the health issue

many of you are concerned about my health now that i am not eating any animal products. if so, please visit this link on health reasons to become a vegetarian. if you haven't done so already, please also read my blurb about why i became a vegetarian.
for those of you who probably won't read the actual article, i will summarize it for you. be aware that the vegetarianism diet referred to in this article includes the avoidance of milk and eggs.
taken from Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health on the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) website:
1. cancer: numerous studies show that vegetarians are less likely to develop many forms of cancer, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer (both are linked to drinking milk), and, in particular, colon cancer (it has been directly linked to meat consumption).
2. heart disease: vegetarian diets prevent heart disease because animal products provide saturated fat (the main source) and cholesterol (the only source). furthermore, vegetarian diets have a lot of fibre, which helps to lower cholesterol, whereas animal products contain none.
3. blood pressure: people who don't eat meat have lower blood pressure. and a vegetarian diet can reduce one's blood pressure very quickly. (good news, because as i learned on one of my favourite television shows, blood pressure is one of the most important measures of good health! disclaimer: i am no way suggesting that this television personality advocates a vegetarian diet.)
4. diabetes: a low-fat vegetarian diet can aid in controlling or even eliminating adult-onset diabetes and can reduce the amount of insulin needed to control childhood-onset diabetes.
5. gallstones, kidney stones, and osteoporosis: vegetarian diets decrease the risk of developing gallstones and kidney stones because the animal proteins, cholesterol, and high fat content are implicated in the forming of stones. osteoporosis is also linked to consumption of animal products. (i have read studies that show that women who avoid milk actually have less occurence of osteoporosis, contrary to what the dairy industry tells you. unfortunately, i do not remember where i read that information.) mainly vegetarian diets, even those with less calcium, decrease the risk of osteoporosis. yes, calcium is important, but it does not need to come from dairy products. (calcium is more easily absorbed from green leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach).
6. athsma: a Swedish study linked a vegan diet to a decrease in the need for athsma medication. this may be due to dairy allergies.
common concerns: the rest of the article focuses on common concerns in a vegetarian diet such protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin B12. protein is found in all sorts of beans, grains, and vegetables. in fact, vegetarian diets are good because they don't include the extra protein that compromises the typical western diet. iron is also found in grains and beans, (and when eaten with vitamin C, absorbed more easily). calcium, as i indicated earlier, is found in green leafy vegetables and is abundant in a vegetarian diet. B12 is the only tricky one in our modern society. it used to be easy to include in a plant-based diet because it was found in the roots of the plants that grew in its soil. vegans can find B12 in cereals and soymilks that are fortified with B12, and there are also readily-available supplements.
pregnancy, nursing moms, and children: pregnant and nursing mothers, infants, and children do well on a vegetarian/vegan diet, as long as one pays attention to the intake of the nutrients mentioned above. just to be safe, pregnant and nursing moms should take vitamin D and B12 supplements as well as folic acid (even though vegetarian diets are usually quite high in folic acid), and children should also be given supplements of B12. infants and children raised on a vegetarian diet usually live healthier and longer lives than their peers.
that's pretty much it. but, please don't take my world for it: read it for yourself!