Saturated and Unsaturated Fat:
Saturated fat aggravates lever to
produce more cholesterol than normal body requirement. Almost all animal
fats, butter (ghee), and some vegetable oils (coconut, palm etc..) are
saturated fat. Some vegetarians have high cholesterol is due to high
content of saturated fat in their diet. Hence one should totally avoid
saturated fat to maintain low cholesterol.
Most vegetable oil is unsaturated
fat. Also both saturated and unsaturated fats are the storage media of
calories. Hence one should minimize the consumption of unsaturated fat in
their diet.
Healthy diet is pure vegetarian food
(vegan) without any oil or fried food. A person will not have any
cholesterol problem with this diet.
In summary the extra cholesterol
(externally consumed using animal and dairy products or generated by our
lever due to saturated fat) is accumulated in our blood and deposited in
our arteries which causes heart attack.
Vitamin B-12:
Vitamin B-12 is needed for healthy
blood and healthy nerve. However human body needs only 2 micro gram of
B-12 per day. Vitamin B-12 is not produced by plants or by animals but it
is produced by the bacteria in the digestive system of animals and humans.
Humans produce B-12 in their
digestive system but some how human body can not absorb B-12 from its
digestive system. However the cows can absorb easily B-12 produced by
them. Hence there exist lots of vitamin B-12 in meat and dairy products.
If you are a vegan (absolutely no
animal products), you may not be able to get enough vitamins B-12.
However if you decide to get B-12 from animal products, you will also get
whapping dose of cholesterol and fat, which will displace complex
carbohydrate and fiber that body needs which are the sources of vegetarian
diet.
Hence vegetarians can get B-12 from
other than animal products; such as fortified cereal, other fortified
products, multiple vitamins, one a day vitamin, and other products from
health stores which contain B-12, but not from dairy or meat products.
Milk and Prostate Cancer:
In 1997, the World Cancer Research
Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that dairy
products should be considered a possible contributor to prostate cancer.
Also in another research study of April 2000 pointing to a link between
dairy and prostate cancer: Harvard's Physicians' Health Study followed
20,885 men for 11 years, finding that having two and one-half dairy
servings each day boosted prostate cancer risk by 34 percent, compared to
having less than one-half serving daily.
Also dairy (milk, cheese, and ice
cream), eggs, meat, and other animal products are linked to other types of
cancers. They contain plenty of fat to harbor cancer-causing chemicals and
promote cancer-causing hormones in our body. They are low in
cancer-fighting antioxidants and have no fiber. Fiber is found only in
plant base food and it would normally sweep carcinogens from our digestive
tract.
A cancer-prevention diet includes
plenty of:
� Vegetables:
sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach, asparagus
� Fruits:
strawberries, kiwi, melon, bananas, apples
� Whole
grains: breads, cereal, oatmeal, pasta, rice
� Legumes:
beans, peas, lentils
Whole grains, beans and other
legumes, vegetables, and fruits are cancer fighters. Plant foods are low
in fat, high in fiber, and loaded with protective cancer-fighting
nutrients. The most healthful diets eliminate meat, dairy products,
eggs, and oil (fried foods).
My Health Data:
I was 55 years old when I became
vegan. I had some concern that my health would suffer if I stopped using
dairy products. However following is the summary of my health data before
and after I became vegan:
|
|
Before becoming Vegan - 1995 |
After
becoming Vegan � 1997 |
|
Cholesterol |
205 |
160 |
|
HDL |
34 |
42 |
|
Trigliceride |
350 |
175 |
Since becoming a vegan I feel more
energetic. I do not have any calcium deficiency. However, one should
monitor his/her own body chemistry after becoming vegan. My doctor is very
pleased with my results and has not put me on any vitamins or calcium
substitutes. My 1998 health result was equally good.
