1. FEEL MORECALMER, LESS ANXIOUS AND AGITATED
Whenever summer time rolls around, I see my neighbors prepping up their barbeques and grills for all the summer parties and beer fests they are going to have this year. I frequently wonder however would they be much calmer and their stomachs a lot happier if they were to grill vegetables and tofu rather than steaks and other fish and animal parts and organs? The answer to this question is ABSOLUTELY! It has been frequently observed that people who eat vegetarian diets tend to be somewhat calmer than heir meat-eating counterparts and less anxious.
How can vegetarianism lead to a calmer disposition?
The steroid hormones residues in red meat that are released when the animal is killed for our eating pleasures, which cannot be broken down by cooking, exert an effect not unlike the body’s own steroid hormone, activating natural defenses against stress and suppressing immunity as well, when the meat is eaten, the stress hormones that the animal released when it is faced with its own death, are released in your blood stream making you agitated and aggressive.
2. HAVE A BETTER ALKALINE – ACID BALANCE FOR THE BODY
Animal products such as meat, poultry, eggs, dairy and cheese and refined sugars and flour products are all acid forming foods. Acid forming foods are not necessarily acidic in nature but tend to form acid in the body once they are broken down, making the body very acidic. This affects the ability to digest food as it speeds up the rate of clearance or elimination of the food, which in turn will affect the absorption and assimilation of nutrients and vitamins from the food.
Starches require an alkaline environment for digestion. When the body is very acidic, the digestion of starches will be affected as well, causing unwanted flatulence and bloating. The absorption of certain vitamins especially B and C’s and minerals can be affected, which in turn can add to the body’s stress load causing low – grade malnutrition and undernourishment, as well. Liquid vitamins maybe a better option in general when it comes to vitamin and mineral absorption.
3. BREATHE EASIER BEING A VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN
Feeling congested or stuffy? One simple way to decrease mucus production is very simple… cut out the food items that are known to cause congestion in the respiratory tract- these foods would include any acid forming products especially meats and dairy products. The body has a natural buffer system that allows for pH buffering with bicarbonate ions. One of the protective mechanisms for the body against too much acid is to form more mucus to protect the gastrointestinal lining, along with the respiratory tract, both of which have a layer of mucus membrane on the interior side that is exposed to food and foreign elements of any kind. Stress and the inability to digest proteins will create more mucus, hence feeling more congested and of course feels sluggish, tired or bogged down after eating. and have sinus issues or even asthma!
By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto.