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With more people becoming vegan people often wonder if eating no meat is truly the better and healthier option. While meat is rich in protein and vitamin B12, it is also high in unsaturated fats and cholesterol which can lead to many life-threatening diseases.
Do we all have to become a 100% vegan to protect our health? The answer is no. But many of us, however, drastically need to reduce their meat intake while making sure animal products come from a reliable, organic source to avoid hormones, antibiotics, and animal cruelty.
We have been flexitarians or semi-vegetarians for many years and we felt great. Since September 2017, however, we decided to try a 99 percent plant-based diet (wild Cambodian hiney, occasional egg, and homemade cultured yogurt are our exceptions) and we feel great.
Though this doesnโt mean you have to do the same. Meat coming from healthy sources with minimal processing steps can be part of a healthy diet. Avoid meat coming from big meat farms and deli meats. They are the worst kind.
Whether you choose to be a flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan, reducing your meat consumption will definitely benefit your whole body and hereโs why....
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1 Lowers blood pressure
Multiple studies have shown that dramatically reducing or eliminating meat helps to keep your blood pressure under control. Plant-based munchers generally have a lower and healthier blood pressure than people who eat a lot of meat.
2 Reduces the risk of colon cancer
High consumption of red and processed meat (deli meats) has been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer due to the high amounts of unhealthy fats and hormones as well as the way it is being processed or cooked.
3 Lowers the risk of overweight, obesity, and diabetes type II
Meat consumption has been linked to obesity and overweight since it is rich in fats and cholesterol. People who eat more vegetables and fruits usually have no issues to maintain their weight.
Furthermore, researchers found that eating less meat would reduce the risk of developing diabetes type II as it is closely related to being overweight or obese.
4 Healthy, glowing skin
Packed with water and antioxidants, fresh produce keeps your skin toned, hydrated, and smooth. People who eat a lot of meat and processed foods are more prone to develop acne, wrinkles, and other skin issues.
5 Reduces the risk of cardiovascular issues
Meat and other animal products contain a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol. Both contribute to clogged arteries, heart failure, and other cardiovascular diseases.
6 Improves longevity
According to some studies, people who are on a plant-based diet live longer compared to those who eat meat on a daily basis. Processed meat in particular, like deli meats, cooked ham, and hot dogs, contain nasty chemicals and toxins which are associated with many diseases such as heart failure and cancer.
7 Youโll get enough protein. No worries ;)
Our body uses protein to build and repair cells, tissues, and organs. Proteins play a vital role in the formation of many hormones. Though meat is an excellent source of complete protein (meaning it has all 9 essential amino acids our body can not make itself), there are so many better, nutrient-dense, plant-based foods out there to meet your daily needs. These include lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, to name a few.
8 Saves more money
Meat is one of the most expensive foods. Especially when you buy them organic. Which you should to avoid hormones, antibiotics, and other nasty chemicals. If you reduce your meat intake to 2 to 3 times a week, youโll save plenty of money which you can spend on high-quality organic foods.
9 Help save the Mother Earth
Meat production is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases and climate change. Dutch researchers predicted that universal veganism could reduce agriculture-related carbon emissions by 17%t, methane emissions by 24%, and nitrous oxide emissions by 21%t by 2050.
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Changing your eating habits will not only do your body a big favor but the planet as well. If you eat a lot of meat, โMeatless Mondayโsโ or โVegan before 6 pmโ are great initiatives to get you started.
And if you thought eating a plant-based diet is boring and tasteless, think again. There are so many yummy and easy recipes out there. Itโs up to you to experiment with those new flavors and textures. Check out my blog or other vegan or vegan-enthusiastic cooks here on steemit. There are plenty to get your inspiration from!
Thanks for reading and until next time!
ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL!
PICTURE(s) TAKEN WITH NIKON D5600
Interesting article my dear! Am agree with you that the vegetarians more healthy than the others people which eat meat, we have to try to eat more vegetables because itโs the most important for our health.
If they don't fall for the vegan processed foods of course. I know some vegans that are the most unhealthy people. But you are right generally vegans are much healthier. Thanks for your comment!
So true @amy-goodrich - love this post, thank you for sharing
Thanks for the support!
So true! ๐
We are totally capable of being able survive without the need of meat, especially in modern day where we have alternative options on how we can provide ourselves with nutrients that would otherwise be missing from a plant-based diet; vitamin B12 for example.
As you have said @amy-goodrich, the meat we consume these days are very much highly processed and have been contaminated with toxins and have been given unhealthy amounts of steroids and hormone.
It is todays addiction to food and gluttony that is really the problem here. Realistically, we don't need that much food to live a healthy life.
But when we pair that with the conditioning that we have always been led to believe since we were young - that meat is important if we want to grow up strong, or that we need to it to avoid deficiency and sickness, or if we want to build strong muscles, we start to see how the combination of food addiction and gluttony adds to the increasing desire for more meat, and the fear of a completely plant-based diet. ๐
It will take time and effort to recondition ourselves, through education and trial-and-error to find a plat-based diet that works for us individually, but when we do this and succeed - everyone wins ๐
Amen. You are so right. We sure have been tricked by the food industry to eat more meat and processed foods. As you said we are eating too much. Our ancestors surely didn't have 3 meals a day. Currently, I am experimenting with fasting periods and loving it... more about that later ;). Thanks for your comment!
hey @immaturetimes <3 I just wanted to come in here and upvote your comment and say what a wonderful response! I completely agree with both you and Amy and I love that we can all come together here to inspire change. People just need to break the habit, it's nothing about nutrition. We can come together and start a huge change! This makes me so excited (PS veganism grew over 900% last year alone!) YAY! XO
I'm really glad that you agree @heart-to-heart ๐
I too am very excited about the future ๐ I can see that more and more people are starting to realise and feel the motivation to change for everyone's benefit. As you have said, it's nothing about nutrition (we can get this all with a plant-based diet, and then some from supplements), it's about the compassion and taking responsibility for our actions, as we as the human species have the most power and influence on this planet.
Your comment is very thoughful and inspiring, let's keep doing what's right and help others along the way ๐
Aww... this part really jerked my heart "it's about the compassion and taking responsibility for our actions, as we as the human species have the most power and influence on this planet."
Now we just need to come together, act as a collective community and spread the word, inspiring others to feel that way too. I say feel instead of think because it needs to come from the heart.
I love it :) Happy to be here with you @immaturetimes
yes i also agree with u , buddy . human intestine is much different from carnivorus animals intestine . if nature have decided to make humen to vegetarian then we should not oppose to nature , history is proof that who strike against the natue , nature discarded them , destroy them . so please follow the nature as much you can do
Let food be the medicine and medicine be the food - Hippocrates..... we should indeed return to mother earth to provide food, health and wealth.
i really like your post , please upvote and follow me
We could feed the world twice over just with the grain used to feed cattle in the meat industry. There is no reason for anyone to be starving anywhere if you ask me.
I know. Crazy right. When you drive around Belgium I was astonished to learn all the corn you see there is to feed cattle. Thanks for stopping by!
interesting posts I like your posts. because your post can be an insight for me and users steemit .. post interesting .. thanks for you.
Thanks @zainuddinibrahim!
great post Amy. bottom line, meat acidifies the body. I have cut down to white meat every now and then, supplementing on pea protein and other vegetables. love the blog. thanks Matt
Thanks Matt! You are absolutely right!
Yes you are right meat is not good for our health but now a days vegetables and fruits are also not pure because they spray them and inject different kind of chemicals. Which are really dangerous to our health.
Sad truth indeed! Organic or homegrown is the way to go.
Yeah organic or homegrown is good.
I would become a vegetarian if I could honestly I only eat chicken if I have no choice anyways
Eating meat once in a while is ok when it comes from a reliable source but these days we tend to eat too much meat. Have a beautiful day!
Eating less meat is probably more easy for some to accept than going vegan totally.
It sure is. Most people don't do well with extremes... but that fine. We are all different and have different needs. If everybody would commit to Meatless Monday's the world would already be a better place.
Yes , agree.๐
I haven't taken the leap hehe, but my wife and O decided to incorporate more vegetarian food for the meals of the week, reducing our meat intake... It's a small step :P
It is a huge step my friend. I am so proud. We lived as flexitarians for many years and thrived, though we even feel better now on a vegan diet! Big thumbs up for you and your wife!
maybe some day we'll become vegans haha or we could try vegan for a while at least
I was always used to eating a lot of meat up until I moved in with @things who was raised without meat and eggs. She eats meat now, however she prefers it not too much, which is totally fine. As I generally prepared out dinners we sometimes ate no meat at all as I was too lazy to prepare some meat separately. I really do think that reducing it helps, but I still love my occasional ribs, steak and burger!
Nothing wrong with that. Like you said reducing meat (and eliminating processed food) is good enough. Just make sure the meat comes from a reliable source. Thanks for stopping by!
Well, supermarkets is as far as we went, hehe. Probably not the most reliable source but getting it somewhere else was quite difficult.
Cheers to you!
It's a supereducative post. I actually don't like nothing but chicken (I am not vegeterian) and I try to eat meat. But I don't enjoy it actually. I feel it's lack in my body so I have to change my habits. Now trying to find some new recepes with pork, for example.
If you don't enjoy eating meat why not try the vegan diet? Not only is it healthy but you'll enjoy it more while saving the animals and our planet. Have a great day!
I am actually doing my research, I am still thinking about. Thanks for your advice. :)
Nice post, eating less meat is the way to go will be following you! Hope you follow me we have similar points of view.
Thanks @mindfulfllife! I'll take a look at your posts ;)
You are not far from the truth atal, lovely write up
Thanks ;)
I can only agree with you! Had some health issues two years ago and only could solve them after I cut the meat meals down to one or two meals in a week! Thanks for sharing this :D
Thanks for sharing! The power of plant foods is just amazing. It enabled my hubby to control MS without any medication.
This sounds great! I am really happy that health issues can be solved in many cases with starting to eat the right food!
I love animals so much we only I will only eat Vegan Dark Chocolate.
I always appreciate the message that it doesn't have to be all or nothing! I prefer for many reasons to stay as close to plant-based as possible, but my boyfriend still eats some meat and cheese when we go out or eat with family. He will definitely tell you he feels a lot better only eating meat on occasion. I keep him well-fed otherwise. ;) Great post!
Hehe... same here! After many years of being a flexitarian eating animal products 2-3 meals we are thriving on a vegan diet... though my husband, just like your boyfriend, sometimes still has a piece of meat when we go out.... and that's just fine. I make an occasional exception for an egg from our chickens, Cambodian wild honey, and sometimes I make a batch of regular yogurt instead of coconut yogurt. Never been a huge fan of extremes... no need to be perfect! Thanks for the support xxx
Good post, I am all for eating more vegetables however, even with an all vegan diet there are still high rates of heart disease, mainly because vegan diets still consist of sugar and carbs. Unsaturated fat and dietary cholesterol will only increase your risk of heart disease if youโre combining that diet with a high sugar intake. That is a common misconception that unsaturated fat dietary cholesterol cause heart disease, a concept constantly pushed by the American heart Association which continue to see heart disease rates rise.
Thanks! As with every diet, it is important to avoid processed foods high in sugars and carbs such as refined sugar, pasta, bread, cookies, etc. The American Heart Association isn't the best source to get your info... I totally agree with that!
Really interesting post :) I'm thinking about going vegan so I'm trying to do a lot of research
Thanks! Best tip I can give is to take it slow.... not everybody is capable to make the change overnight and that's just fine. Bite by bite changes will get you there ;)
I agree with @amy-goodrich
Its is easier to be successful by slowly making your way to veganism.
:)
Great post and you are 100% correct. Eating less meat is more healthful.
Thanks @chefsteve!
For the last few months I have been actively trying to cut down my meat consumption. At present I have been successful in cutting down red meat completely. I try to cook vegan or vegetarian more and more. I have also very recently come up with a vegan channel to keep me motivated to cook more and more vegan recipes.
Here is the link:
Please give me feedback how can I improve..
Nice video.... love Indian food and made onion fritters not so long ago... my fav remains spinach pakora. Thanks for stopping by and big thumbs up for choosing to reduce animal products in your life!
Absolutely agree as human digestive system is not even designed to eat meat, it is looking more than less like plan eaters.
True that. Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!
2 month vegetarian. Future Vegan.
Nice to hear. Keep up the good work! Have a lovely day!
This is such a great post Amy! Very informative and I completely agree with you as a vegan, not everone has to go 100% vegan, but reducing meat intake has so many benefits for your health and the environment.
Thanks for sharing this, have a beautiful day sweetie โญ๏ธ
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. We are all on a different path in life and we should not judge other people. That doesn't mean I am not trying to convince as many people to go at least vegan for one day a week. Let's share the message together and make this world a better place for all.
Great post. I have lifted weights as a meat eater, vegetarian, and vegan. In the last 6 years as a vegan I have had better gains and faster recovery than ever before whilst feeling much healthier. It's definitely the way to go.
The amazing power of plant foods. Thanks for sharing. This again proves that vegans do not lack protein or other nutrients in their diet to live an active lifestyle. Thanks for stopping by!
I love to stumple across posts like this. I'm vegan and I feel great about it. And as you say a lot more people need to reduce their meat intake.
Agree! Let's spread the word and try to convince as many people to go vegan for at least one day a week in 2018.
Love it! Thanks for sharing, hopefully we can make the world a kinder place ๐
Thanks, @djwolfie... we more and more people becoming vegan or interested in vegan dishes I hope we can indeed make this world a better and kinder place. Steem on!
So true...more health if we eat more fruits and vegis... .thanks
True that... and they taste great too ;)
I love posts like this ๐ We still need to tell people about vegetarianism and its health and ethical benefits ๐๐๐
Let's spread the word together and turn 2018 into a plant-based health promoting year ;)
Great post - and so true.
Thanks ;)
It's good that you aren't totally advocating for everyone to become vegan. Because while eating a ton of meat is not the best diet, becoming vegan is also not a good diet. People who eat mostly meat and little vegetables are not healthy, and people who eat only vegetables are not going to be healthy either. A little animal protein with each meal and more cooked vegetables is the best diet possible.
I have to disagree with that ;) My hubby is controlling Multiple Sclerosis through plant-foods. He hasn't felt better in his entire life and was able to get off his sick-making meds through the power of plant foods. All plants have protein, many of them also contain all essential amino acids... so there is actually no need to eat animals to meet your protein needs.
Here is the program I follow if you are interested. And why I said what I said. http://www.drlwilson.com/Articles/vegetablediets.htm
Thanks for the info. Just as any diet when not done correctly it can be harmful to your health. This person was on a mainly raw vegan diet which is something totally different. Especially hard to get complete proteins. His statement that you can get complete protein on a vegetarian diet is just not true. But as said in my article, we are all on a different path and while he states negative effects from his vegan or vegetarian diet I have nothing but positive experiences with it. My husband was able to get off his sick-making medication to control MS through plant foods... this has been more than 3 years now without any issues. In contrary, he hasn't felt better in his entire life.
I agree with his mentor Dr. Bernard Jensen though, who said, โThere is bad meat, but meat is not bad.โ Same can be said about vegetarian or vegan diets... It can be done in a bad way, but when done correctly it can be one of the healthiest diets out there. Have you ever seen the documentary "What The Health"? It might interest you and give you another view on the topic.
Yea I understand. There is actually a vegan program offered through him for people that don't want to eat meat. I highly recommend checking that out. It's very mechanical though, but I've found it the best possible way to balance body chemistry and heal all ailments. I've seen documentaries on eating meat suggested to me by other vegans before. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.
This is so true! I am vegan and my husband eats a flexitarian type diet and we both feel better than ever!
Same here. We have been flexitarians for many years, but decided to go vegan a few months ago. My hubby still has his chat moments but that fine. He is controlling MS though plant foods and that's just amazing... no more meds and like you and your husband we have felt better in our entire life!
WOW! That is so amazing he is controlling his MS!
Yes! I so agree! Glad to see that you're feeling great with your predominately plant based diet. I've been vegan for about 3 months now and my skin is glowing!
The amazing power of plant foods. We are loving it and I am glad to hear you are too. Keep up the good work!
Great post! I am vegan and always here ""I could never give up meat", I will use this post to give my family a gentile push toward the meet free life!
Thanks @veganbunnylover... not always easy to convince your family. Maybe you could let them watch "What The Health" and "Earthlings". These 2 documentaries helped my hubby make the change.
I completely agree! Going vegan changed my life for the better and I know so many people who experienced countless benefits just by reducing or cutting out meat. Great article. :D
Thanks @giuliaengel! Plant foods are the best!
gran vision,pero mi vision seria que no hay agua en el planeta,una vaca consume 10metro cubico de agua desde que nace hasta su muerte,si aplicamos matematicas,no es sotenible comer carne.....pero tampoco vegetales
A little bit angry to see that my auto-vote didn't come through on this one ;) You've been getting it the whole time I have been away though <3 Sending you love even when I wasn't here.. that's how much you mean to me!
So, obviously you already know where I am at with all this but I am just here to send some resounding support your way and agree with you on all points.
I've never felt better in my entire life, and everyone I coach nutritionally, sees dramatic improvements on a plant-based diet so there is something to be said above it all <3
Love you!
Love you too gorgeous. Let's make this world a better and healthier place. Small acts matter. Thanks for all the support and love.
Absolutely, totally on your team <3
Hi Amy, I agree that eating less meat and animal products is important. I myself went even go so far as to go vegan. :) Best wishes
That's so great to hear. Keep up teh good work. Thanks for stopping by!