Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
Veggie chicken shish-kebabs. - PHOTOS BY RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Following up on last week's Food section on vegetarianism, this week we look at the benefits of meat and vegetarian diets
THE ARGUMENT AGAINST MEAT
From Food Scientist Aris La Tham who is located in Negril:
Meat stays for a long time in the human digestive system and decays before it can leave the body. This decayed animal meat in the system becomes a breeding ground for various diseases.
While animal protein is generally considered superior, because of the high protein content, there are many disadvantages, says La Tham.
Excessive protein consumption is linked to urinary disease, renal cancer and lymphosarcoma.
It is also difficult to digest so more energy is required to digest meat than can be obtained from the meat.
The body's attempt to rid itself of the excess protein congests the liver and overworks the kidneys.
The excess protein is stored in the body as toxic waste.
La Tham, quotes the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the Food and Nutrition Board of the United States as recommending that the average American diet be made up of two and a half to six per cent protein. The amount of protein from vegetarian sources is more than enough to satisfy this need. Most vegetarians, he adds, do not go below nine per cent protein, proving that you can be a vegetarian and satisfy the amount of protein your body needs.
The high fat content in meat also poses a problem. Meat contains more fat than non-meat foods and pork, for instance, contains 70 per cent fat.
"Meat is very high in saturated fat and cholesterol which raise the level of cholesterol in blood a signal for heart disease and stroke."
Heart diseases, he adds, account for half the deaths in the western world.
THE PROBLEM WITH FAT
The Heart Foundation of Jamaica 'Be Heart Smart' pamphlet states that excessive fat in the diet contributes to high blood cholesterol level. The risk of coronary heart disease rises as blood cholesterol levels increase. Plus, cholesterol can be found in every meat product.
"Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the foods you eat can help reduce the level of cholesterol in your body. This in turn can help reduce your risk of heart disease," says the pamphlet.
The American Heart Association also notes that the fat in the food we eat should be no more than 30 per cent of the total calories we consume. Cholesterol blocks the arteries and makes it difficult for blood to circulate, which in turn may result in a heart attack.
Other sources: www.
wowessays.com/dbase/ac5/cja116.shtml,www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm
IT'S A COMBINATION THAT COUNTS
Frances Mahfood, a nutritionist at the Heart Foundation, says:
Meat is okay as long as
it is eaten in moderation. Even red meat is fine, if eaten in proportion.
It's wonderful because it provides the body with iron, zinc and other minerals.
She recommends meat twice a weak (each serving no more than three ounces) for people with high cholesterol. For others, she recommends that meat servings should be no greater than the size of a deck of cards.
Betty Delfosse, owner of Velisa's Gourmet Wholefoods Restaurant, on Devon Road, St. Andrew, says...
"It's an overstatement to say that humans should eliminate meat from diets.
"Instead, more emphasis should be placed on the combination or balance of food in one's diet, rather than vegetarianism.
"If you must eat meat then there is a way to do so. Treat meat in a way like it's a treat. (In the way that you) prepare for a celebration or party there is a process." Plus, she adds, make it the best quality of meat accessible.
Properly combine meats with fruits and vegetables, suggests Delfosse, who adds that 80 per cent of meals should be composed of natural foods.
PROPER FOOD COMBINATION
Combining foods properly, said Delfosse, means that protein should be eaten with vegetables instead of starches.
The only exception, she says, is rice and peas, but it should be brown rice. It should not be peas with flour.
MEAT BY BLOOD TYPE
Quoting from Eat Right For Your Blood Type by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, Delfosse says persons with O Positive blood, because of their genetic make up, can better digest meat than those with blood types A, B and other blood type variables, because of their genetic make-up.
This genetic make up, says Delfosse, allows persons with O Positive blood to make more gastric juices, allowing them to more easily digest meat. She also notes that most black people are O Positive.
Women with O Positive blood should stay away from wheat products. Flour, bread and other wheat products cause fermentation and the body doesn't assimilate wheat as it should. This in turn results in weight problems.
Instead, have spelt flour. "I have tried it and it is amazingly tasty than wheat."
HOW TO EAT MEAT
Advice from Betty Delfosse:
If you are going to have a plate of curried goat, for example, have at least five servings of fruits and vegetables the day before.
When having meat, stack up on the vegetables. If you must include carbohydrates, have a slice of yellow yam.
A diet must be supplemented with Vitamin C 1,000mg per 32 pounds of body weight.
Have meat freshly cut. Source a meat local supplier and eat the meat within two and three days.
BENEFITS OF A VEGETARIAN DIET
From Corellel Dallas, dietician at Andrews Memorial Hospital:
A vegetarian diet requires careful planning to meet the nutritional requirements, especially in iron, calcium riboflavin and vitamin B12.
1. Reduces mortality from coronary heart disease (Dr. Dean Ornisin's programme for reverse heart disease, Random House, New York)
2. Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels. (Pritikin Programme 1970)
3. Lowers the rate of non-insulin dependation diabetics melicites (NIDDM) (Pritikin Programme 1970)
According to National Institute of Nutrition 1990 a vegetarian diet can:
4. Lower rates of gall bladder disease.
5. Lower rates of breast and colon cancer
6. Lower the rate of non-insulin dependent diabetics.
7. Lower rates of breast and colon cancer.
8. Lower rates of cardio-vascular and gall bladder disease.
