vegetarianism
for health
Overweight is not the only popular concern in this age of plentiful and sophisticated
food; heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and other adult
diseases are some of the other threats we face today. Vegetarianism has thus become extremely popular in Europe
and the United States, and vegetarian restaurants have opened
up practically everywhere in response.
In recent years, vegetarian restaurants have also become a common sight in Taiwan.
Besides those who eat in such establishments for religious reasons, more and more people
patronize them for physical health and beauty.
In the process of evolving from herbivore to omnivore, the human race learned to eat
meat. Man discovered that flesh foods were not only tasty, but also provided him with
energy and accelerated growth. It is notable, however, that in the evolutionary process,
most of the original physiological functions of the body did not change along with the
change in diet.
Now, in this age of processed foods, our digestive
systems and metabolisms are facing a crisis of adjustment they cannot cope with. One result of this crisis is the series of adult
diseases just mentioned, along with constipation and other ailments related to an
inappropriate diet.
An ''inappropriate diet" is one that is either lopsided toward one particular kind of
food, or that includes too many meat and flesh foods. Due to the limitations of their
environment, Eskimos living in the Arctic Circle consume mainly flesh foods and rarely
eat vegetables. According to statistics, their average life expectancy is only 27 years,
and most suffer from neural disorders and other related ailments.
This can be traced to eating too much flesh food.
Another significant benefit of a vegetarian diet is that it promotes beauty.
A vegetarian diet stimulates the metabolism and makes for a smoothly functioning digestive system,
and it prevents constipation and damage to the skin resulting from the formation of amine
and other harmful compounds. It makes the skin more supple, smooth, and glowing.
Adhering to a vegetarian diet can also lower cholesterol count, an important benefit for
those suffering from a variety of adult diseases.
Vegetarian foods that are high in complete proteins are beans and legumes
(especially soy beans, peanuts, sesame seed, and so forth) and wheat gluten, and
products made from them. Vegetarians should eat plenty of these foods for balanced
and complete nutrition. (In order to obtain all
the essential amino acids for complete proteins and
also obtain many other important nutrients, Advanced
Liquid Nutrition is a great solution.)
Eating vegetarian food in a restaurant is certainly convenient, but
when cooking your own vegetarian dishes you can control the sanitary conditions, and add a home-cooked
touch to your meals that no restaurant could ever match. In this age of health and beauty
consciousness, vegetarianism is one good way to cultivate both.
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