We’ve all been there. You’ve just
come home from a long day at work and the last thing you feel like doing is
taking the time to prepare a healthy, nutritionally sound meal. Unfortunately, those who eat a vegetarian or vegan diet may think they're healthy simply because they don't eat meat, and so they get lazy about making good food choices. But choosing a refined or enriched carbohydrate over the
beneficial carbohydrates that a solid, well-balanced diet
offers defeats the purpose of your decision to live a vegetarian
lifestyle for optimal health.
Just because it's vegetarian doesn't mean it's good for you... (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Consuming refined
carbohydrates presents many different hazards to your health. The
over-consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugars can result in
excess insulin in the bloodstream. In the
presence of excess insulin, glucose,
the blood sugar, is converted to triglycerides and stored in the fat
cells of the body.
According
to one study, consuming a lot of refined grains may also increase your risk of
getting stomach cancer.
In
addition, refined sugars and carbohydrates have been implicated as contributing factors in increased gallbladder disease, according to a
recent study, which showed a direct link between the amount of sugars
eaten and the incidence of gallbladder disease. Another study looked
at the role carbohydrates play in the incidence of heart disease. The
researchers noted that as carbohydrate consumption increased, so did
the level of triglycerides in the blood of the participants. Diets
low in fat and high in carbohydrates not only dramatically raised
triglyceride levels but significantly reduced levels of HDL, the
“good” cholesterol.
And
lastly, refined white sugars increase the rate at which your body
excretes calcium, which is directly connected to your skeletal
health. Simply put, as your sugary and refined carbohydrate intake
increases, your bone density decreases.
So
don’t be lazy! Do your body right and if you're going to eat vegetarian, be sure to take the time to prepare a
nutrient-dense and delicious meal. It may take a few minutes longer, but your body, and your
conscience, will thank you for it in the long run.
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