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According to the May issue of Diabetes Care, researchers have determined that following a vegetarian diet may help protect individuals from developing both obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The study, which was conducted by Serena Tonstad, MD, PhD, from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California and several colleagues, took a closer look at 22,434 men and 38,469 women between the years of 2002 and 2006.  The purpose of the study was to compare the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in those who follow a vegetarian diet compared to those who do not.  For those of us who follow a vegetarian diet, the results aren’t much of a surprise.

“The European Prospective Investigation found that BMI was highest in the meat eaters, lowest in vegans, and intermediate in fish lovers,” reported Dr. Tonstad.  “The protective effects of vegetarianism against overweight may be due to avoidance of major food groups, displacement of calories toward food groups that are more satisfying, or other factors.  Based on a review of experimental data, investigators have suggested that the portfolio of foods found in vegetarian diets may carry metabolic advantages for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”

The researchers took a look at data such as self-reported lifestyle information, medical history and food intake.  They then nfound that vegans had the lowest BMI of just 23.6 kg/m2 . The more meat the individuals had in their diet, the greater their BMI became, with non-vegetarians having an average BMI of 28.8 kg/m2 . The researchers also found that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes steadily increased according to the amount of meat consumption.  2.9% of those following a vegan diet suffered from the disease, while 7.6% of non-vegetarians suffered from diabetes.

Adjustments were made to compensate for other potential causes of the differences, including ethnicity, age, education, sex, physical activity, income, sleep habits, television watching and alcohol use.

“The 5-unit BMI difference between vegans and nonvegetarians indicates a substantial potential of vegetarianism to protect against obesity,” the study authors write. “Increased conformity to vegetarian diets protected against risk of type 2 diabetes after lifestyle characteristics and BMI were taken into account. Pesco- and semi-vegetarian diets afforded intermediate protection.”

Looking for a tasty, meat-free meal with a little Italian flavor? If so, you might want to try out this yummy beetroot ravioli recipe, which not only doesn’t include any meat, but does not include dairy products as well.  Here’s a list of the ingredients and procedure for creating this meal

Green Garlic Oil

1 cup of fresh chives
 2 cups of organic grape seed, or mild organic olive oil
 Half a cup of chopped parsley
3 teaspoons of coarsely crushed young garlic
Pinch of sea salt

Blend the parsley, chives, sea salt and oil, then pour it through a chinoise or a fine mesh strainer while slowly stirring the oil out into a container.  Dispose of the leftover pulp and then toss the garlic into the oil and allow it to sit for one day.

Herb and Cashew Bourson

2 cups of cashews soaked for 12-14 hours
1 teaspoon of New Chapter Probiotics dissolved in 1 cup warm filtered water, or 1 cup fresh rejuvelac
Half a teaspoon of onion powder
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, small flake
1 & a half teaspoons of finely diced chives
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 teaspoons of finely minced parsley
2 teaspoons of finely minced shallots
Cracked black pepper

Blend the cashews in with the probiotics and water until the mixture is smooth. Place the mixture in a glass bowel, place a towel over it and allow it to sit for 14 to 16 hours in a warm place.  After allowing the mixture to sit, mix in the remaining ingredients to create the bouson cheese feeling.

Ravioli

1 large beetroot
Aged balsamic vinegar
Course Sea salt to taste
Minced chives
Fresh Cracked black pepper

Slice the beetroots so they are paper-thin.  Marinate the beets in the garlic oil for one hour.  Then, lay the beets out flat and place about one tablespoon of the cheese filling into the center of each one.  Place another sliced beet over the top and then drizzle some of the garlic oil over the top.  Top it all off with by flavoring with the minced chives, cracked pepper, aged balsamic vinegar and sea salt.

It is always good to hear about people who are taking a proactive approach to promote vegetarianism - but it is even better to learn that an entire city is taking steps to get its people to pass on the meat and to eat more veggies. 

According to reports, the city of Ghent, Belgium is launching its first “Veggie Day” celebration.  In accordance with this special day, the city is encouraging its residents as well as the city’s residents to pass on the meat for one day each week in order to help preserve our planet.

The Flanders’ Ethical Vegetarian Association, which is one of the groups that is promoting the event, estimates that the city can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 18% per day if its residents skip on the pork, beef, fish and chicken one day per week.  These findings are consistent with the findings published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in 2006. 

Environmental concerns weren’t the only reason the city decide to promote going meat-free, however, as concerns regarding animal welfare, human health and labor issues also give good reason to skip on the meat.

Although residents will not be required to skip on the meat once per day, the city claims to be the first in Europe to take such drastic measures to try to get its residents to go meatless.  This includes requiring every restaurant in the city to guarantee a vegetarian dish to be on the menu every Thursday and for the schools to provide a vegetarian lunch every Thursday as its primary lunch option. 

It will certainly be interesting to see how well the citizens of Ghent embrace “meat-free Thursdays.”  Hopefully, other countries around the world will follow the city’s lead and start encouraging their residents to do the same.

Do you need more reasons to become a vegetarian?  Vegetarian’s have long known that passing up the meat in favor of veggies is an important step to take toward conserving the planet’s resources, but it has only been within the past couple years that major studies have come out to support this fact.  Here’s a look at just a few of the shocking findings that have been uncovered by a variety of reputable organizations:

· The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) published a study called “Livestock’s Long Shadow” in 2006 in which it revealed that the livestock industry is the cause of 18% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions
· The country of Brazil reported that it lost 12,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest in a one year period, mainly due to cattle ranchers and soy producers who are supplying animal feed to European markets
· Raising a livestock uses far more water than growing vegetables, with 1 kilogram of meat taking about 200 times more water to produce than the same amount o wheat
· In the United States, farm animals consume 5 calories of food for every 1 calorie of food they produce, while farm animals in India consume less than 1.5 calories for every calorie consumed.  In Kenya, on the other hand, livestock provides more calories than it consumes.

So, even if you aren’t quite ready to cut the meat out of your diet entirely, you should seriously consider going “meat free” at least one day per week.  This way, you can help reduce the negative environmental impact that meat-eating creates.  And, who knows, you may just decide you like passing on the meat once you discover how great your body feels!

If you have seen some of the headlines surrounding actress Kirstie Alley recently, you may be feeling a bit offended.  The fact that the actress has struggled with her weight has never been a secret - particularly after she managed to lose 40 pounds as a Jenny Craig spokesperson only to put that and more back on later.  Now that Alley has resolved to shed the pounds once more, she has been quoted as saying that she packed the pounds back on because of a vegetarian diet.

“For seven months, I was a vegetarian, and I can’t tell you how much weight I gained being a vegetarian!” she is quoted as saying.

Unfortunately, much of Alley’s quote is being placed out of context and being used by anti-vegetarians in an attempt to prove that being a vegetarian is not a healthy choice.  But, to get the full picture, you need to read the rest of what Alley had to say.

“A vegetarian would probably be eating vegetables.  But, to me, being a vegetarian meant I’m going to eat enchiladas with no meat, and I’m going to eat lots of bread, lots of carbs,” she went on to say.

The reality is that you still have to make smart food choices even as a vegetarian if you hope to lose weight or to maintain your body weight.  By definition, you would be a vegetarian if you at nothing but cake and cookies, but this certainly would not be very healthy for your body.  Therefore, if you are hoping to follow a vegetarian diet in order to drop off extra pounds, be sure to keep the following guidelines in mind:

· Eat a variety of foods so you can get the proper balance of vitamins and minerals
· Go easy on cheese, as it is quite fattening
· Don’t snack on sugary foods between meals - if you get hungry between meals, choose healthy foods to satisfy your hunger
· Steer clear of unhealthy foods that are full of sugar and fat, yet have little nutritional value

By keeping these four basic tips in  mind, you won’t have to worry about experiencing a ballooning waistline in the way Alley did, but you can still enjoy all of the benefits associated with following a meatless diet.