8 health benefits of vegetarian diets

Eating a vegetarian diet comes with plenty of health benefits. Here are 8 you can look forward to.

If you're on the fence about switching to a vegetarian diet, here are 8 benefits you can look forward to that can boost your health.

Lower blood pressure

• Vegetarians tend to have lower blood pressure overall, as well as lower rates of hypertension (high blood pressure) as compared to non-vegetarians. One possible theory is a vegetarian diet can lead to a healthier body weight, less dietary fat and a difference in the intake of potassium, magnesium or calcium. Nothing's for certain, but it's a neat correlation to have in place.

Lower chance of cardiovascular disease

• Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body, and switching to a vegetarian diet can mean big benefits for your heart and blood vessels. When compared to non-vegetarians, cutting out meat and meat products tends to correlate with better cholesterol levels, both in terms of "good" and "bad" cholesterol.

Better fat and fibre levels

• Consuming plant-based foods has the effect of helping out artery walls in a number of ways. Meat tends to be higher in saturated fats, which stick to your artery walls and build up over time. Plant foods have less saturated fats in them and are better for your body. Vegetarians also tend to consume more fibre than their non-vegetarian counterparts, which aids with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar levels.

Better weight management

• There's no one right weight or body shape, but being a vegetarian can help you get to the shape and size that's right for you. A plant-based diet tends to correlate with decreased obesity and the diseases that come along with it, like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and some cancers.

Better chance of warding off cancer

• There's not really any surefire way of predicting who'll get cancer and who won't, but maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle can possibly decrease your odds of getting certain cancers, like prostate or colorectal cancer. Researchers think it's because vegetarians tend to eat less fat; consume healthier fats; take in a healthier amount of fruits, vegetables and fibres; avoid high amounts of animal (heme) iron; and up their intake of phytochemicals.

Less chance of acquiring diabetes

• There are two types of diabetes and studies have shown that vegetarians tend to be at a lower risk of acquiring Type 2 diabetes, the one that shows up in adulthood. It may have to do with better and higher intake of fibre, which helps out a great deal with regulating blood sugar levels.

It helps out the environment

• Cultivating plant foods is less taxing on the environment than raising meat-based foods. A popular example is a burger needing 1.1 kilograms of CO2 emissions, 503 litres of water and 2.2 square metres of land more than a plant-based lunch.

Your skin could look better

• Nuts, fruits and vegetables have a lot of non-artificial nutrients that your body needs, and one of the benefits of consuming more of them is they can translate to better skin health. Having a lot of free radicals in your body leads to faster aging, but increasing your intake of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E can potentially lead to your skin looking younger and healthier.