More good news for veggies

According to a survey by Professors John Dickerson and Jill Davies from the University of Surrey, a meat eater is likely to visit the doctor twice as often as a vegetarian and is likely to suffer from degenerative disease 10 years earlier than a vegetarian.

According to nutritionist Patrick Holford, ‘from the viewpoint of optimum nutrition, a vegetarian diet has many more strengths then weaknesses’. ‘It is very difficult to reach the ideal fibre intake unless one’s diet is predominantly made up of lentils, beans, whole grains and vegetables.

Vegetarians have faster gut transit times and considerably lower risks of digestive diseases including cancer. While a third of UK population has diverticula-pockets in the large intestine that become inflamed – there is half the incidence in vegetarians’.

Vegetarians who avoid meat and fish have the second lowest risk of cardiovascular disease after vegans. They also have lower blood pressure. A vegetarian diet meets the recommendations for fat, protein and carbohydrate intake much better than the typical diet of a meat eater.