
However when I did the research for the LifeNuts program several years ago, I learned that Loma Linda, California, was a Blue Zone, the only city in America that researchers found exceptional longevity – a significant number of residents living over 100. About 25,000 people live here – about 60 miles east of Los Angeles – and many of them belong to the Seventh-day Adventist church. Accordingly most, if not all, restaurants offer vegetarian fare in this city. Avoiding meat and dairy have become a lifestyle for these people.
The members of the church throughout the world participate in a health-oriented survey conducted by Loma Linda University every few years. Past results have shown that church members (vegans or vegetarians) live longer and have a lower risk of typical American-diet diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease when compared to the average American.
Recently (February) the university released a study that showed that the world will have to switch to a predominantly vegetarian diet to meet food demands by 2050. This study surveyed 96,000 church members in the U.S. and Canada. Vegans were the healthiest of the surveyed group and, as expected, meat eaters had the highest risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. In addition,
vegans and vegetarians had much lower GHG emissions than meat eaters. Researchers proved that vegan diets are also much more energy efficient, 11 times more efficient than that of a meat eater. More details of the study will appear in an article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Many of us don’t think about global warming or food or energy waste. But we’re all guilty of it. Most Americans today are concerned about passing our huge government debt onto our grandchildren. But we should also be concerned about energy as well. What the future holds for our country is anyone’s guess. But vegans are doing their part in helping to conserve our precious resources. And they get a health benefit as well. Becoming a LifeNut involves eating primarily a plant-based diet, which is not really a diet but a lifestyle. Energy conservation adds a new wrinkle to this lifestyle. Think about it.
http://www.justmeans.com/Vegan-Diet-Is-Most-Sustainable-New-Study-Suggests/58200.html?goback=.gde_669627_member_219560861