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The American Dietetic Association has finally validated what vegetarians and vegans have long known:  following a vegetarian or vegan diet is a healthy choice that can reduce your chances of suffering from certain diseases. More specifically, the ADA stated in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association that:

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.  Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life-cycle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence and for athletes.”

The article goes on to describe some of the benefits that vegetarians enjoy from their diets, including being thinner and having a lower risk of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

To help vegetarians follow a well-balanced diet, the ADA has also released a revised version of the food guide pyramid for vegetarians.    The fact that the ADA has released this new food guide pyramid goes to show that the organization recognizes the increasing popularity of this lifestyle.  So, check out the pyramid and make certain you are getting all of the proper foods and nutrients to gain the full benefits of your vegetarian or vegan diet.

If you are interested in taking your vegetarian lifestyle to a whole new level, you might want to consider following a raw diet.  With a raw diet, the majority of the food you eat should be uncooked as well as unprocessed.  It is also best to eat only organic foods when following this diet plan.

Of course, if you are still following the traditional American diet, starting a raw food diet will probably be difficult for you.  As such, you might want to consider gradually switching over to this type of diet.  Some of the foods that are typically included in this diet include:

· Fruits
· Vegetables
· Nuts
· Seeds
· Non-pasteurized/non-homogenized dairy products

It is possible, however, to follow a raw food diet while still including certain meats in your diet.  For example, some raw food practitioners include eggs in their diet as well as fish, such as sashimi, and meat, such as carpaccio.  But, to get the greatest health benefits from a raw food diet, it is best to keep meat out of your diet as well.

Despite the name, many raw food diet practitioners do cook their foods slightly.  In order to still be considered a raw food diet, however, the food should be heated to no more than 115 degrees Fahrenheit.  Those who follow this type of diet report enjoying a number of benefits.  These include:

· Weight Loss
· Preventing Illnesses
· Curing Illnesses

It is important to note, however, that some foods are unsafe when eaten raw.  Therefore, they should be eaten with caution when following a raw food diet.  Some of these include:

· Alfalfa Sprouts
· Buckwheat
· Cassava
· Eggs
· Kidney Beans
· Parsnips

Are you interested in going vegetarian, but you aren’t sure which replacement foods are good and which are not? One of the biggest reasons people are against becoming a vegetarian is because they don’t think there are any good vegetarian foods on the market.  But, the reality is that there are plenty of great substitutes for you to select from that are just as tasty - if not tastier - than the product they are replacing.

According to VegCooking.com, these are some of the best vegetarian substitutes out there.

Dairy Substitutes

If you are interested in becoming vegan or simply want to reduce the amount of dairy in your diet, you might want to try these dairy substitutes:

· WhiteWave-Silk Chocolate Soymilk
· Rice Dream Non-Dairy Beverages
· Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
· Smart Balance 37% Light Buttery Spread
· Soy Garden Natural Buttery Spread
· Follow Your Heart-Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative
· Soyco-Soymage Vegan Grated Parmesan
· Tofutti Soy-Cheese Slices
· Tofuttie-Better Than Cream Cheese
· Organic Soy Delicious Non-Diary Frozen Dessert
· Tofutti Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert
· Whole Soy Creamy Cultured Soy Yogurt

Beef Substitutes

Whether you are a vegetarian or not, cutting back on the amount of beef you consume is good for your health as well as for the environment.  Here are some beef substitutes recommended by VegCooking.com:

· Boca Original Vegan Burgers
· Gardenburger Flame Grilled Burgers
· Morningstar Farms—Better ’n Burgers Veggie Burgers
· Morningstar Farms—Grillers Burger Style Recipe Crumbles
· Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Steak Strips
· Now & Zen—Unsteak
· Nate’s Meatless Meatballs

Pork Substitutes

If you are used to eating bacon or sausage with your breakfast or are simply a fan of pork products, you will be happy to know that there are plenty of vegetarian substitutes available.  Some of these include:

· Yves Original Jumbo Dog
· Yves Veggie Cuisine—Hot ’n’ Spicy Veggie Chili Dogs
· Lightlife—Smart Bacon
· Yves Veggie—Canadian Veggie Bacon
· Lightlife—Gimme Lean Sausage Style
· Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Breakfast Links
· Lightlife—Smart Deli Country Ham Style
· Gardenburger Meatless Riblets

Chicken and Turkey Substitutes

While some vegetarians still eat turkey and chicken, it is best to cut these meats out as well.  Some great chicken and turkey substitutes include:

· Boca Chik’n Patties
· Gardenburger Flame Grilled Chik’n
· Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Chick’n Burgers
· Gardenburger Buffalo Chik’n Wings
· Worthington Chic-Ketts
· Boca Chik’n Nuggets
· Nate’s Chicken Style Nuggets
· Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips
· Tofurky Deli Slices
· Yves Veggie Cuisine—Veggie Turkey Slices

Seafood Substitutes

You might also want to cut seafood out of your diet.  Some seafood substitutes you might want to consider include:

· Vegieworld.com-Vegetarian Lobster Balls
· Vegieworld.com-Vegetarian Salmon
· Natural Touch-Tuno
· Soy Caviar

Although living a vegetarian lifestyle is the healthiest way to eat, there are some nutritional considerations that you need to keep in mind in order to follow a well-balanced diet.  After all, just as it is possible to follow a healthier diet as a meat-eater, it is also possible to follow a very poor diet if you are a vegetarian.  Therefore, in order to make certain you are getting all of the nutrients your body needs, you should take steps to include certain foods in your diet.  Here’s a look at some of the important nutrients you need and the foods you can eat to make certain you get those nutrients.

· Calcium - legumes, bok choy, kale, broccoli an collard greens all contain calcium.  You might also want to consider eating calcium-fortified orange juice, cereal and soy drinks.  If you are concerned about not getting enough calcium, you might want to consider taking calcium supplements.

· Iron - you can get iron from soybeans, fortified cereals, potato skins, legumes, raisins, prune juice and blackstrap molasses.  You can also help with improving your calcium absorption by eating foods that are rich in vitamin C.

· Zinc - good sources of zinc include legumes, fortified grains, soy foods and nuts.

· Vitamin B12 - this vitamin is found only in animal products, so you will need to take supplements and eat foods that are fortified with vitamin B12.  Some foods that are commonly fortified with vitamin B12 include soymilk, cereals and yeast substitutes. 

· Vitamin D - this vitamin is found naturally in dairy products, so it can be difficult for vegans to get enough vitamin D.  Soymilk and cereal is often fortified with vitamin D, but you may also need to take vitamin D supplements.

· Riboflavin - sources of riboflavin include asparagus, almonds, legumes, bananas and sweet potatoes.  You can also find riboflavin in fortified soymilk and cereals.

· Omega 3 Fatty Acids - this nutrient is commonly found in eggs and fish, but can also be obtained from walnuts, flaxseed oil, soybeans and canola oil.

· Protein - protein can be found in cooked beans, with one cup of cooked beans providing about the same amount of protein is 2 ounces of meat.  Peas, lentils and nuts are all good sources of protein, though nuts are also a source of high calories and should be eaten in moderation.

Regardless of your primary reason for going vegetarian, putting an end to animal cruelty is likely to be one of the many reasons you are turning your back on meat.  The reality is that the animals that are bred for food consumption are not treated well at all.  If the slaughter of these animals is not enough to turn your stomach, the fact that they are genetically manipulated, exposed to extreme weather conditions and subject to neglect should be enough reason to get you to go vegetarian.  Here’s a quick look at the things that are done to animals in order to fatten them up and to prepare them for sale:

· Chickens - drugged and bred so they grow quickly, which causes their lungs, which causes their bodies to grow so quickly that their lungs, hearts and limbs can’t keep up.
· Hens - kept in small cages the size of a file drawer along with 5 or 6 other hens.  These cages are then stacked on top of each other in a warehouse while their eggs are collected.
· Cattle - before they are slaughtered, their horns are removed from their heads, they are castrated and branded without the benefit of pain relief.
· Cows - bred and drugged so they produce massive amounts of milk.  They are impregnated so they will produce milk, but the babies are removed from them and sent to veal farms.
· Pigs - placed in small crates that make it impossible for them to lay down or turn around comfortably.
· Fish - kept in small enclosures that are so filthy that 40% of them die from disease, infection and injury before they are packaged for market.
· Turkeys - genetically manipulated and drugged to increase their body size, causing extreme leg pain and often heart failure.  Their toes and beaks are routinely burned off with a hot blade.

Once they are ready to be slaughtered, they are transported over long distances in crowded trucks.  At the slaughterhouse, their throats are slit and they are often plunged while still conscious into tanks of scalding hot water in order to remove their fur and feathers.

So, even if concern for the animals is not your primary reason for choosing a vegetarian lifestyle,  you can take comfort in knowing that you are helping to reduce the number of animals that are tortured when you choose to go vegetarian.