Which Vegetarian Diet Is The Healthiest?

Video: Which Vegetarian Diet Is The Healthiest?

Video: Which Vegetarian Diet Is The Healthiest?
Video: Vegan Diet or Mediterranean Diet: Which Is Healthier? 2024, December
Which Vegetarian Diet Is The Healthiest?
Which Vegetarian Diet Is The Healthiest?
Anonim

For a number of reasons, millions of people around the world decide to give up meat and go for it vegetarian diet. But a new study from Greece shows that not all vegetarian diets are healthy - especially for people who are already obese.

The quality of vegetarian diets varies,”concludes the team led by Matina Kuvari of Harokopio University in Athens.

With a report at the virtual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), her team evaluated the diets of 146 randomly selected people in Athens who were obese, with normal blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar and without heart disease.

Their diets were assessed using a questionnaire focusing on their typical eating habits for the previous year. It asks questions about 156 foods and beverages commonly consumed in Greece.

Within 10 years, almost half of the participants developed high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and high blood sugar - a combination that is especially risky for the heart.

However, diets focused on healthier plant-based foods are linked to normal blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar. These healthier vegetarian options include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil and tea / coffee, as well as foods prepared with as little chemical treatment as possible.

On the other hand, unhealthy plant-based foods - Products such as juices, sweetened beverages, refined cereals (such as white bread and pasta), potatoes and all kinds of sweets - often lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood sugar, the team found.

"This result is more noticeable in women," Kuvari explained in an ESC news release. "Previous research has shown that women tend to eat more plant-based foods and fewer animal products than men. But our study shows that this is not a guaranteed healthier diet, which in turn leads to more Good health."

healthy vegetarian foods
healthy vegetarian foods

Most dietary studies define a plant-based diet simply as "vegetarian" or "low-meat," meaning that all plant foods are considered equal, the researchers said. But "our study focuses on the difference in the nutritional values of different plant foods," Kuvari added.

Sharon Zarabi is a registered nutritionist who runs the bariatric program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Reading the new findings, she agrees that the complete exclusion of meat from the diet can not have a positive effect on health.

"Switching to a vegetarian diet and avoiding meat leaves more room for highly processed carbohydrates, which increase insulin levels and make it harder to lose weight," she explains.

Well-informed vegetarians who are interested in proper nutrition and want to reduce insulin (a hormone for storing fat), blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol, should plan their meals so that they include nuts, seeds, fish and eggs, depending on whether their diet allows for dairy products or seafood,”says Zarabi. In this way, they can "control protein intake and avoid the addition of excess carbohydrates," she explains.

Regardless of your diet, the key is to make it "easy to maintain and enjoyable," she adds.

As the conclusions are presented at a medical meeting, they should be considered preliminary until they are published in a peer-reviewed journal.

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