Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of animal flesh. Simply put, it means not eating meat, fish, or other animal-based foods. Vegetarianism is not just about vegetables. In addition to vegetables, it also includes other plant-based foods like fruits and melons. Among the categories included in vegetarianism, grains (including rice, wheat, soybeans, etc.) and nuts (including walnuts, peanuts, melon seeds, etc.) are also two of its branches. In fact, whole grains, green vegetables, delicious fruits, various dried fruits, edible fungi, bean products... these are all the sources of vegetarianism.
I. What are the disadvantages of long-term vegetarianism?
1. Long-term vegetarianism can lead to fractures
Research has found that a vegetarian diet can reduce the risk of cancer, especially the likelihood of developing leukemia. This result has been confirmed in studies abroad. However, blindly following a vegetarian diet without understanding one's own constitution can trigger health warnings. Research has found that compared to meat-eaters, vegetarians have more brittle bones. "Their bones are thinner, they consume fewer calories and proteins, their body mass index is lower, and their body fat percentage is also low," experts wrote in the research report. "They have a higher risk of fractures." A new discovery is that adolescent vegetarians are more prone to eating disorders, with 11% of respondents showing a tendency to overeat. More adolescent vegetarians, due to a lack of guidance, suffer from severe deficiencies of iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin B in their bodies. They also mistakenly believe they are very healthy.
2. Long-term vegetarianism can cause menstrual irregularities
From a female physiological perspective, about one-third of the respondents experienced menstrual irregularities, and some women developed anemia. Can women really survive on a purely vegetarian diet? Due to low fat intake, estrogen secretion is too low, which greatly affects these women's libido and fertility, and can easily lead to wrinkles, accelerating the aging process.
3. Long-term vegetarianism can easily lead to calcium deficiency
Although vegetarianism has many benefits, a completely vegetarian diet can lead to iron-deficiency anemia and calcium deficiency. Consuming too many vegetables can also be harmful. For example, spinach, green vegetables, celery, and tomatoes contain more oxalic acid, which can easily form calcium oxalate stones when combined with calcium in other foods. This is one of the reasons why many vegetarian women are prone to stone diseases. At the same time, vegetarians often have insufficient intake of vitamin A and vitamin E. A lack of these two vitamins can easily lead to the shedding of gallbladder epithelial cells, leading to cholesterol deposition and also the formation of stones.
In addition, a completely vegetarian diet can lead to an imbalance in food composition proportions, resulting in insufficient intake of animal protein. Even if supplemented with plant proteins from beans, their absorption and utilization are far inferior to animal protein. When completely vegetarians have insufficient protein intake, the balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in the body is disrupted, which can lead to a weakened immune system, anemia, and indigestion. A special nutrition survey conducted by some departments on "monks" showed that they basically suffered from varying degrees of malnutrition, had weak immune function, and were prone to various infectious diseases.
For today's high-pressure white-collar workers, occasional vegetarianism can be a调剂 (change of pace), but long-term vegetarianism is not the best strategy.
II. Three periods when women should not be long-term vegetarians
1. Childbearing age
If one often eats a vegetarian diet, it can lead to lower estrogen levels and cause fertility problems;
2. Adolescence
Long-term vegetarianism can cause estrogen levels to fail to "meet the standard," leading to poor or delayed development of secondary sexual characteristics, hindering the development of female breasts and gonads and affecting female physical beauty;
3. Menopause
Menopausal women have reduced or absent estrogen production and secretion due to ovarian atrophy. At this time, if they remain long-term vegetarians, the symptoms of "menopausal syndrome" will be particularly significant. A lack of estrogen levels can easily lead to osteoporosis, which is the root cause of fractures.
III. How to be a healthy vegetarian
If you choose vegetarianism for health reasons, experts believe you can moderately and "flexibly" consume animal-based foods. The specific approach is: on a basis of consuming a large amount of plant-based foods, moderately consume animal-based foods according to your personal situation, generally once a week, and no more than three times at most. At the same time, animal-based foods should mainly consist of fish, and meat should be avoided as much as possible. Fish is rich in protein and unsaturated fatty acids, making it more beneficial to health. Most importantly, maintain healthy cooking methods and pay attention to the diversity of food varieties to achieve a balanced nutrition.
IV. What are the benefits of healthy vegetarianism?
1. Vegetarianism makes skin tender and breath fresh
People who consume animal foods like meat and eggs for a long time will have increased acidic components in their bodies. The sebaceous glands secrete more oil, which can easily make the skin greasy, enlarge pores, and trigger acne, affecting beauty. Meat is rich in protein, and its metabolic product is ammonia. This toxic substance not only damages the kidneys and makes the skin rough and dull, but also makes our breath and body odor lose their freshness, becoming heavy and foul. One day of vegetarianism per week reduces total fat intake, and over time, it helps protect the heart and lower blood pressure. Vegetarianism can also improve the acidic constitution of meat-eaters, reduce acidic toxins in the blood, make the body full of vitality, and make the skin soft and shiny.
2. Vegetarianism controls weight and expels toxins
Although "plumpness and slenderness" are beautiful, being overweight or underweight are both unhealthy manifestations. Maintaining a moderate curve is the dream of many female friends and also the display of the healthiest physical beauty. Long-term intake of high-calorie foods will cause weight to rise straight up, and the body will grow sideways, which can easily induce various diseases such as high blood lipids and high blood sugar. One day of vegetarianism per week can help beauty-conscious female friends maintain a proper weight. Plant-based foods are low in calories and belong to alkaline foods. They are rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants, and beneficial bioactive substances that can promote human metabolism, help expel toxins from the body, and have a slimming effect.
3. Vegetarianism is easy to digest
Vegetarianism mainly refers to a dietary habit that focuses on plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, seeds, and nuts. Wang Zhiyong, a attending physician in the Department of Gastroenterology at the Liwan District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that the nutrients in these vegetarian foods are easily digested and absorbed, while meat is not easy to digest in the stomach, and even when it reaches the large intestine, most of it is still undigested or only half-digested. From the perspective of human anatomy, the human intestine is similar to that of herbivores, but quite different from that of carnivores. The stomach acid of carnivores is twenty times that of humans; such a strong acidic environment is enough to digest meat and bones. Experts believe that when animals are slaughtered, due to anger, fear, sadness, pain, and struggle, they produce a large amount of toxic secretions. When people eat such meat, they also ingest these toxins into their own bodies, increasing the burden on detoxification organs like the kidneys and liver, making people more prone to illness and aging. In addition, vegetarian foods contain a large amount of cellulose, which can stimulate intestinal peristalsis to speed up, facilitate bowel movements, and expel harmful substances from the body in a timely manner, reducing the irritating damage of harmful substances to the intestinal wall.