Vegetarianism is a diet based on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts. There are many benefits to a vegetarian diet, and it does not mean that you will “never know the taste of meat”. International Vegetarian Day is celebrated every year on November 25. “The establishment of International Vegetarian Day means that people should eat more vegetarian food and less meat, and take advantage of the benefits of a vegetarian diet to promote health and prevent diseases. With the improvement of living standards, modern people consume too much fat, protein and sugar, resulting in excess nutrition and nutritional imbalance. From the perspective of nutrition, the golden ratio of meat to vegetarian diet should be 2:5, i.e. 2 parts meat to 6 parts vegetarian. However, with the economic development and improvement of life, people tend to eat more animal food, and even reverse this ratio to 7 points meat and 1 point vegetarian. As the saying goes, diseases come from the mouth, and unhealthy eating habits are the root cause of many modern diseases such as obesity and diabetes. International Vegetarian Day was established to remind people to get rid of this unsuitable diet, eat more vegetarian food and develop healthy eating habits. In addition, because meat has more calories and less fiber, it produces a larger amount of feces after digestion, which is not conducive to intestinal motility. Stool accumulates in the intestine for a long time, water is absorbed and becomes dry and forms constipation. At the same time, the accumulation of feces in the intestine, where the toxins are absorbed by the intestine, can cause bad breath, fullness, vomiting and other illnesses. In contrast, many vegetarian foods such as vegetables contain a lot of fiber, which can increase intestinal peristalsis and promote bowel movements, which is beneficial to human health. Let’s take a look at what are the benefits of eating a vegetarian diet. The benefits of vegetarian diet 1: prolonged life Regular vegetarian diet can play a role in prolonging life. According to nutritionist studies, vegetarians live longer than non-vegetarians. The Hunza people of northern Pakistan and the Indians of central Mexico are primitive vegetarian peoples with an enviably high average life expectancy. Buddhist monks also enjoy high life expectancy due to vegetarianism. Vegetarian nutrition is very easy to digest and absorb. Meat is not easily digested in the stomach, and most of it is not digested or only half digested in the large intestine, so it is harmful to the human body because it is highly decomposed in the large intestine and mostly toxic. If the cholesterol content in the blood is too high, it will often cause blood vessel blockage and become the main cause of high blood pressure and heart disease. Some cancers are closely related to meat, especially colorectal cancer. Factors contain a lot of fiber, which can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and facilitate laxation, so that harmful substances in the body can be discharged in real time, reducing the stimulation of damage to the intestinal wall. According to American research data, the cancer incidence rate of vegetarians is 20% to 40% lower than that of meat eaters, plus stomach cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, etc. are related to food toxins, vegetarian diet can really slow down the change of cancer cells. Benefits of vegetarian diet 5: It can reduce chronic diseases In terms of kidney disease patients with renal insufficiency, eating a vegetarian diet can reduce the burden on the kidneys without reducing the amount of protein intake. There are also reports in the literature that vegetarian diet can improve rheumatoid arthritis, and that vegetarian diet can improve immunity and prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases. Benefits of vegetarian diet 6: Avoid high uric acid The high level of uric acid produced by eating meat often has a heavy load on the kidneys, which is related to the occurrence of kidney failure and kidney stones. Vegetarian diet is good for alkaline body. The human body is alkaline, so eating too much meat will make the body fluid acidic and increase the chance of disease. The benefits of a vegetarian diet 8: reduce the chances of pancreatitis A large amount of meat will cause a sharp increase in the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, and poor excretion of the head of the pancreas can lead to serious digestive diseases such as pancreatitis. The nutrition of all fruits, vegetables and cereals is easy to digest, easy to absorb directly, and the cellulose in plants can stimulate intestinal peristalsis, support the loosening of fecal masses and prevent the occurrence of constipation. Benefits of vegetarian diet 9: Stabilize the nervous system Generally speaking, the grains, hard shell fruits, vegetables and fruits commonly used in vegetarian diet, including sufficient protein, carbohydrates, vegetable oils, minerals and vitamins, are all essential nutrients for various bodies. Vegetarian food can build the body’s tissues and also maintain the repair, and produce heat to supply the body with physical energy, alkalize the human blood without making it dangerously acidic, and is rich in vitamins, which can also stabilize the nervous system. Vegetarian benefits 10: enhance human endurance Vegetarians are more able to withstand long hours of hard work than meat eaters, and the comparison of this endurance is nearly three times; and the time to recover from fatigue to full fitness, vegetarians are about one-fifth of meat eaters. For example, some of the world championship records in swimming, basketball, soccer, weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, race walking, marathon distance running, bicycle racing, etc. were set and held by vegetarian athletes. These vegetarian athletes far surpass the explosive power, staying power and physical ability of meat-eating athletes. The benefits of a vegetarian diet11: more nutritious Protein is found in many vegetarian foods and is higher than that found in meat. For example, soybeans contain 40 percent protein, which is twice as much as meat, which contains 20 percent protein. Some nuts, seeds and beans also contain 30 percent protein. Other nutrients and vitamins needed by the human body are also found in fruits and vegetables; plus the rich fiber can help digestion and excretion.