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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Guest Post by Pam Johnson

Here's a new guest post with a slightly different opinion and view on the vegan-vegetarian lifestyle by Pam Johnson.

If you wish to contribute your own post - be sure to hit "Contact Me" up on top! Otherwise, enjoy.


All About the Healthy and Economical Vegan Regimen

In today's world average people are granted an unprecedented level of food options. While some can get bogged down in the multiplicity of choices and waste time and money on unnecessary products (e.g., gluten-free crackers), others solder science to economics and seek nutritious foods at affordable prices. What's important to remember is that eating affordably should be coupled with modern science.

Food Pyramid
Alongside the World Health Organization, modern nutrition calls for a balance of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Did you know that you can die without protein or dietary fat? This explains why people on low-carb ketogenic diets or vegetarian diets low in sugars do quite well. The rest of this article will focus on eating vegetarian diets affordably and how to couple convenience with nutrition while eschewing meat products.

Levels of Veggie
There are many layers to becoming a vegetarian, oftentimes embodied in one person's experience from all meat to zero meat diet regimens. There are some vegetarians who just avoid meat and still consume eggs and fish. While this affords some vegetarians more protein and essential fatty acids, it isn't the full-throated vegan lifestyle. Full-bore vegan diets eliminate meat altogether with an eye towards the detrimental health and environmental impact of meat consumption.

Health and Economics of Going Vegan
Some people go vegan for other reasons though. For instance, a low-fat vegetarian diet has been linked to a decreased risk of numerous degenerative diseases. For instance, subscribing to the vegan diet lowers one risk for the following ailments, many of which are crippling to Western man: coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and late-onset diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. In fact, Time Magazine recently came out with a study showing that low-fat vegetarian diets are incredibly affordable and nutritious. A controversial finding in that study showed that regular grocery store vegetables rivaled the upscale Whole Foods-like "organic" foods in quality while sidestepping really breaking open the piggy bank. For this reason, budding vegans would do well to corral in the good deals in their local freezer department!

Veganism for All Life's Trials
The vegan diet has been shown to be affordable, safe, and even appropriate for different ages and life stages. For instance, modern studies show that veganism is apt for kids, pregnant women, and lactating women alike. Those who choose to avoid meat consumption have been shown to hold lower body mass indexes. Alongside this health boon, vegan subscribers are at lower risk for cholesterol or vascular problems.

Prescription for Health
The ideal thing to do is go to the grocery store and pick up rice and beans, which allots protein, or go for an affordable veggie dish like bok choi, which supplies calcium and other minerals. Veganism is not only a healthy diet but it can be employed long-term and cheaply in today's society!

Author Pam Johnson has been a vegan for 6 years because of all the health benefits, as she is in the healthcare field. She also enjoys blogging and is a contributing writer for Top 10 iPhone Apps for Healthcare Professionals

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