Where Is The Meat? The Benefits of Being Vegetarian

Question 1

Do vegetarian diets affect blood pressure (BP) in adults?

Vegetarian diets reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults more than omnivorous diets. (Kahan & Cheskin, 2014)

Question 2

Do vegetarian diets reduce heart disease?

A carefully planned vegetarian diet with adequate supplementation may be an effective tool for primary prevention of heart disease. (Sticher, Smith & Davidson, 2010)

Question 3

Do vegetarian diets reduce stress and anxiety?

The mood of individuals eating a plant-based diet, without intake of animal-derived nutrient forms known to be essential for mental health, does not appear to be adversely affected, and may be better than the mood experienced by similar individuals eating an animal-based diet. Considering our previous research, we have found that increasing restriction of animal foods (e.g. going from vegetarian to vegan) is associated with improved mood. (Beezhold, Radnitz, Rinne & DiMatteo 2015)

Question 4

Do vegetarian diets maintain bone health and prevent fractures?

Good-quality vegetarian diets can provide a healthy foundation for building and maintaining healthy bones and for preventing fracture. (Tucker, 2014)

Plant-based diets can provide adequate amounts of key nutrients for bone health. (Mangels, 2014) 

Question 5

Do vegan diets help in loosing weight?

Vegan diets are an effective way to lose weight. Education about good sources of important nutrients is needed to ensure that the diets are nutritionally adequate. (Mangels, 2015)

 Works Cited

Beezhold, B., Radnitz, C., Rinne, A., & DiMatteo, J. (2015). Vegans report less stress and anxiety than omnivores. Nutritional Neuroscience, 18(7), 289. doi:10.1179/1476830514Y.0000000164

Kahan, S., & Cheskin, L. J. (2014). Review: Vegetarian diets reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure more than omnivorous diets. Annals Of Internal Medicine, 160(12), JC3.

Mangels, A. R. (2014). Bone nutrients for vegetarians. American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 100469S-475S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.071423

Mangels, R. (2015). SCIENTIFIC UPDATE. Treating Childhood Obesity with Plant-Based Diets. Vegetarian Journal, 34(3), 8-9.

Sticher, M. A., Smith, C. B., & Davidson, S. (2010). Reducing heart disease through the vegetarian diet using primary prevention. Journal Of The American Academy Of Nurse Practitioners, 22(3), 134-139. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2009.00483.x

Tucker, K. L. (2014). Vegetarian diets and bone status. American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 100329S-335S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.071621