The old adage “You are what you eat” still makes a lot of sense. Would you rather be organic rice with curried vegetables or a quarter-pound of hormone-laden, toxin-packed dead cow? The benefits of a vegetarian diet abound...

Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. A person on a typical American meat-eating diet has a 50 percent higher rate of heart disease than a person on a 100 percent vegetarian diet.


A 100 percent vegetarian diet is significantly lower in saturated fats (which mainly come from animal fat) and cholesterol (found only in animal-based products). Saturated fats and cholesterol are major factors in heart disease.


Strict vegetarians have lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension. A low-fat 100 percent vegetarian diet combined with stress reduction techniques can actually reverse hardening of the arteries.


Cancer
Instances of breast cancer are dramatically fewer in countries where a plant-based diet is common. Vegetarians have a 40 percent lower chance of breast cancer and in some studies consistently demonstrated lower rates of colon cancer.


Diabetes
Meat-eaters have an 80 percent higher chance of getting diabetes than vegetarians do. Recent studies found that type 2 diabetics can significantly reduce their need to take medicine while following a strict vegetarian diet (and participants also reduced their cholesterol and weight).


Body Mass
A low-fat vegan diet with moderate exercise can decrease body mass and make it easier to maintain a healthy weight. A vegan diet is a practical and sensible diet, as opposed to fad diets that encourage unhealthy eating habits.


Calcium Absorption and Protein
Humans are the only animals who drink the milk of other species. Human bodies have no need for cow’s milk. Conventional cow’s milk is full of hormones, steroids and other toxins that weaken human immunity systems and may even contribute to cancer.

Cow’s milk contains pus (somatic cells). The average liter of milk in the Untied States contains 323 million pus cells, well over the “safe” level of 200 million! Even organic milk contains dioxins, cholesterol, fat, blood and pus.


Too much protein, especially animal protein from meat and dairy, can cause the excretion of calcium through urination and increase the risk of osteoporosis. Too much protein also strains the kidneys, possibly leading to kidney disease. Most Americans get twice as much protein as they need. Adequate amounts of calcium are easily obtained through plant foods such as broccoli, beans, grains, kale and spinach, and such calcium is more easily absorbed by the body than calcium from cow’s milk.


Pregnancy and Raising Children on a Vegetarian Diet: What the Doctors Say
Children and pregnant mothers are especially susceptible to dietary dangers. Both groups should avoid the drugs, hormones, pesticides and other detriments of a meat- and dairy-based diet.


In a 20-year study of 17,000 vegetarian pregnancies, only one in 100 births were by Caesarean. In the study, there was only one case of hypertension.


All pregnant women need more calories and extra protein. Foods such as tofu, tempeh, beans, grains and nut butters contain plenty of protein to satisfy this need. Expectant mothers should consume adequate amounts of plant-sourced calcium, as well as iron, folic acid and vitamins.


One of America’s most respected pediatricians, the late Dr. Benjamin Spock, recommended that parents raise their children on a vegetarian diet.


“We now know,” he wrote, “that there are harmful effects of a meaty diet. Children who grow up getting their nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer...


“I no longer recommend dairy products... There was a time when cow’s milk was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this recommendation.”


Pediatricians have found that chronic ear infections and respiratory problems are aggravated when dairy is part of a child’s diet. Children can get all the calcium they need from plant foods such as broccoli, chickpeas, almonds, black beans, tahini and kale.


The American Dietetic Association says, “Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation [i.e., breastfeeding], infancy, childhood, and adolescence.”


Further Reading
The Food Revolution by John Robbins

Raising Vegetarian Children by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina

The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family by Virginia and Mark Messina

Raising Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World by Erin Pavlina

Eat Right, Live Longer by Neal Barnard, M.D.

Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery by Dean Ornish, M.D.

Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care by Benjamin Spock, M.D.