#PowerOfBeingVegetarian: Vegetarian diet lowers cancer risk, types of vegetarians

New Delhi, Aug 28: Important benefits of a vegetarian diet is that it's typically lower in saturated fat and animal protein, and higher in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and vitamins C and E. Cutting meat can help lower cancer risk.

Several published reports show that vegetarians also have a lower risk of obesity, hypertension, and of developing diabetes. It lower cancer risk. The American Institute for Cancer Research promotes a plant-based diet.

Lots of people have more than one reason for choosing vegetarianism. Parental preferences, religious or other beliefs, and health issues are among the most common reasons for choosing to be a vegetarian. Many people choose a vegetarian diet out of concern over animal rights or the environment.

"It can be one of the healthiest ways to eat because we know plant foods are loaded with nutrients to protect our health." According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease.

In place of meat, a lot of vegetarians use soy-based products like tofu or tempeh, which can be made to taste a lot like meat.

Traditionally, research into vegetarianism focused mainly on potential nutritional deficiencies, but in recent years, the pendulum has swung the other way, and studies are confirming the health benefits of meat-free eating.

Nowadays, plant-based eating is recognized as not only nutritionally sufficient but also as a way to reduce the risk for many chronic illnesses.

According to the American Dietetic Association, "appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."

You can get many of the health benefits of being vegetarian without going all the way.

Varieties of vegetarians:

Vegetarians are people who don't eat meat, poultry, or seafood. But people with many different dietary patterns call themselves vegetarians, including the following:

Vegans (total vegetarians): Do not eat meat, poultry, fish, or any products derived from animals, including eggs, dairy products, and gelatin.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians: Do not eat meat, poultry, or fish, but do eat eggs and dairy products.

Lacto vegetarians: Eat no meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, but do consume dairy products.

Ovo vegetarians: Eat no meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products, but do eat eggs.

Partial vegetarians: Avoid meat but may eat fish (pesco-vegetarian, pescatarian) or poultry (pollo-vegetarian).