The pros and cons of being a vegetarian

As people's living standards improve, more and more diseases are caused by overnutrition, and the disease population is gradually showing a trend of getting younger. People are beginning to seek a healthy lifestyle, and vegetarianism has become a new trend. Relevant data show that there are about 375 million vegetarians in the world. As of 2021, the number of vegetarians in my country has exceeded 50 million. Modern research has confirmed that long-term vegetarianism has both benefits and disadvantages for the body.

Vegetarian food is mostly green vegetables, which have very little fat content. Therefore, vegetarians are not easy to accumulate fat, especially suitable for obese people. The human body metabolizes fat through the liver. Meat is rich in fat, so it will increase the burden on the liver. Vegetarianism can reduce the burden and help the liver rest and recover. It is suitable for people with hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, etc.

Vegetarian food is rich in dietary fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, shorten the residence time of excrement in the intestines, reduce the absorption of toxins, speed up metabolism, and is beneficial to the health of the body, especially for the elderly with constipation.

James Joseph, an American medical doctor, pointed out that blue-purple vegetables have a decompression effect, such as eggplant, cabbage, seaweed, amaranth, etc. The anthocyanins they contain have antioxidant functions, which can remove free radicals and prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. Bitter melon, cucumber, lettuce, onion, asparagus, carrot, etc. have a variety of active substances that can inhibit the conversion of sugar into fat, help stabilize blood sugar and prevent blood sugar from rising, and are especially suitable for obese diabetics.

A survey of nearly 50,000 subjects by Oxford University showed that vegetarians have a higher risk of gallstone disease. Because they only eat vegetarian food for a long time and do not eat meat, the body cannot obtain enough high-quality protein and essential nutrients, and the resistance is weakened. Most vegetarian green vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, celery and other green vegetables are rich in oxalic acid. If the intake of oxalic acid in the diet is high, it will lead to a significant increase in the concentration of oxalic acid in the blood, and then lead to an increase in the concentration of oxalic acid in the urine. Since most vegetables are alkaline, people with calcium phosphate stones are prone to alkaline calcium phosphate deposition disease, which leads to swelling, pain and limited functional activities in the joints. Such as osteoarthritis, destructive joint lesions, etc., seriously affect the normal activity function of the human body.

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese School-Age Children (2022)" issued by the Chinese Nutrition Society points out that three meals a day, regular and quantitative meals, and regular diets are the basic requirements for ensuring the healthy growth of school-age children. You should eat breakfast every day and eat a good breakfast. Breakfast foods should include three or more of the following foods: cereals and potatoes, vegetables and fruits, animal foods, milk, beans, nuts, etc. Do not be picky about food, do not overeat, and develop healthy eating behaviors. If you only eat vegetarian dishes or eat a lot of vegetarian dishes, it is easy to prevent the absorption of calcium and zinc. Calcium and zinc promote growth and development. Lack of calcium and zinc will affect the child's intellectual development and bone growth, thereby causing growth stagnation and maldevelopment.

Relevant studies have shown that one in every four people in the world has insufficient iron reserves, which leads to iron deficiency anemia, which is more common among vegetarians. There are two types of iron in food: heme iron and non-heme iron. The human body mainly relies on the absorption of heme iron to nourish the whole body, while vegetarian food is mainly non-heme iron, which has a low iron content and is difficult to be absorbed by the human body. If the iron intake is insufficient, it will lead to weakened hematopoietic function and reduced blood cell production, thereby inducing iron deficiency anemia, resulting in dizziness, headache, memory loss, and lack of concentration.

Vegetarians are prone to protein deficiency because they only eat plants, which have low protein content. If they lack protein for a long time, the body's resistance and immunity will decline, resulting in hypoproteinemia, edema or frequent colds.

The vitamin that vegetarians are most likely to lack is vitamin B12, because it is only found in foods such as meat, eggs, and milk. Vitamin B12 can prevent megaloblastic anemia and improve nervous system diseases. If vitamin B12 intake is insufficient, there will be widespread symmetrical pigmentation skin diseases, dull expression, intellectual regression and other symptoms of nerve damage, as well as gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.

The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) summarizes eight principles for a balanced diet, the first of which is "food diversity and reasonable combination". The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016) points out that livestock and poultry meat should be 40-75 grams, aquatic products should be 40-75 grams, and eggs should be 40-50 grams; while the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022) have been adjusted to 120-200 grams of animal food, at least 2 servings of aquatic products per week, and one egg per day. This shows the importance of animal foods such as fish, poultry, meat, and eggs to the human body. Animal foods are rich in protein, minerals, fats, inorganic salts, and vitamins. It is recommended that people develop scientific and healthy eating habits and lifestyles based on their own circumstances.