Not killing or otherwise harming other living creatures is of obvious benefit for them. Less obvious is the fact that refraining from harming others is equally advantageous for ourselves. Why? Because of the law of karma. "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." When you kill, or cause others to kill for you, in order to satisfy your desire for meat, you incur a karmic debt, and this debt must eventually be repaid.

So, in a very real sense, the keeping of a vegetarian diet is a gift which we give to ourselves. We feel better, the quality of our lives improves as the heaviness of our karmic indebtedness diminishes, and we are offered entrance into new subtle and heavenly realms of inner experience. It is well worth the small price you have to pay!

The spiritual arguments against eating meat are convincing for some people, but there are other compelling reasons for being a vegetarian. All of them are rooted in common sense. They have to do with issues of personal health and nutrition, ecology and the environment, ethics and animal suffering, and world hunger.



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Health and Nutrition
Studies of human evolution have shown that our ancestors were vegetarian by nature. The structure of the human body is not suited for eating meat. This was demonstrated in an essay on comparative anatomy by Dr. G. S. Huntingen of Columbia University. He pointed out that carnivores have short small and large intestines. Their large intestine is characteristically very straight and smooth. In contrast, vegetarian animals have both a long small intestine and a long large intestine. Because of the low fiber content and high protein density of meat, the intestines do not require a long time to absorb nutrients; thus, the intestines of carnivores are shorter in length than those of vegetarian animals.
Humans, like other naturally vegetarian animals, have both a long small and large intestine. Together, our intestines are approximately twenty-eight feet (eight and a half meters) in length. The small intestine is folded back on itself many times, and its walls are convoluted, not smooth. Because they are longer than those found in carnivores, the meat we eat stays in our intestines for a longer period of time. Consequently, the meat can putrefy and create toxins. These toxins have been implicated as a cause of colon cancer, and they also increase the burden on the liver, which has the function of getting rid of toxins. This can cause cirrhosis and even cancer of the liver.

Meat contains a lot of urokinase protein and urea, which add to the burden on the kidneys, and can destroy kidney function. There are fourteen grams of urokinase protein in every pound of steak. If living cells are put into liquid urokinase protein, their metabolic function will degenerate. Furthermore, meat lacks cellulose or fiber, and lack of fiber can easily create constipation. It is known that constipation can cause rectal cancer or piles.

The cholesterol and saturated fats in flesh also create cardiovascular disorders. Cardiovascular disorders are the number one leading cause of death in the United States, and now in Formosa.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death. Experiments indicate that the burning and roasting of flesh creates a chemical element (Methylcholanthrene) which is a powerful carcinogen. Mice given this chemical develop cancers, such as bone tumors, cancer of the blood, cancer of the stomach, etc.

Research has shown that infant mice fed by a female mouse having breast cancer will also develop cancer. When human cancer cells were injected into animals, the animals also developed cancer. If the meat which we eat daily comes from animals that originally have such disorders, and we take them into our body, there is a good chance we will also get the diseases.

Most people assume that meat is clean and safe, that there are inspections done at all butcheries. There are far too many cattle, pigs, poultry, etc. killed for sale every day for each one to actually be examined. It's very difficult to check whether a piece of meat has cancer in it, let alone check every single animal. Currently, the meat industry just cuts off the head when it has a problem, or cuts off the leg which is diseased. Only the bad parts are removed and the rest is sold.

The famous vegetarian, Dr. J. H. Kellogg said, "When we eat vegetarian food, we don't have to worry about what kind of disease the food died of. This makes a joyful meal!"

There is yet another concern. Antibiotics as well as other drugs including steroids and growth hormones are either added to animal feed or injected directly into the animals. It has been reported that people eating these animals will absorb these drugs into their bodies. There is a possibility that antibiotics in meat are diminishing the effectiveness of antibiotics for human use.

There are some people who consider the vegetarian diet not sufficiently nourishing. An American surgical expert, Dr. Miller, practiced medicine for forty years in Formosa. He established a hospital there, where all the meals were vegetarian, for staff members as well as the patients. He said, "The mouse is one kind of animal which can support its life with both a vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet. If two mice are segregated, with one eating flesh and the other vegetarian food, we find that their growth and development are the same, but that the vegetarian mouse lives longer and has greater resistance to disease. Furthermore, when the two mice got sick, the vegetarian mouse recovered quicker." He then added, "The medicine given to us by modern science has improved greatly, but it can only treat illnesses. Food, however, can sustain our health." He pointed out that, "Food from plants is a more direct source of nutrition than meat. People eat animals, but the source of nutrition for the animals we eat is plants. The lives of most animals are short, and animals have nearly all the diseases that mankind has. It is very likely that the diseases of mankind come from eating the flesh of diseased animals. So, why don't people get their nutrition directly from plants?" Dr. Miller suggested that we only need cereals, beans and vegetables to get all the nourishment we need to maintain good health.

Many people have the idea that animal protein is 'superior' to plant protein because the former is considered a complete protein, and the latter is incomplete. The truth is that some plant proteins are complete, and that food combining can create complete proteins out of several incomplete protein foods.

In March 1988 the American Dietetic Association announced that: "It is the position of the ADA that vegetarian diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate when appropriately planned."

It is often falsely believed that meat eaters are stronger than vegetarians, but an experiment conducted by Professor Irving Fisher of Yale University on 32 vegetarians and 15 meat-eaters showed that vegetarians had more endurance than meat eaters. He had people hold out their arms for as long as possible. The outcome from the test was very clear. Among the 15 meat-eaters, only two persons could hold out their arms for fifteen to thirty minutes; however, among the 32 vegetarians, 22 persons held out their arms for fifteen to thirty minutes, 15 persons for over thirty minutes, 9 persons for over one hour, 4 persons for over two hours, and one vegetarian held his arms out for over three hours.

Many long distance track athletes keep a vegetarian diet for the time preceding competitions. Dr. Barbara More, an expert in vegetarian therapy, completed a one hundred and ten mile race in twenty-seven hours and thirty minutes. A woman of fifty-six years of age, she broke all the records held by young men. "I want to be an example to show that people who take a whole vegetarian diet will enjoy a strong body, a clear mind, and a purified life."

Does the vegetarian get enough protein in his diet? The World Health Organization recommends that 4.5% of daily calories be derived from protein. Wheat has 17% of it's calories as protein, broccoli has 45% and rice has 8%. It is very easy to have a protein rich diet without eating meat. With the additional benefit of avoiding the many diseases caused by high fat diets such as heart disease and many cancers, vegetarianism is clearly the superior choice.

The relationship between over consumption of meat, and other animal source foods containing high levels of saturated fats, and heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer and strokes has been proven. Other diseases which are often prevented and sometimes cured by a low fat vegetarian diet include: kidney stones, prostate cancer, diabetes, peptic ulcers, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, gum disease, acne, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, hypoglycemia, constipation, diverticulosis, hypertension, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, hemorrhoids, obesity, and asthma.

There is no greater personal health risk than eating meat, aside from smoking.



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Ecology and the Environment
Raising animals for meat has its consequences. It leads to rain forest destruction, global heatrising, water pollution, water scarcity, desertification, misuse of energy resources, and world hunger. The use of land, water, energy, and human effort to produce meat is not an efficient way to use the earth's resources.
Since 1960, some 25% of Central America's rain forests have been burned and cleared to create pasture for beef cattle. It has been estimated that every four ounce hamburger made from rain forest beef destroys 55 square feet of tropical rain forest. In addition, raising cattle contributes significantly to the production of three gases which cause global warming, is a leading cause of water pollution, and requires a staggering 2464 gallons of water for the production of each pound of beef. It only takes 29 gallons of water to produce a pound of tomatoes, and 139 gallons to produce a one pound loaf of whole wheat bread. Nearly half of the water consumed in the United States goes to the growing of feed for cattle and other livestock.

Many more people could be fed if the resources used to raise cattle were used to produce grain to feed the world's population. An acre of land growing oats produces 8 times the protein and 25 times the calories, if the oats are fed to humans rather than to cattle. An acre of land used for broccoli produces 10 times the protein, calories and niacin as an acre of land producing beef. Statistics like these are numerous. The world's resources would be more efficiently utilized if the land used for livestock production was converted to raising crops to feed people.

Eating a vegetarian diet allows you to "tread more lightly on the planet." In addition to taking only what you need and reducing excess, it will feel better when you know that a living being doesn't have to die each time you eat a meal.



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World Hunger
Nearly one billion people suffer from hunger and malnutrition on this planet. Over 40 million die each year of starvation, and most of them are children. Despite this, more than one third of the world's grain harvest is diverted from feeding people to feeding livestock. In the United States, livestock consume 70% of all the grain produced. If we fed people instead of livestock, no one would go hungry.
Animal Suffering
Are you aware of the fact that more than 100,000 cows are slaughtered every day in the United States?
Most animals in Western countries are raised on "factory farms." These facilities are designed to produce the maximum number of animals for slaughter at the minimum expense. Animals are crowded together, disfigured and treated like machines for the conversion of feed into flesh. This is a reality that most of us will never see with our own eyes. It has been said that, "One visit to a slaughterhouse will make you a vegetarian for life."

Leo Tolstoy said, "As long as there are slaughterhouses there will be battlefields. A vegetarian diet is the acid test of humanitarianism." Although most of us do not actively condone killing, we have developed the habit, supported by society, of eating meat regularly, without any real awareness of what is being done to the animals we eat.

The Company of Saints and Others
From the beginning of recorded history we can see that vegetables have been the natural food of human beings. Early Greek and Hebrew myths all spoke of people originally eating fruit. Ancient Egyptian priests never ate meat. Many great Greek philosophers such as Plato, Diogenes, and Socrates all advocated vegetarianism.
In India, Shakyamuni Buddha emphasized the importance of Ahimsa, the principle of not harming any living things. He warned His disciples not to eat meat, or else other living beings would become frightened of them. Buddha made the following observations: "Meat eating is just an acquired habit. In the beginning we were not born with a desire for it." "Flesh eating people cut off their inner seed of Great Mercy." "Flesh eating people kill each other and eat each other ... this life I eat you, and next life you eat me ... and it always continues in this way. How can they ever get out of the Three Realms (of illusion)?"

Many early Taoists, early Christians and Jews were vegetarians. It is recorded in the Holy Bible: "And God said, I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; but for the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food." (Genesis 1:29) Other examples forbidding the eating of meat in the Bible: "You must not eat meat with blood in it, because the life is in the blood." (Genesis 9:4) "God said, Who told you to kill the bullock and the she goat to make an offering to me? Wash yourselves from this innocent blood, so I may hear your prayer; otherwise I will turn my head away because your hands are full of blood. Repent yourselves so I may forgive you." St. Paul, one of Jesus' disciples, said in his letter to the Romans, "It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine." (Romans 14:21)

Recently, historians have discovered many ancient books that have shed new light on the life of Jesus and His teachings. Jesus said, "People who have animals' flesh become their own tombs. I tell you honestly, the man who kills will be killed. The man who kills living things and eats their meat is eating the meat of the dead men."

Indian religions also avoid the eating of flesh. It is said that, "People can't get flesh without killing things. A person who hurts sentient beings will never be blessed by God. So, avoid taking flesh!" (Hindu Precept)

The holy scripture of Islam, the Koran, forbids the "eating of dead animals, blood and flesh."

A great Chinese Zen Master, Han Shan Tzu wrote a poem which was strongly against flesh eating: "Go quickly to the market to buy meat and fish and feed them to your wife and children. But why must their lives be taken to sustain yours? It's unreasonable. It will not bring you affinity with Heaven, but make you become dregs of Hell!"

Many famous writers, artists, scientists, philosophers, and eminent men were vegetarians. The following people have all embraced vegetarianism with enthusiasm: Shakyamuni Buddha, Jesus Christ, Virgil, Horace, Plato, Ovid, Petrarch, Pythagoras, Socrates, William Shakespeare, Voltaire, Sir Isaac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Emile Zola, Bertrand Russell, Richard Wagner, Percy Bysshe Shelley, H. G. Wells, Albert Einstein, Rabindranath Tagore, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, and more recently, Paul Newman, Madonna, Princess Diana, Lindsay Wagner, Paul McCartney, and Candice Bergen, to name a few.

Albert Einstein said, "I think the changes and purifying effects that a vegetarian diet have on a human being's disposition are quite beneficial to mankind. Therefore, it is both auspicious and peaceful for people to choose vegetarianism." This has been the common advice of many important figures and sages throughout history!

GOOD INDIAN VEGETARIAN

Good Indian Vegetarian-->
I’m trying to eat more vegetarian meals (local when possible), and that means Indian food in my books. No one does vegetarian quite as good as India. From huge paper thin masala dosas to rich vegetable curries, I’m happy to skip the meat (which I love) when feasting on Indian fare.I recently had dinner at Udupi Palace in Toronto’s India town. Udupi Palace is the first Canadian outlet of a U.S. chain of southern Indian-style vegetarian restaurants. You’ll find Udupi Palace in California, Maryland, New York and Chicago. I normally try to stay away from chains as much as possible, but the food and cleanliness is hard to beat at Udupi Palace.I ordered the vegetable thali which came with nine different dishes, including rice pudding for dessert. My British-born husband, who fancies himself as a connoisseur of Indian food, having lived and traveled extensively throughout India, proclaimed it the best Indian food in Toronto!The place is immaculate, almost sterile, and the prices are reasonable (my thali was $8.95). The husband is already planning his next return trip to try their famous dosas. My meal was so good that it inspired me to look up vegetarian Indian recipes. With so many seasonal vegetables gracing our Farmer’s Markets, it’s a perfect time to boost your veggie intake.
Try these today:
Grilled Curry Potatoes
Zucchini Fritters with Cumin Raita
Hindu Wedding Curry
Samosas with Potato and Peas (Aloo Mattar Samosas)
East Indian Chick Pea Ragout
Indian Tomato Salad
Indian Spiced Potatoes
Also check out these articles on spices commonly used in Indian cuisine:
Cloves
Cumin
Coriander
Tumeric

SPICY VEGETARIAN FOOD

IndianLife - "A Vegetarian Company"
Indianlife has been offering a line of exotic high quality authentic gourmet vegetarian and vegan Indian Foods that have been cherished by consumers around the Globe.Indianlife's use of aromatic spices and rich flavours will cure your cravings for nutritious Indian food.
Indianlife is a one stop shop for all your Indian Vegetarian Food. Indianlife's commitment to quality demands only the finest ingredients with minimal or NO preservatives and our new products are moving ORGANIC.
We at Indianlife make it easy for you to create an Indian meal. Bring a true taste of India in your own kitchen by using Indianlife’s quality products. Just about all our products are "Heat and Eat" concept.
We take pride in making Indian Food easy to prepare for the modern generation as their lifestyles have become busier. Majority of our foods are All Natural. There is no need to buy different spices and ingredients to create your Indian dishes anymore. Treat yourself with Indianlife
Flatbreads, Naans, Pakoras, Samosas, Chutneys, Complete Meal solutions, Wraps, mouth watering Snacks, Papadums, Cooking Sauces and our upcoming Canned Products.
All these products are available in retail packaging and food service formats. Finally our pledge to our customers is our commitment to the complete satisfaction.

VEGETARIAN FOOD

From the beginning, our focus has been on providing food that brings joy and good health to all who come to Hope Springs.Specializing in delicious, home cooked, vegetarian meals, we work closely with workshop leaders. Our goal is to provide a menu that supports the individuals who come and the work they are doing. Upon request from the leaders, we can include animal protein options at some meals. We have fun creating menus and meals just for you.
We are committed to providing an opportunity for people to experience food that is full of love, nutrition, beauty and satisfies body and soul. How to Eat Vegetarian at Walt Disney WorldBy Mer, eHow Editor

Rate: (1 Ratings)
In the average American theme park in which hamburgers and hot dogs reign supreme, finding appetizing vegetarian food is an astonishing feat. Thankfully, Walt Disney World is not an average theme park. Not only does Walt Disney Word have vegetarian theme park staples like fries, soft pretzels, popcorn, ice cream and funnel cakes, it also has delightful vegetarian and vegan options ranging from the common veggie burger to the unique and mouth-watering creations by Disney’s fine chefs. With so many options, your dining experience at Walt Disney World is entirely what you make of it. How to Find Vegetarian Food in Disney WorldBy eHow Travel Editor
Rate: (5 Ratings)
Vegetarians often find it difficult to eat at a theme park. The standard carnival-like fare generally offers a plethora of choices for meat eaters and relegates vegetarians to ordering cheese pizza or peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches off the kids' menu at every meal. Disney World stands out among theme parks for the quality and variety of food offerings. Here's how to find vegetarian food in Disney World.

How to Eat Vegetarian at Disney's EpcotBy Mer, eHow Editor
Rate: (1 Ratings)
Sushi? Couscous? Spaetzle? With Future World and the 11 country-themed sections of the World Showcase, vegetarian food options at Disney’s Epcot are both abundant and diverse. Vegetarians should have little trouble finding luscious delights at Disney’s most food-centric park, Epcot.

INDIA VEGETARIAN FOOD

Vegetarian Food Review: Amy's Kitchen
Vegetarian Food Review: Amy's KitchenVegetarian Food Review: Amy's Kitchen[Spiritual Awakening]:Mixed Media Reviews, Book, Website, Music, Movie, Natural Foods, and Health Product ReviewsA Food Review: Amy's KitchenAmysKitchen.comBy James BeanCopyright February 2007Some background from the founders of Amy's Kitchen: "We didn't set out to become the nation's leading natural frozen food brand. All we wanted to do was create a business that would allow us to earn a living by providing convenient and tasty natural vegetarian meals for people like ourselves, who appreciated good food, but were often too busy to cook 'from scratch.'"We started on a 'shoestring,' using our own house and barn as headquarters. The founding meetings were held in the same room where we were married and where our daughter Amy was born."This was in 1987, before the idea of 'organic' food had become well known, and when there were very few frozen meals available for vegetarians to eat, either in health food stores or supermarkets. We were, however, very fortunate in being in the right place at the right time. The number of vegetarians had increased dramatically, as had consumer awareness of the harmful effects on their health and the environment of chemicals in the food supply."I find Amy's Kitchen to be extremely appealing for a variety of reasons. They state: "No meat, fish, poultry or eggs are used in any product. Cheeses are made with pasteurized rBST hormone free milk and do not contain animal enzymes or rennet." All of their food products are purely vegetarian, completely conforming to the lacto-vegetarian diet, meaning that no meat, no fish, and no eggs are ever used. Amy's also has high standards when it comes to the issue of animal-based rennet in cheese. According to the Vegetarian Society UK website: "The usual source of rennet is the stomach of slaughtered newly-born calves." Cheese is often made using animal rennet, a natural complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk. Amy's does not use any animal rennet, period. This makes Amy's one of the few reliable, purely vegetarian natural foods companies, and one never has to worry about eggs or egg-whites turning up in any of their recipes. They also have a line of vegan and other special dietary products. Their website states: "For those who cannot tolerate wheat, Amy's offers over 50 no-gluten-added offerings. For the lactose intolerant and those who prefer not to eat dairy, there are more than 50 non-dairy/lactose free, cholesterol free dishes from which to choose." A link to the VEGAN items listed at the Amy's Kitchen website: ; The truth is, Amy's has so many items to choose from that one could actually be quite content living on the all-Amy's Kitchen diet! If you visit the website, be prepared to feel hungry! You will discover just how much fun it can be eating vegetarian food, seeing many wonderful ethnic Indian and Asian meals, pizza, lasagna, burritos, beans & chili, pot pies, veggie burgers, and much, much more. Many of these items are found in health-food stores and supermarkets (or could be ordered there). And now, welcome to the new age of the Internet. As of Spring 2007, I am told that Amy's will also begin to ship products directly to customers, adding another potential market of millions of people. Ordering online has it's advantages. Instead of letting fate decide what you end up purchasing, based on what is stocked on the shelves of a store or out of stock (or never in stock!), one has the entire inventory of the company to choose from, including newly added products. Also, many people live in rural areas perhaps not close by to stores that offer good vegetarian choices. Now one can place an order, and soon thereafter an insulated box containing super cold dry ice to keep food items frozen, is delivered right to one's doorstep. ¡Buen provecho! Buon appetito! Bon Appétit!Website:

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Health and Nutrition
By following the links you will not only learn how easy it is to ensure that you have a good intake of all the nutrients you need at all stages of life, but also that following a varied vegetarian diet can help protect against many modern diseases.
• Nutrition Information Sheets
Basic Nutrition: Carbohydrate -- Dietary Fibre -- Fats & Oils -- Minerals -- Protein -- Vitamins
Calcium
Fats & Cholesterol:Essential Fatty Acids -- Cholesterol -- Free Radicals -- Trans Fatty Acids
Foods - nutritional aspects from various Information Sheets:Cereals/Grains -- Cheese -- Nuts & Seeds -- Pulses -- Soya
Iron
Omega 3 Fats
Protein
Vegan Nutrition:Calcium -- Essential Fatty Acids -- Iodine -- Protein -- Vitamin B (Riboflavin) -- Vitamin B12 -- Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Vitamins & Minerals
Zinc
• Health and Diet
Gluten Free Diets
Health and Vegetarians:Cancer -- Breast Cancer -- Colon Cancer -- Other Cancers -- Diabetes -- Diverticular disease -- Food Poisoning & Pesticide Residues-- Gall Stones -- A Healthy Vegetarian Diet -- Heart Disease -- Hypertension -- Kidney Stones -- Nephrotic Syndrome -- Obesity -- Osteoporosis -- Rheumatoid Arthritis
Increase Food Intake in illness
• Advice for new vegetarians
"Balance of good health wheel"
Healthy eating for vegetarians
Individual nutrients
• Research
Vegetarian VitalityA report on the health benefits of the vegetarian diet and the nutritional requirements of vegetarians.
Epidemiology and ecology of antibiotic resistant enterococci in the food chain
Bibliography/References (Health Info Sheet)
The China Health Project (Health Info Sheet)
The EPIC OXFORD study • Pregnancy, Infants & Children
Infant Nutrition
Vegan Infants (Vegan Nutrition Info Sheet)
Pregnancy
Vegetarian Nutrition for Children:The Pre-School Child (Age 1-5) -- The School Age Child (Age 5-12) -- Important Nutrients • Books and other materials
Online Store - books
Mail orderleaflets, posters, video available from The Vegetarian Society

VEGETARIAN TO SAVE THE WORLD

From Einstein to Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis,Leonardo da Vinci to Paul McCartney to Maggie Q -the people who have discovered the beauty of vegetarianism include some of the world’s most outstanding and accomplished.
Albert Einstein: 'nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.'
But You Don’t Have To Be A Genius…to know that when you eat right, you help yourself
look and feel younger! feel happier enjoy more energy and stamina and have a stronger immune system But don’t take our word for it, experience it yourself. Sign up now for our free eNewsletter and get started on your journey to better health!
'The benefits started to show in many ways. I lost 8 kg from 70 kg to 63 kg. I felt lighter, less sluggish. I had more energy for all my daily activities. My blood cholesterol level returned to normal and skin problems I had suffered for years disappeared.' - B.T. (VSS Newsletter subscriber)We Already Have a Built-In Defence Against Cancer;It is our immune system. Look after it well and our body helps look after itself.
In Singapore, the biggest killer diseases are cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Statistically, they strike more than one in two persons. That’s not a pretty picture at all.
Thankfully, most of these are preventable. VSS has been dedicated to raising awareness on PREVENTION and promoting solutions to many major problems of our time.
Respect the Earth…
Our forests, oceans, animals and all living things exist in an intricate balance. All of life strives for harmony and happiness - if we want happiness, let’s afford the same to our fellow creatures.
50 billion helpless farm animals are slaughtered every year. We can reduce this needless suffering just by making the right food choices, and in so doing also help to save our planet.
A UN FAO 2004 report: Animal products contribute more to global warming than all land vehicles, ships and airplanes on the planet combined.
'As custodians of the planet, it is our responsibility to deal with all species with kindness, love and compassion. That these animals suffer through human cruelty is beyond understanding. Please help to stop this madness.' - Richard GereHow you can help make a better world1. Make a choice. Eat less, or no meat.
2. Spread the word - tell your friends and family about the benefits of a plant-based diet.
3. Volunteer - join our community of like-minded friends and let's synergise! Get in touch with us here.
4. Sign up as a VSS member - enjoy discounts and many other benefits while helping the cause.
5. Support our efforts but are unable to contribute your time? You can greatly help by making contributions or sponsoring us. Find out more here.
contributing towards a better world…then look no further.
Many of us have been enriched by this deeply meaningful and engaging work.

STARCHY VEGETABLE

Grains, Beans, and Starchy Vegetables
(6 or more servings)
Foods like bread, grains, beans, rice, pasta, and starchy vegetables are at the bottom of the pyramid because they should serve as the foundation of your diet -- together as a group, they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy carbohydrates. But the key is, choose sources with plenty of fiber. Choose whole-grain foods such as whole-grain bread or crackers, tortillas, bran cereal, brown rice, or beans. Use whole-wheat or other whole-grain flours in cooking and baking. Eat more low-fat breads such as bagels, tortillas, English muffins, and pita bread.
For snacks, try pretzels or low-fat crackers.
1 slice bread
1/2 small bagel, English muffin, or pita bread
1/2 hamburger or hot dog bun
4 - 6 crackers
1/2 cup cooked cereal or pasta
1/3 cup cooked rice
3/4 cup dry cereal
1/2 cup cooked beans, lentils, peas, or corn
1 small potato
1 cup winter squash
1/2 cup sweet potato or yam
A serving can be:
Vegetables
(3 - 5 servings)
Choose fresh or frozen vegetables without added sauces, fats, or salt. You should opt for more dark green and deep yellow vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, romaine, carrots, and peppers.
1 cup raw vegetables
1/2 cup cooked vegetables
1/2 cup tomato or vegetable juice
A serving can be:
Fruits
(2 - 4 servings)
Choose whole fruits more often than juices. They have more fiber. Citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines, are best. Opt for fruit juices without added sweeteners or syrups.
1 small fresh fruit
1/2 cup canned fruit
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup fruit juice
A serving can be:
Milk
(2 - 3 servings)
Choose low-fat or nonfat milk or yogurt. Yogurt has natural sugar in it, but it can also contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Yogurt with artificial sweeteners has fewer calories than yogurt with added sugar.
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt
A serving can be:
Meat, Fish, and Meat Substitutes
(2 - 3 servings)
Choose fish and poultry more often. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey. Select lean cuts of beef, veal, pork or wild game. Trim all visible fat from meat. Bake, roast, broil, grill, or boil instead of frying.
2 - 3 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
1/2 - 3/4 cup tuna
2 - 3 oz. cheese
1 egg*
2 Tbsp. peanut butter*
4 oz. tofu*
A serving can be:
*equivalent to 1 oz. of meat
Fats, Sweets, and Alcohol
In general, you should limit your intake of fatty foods, especially those high in saturated fat, such as hamburger, cheese, bacon, and butter. Sweets are high in fat and sugar, so keep portion sizes small.
1/2 cup ice cream
1 small cupcake or muffin
2 small cookies
A serving can be:
If you choose to drink alcohol, limit the amount and have it with a meal. Check with your health professional about a safe amount for you.

WEIGHT LOSS FOR BODY

Vegetarian food will make you healthy and promote weight loss. Why? Because fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are higher in fiber, lower in fat, and contain more anti-oxidants than meat, dairy, and eggs. Studies show that even eating a few meatless meals every week can lower the risk of heart disease and may even prolong life.
So how can you adapt your favorite recipes to omit the meat? Here are 4 ways to cut the meat and increase the health benefits of your meals:
1. Stir-frys are healthy, quick, and satisfying. Substitute firm tofu, tempeh, nuts, and sesame seeds in place of chicken, beef, and seafood. Use a variety of colorful vegetables like pea pods, red bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and carrots for a super-charged meal. Serve with brown rice instead of white rice for a hearty, nutty taste and more fiber.
2. Substitute cooked legumes like beans and lentils for the meat in casseroles, stews, soups, and chili. Try red kidney beans in chili or stew, lentils in spaghetti sauce or stuffed cabbage rolls, and refried beans in burritos, tacos, and enchiladas. Black beans and rice make a filling main dish. Spice them up with some fresh salsa, and add avocado for healthy fats.
3. Skip the meat and add more chopped vegetables in pasta sauces, pizza toppings, soups, stews, and other mixed dishes. Vegetables like portabella mushrooms and eggplant are thick and satisfying. Use soy-based cheese instead of dairy-based cheese for added anti-oxidants.
4. Substituting for eggs and dairy in recipes can be tricky, so experiment to find the right consistency and binding agents for each dish. For example, try tofu, soymilk, soy cheese, and soy yogurt in recipes that call for dairy products. Replace ricotta cheese in lasagna with crumbled tofu. Buttermilk is a snap to make by mixing 1 cup of soy milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Use soymilk when making puddings and mashed potatoes.

HEALTH FOR LIFE

"oohh! These stupid systems never work properly!" he exclaims, rubbing his eyes and struggling to stand up. He goes downstairs and, still cursing the system, turns off the alarm. Going back to his bedroom he quickly falls asleep again.
The burglars can't believe their good luck, as they take their time to carefully find and steal every available expensive item in the house.
The health situation of most people in the meat-eating nations of the world is analogous to that rich man's condition. Usually when people experience uncomfortable symptoms and sickness, they turn to doctors and medicines to turn off the symptoms so that they can again be comfortable. Just like the rich man who believes he is safe falls back asleep, so most people, under the illusion of recovered health go back to eating the wrong food, and resume other bad habits. Meanwhile, the cause of the suppressed symptoms remains and gets worse. Over time the person becomes more and more sick.
The physical cause of more than 90% of human sickness is the same: too many toxins in the body. Most of these toxins are located in the stomach, intestinal system, organs and circulation system. As an example let's look at the common cold. Here the symptoms are a running nose, fever, sore throat, sneezing, and so on. The use of medicine turns off these "problems".
Unfortunately they are alarms, not problems. They are also the means for the body to rid itself of the real problem -- excess toxins. The increased flow of mucous provides a channel for toxins to flow out. The fever causes sweat, which is also a medium for elimination. At the same time the message of the sore throat and the sneezing is: "Stop eating! Drink more and more!" Because they go on eating even though they are not hungry, most people who catch colds are compelled to continue suffering for many days or even weeks at a stretch. If they were simply to fast on water or lemon water (with a little salt, not sugar), the cold almost always fulfills its purpose and stops within one or two days.
In this case, what is the reason for the effectiveness of fasting? To answer this question we should understand a most fundamental principle of our digestion system. The digestive system has two functions: 1) abstract energy from the food and immediately pass the waste matter out of the body and 2) clean itself of old static waste matter that has clung to the walls of the intestines and other organs for days, years, or even decades. The first function is well known to everyone. The second function is also known, but essentially ignored, by most conventional doctors. They especially neglect the fact that when the digestive system becomes clean, the body next directs its cleaning efforts at any other organs or systems which contain toxins.
The two functions of the digestion system are basically non-simultaneous. That is, whenever the body is busy in digesting newly consumed food, then no energy remains for deep cleaning activity. It is only when the stomach and intestines are more or less empty of fresh food, then those organs will automatically start cleaning themselves. The toxins causing the cold are rapidly eliminated, the symptoms stop, and the person can resume eating. Hopefully s/he is wiser due to having been sick, and is more careful to avoid over-toxifying the body.
From which foods does toxification more likely occur? Here the principle is easy to understand: food which is more difficult to digest is more likely to not be fully digested. When any food enters one's mouth, digestive juices start secreting in the mouth, esophogaus, and stomach. When the food reaches the stomach, the digestive acids try to quickly break it down into small particles. Easy-to-digest food requires less acid secretion, difficult-to-digest food requires more acid. The process continues as the food solids and liquids are worked upon by the liver, the kidneys, the small intestine, the large intestine and other organs. Acids, fats and other toxic substances also pass into the blood stream, polluting the circulation system and adhering to the walls of the arteries and other blood-carrying channels. Thus, the difficult-to-digest foods are called acid-forming, while easy-to-digest foods are classified as alkaline. In the case of some extremely alkaline foods, such as juicy fruits, they contribute their own fruit acids which may help in the digestion of other foods. There are a few foods, like sugar, tea and onion which are not difficult to digest but are classified as acidic because they contain elements which greatly disturb the equilibrium of the body. These elements are mildy poisonous.
Here is a list of foods categorized from most alkaline to most acid-forming. (As one reads down the list, each succeeding item is somewhat more acid-forming.):
1) Lemon water
2) Herb tea
3) Honey (a little)
4) Citric fruit juice
5) Other fruit juices
6) Vegetable juice
7) Citric fruits
8) Juicy fruits
9) Other fruits (except banana)
10) Non-starchy vegetables *
11) Buckwheat
(up to here all items are relevant for "graduated fasting")
12) Yoghurt
13) Starchy vegetables and banana *
14) Fresh tofu
15) Nuts
16) Raw sugar
17) Whole grains
18) Beans
19) Refined grains
20) Refined sugar
21) Tea, coffee
22) Fried foods
23) Milk varies according to personal situation **
Avoid extremely acidic food: 24) mushrooms, 25) onion, 26) garlic, 27) fish, 28) meat, 29) eggs
* Non-starchy vegetables may also be considered as salad-vegetables, i.e. they may be eaten raw. Starchy vegetables, like potato, are difficult to eat raw. Banana is much more starchy then most other fruits (unless it is extremely ripe, in which case its classification become more alkaline).
** Depending on the condition of one's liver, and also on the functioning of milk-digestion enzymes, people differ in their capacity to digest milk and milk products. For some people milk is a medicine, e.g. certain patients of ulcer. For many, milk causes gas formation, and may thus be recognized as being highly acid-forming. Non-homogenised milk is much easier to digest than homogenised milk because when fats are forcibly mixed with the rest of the milk such that separation does not occur, such globules of "whole milk" become strenuous for the liver.
Items numbered from 1 to 11 generally have a cleansing effect on the body. If a person thus restricts his diet for any length of time to those initial items, the body will undergo a gradual or radical cleansing process. The higher up on the list the restriction is made, so the faster the cleansing will occur. In this regard, the most extreme method of cleaning the body is to neither eat nor drink anything, not even water. But such a method, though appropriate for some people for a short time, is dangerous for most people.
In any case we may thus clearly understand that if an individual uses simple natural means to keep the body relatively clean from toxins, and if there is a regular intake of a reasonable amount of nutrition (not too much and not too little), then there is the greatest possibility that such a person will maintain a high degree of health.
Of course many factors enter into "keeping the body relatively clean from toxins". It is not only a matter of food and fasting. These factors include exercise, bathing, sleep, mental activity, purity of air and water, presence or absence of chemicals in the food, hormonal inbalances of the glands, and inborn genetic peculiarities. But of all these, food and fasting remain the foremost important for most people.
Thus we come to the main statement of this article: a vegetarian diet is better than a non-vegetarian diet for our all-round health. For the moment we are looking only at the physical aspect, and later will deal with the psychic and spiritual aspects. Vegetarianism is preferable for the bodily health because it consists of items which are easier to digest and thus much more alkaline than fish, meat and eggs.
The human body system has exactly the same food-eating and digesting characteristics as other vegetarian mammals (like cows, monkeys, deer and elephants), and totally different from the meat-eating mammals (like tigers, lions, wolves, dogs and cats). These characteristics include:
1) Vegetarian mammals including man have flat rear molar teeth for grinding their food. Meat-eaters do not have flat molars, and instead have sharp front teeth for tearing food.
2) Vegetarian mammals have an intestinal tract 10 to 12 times their body length. The intestines of meat-eaters is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass out quickly.
3) The stomach acid of vegetarians is 20 times less strong than that of meat-eaters.
4) Vegetarians have no claws, whereas meat-eaters have claws to catch and kill their prey.
5) Vegetarians perspire through their skin. Meat-eaters have no skin pores, and instead perspire through their tongues.
6) Vegetarian mammals require high-fiber diets (available in fruits, vegetables and whole grains) or else they eventually become constipated. Meat-eating mammals remain perfectly healthy even when their diets include very little fiber. Constipation is usually the first cause of digestion-related diseases in humans.
7) Meat-eaters can easily digest foods containing a high quantity of cholesterol and saturated fat. Vegetarians have a very limited capacity to deal with these same elements. For example laboratory experiments show that if dogs are gradually given more and more butter fat, even 250 grams every day, they show no increase in their serum cholesterol level. On the other hand, if vegetarian mammals eat much fat a great strain is first placed on the liver, fatty deposits develop on the inner walls of the arteries, and gradually the heart weakens through over-work, causing heart attacks and blood clots.
It is clear that human beings are bound to face difficulties in the digestion of meat, fish and eggs. Furthermore, humans who regularly eat such heavy foods gradually experience weakening of their digestive systems such that they are unable to rapidly eliminate waste matter, and thus their bodies get less and less time to perform self-cleaning.
Regarding heart disease, the cause of more than half of the deaths in the USA, the American Medical Association states that more than 90% of all heart disease could be prevented by vegetarian diet.
The editor-in-chief of the prestigious "American Journal of Cardiology" and a foremost expert on heart disease, Dr. William Roberts, wrote: "When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh was never intended for human beings, who are naturally herbivores."
The reader may be interested in my own experience of low-protein diets. Not only have been a strict vegetarian for the last 25 years of my life, but numerous times for months at a stretch I have also eliminated from my diet milk products, grains, beans and starchy vegetables. During those periods, which continued for as long as 9 months at a time, I ate only fruit and salad. Without any major source of protein I felt stronger and better than during any other times of my life. Indeed I would maintain such a diet always, except that I prefer to be able to eat together with other people. Also, this sort of diet is awkward or even impossible in very poor societies where the climate is cold, such as in Mongolia and Russia (where I am presently working). Thus, only due to circumstances, not due to physical need, I eat a diet containing some high protein foods. Still, I prefer that my meals predominantly consist of fruits and salad-type vegetables.

Eating a vegan diet as opposed to a vegetarian diet means that you consume no animal products at all. There are even those who prefer a completely raw food diet, which is supposed to be the healthiest of all ways of eating. You can lose unwanted weight while eating more food than ever before.
Before switching over to one of these extreme diets, make sure you have done your research and know what will work for you and your lifestyle. Here are some things to think about it you are considering going vegetarian or vegan.