Since the vegetarian diet consists of mainly simple carbs, why is it healthy?

I would think this would make a person fat with all the sugar from fruits and how non-filling fruits and vegetables are.Since the vegetarian diet consists of mainly simple carbs, why is it healthy?
A good vegetarian diet is complex carbs and whole foods such as whole fruits and veggies with grains, beans/pulses (legumes), nuts, and seeds. Calorie for calorie fruits and vegetables have more nutrients than just about anything. Coupled with beans, seeds, nuts and grains the diet is very filling.



Truthfully food is just a vehicle for getting the correct nutrients so once that starts happening then hunger and cravings go way down. Fruits and veggies become much more filling than they seemed before going veg. Those who transition to a plant-based diet often go through an adjustment period of a week to a month. Those who don't transition often end up eating ever more food driven by cravings and a gnawing hunger from the body's attempt to get enough food through to get the correct and proper amount of nutrients. It's possible that one reason fruits %26amp; veggies seem unsatisfying to the omnivore is that is the body trying to get us to eat more of them since they contain the nutrients we lack. That's one big reason people put on weight is more calories have to be worked off.



Fruit juices are not nearly as healthy but they are usually better than sugar drinks with added juice (such as 10% juice "drinks"). However, without the fiber of the apple or other structure the body processes it through much quicker.



Another thing about whole foods is there are all kinds of nutrients we haven't yet managed to identify and isolate nor do we have any clue how these phytonutrients and micronutrients work in combination with each other but we are finding out that the major vitamins don't work so well in pill form as they do when obtained from the foods.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazi…



Processed foods are foods broken down often to singular components and then put back together (such as High Fructose Corn Syrup) so your body doesn't have to do much to digest it through but it's also stripped of most nutrients. That's a double whammy on the body and metabolism. It's basically a dead food too devoid of enzymes. Many processed foods consist of commodity products that can be stored for a long time such as corn, wheat, soy (not the same stuff that many veg*ns eat), dairy, fats and oils. Simple carbs are abundant in processed foods because most of the fiber and the nutrition (from the germ which turns rancid quicker) are mostly removed.



Many veg people will even go so far as to sprout their beans before cooking them as this changes the composition of the nutrients. Others eat a raw diet because it's considered alive and full of enzymes which aid digestion (check it out, our gut is full of friendly bacteria which helps us get the nutrients out of food and without which we would die of starvation and nutritional deficiencies). Those who have tried it say they get huge amounts of energy from the diet. Many athletes have found they have much more endurance and stamina.

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/books/diet…

http://www.vsdc.org/meatmyth.html





There are a number of great sites on the net discussing the physiology of the vegan diet. To start you off here are a few sites I've found very helpful:



Soystache has great comparative tables for calcium, iron, protein and others

http://ultimatenutritiontables.com/



While there is a good compilation of info here

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/



Another great resource on Veg*n nutrition:

http://www.vegansociety.com/food/nutriti…



Some highlights:



If caloric needs are being met then protein needs are too since protein is the building blocks of life and pretty much in everything. Those suffering from a lack of protein have other issues such as starvation, eating disorders or alcoholism.



Plant proteins do not need to be combined. That was a myth that grew out of popular book by a sociologist in 1971 who later recanted.



The American Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is padded to cover extremes such as a large, active male athlete with a bit more for good measure. It is widely considered excessive and that we could get by well on much less but even the RDA is only at 8% of total calories while even vegetarians routinely get twice that.



Animal proteins are acidic which, along with too much protein causes calcium to be leached from the bones to bring the blood back to an alkaline balance.



http://www.vsc.org/index.php?option=com_…

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/a…

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/proteinexp…

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/p…



And, while heme iron from red meat is the most absorbable it's because we have no choice but to absorb it even if we don't need it. The body can be more selective with plant proteins and only take what it needs but can't with animal iron and having too much iron is dangerous (men are even given recommendations to donate blood to bring their levels down):

http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/factsheets/…
While fruits are made up of simple carbohydrates, they are low in simple sugars and do not promote weight gain. Vegetables, grains, nuts, beans and legumes form a large portion of a vegetarian diet, and are not simple carbohydrates.



Research shows that the worst things to consume, for someone who is trying to lose weight, are highly processed convenience foods. They are not easily digestible, what little nutrition they possess is not absorbed, they are difficult to eliminate, and as such, are stored as fat.Since the vegetarian diet consists of mainly simple carbs, why is it healthy?
i know a zero calorie diet that's extremely low in carbs contains no fat and is perfectly healthy



unfortunately,due to my recent brain transplant,



i seem to have forgotten it??????
A good vegetarian diet is not high in simple carbs. It is high in complex carbs (much better for you).



Whole grains, lots of veggies, nuts, legumes (beans, lentils), etc. Some vegetarians also eat dairy products and eggs.



Yes, vegetarians can have bad diets and eat lots of refined, simple carbs (white pasta, white bread, chips, desserts, etc). Anyone can have that problem, though.Since the vegetarian diet consists of mainly simple carbs, why is it healthy?
Leading health experts agree that going vegetarian is the single-best thing we can do for ourselves and our families. Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and provide protection against numerous diseases, including our country’s three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarians have “lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; … lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer” and that vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to be obese.1 Well-planned vegetarian diets provide us with all the nutrients that we need, minus all the saturated fat, cholesterol, and contaminants found in animal flesh, eggs, and dairy products.



Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters.3,4 Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are.5



The consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products has also been strongly linked to osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, asthma, and male impotence. Scientists have also found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends; this means that they are less susceptible to everyday illnesses like the flu.7 Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.8



A plant-based diet is the best diet for kids, too: Studies have shown that vegetarian kids grow taller and have higher IQs than their classmates, and they are at a reduced risk for heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases in the long run.10,11 Studies have shown that even older people who switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet can prevent and even reverse many chronic ailments.
i eat plenty of legumes, nuts, soy products and bulgur wheat.....we eat very little sugar laden processed foods
How can you say this question was not meant to offend vegetarians when it's inflammatory, and down right incorrect. If you were truly interested in the biological aspect of diets why didn't you go to the health section?



Vegetarians don't just eat simple carbs.



A typical vegetarian diet contains proper amounts of protein, lots of fruits and vegetables (which are very filling IMO) and whole grains. Sometimes dairy products as well.



If you want to gain healthy weight, incorporate more healthy fats, and calories from healthy sources. Whole grains, legumes/ beans, fruits and vegetables. It's not that hard.
The low-carb diet strikes again! Here are the facts.



1. Fruits and veggies are filling because they are loaded with fiber. Try to consume 200 calories of raw broccoli and cauliflower and tell me how easy that was (that will be about 6 cups of raw chopped broccoli/cauliflower). Now consume 200 calories of a fast-food burger (about 1/2 a McDonald's regular small cheeseburger) and tell me if you're full.



2. Vegetarians don't consume mainly simple carbs if they have a well-rounded diet. The highest amount of simple carbs will be in fruits, with some in veggies. The rest of a vegetarian diet will be just protein/fat (eggs, dairy, and nuts), as well as complex carbs (beans, grains, potatoes and other veggies...all of which also contain protein).



3. Not all simple carbs are created equal. Despite what that commercial on television says about high fructose corn syrup, they neglect to inform you how it's treated in the body. Your system doesn't understand what to do with HFCS, so it freaks out, spikes and crashes, and stores most of it as fat. The same is true with refined sugar (white table sugar, as well as brown sugar) and refined flour (bleached or unbleached enriched flour). That stuff is just as bad so I consider refined flour to be a refined sugar, because that's basically what it is. It's something your body hates and has been stripped of all its nutrients (they try to add some in, but it doesn't work as well).



However, natural carbs, even simple ones, are something your body understands how to digest. For this reason, bananas and grapes satisfy a sweet tooth without hurting your waistline (provided you don't just go nuts and eat a ton of them, that is. Eating too much of anything is bad for you).



4. You need carbs. Even bodybuilders know that they need to eat about 2g of carbs for every 1g of protein. That's right, they eat approximately DOUBLE the carbs. They aren't downing candies and chocolates, but brown rice, sweet potatoes, fruits, and veggies. Bodybuilders only go on a low-carb diet about a week out from their contest time, and even then, not all of them do it and those that do have a "carb day" 1-2 days prior to the show because a low-carb diet makes your muscles look flat and depleted. Carbs help you digest the protein, but they're also there for things like helping your digestive system function properly and helping your body get the energy it needs.





If you want to see what it looks like, you can certainly check out www.veganbodybuilding.com. That's how you can see that even vegans, who don't consume dairy or eggs in addition to not consuming meat, can still pack on quality muscle. Notice how tight their midsections are...mostly due to the fact that meat, dairy, and eggs, when consumed in the large amounts most people eat, clog up and bloat your system.
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