Everyone knows eating green can make you lean, but a study shows it lead to a longer life, too.
Researchers at Loma Linda University in California recently conducted a study with more than 73,000 participants and determined vegetarians had a 12 percent lower chance of early death than meat-eaters.
“It’s not surprising to find positive effects,” said Wendy Dahl, an assistant professor in UF’s food science and human nutrition department. “We know that with many chronic diseases, part of the cause is our eating habits.”
The study found a vegetarian diet has a more significant impact on men than women.
“In general, all recommendations point to consuming more plant foods and less animal products, particularly red meat,” Dahl said. “It’s partly about what the vegetarians aren’t eating, but it’s also about what they are eating.”
Vegetarian diets contain higher levels of antioxidants, fiber and other nutrients, she said.
Michaela Bisienere, a 19-year-old UF journalism sophomore, said she hasn’t eaten meat for about three years due to health reasons. When she made the diet change, she noticed an increase in energy.
“It forces me to pay a lot of attention to things that I eat and plan out my meals better,” Bisienere said.
UF marketing junior Julia Witten, 20, has been a vegetarian since the beginning of the year. She said she eats black beans, spinach, tofu, cheese and eggs to get the nutrients she once got from meat.
Jeff Greenhouse, a 21-year-old UF environmental science senior, became a vegetarian at age 11. He was having stomach issues, and his doctor suggested that he stop eating meat.
“I have been considering trying to eat certain things without getting sick, but I haven’t done that yet,” Greenhouse said. “The study is giving me a reason not to try eating meat again.”
