Be Vegetarian, Live Longer
Do Vegetarians Live Longer? Some Things to Consider…
Talk about the $25,000 question! As you may well know, excess consumption of red meat has been linked to increase risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and other disorders.
Health-conscious people (like you!) are eating more fruit, vegetables and are staying away from beef, red meat and other animal products.
But the real question is this: does being a vegetarian extend your life? This is a huge topic in today’s health industry, so before you weigh in (literally!) with your thoughts and opinions, consider these findings about vegetarianism and longevity:
A team of researchers from Cornell, Harvard, and Oxford University along with China completed the most extensive study on vegetarian diets and health ever conducted.
Their study reflects the growing body of research that suggests that Americans will not reduce their rate of cancers, cardiovascular disease and other chronic, degenerative diseases until they shift their diets away from animal-based foods to plant-based foods,” said T. Colin Campbell, Cornell professor of nutritional biochemistry.
If we reduce our chances of acquiring disease then we will inevitably live longer. I don’t know about you but my goal is to live to be over 100 years old and enjoy my life and my body with no aches and pains.
The Adventist Health Study is an ongoing study of life expectancy in vegetarians. The researchers found that a combination of different lifestyle choices could influence life expectancy by as much as 10 years.
The researchers concluded that “the life expectancies of California Adventist men and women are higher than those of any other well-described natural population” at 78.5 years for men and 82.3 years for women.
This is something to think about when you are making food choices.
In a recent review of studies relating to low-meat diet patterns to all-cause mortality, a researcher noted that
“5 out of 5 studies indicated that adults who followed a low meat, high plant-food diet pattern experienced significant or marginally significant decreases in mortality risk relative to other patterns of intake.”
The most impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center .
The study’s shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50%! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30% reduction in mortality. The health of these study participants was compared with the average German population.
Pretty Amazing…
Based on my personal experience and the true stories of many of my clients, I know that reducing (or eliminating) meat and certain animal products from their diet has made a huge positive impact on their health. Likewise the increase in vegetables and non-meat food options has helped them feel better and lose weight!
I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences with vegetarian food plans and choices.
Wishing you a long, healthy, life.
Kardena Pauza
Author of, Easy Veggie Meal Plans
You mentioned in one of your articles about the Adventist studies on the prolong of life if vegetarian.
My Mum is an Adventist and has a lot of the Sanitarium products. I was wondering what your thoughts are on those products eg, Nutmeat, Nutolene, etc. Are they a healthy alternative to meat or not so good as they are heavily processed??
Thanks
Darlene
The article is usefull for me. I’ll be coming back to your blog.
Hello Darlene,
These products are made from nuts and maybe some grains. Whenever you get into eating processed foods, they are more void of nutrients, causing us to be malnourished. The nutmeat looks very simple in terms of ingredients which is good and looks pretty healthy. No added fillers or artificial junk. Ideally your mother is eating much more fresh nutrient rich foods and these processed foods are a small addition to her meals.
Eat vibrant foods,
Kardena
Thanks, more to come!