Goin' All Veggies

A Guide to Becoming a Vegetarian

If you’ve eaten meat your whole life, switching to a vegetarian diet might be
something that could be difficult to switch to. You might also wonder why you
should even consider switching. Many people figure that they have been eating
this way their whole, life so why switch now?
There are many reasons that you might decide to switch to a vegetarian diet.
First of all, check yourself out in the mirror. The majority of Americans are not a
healthy weight and this can be the number one reason for them to switch. Also,
as yourself a few questions:
· Are you a healthy weight?
· Do you feel good most of the time?
· Do you wake up energized? Or tired and sluggish?
· How is your overall health?
· Is your blood pressure in a healthy range?
· Are your cholesterol and blood sugar levels normal?
If you find that “no” is the answer to most of these questions then you should
consider what you are eating on a daily basis. If you find that you feel worse
after eating, you may be wondering if food is supposed to make you feel this
way.
The answer is no. Your food should nourish and feed your body. It should leave
you feeling refreshed and energized. The body is a machine and it needs good
fuel. The fact of the matter is that most people are overweight and obese. This
is because we eat too much meat and too much fat. Problems such as high
blood sugar, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol and other health related problems
are caused by our diet. All of these problems can be prevented by changing your
diet. This eBook will show you how to do that and the difference that eating
vegetarian can do for you in a short period of time.
Chapter 1
You are What You Eat
Whatever your reasons are for becoming a vegetarian, there are four different
types of vegetarians and you can choose the type that you want to be. There are
many different types of vegetarians, as some people are not able to give up all
animal products completely. The four types are:
· Lacto Vegetarians: This diet consists of no animal products or eggs.
They do eat dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt.
· Ovo-Vegetarians: This diet consists of no animal or dairy, but they do eat
eggs.
· Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians: This diet consists of no animal products, but
they do eat dairy and eggs.
· Vegan: This diet consists of plant-based foods, which means that it
excludes all animal products including dairy, eggs, meat and even honey.
If you haven’t figured out what type of vegetarian you are going to be, it’s okay. It
takes time and experimentation with different recipes to figure out what you can’t
live without in your diet. For example, some people can’t live without milk and
eggs.
You Really are What You Eat
The expression “you are what you eat” has been heard numerous times and it is
often used in advertisements. But, if you really think about what this means, you
really start to think twice about your diet.
A good example of a person being what they eat can be seen in your blood
plasma. Your blood plasma is clear liquid, but after eating a fast food hamburger
your blood plasma becomes cloudy with fat and cholesterol. This is what your
body absorbs after eating a high-fat hamburger.
Inversely, you also become what you don’t eat. When you switch from eating a
lot of meat to eating a vegetarian based diet, you lose fat. You are also less
prone to various cancers and diseases. Your cholesterol can also improve.
When you are lean and eating less meat products, you find that many of your
health and fitness problems go away. The risk of Type II diabetes is also
reduced. Blood pressure falls into normal ranges as well. When you’re healthier,
you also do not have to take fewer medications.
If you have a family history of high cholesterol or blood pressure, then you are
particularly dependent on what you eat and it is easier for you to become what
you eat. Moving towards a vegetarian diet can reduce the incidence if numerous
diseases. Vegetarians are also statistically healthier.
What Did Our Ancestors Eat?
Do you ever wonder what our ancestors ate and how far we have diverted in our
eating habits? Originally, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers and were not
omnivores. They did not eat animals. When you look at predators and
carnivorous animals you can see that they have teeth designed to rip and tear.
Their teeth are not designed for chewing. Animals that are designed for chewing
like herbivores have flat teeth that are designed to breakdown food.
Humans evolved from creatures that were vegetarian. The digestive systems