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A vegetarian diet involves restricting one’s eating habits to foods from plant-based sources.
People choose vegetarianism for many different reasons, including simple preference for the flavor, ethical concerns about eating animal products or religious beliefs on plant-based foods. The British Medical Journal recently reported findings that children who score higher on IQ tests are more likely to become vegetarian.
All vegetarians may reap health benefits from their diet, regardless of the reason for it. Plant-based foods are rich in nutrients and phytonutrients essential to good health. These foods also are low in various substances that may cause harm (e.g., animal protein, cholesterol and saturated fat) and rich in substances thought to be beneficial to health (carotenoids, complex carbohydrates, fiber, folate).
Studies show that people who eat a vegetarian diet have lower rates of many diseases when compared to people who have a non-vegetarian diet. Such illnesses include heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer. Vegetarian diets may lower the risk of these diseases in many ways. Consumption of higher intakes of fruits and vegetables may be responsible for the lower rates of cancer in vegetarians.
In addition, vegetarians tend to have a lower incidence of overweight and obesity. Levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – the so-called “bad” cholesterol – also appear to be lower in vegetarians. This may be due a diet low in saturated and total fat, and to a higher consumption of soy products. Soy products, such as tofu, contain phytochemicals thought to lower cholesterol levels.
Many other claims have been made on behalf of vegetarian diets. For example, University of Chicago researchers recently issued a report touting the environmental benefits of vegetarianism.
It should be emphasized that a well-balanced non-vegetarian diet also can provide similar health benefits. In the end, experts cannot conclusively state that a vegetarian diet is better for a person’s health than a non-vegetarian diet. Surveys show that vegetarians are more likely than non-vegetarians to make lifestyle choices that promote health, including not smoking, exercising regularly and avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol. These lifestyle choices may have as great or greater an influence on a vegetarian’s good health as dietary choices themselves. In addition, all the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet can be undone if meals are not carefully planned to include nutrients that may be more difficult to obtain in a vegetarian diet than in a non-vegetarian diet. Iron is more easily absorbed from animal food (heme iron) sources. Non heme iron is found in certain plant foods, but it tends to require larger amounts of these foods to meet recommended iron levels. In addition, eating plant-based foods prepared in unhealthy ways – such as deep-fried vegetables or healthy foods topped with generous amounts of cheese, sour cream or butter – can be just as unhealthy as eating fatty animal-based products. | 
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