Chinese people, who have always been particular about good food, pay more attention to vegetarian food, fruits and light food as their living standards improve. Many big cities such as Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Harbin, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Hangzhou have already built vegetarian restaurants and vegetarian shops, and their business is booming.
Vegetarianism has been popular in Western developed countries for many years. Long-term studies in the scientific and medical circles have confirmed that vegetarianism is of great benefit to human health. Some experts pointed out that this century is an era of vegetarianism that advocates nature, health and practices human environmental protection.
A light and simple diet can reduce the incidence of disease. Some people once thought that carnivorous animals are more ferocious and strong, so they concluded that it would be good for people to eat more meat. In fact, this is a big misunderstanding. The ancients said: If you want to live forever, your intestines should be clean. Relevant experts pointed out that the intestines of animals are very short, and the absorption and excretion cycle of meat after eating is also very short. However, the intestines of the human body are much longer than those of animals, and it is impossible to discharge the waste after eating meat in a short time. This may contaminate the internal organs and cause illness. Intake of too much meat will cause acidic blood. According to clinical observations, 70% of human diseases occur in acidic bodies, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, etc., which are mostly caused by eating too much meat. Relevant scientists studied the food composition of seven countries and found that the countries with the highest meat consumption also had the highest rates of coronary heart disease and mortality among their citizens, while vegetarians had relatively lower rates of coronary heart disease and mortality.
The "Huangdi Neijing" says: "The changes in the fat are enough to cause big boils, and the symptoms are as if they are weak." This means that people who eat fish and meat and the thick taste of fat for a long time are enough to produce big boils in their bodies. Boils come, and the possibility of getting sick is as easy as holding an empty container to accept something. Experts generally believe that vegetarian foods are rich in variety, nutritious, delicious, clean and hygienic, and can help reduce the body's blood fat content and avoid pathological changes caused by improper cooking of meat. Vegetarians are bound to have fewer diseases and live longer. result. There is an investigation report. In 1985, the third department of Shanghai Eighth Five Hospital conducted a comprehensive physical examination on 100 vegetarians and 100 non-vegetarians in Suzhou and Shanghai. The results showed that the blood viscosity of the non-vegetarians was significantly higher. Higher than vegetarians, among 100 vegetarians, only 18 people suffer from cardiovascular diseases, while 67 meat eaters have no disease; among 100 vegetarians, 57 have no disease; among 100 meat eaters, only 57 have no disease. 8 people. The subjects of this examination are all elderly people over 60 years old. It proves that vegetarians will not have their blood viscosity increase as they age. As we all know, high blood viscosity is the cause of coronary heart disease and various chronic diseases.
Therefore, the effects of vegetarianism on human health are as follows: First, it can prevent high blood pressure. Someone once checked the blood pressure of most vegetarian Mormons and found that their blood pressure was 4 to 5 degrees lower than that of meat eaters. Some people's blood pressure will immediately drop by a little 3 degrees after they stop eating meat for a few months. However, , if you resume eating meat, your blood pressure will return to its original state within a few weeks. Second, it can lower cholesterol. Vegetarian foods contain less cholesterol than meat-based foods, while pure vegetarian foods contain no cholesterol at all. Vegetarians have lower blood cholesterol levels than ordinary people, and vegans have the lowest levels. Harvard Medical School in the United States conducted an experiment on vegetarianism. If a vegetarian eats half a pound of beef a day, his cholesterol will quickly increase by 19%, and his pulse rate will also accelerate. When the experiment ended and they returned to a vegetarian diet, their cholesterol returned to its original state within 10 to 14 days. The British medical community conducted a follow-up survey of 1,100 subjects and found that if cholesterol and blood pressure are properly controlled, heart disease can be effectively prevented, and the rate of heart disease among vegetarians is much lower than that among meat eaters. Third, vegetarians are less susceptible to cancer. Scientists have confirmed that various cancers are related to dietary structure. Long-term high-fat diet will promote thymus atrophy and inhibit the immune function of lymphocytes. People's continuous intake of high-fat foods will only increase the risk of breast cancer, intestinal cancer, prostate cancer, etc. incidence and mortality, and vegetables and fruits contain inexhaustible anti-cancer factors. A survey by scientists found that Shanghainese in the United States are 4 to 7 times more likely to suffer from cancer than Shanghainese in China. This may be directly related to the American high-fat diet. Fourth, vegetarians are less likely to suffer from gallstones. Medical experts from the University of Oxford in the UK conducted an experiment on 700 vegetarian women and concluded that their chance of suffering from gallstones was only one-half of that of the average person; fifth, vegetarians are less likely to suffer from diabetes.
Relevant research reports point out that meat or fat will hinder the metabolism of insulin, so vegetarians are less likely to suffer from diabetes. A survey that followed 25,000 experimenters for 21 years fully confirmed this; sixth, vegetarians are less likely to suffer from bone disease Porosis. After menopause, the bone remodeling function will deteriorate significantly and lead to osteoporosis. However, research shows that the rate of mineral loss in the bones of vegetarians is only half that of meat eaters.
As for the benefits of a light diet, Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of the modern revolution, once expressed it well in the article "Chinese People Should Keep Chinese Dietary Laws". He said: "China not only has many food inventions, but also cooking methods. The beauty is beyond the reach of other countries, and the Chinese people's eating habits are consistent with scientific hygiene, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people in other countries. What the Chinese often drink is tea, and what they eat is light rice, with vegetables and tofu, etc. Food is considered by today's health experts to be the most beneficial to health. Therefore, people in remote areas of China who eat less than meat and wine often live longer. "Here, Sun Yat-sen has elaborated on the causal relationship between longevity and light diet. Very clear. Then, he turned to tofu, a vegetarian food. "Tofu is actually a meat material among plants. It has the function of meat material but does not have the poison of meat material. Therefore, the whole country of China is vegetarian and has become accustomed to it. Don't wait for scholars to advocate it." The most interesting thing is that he also compared the pros and cons of Chinese and Western eating habits: "People in Europe and America drink dirty wine and eat fishy smells, and they are also accustomed to each other, so although there is science in the past. This promotion was followed by strict laws and strict prohibitions, such as the strict prohibition on alcohol in Russia and the United States in modern times, but it cannot be transferred for a while. When it comes to diet alone, China's customs should be superior to those of other countries. This life. The most important thing is that the Chinese people no longer have to wait for profit and temptation, and it is a great blessing that they can get used to it naturally. "
The benefits of vegetarianism to the human body are reflected in the following aspects: First. First, a vegetarian diet is helpful for people to feel refreshed and calm. Especially for people who practice martial arts and qigong, they can calm down and gather energy faster and better, thereby achieving the purpose of benefiting the body and mind and prolonging life. Second, a vegetarian diet can enhance the body's resilience as quickly as possible. Relevant data show that vegetables are not only rich in vitamins, but also contain essential minerals for the human body, which have disease prevention and medical health care effects.
If frail and sick children can eat more vegetables, beans, fruits, kelp and milk, their health can be significantly improved. Third, vegetarians have good physique, are agile and have endurance. Because the blood of vegetarians is pure and the blood viscosity is low, the blood can circulate unobstructed in the internal organs, so that the various internal organs will not be blocked due to disease, the internal organs become strong, and other organ systems are naturally healthy. Therefore, the vegetarian body constitution Good, sudden disease is less likely to occur, the mood is easier to stabilize, and the body is more symmetrical. There is no meat-eater who consumes excessive fat, and protein is stored in the body, making the movement appear slow and staggering. Most people are skeptical about whether vegetarians can achieve excellent results on the sports field. In recent years, a large number of reports have shown that vegetarian athletes have slightly stronger physical strength and endurance than meat-eating athletes, such as vegetarian athletes Murray and Maureen Ross. Once considered the greatest swimmer with amazing speed and endurance, Weissmuller set 50 world swimming records. Fourth, a vegetarian diet is helpful for losing weight and improving your figure. Relevant scholars believe that eating too much meat will increase the accumulation of lactic acid in the human body. An increase in lactic acid will make the blood acidic, and acidic substances will slow down the normal metabolism of the human body and cause obesity. The plant foods in vegetarian diets can make the blood alkaline, which can activate the body's metabolism and break down and burn the fat accumulated in the body to achieve the effect of natural weight loss. Fifth, vegetarianism is the most effective way to maintain your health. Many female stars in Hollywood always have one secret in their skin care secrets: abstain from all meat for one to three days a week. In order to purify their blood, they also try to eat as little meat as possible in their daily diet. The benefits of vegetarianism are obvious when you look at their radiant skin. In addition, a vegetarian diet is fundamentally beneficial to the environment. In order to meet the needs of meat eaters, not only a large amount of various resources on the earth are consumed, but also serious pollution is caused. According to expert surveys, to obtain one pound of beef, 20 pounds of grain crops must be consumed to feed beef cattle. In order to grow good crops to feed cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, etc., a large amount of chemical fertilizers and high-efficiency pesticides are used. Ultimately, The consequence is that the "health" of the land is destroyed and productivity declines year by year.
However, in order to increase productivity as quickly as possible, people have to use more chemical fertilizers. As a result of such a vicious cycle, how can humans be healthy? Therefore, medical experts and environmental scientists have long warned people: personal eating habits, Lifestyle is not only related to one's own physical and mental health, but also has a profound impact on the health of the earth. Therefore, the lines in the American film "Plague on Earth" can give humans more warnings: "We have no right to complain, but we have the responsibility to The world returns to normal order. What else do we have to do but survive?" John Robbins, author of "The New American Diet," spent nearly three years interviewing large farms and slaughterhouses. The following conclusions were drawn: First, more than half of the water in the United States is used to raise animals for human consumption. It takes 500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat, but only 25 gallons of water is needed to produce one pound of cereal. Second, 260 million acres of forests in the United States have been developed into farmland to produce grains to feed livestock. That is, as long as one person becomes a vegetarian, one acre of forest can be saved. Third, three-quarters of the topsoil in the United States is lost, 85% of which is caused by raising livestock. Therefore, on March 20, 1985, the United States launched the first "Meat-Free Day" event in 26 cities. The person in charge of the event Aris Heshu, a Polish environmental scientist, said: "Abandon Meat Day" is first of all to solve the serious health problems caused by meat eating. Every year, 150,000 people in the United States suffer from coronary artery disease, cerebral thrombosis, heart disease, cancer, stroke and Other chronic diseases, which are apparently directly related to eating too much meat and animal fats. Fourth, 90% of wastewater pollution is caused by animal husbandry, which produces 200 pounds of excrement every day, which is 20 times more than the population of the United States. At least half of it flows directly into water sources. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain and establish a reasonable ecological environment. It is also necessary to actively improve human diet structure and living habits, eat less
meat and eat more fresh and nutritious fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and grains with high fiber and low fat.
So how should a reasonable vegetarian diet be carried out? Domestic and foreign experts who have been engaged in vegetarianism research for a long time generally believe that vegetarianism is beneficial to human health. Generally speaking, the following principles should be followed: First, a reasonable combination and proper intake, such as a balanced intake of cereals, beans, roots, and leafy vegetables, will prevent the body from lacking the protein and various substances it needs. The second is to adapt measures to local conditions, people, and food at the time. In order to ensure a balanced nutritional balance for the human body, you can supplement the nutrients needed by the organism according to your own physical health. For example, people with poor gastrointestinal function can eat more purple cabbage. ; People with poor bones should eat more apples, spinach, and drink more milk; people with protein deficiency can eat more peanuts, almonds and other kernel foods. However, for people who have been eating mainly meat for a long time, they can gradually develop eating habits that transition to vegetarianism by switching from less meat to more vegetables.
To sum up, diet is the main way to maintain human life activities and is also a kind of culture. Vegetarianism has become an unchangeable dietary trend and a new trend in human pursuit of health today and even in the 21st century. According to statistics, 20% of vegetarians in the United States are now vegetarians. In London, England, about three million people have decided to give up meat, and the number is still increasing. It is estimated that vegetarians account for 10% of young women today. First, in the past three years, one-third of British people have reduced their meat consumption, and more and more restaurants and schools have begun to serve vegetarian meals. According to reports, Prince Charles, Princess Diana and the famous pop singer Michael Jackson They are all vegetarians who do not eat meat. In recent years, the trend of vegetarianism has become very popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian countries. In Taiwan alone, which has a population of 20 million, 10 million people are vegetarians. Human beings' deep love for vegetarianism is not accidental, but has been experienced through long-term life practice. Through personal observation, experience, and comparison with a large number of life examples, I gradually understood the profound relationship between vegetarianism and life, and developed a deep affection for vegetarianism.
Since ancient times, our country’s food culture has been world-famous. The four major cuisines and the Manchu and Han banquets are mostly considered from the taste. How to eat nutritiously and eat healthier? Today we should seriously study , maybe sometimes it is difficult to get the best of both worlds, benevolent people have different views on benevolence, and wise people have different views on wisdom. So, how should we decide to choose? Do you want good health or good taste? This article only puts forward opinions from one perspective, in order to be better, healthier and more comfortable. To maintain your own healthy body and achieve comprehensive and healthy development of body and mind, you should adopt a scientific concept of health care as the fundamental guarantee for health and longevity. At the same time, you should also focus on correct and reasonable vegetarian health care, adapting to the time, place, and people. Be vegetarian based on reality.
In recent years, with the increase in the incidence of "diseases of affluence" such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity caused by overnutrition, as well as the rise of people seeking health and beauty, Affected by the craze for weight loss, vegetarianism has gradually become a fashion.
There is still a popular saying among the people that a vegetarian diet can lead to health and longevity. Some people even pointed out that a certain eminent monk lived a long life and lived for more than 100 years, so a vegetarian diet is beneficial. In fact, this is just an example. Judging from the current scientific research, there is not enough evidence to show that there is an inevitable connection between vegetarianism and longevity.
Long-term vegetarian nutrition imbalance
The six major nutrients that maintain human health are protein, fat, sugar, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Each type is very important to the body, and deficiencies Not even one. Taken together, these nutrients have three main functions: 1. Supply the heat energy required by the human body. 2. Provide what is needed for the growth, development or repair of human tissue. 3. Help the human body adjust its functions.
When vegetarianism has almost become a fashion, many experts have pointed out that vegetarianism will affect health. According to a survey on the life span of monks, it was found that because monks have been vegetarians for a long time, their body resistance is low, they are more likely to suffer from anemia, and their life span is actually lower than that of ordinary people. Some people go on a diet or have a partial diet in order to conform to modern bodybuilding "standards", causing serious harm to their health. Scientists have found that not eating meat for a long time will cause some nutrients needed by the human body to not be replenished in time, causing damage to certain organs in the human body.
It affects sexual desire over time
Long-term vegetarianism not only affects the general health, but also affects people’s sexual function. American nutritionist Anna Marie Copen pointed out: The impact of vegetarianism sexual desire. One of her surveys showed that vegetarians have a high rate of low sexual desire, premature ejaculation, and even erectile dysfunction.
Scientific research has found that animal fat can increase the secretion of sex hormones in the body, while vegetarian food does not contain any meat, which can reduce people's sexual desire. Moreover, the diet of vegetarians mostly consists of sexually inhibiting foods. For example, sugar, dairy products or eggs are used instead of animal fats. Refined sugar and processed dairy products lose many nutrients and can cause sexual or reproductive dysfunction. If you want to adopt a sex-free lifestyle, you can switch to a vegetarian diet.
As we all know, testosterone is an important substance that stimulates and maintains sexual desire. Studies have found that people who don't eat enough protein are at risk of lowered testosterone levels, which can lead to sexual dysfunction, as well as reduced red blood cells and bone damage. People who do not eat meat are particularly at risk because animal foods are the best source of proteins of high biological value.
Many trace elements are closely related to human reproductive functions, especially zinc. Zinc is a component of many enzymes. There are more than 100 enzymes in the human body that contain zinc. It plays an important role in maintaining the normal structure and function of the male reproductive system. Zinc deficiency can reduce sperm count, affect sexual desire, reduce sexual function, and lead to delayed puberty and male infertility. There are several reasons for primary zinc deficiency. First, the zinc content in the diet is too low. For example, cereals and vegetables contain low zinc, while seafood has high zinc content. The food with the highest zinc content is oyster meat, and others such as Beef, milk, chicken, chicken liver, egg yolk, shellfish, etc. Secondly, the bioavailability of zinc in different foods varies greatly, and the bioavailability of zinc in meat and seafood is much higher than that in vegetables. In addition, some ingredients in the diet, such as phytic acid, oxalic acid, cellulose, ferrous iron, calcium, copper and cadmium, are inhibitors of zinc absorption and can interfere with zinc absorption. Phytic acid is particularly important.
Vegetarian habits have an impact on the sexual function of both men and women, but the impact on men is more serious than that on women. The reason is that male sex hormones will be reduced due to long-term vegetarianism.
Clinically, it has been found that long-term vegetarianism not only affects people's sexual function, but also affects fertility.
There is a couple in Tianjin who have been married for five years but have not been able to have children. They went to the hospital for physical examination and found no abnormalities. The attentive doctor learned during the consultation that they advocated vegetarianism and had not touched any meat or fish in the past five years and only ate grains and vegetables at every meal. The doctor then informed: Long-term vegetarian diet will affect the secretion of sex hormones in women, leading to low reproductive function. It can also cause male sexual dysfunction and testicular spermatogenesis, leading to infertility. The couple followed the doctor's advice and changed their eating habits to a vegetarian diet. Sure enough, they became pregnant soon after.
The elderly should be more cautious when adopting a vegetarian diet
Some elderly people abandon non-vegetarian food and become vegetarian, which is actually unwise.
The aging of the human body, hair whitening, loose teeth, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease are all related to insufficient intake of manganese. Manganese deficiency not only affects bone development, but also causes bone pain, fatigue, hunchback, fractures and other diseases throughout the body. Manganese deficiency can also cause slow thinking and poor feeling. Because the manganese contained in plant foods is difficult for the human body to absorb, and although meat foods contain less manganese, it is easily utilized by the human body. Therefore, eating meat is an important way to absorb manganese. Therefore, the elderly should not simply be vegetarian.
Some middle-aged and elderly people have been vegetarians for a long time in order to lower blood lipids. This is also inappropriate. The causes of hyperlipidemia are very complex, many of which are caused by disorders of blood lipid metabolism, which cannot be explained by eating too much oil and meat. At the same time, long-term avoidance of meat and fish is a partial eclipse that will lead to insufficient intake of protein, lipids, fat-soluble vitamins, and certain trace elements, leading to malnutrition, decreased immunity, and may even induce cancer.
Researchers found that a low-protein diet in older adults led to an increase in the sex hormone binder hemoglobin, which reduced the effectiveness of testosterone.
Balanced diet is good for health
Modern nutrition does not advocate that people should be vegetarians for a long time. Instead, it has repeatedly emphasized that nutrition should be balanced and the proportion of nutrient intake should be reasonable. When taking nutritional supplements, certain scientific rules must be followed, and there must be neither malnutrition nor overnutrition. Just because a certain nutrient is important cannot be supplemented over and over again, causing adverse consequences. For example, protein is the most important nutrient for the human body. Engels once described it: "Life is the way protein exists." However, it is the first nutrient of life. If it is taken in excess, it will cause metabolic disorders in the human body. Poisoning can lead to death in severe cases. This is true for protein, let alone other nutrients. Too much is not enough, believe it!
The World Health Organization has a "Victoria Declaration", which puts reasonable nutrition and a balanced diet in the first place of health. Remind everyone to consume nutrients scientifically and rationally.