The Health Benefits of Vegetarianism and Flexitarianism

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Some people turn to vegetarianism because of animal rights, because they feel like they have a moral obligation to refuse eating animal flesh, eggs, or even other byproducts. It’s only in more recent years that more and more people are turning veggie because of the health and nutritional benefits of vegetarianism. More and more research recently shows that eating meat (particularly red meat) can be harmful to your health. 

Here are some reasons why you may want to consider ditching meat: 

• People who eat a lot of red meat put themselves at a higher risk for heart disease, certain cancers, hypertension, and diabetes.
• Red meat is generally very fatty and can lead directly to a weight problem. Especially since red meat makes up the majority of what’s found in fast food restaurants, if you decide to cut red meat, you’ll likely end up eating at greasy, unhealthy fast food joints as well, and popping diet pills to keep your weight
•  situation under control.
• Animal products are more likely to contain toxins, contaminants, and other elements which could lead to food-borne illnesses.
• If meat, poultry, or eggs are not prepared properly, certain bacteria will not be killed and could lead to serious infections, like salmonella.
• The more animal products you consume, the less whole grains, fruits, and vegetables you end up eating. Our bodies fare much better on those things than on animal products, especially when it comes to lowering blood cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight.

In the past, vegetarianism was an all-or-nothing deal. Either you didn’t eat meat or you did. The tide has turned and the situation could not be more different today. Strict vegetarians are now vegans, people who do not eat any animal products (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy), and people who refer to themselves as “vegetarians” now run the spectrum from just not eating red meat, to only eating fish, to only eating eggs and dairy but no meat, poultry, or fish. 

And now there’s a new term to add to the mix: You can now become a flexitarian, and this is something that more and more Americans are embracing. This is, exactly as it sounds, a very flexible vegetarian. Flexitarians will cut out some meat from their diets, but not all. Flexitarians understand the value of eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and non-animal proteins, but believe that meat and other animal products still have value in their lives. 

Eating meat in moderation seems to be a diet trend that almost anyone these days would embrace—so in a way, aren’t we all flexitarians?