Three reasons to say OK to a different lifestyle

Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (US) on vegetarian diet

“It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (US) that ap­pro­pri­ate­ly planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nu­tri­tion­al­ly adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are ap­pro­pri­ate for in­di­vid­u­als during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and ad­o­les­cence, and for athletes.”
(2009)

Position of the British Dietitians Association on plant based diets

“Well planned vegetarian [and strict-vegetarian] diets can be nutritious and healthy. They are associated with lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain cancers and lower cholesterol levels. This could be because such diets are lower in saturated fat, contain fewer calories and more fibre and phytonu­tri­ents / phytochem­i­cals (these can have protective properties) than non-vegetarian diets.”
(2017)

Position of the Dietitian’s As­so­ci­a­tion of Australia on vegan diets

”With planning, those following a vegan diet can cover all their nutrient bases, but there are some extra things to consider...” like iron, B12, calcium and Omega-3 fats.
(2018)

Healthy Eating Guidelines for Vegans from the Dietitians of Canada

”A healthy vegan diet has many health benefits including lower rates of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.” and “A healthy vegan diet can meet all your nutrient needs at any stage of life including when you are pregnant, breast­feed­ing or for older adults.”
(2014)

University of Pécs: About plant based diet

An article published in the Hungarian Medical Journal (Orvosi Hetilap, 2016, Volume 157, Issue 47) by the Nu­tri­tion­al Science and Dietetics Institute of the University of Pécs draws these con­clu­sions:
”The plant-based diet differs from the fashion-diets because it con­sti­tutes a sci­en­tif­i­cal­ly sub­stan­ti­ated statement. As is apparent from this summary, the plant-based diet does not use "science" to justify its own statements, but the scientific statements justify the necessity of plant-based diets.”
”Car­di­o­vas­cu­lar and metabolic diseases developing due to obesity could be prevented by a properly compiled plant-based diet. For patients with cancer minimizing the intake of foods of animal origin – as opposed to plant-based ones – has proved to have positive effects. Our review suggests this diet can be used in a number of diseases and it also provides long-term sus­tain­a­ble solutions for the health care challenges of the newest era”
”Both for primary prevention and for the treatment of certain path­o­log­i­cal conditions (obesity, car­di­o­vas­cu­lar and tumor illnesses) provide an effective tool for the practicing physician and specialist. Ad­di­tion­al­ly in other path­o­log­i­cal conditions (eg hy­per­ten­sion, diabetes, os­te­o­po­ro­sis) as well it can be a mayor benefit to increase the preference of raw plant material in the diet in contrast to tra­di­tion­al foods of primarily animal origin.”
(2016)

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health: Im­pli­ca­tions of Meat Consumption

The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health is an institute of the Johns Hopkins University which is the oldest research university in the US and is ranked at the 10th or 13th place among the worlds uni­ver­si­ties. Their research results among other things state that:
“A strong body of scientific evidence links excess meat con­sump­tion, par­tic­u­lar­ly of red and processed meat, with heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, and earlier death. Diets high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans can help prevent these diseases and promote health in a variety of ways.”
(2013)

Does low meat con­sump­tion increase life expectancy in humans?

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition draws the following con­clu­sions among others:
“A very low meat intake was associated with a sig­nif­i­cant decrease in risk of death in 4 [of 6] studies,”
“Current pro­spec­tive cohort data from adults in North America and Europe raise the pos­si­bil­i­ty that a lifestyle pattern that includes a very low meat intake is associated with greater longevity.”
(2003)

Effects of meat con­sump­tion in Harvard Health Pub­li­ca­tions

A study titled Cutting red meat-for a longer life published in the Harvard Health Pub­li­ca­tions draws the following con­clu­sions among others:
“It appears ‘healthy meat con­sump­tion’ has become an oxymoron [...] People in the study who ate the most red meat tended to die younger, and to die more often from car­di­o­vas­cu­lar disease and cancer. [...] even when the re­search­ers com­pen­sated for the effects of unhealthy lifestyle, mortality and meat remained associated.”
(2012)

While another study titled Red meat and colon cancer says:
“A meta-analysis of 29 studies of meat con­sump­tion and colon cancer concluded that a high con­sump­tion of red meat increases risk by 28%, and a high con­sump­tion of processed meat increases risk by 20%.”
(2008)

Meat Con­sump­tion and Cancer Risk

“Two themes con­sist­ently emerge from studies of cancer from many sites: vegetables and fruits help to reduce risk, while meat, animal products, and other fatty foods are frequently found to increase risk. […] Not surprisingly, vegetarians are at the lowest risk for cancer and have a sig­nif­i­cant­ly reduced risk compared to meat-eaters.”
(2013-2018)