Pledge to Try Veg

27 September 2010 - 3 October 2010

LIVE LONGER, YOUNGER, BETTER - NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK 2010

Do you want to live a long, healthy, disease-free life? Try cutting down on your meat consumption and start enjoying a plant-based diet instead.

The fourth annual National Vegetarian Week, brought to you by Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company, is teaming up with US longevity expert and best-selling author, Dan Buettner, to encourage Australians to make positive changes to their lifestyle habits in order for them to live to a ripe old age.

Latest research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) confirms that a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and legumes can substantially lower the risk of many common diseases including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Dan Buettner's research into the world's 'Blue Zones', or longest-living communities, has proven that a plant-based diet, plenty of exercise, and a close community network can have major benefits on people's holistic health and general wellbeing. To find out more, please visit www.bluezones.com.au.

To find out more about National Vegetarian Week 2010, including delicious new recipes, please visit www.vegetarianweek.com.au, or become part of our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/nationalvegetarianweek

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25 May 2010

WHAT ARE BLUE ZONES?

Together with a team of researchers and scientists, National Geographic writer Dan Buettner, travelled the globe searching for the world's longest-living communities, or 'Blue Zones'. The premise of Blue Zones is to identify lifestyle traits and choices that support and increase the chances of longevity, and to find out how and why these communities are living measurably better and longer than those of us in the rest of the world.

Buettner and his team have identified five Blue Zones; Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda (California), Nicoya Peninsula (Costa Rica) and Icaria (Greece). In these communities, people are found to be reaching age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in much of the developed world, suffer a fraction of the rate of heart disease and cancer, and are getting an extra 10 years that most of us are missing.

In order to identify the lifestyle characteristics that may explain longevity and the existence of these Blue Zones, a second team of scientists visited each location and spent time with the local people, determining how they lived, what they ate, what their passions are, their faith and their purpose.

They discovered nine 'secrets', or common lifestyle similarities between each of the Blue Zones, and have since dubbed these the 'Power 9'. By following these lifestyle choices, Buettner's research has shown that living long, healthy lives is largely down to us.

Key findings and the Power 9

The Power 9 behaviours fit into four broader categories:

Move Naturally - Make your home, community and workplace present you with natural ways to move. Focus on activities you love, like gardening, walking and playing with your family.

Right Outlook - Know and be able to articulate your sense of purpose, and ensure your day is punctuated with periods of calm.

Eat Wisely - Instead of going from fad diet to fad diet, use time-honored strategies for eating 20% less at meals. Avoid meat and processed food.

Belong to the Right Tribe - Surround yourself with the right people, make the effort to connect or reconnect with your religion and put loved ones first.

Power 9

1. Move (find ways to move mindlessly, make moving unavoidable)
2. Plan de Vida (know your purpose in life)
3. Down Shift (work less, slow down, rest, take vacation)
4. 80% Rule (stop eating when you're 80% full)
5. Plant-Power (more vegies, less protein and processed foods)
6. Red Wine (consistency and moderation)
7. Belong (create a healthy social network)
8. Beliefs (spiritual or religious participation)
9. Your Tribe (make family a priority)

www.bluezones.com

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25 May 2010

RESEARCH CONFIRMS HEALTH BENEFITS OF VEGETARIAN DIET

An abundance of scientific research has confirmed what most of us have been told for years, a vegetarian diet has a wealth of health benefits. Among others, these range from lowering the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and many cancers, to promoting weight loss and helping to sustain a healthy BMI, and helping to improve glycaemic control.

Below is a summary of some of the key findings from the latest scientific studies:

• Vegetarian or vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases," according to the latest Position Paper on Vegetarian Diets from the American Dietetic Association. The statement continues, "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" ^[1].
• Results of an evidence based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease, with vegetarians having lower Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians. Vegetarians also tend to have lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates ^[1].
• Characteristics of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, soy products, fibre, and phytonutrients ^[1].
• Vegetarian diets in childhood and adolescence can aid in the establishment of lifelong healthful eating patterns and can offer some important nutritional advantages. Vegetarian children and adolescents have lower intakes of cholesterol, saturated fat, and total fat and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables and fiber than non-vegetarians ^[2].
• Vegetarians are at lower risk of death from heart disease than non-vegetarians [3-5]. The lower Body Mass Index (BMI) commonly seen in vegetarians is one factor that may help to explain the lower risk of heart disease in vegetarians ^[1].
• High amounts in vegetarian diets of fibre, nuts, soy and plant sterols, with lower intakes of saturated fats have a beneficial effect on blood lipids. Vegetarians consume between 50-100% more fibre than non-vegetarians ^[6]. Soluble fibre ^[7], nuts ^[8] and soy isoflavones lower LDL cholesterol ^[9]. Plant sterols (found in legumes, nuts and seeds, wholegrains and other plant-based foods) reduce cholesterol absorption and lower LDL cholesterol ^[10].
• Other foods in a vegetarian diet that may offer protection from heart disease include soy protein ^[11], fruits and vegetables, wholegrains and nuts ^{[12, 13]}.
• There are lower rates of hypertension among vegetarians than non-vegetarians ^{[3, 4]}. Vegetarians tend to have a lower BMI than non-vegetarians, which may partially account for differences in blood pressure ^[1]. Lower rates of hypertension may also be due to the collective effect of various beneficial compounds found in plant foods (potassium, magnesium, antioxidants, dietary fat, fibre) ^[14].
• Vegetarians have lower rates of type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians ^[15]. Although obesity increases risk of type 2 diabetes, meat and processed meat intake are risk factors for diabetes, even after adjusting for BMI ^{[16, 17]}.
• Higher intakes of vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and nuts have all been associated with a substantially lower risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and improved glycaemic control ^[18-21]. In the Nurses' Health Study the risk of developing diabetes was 27% lower for those consuming nuts five or more times a week, compared to those almost never eating nuts ^[19].
• Because legumes contain carbohydrates that are slowly digested and have a higher fibre content, they help to improve glycaemic control and reduce risk of diabetes by 38% (legumes) and 47% (soybeans) ^[18].
• A recent study of people with type 2 diabetes comparing a low fat vegan diet with a diet based on the American Diabetes Association guidelines found that on the vegan diet 43% of subjects were able to reduce their medication compared to only 26% in the ADA group ^[22].
• Increased conformity to vegetarian diets protects against risk of type 2 diabetes after lifestyle characteristics and BMI were taken into account ^[23].
• Vegetarian eating patterns have been associated with lower BMI, and BMI increases as the frequency of meat consumption increases in both men and women ^[4]. In a cross-sectional study of more than 37,000 adults, meat-eaters had the highest BMI and vegans the lowest with other vegetarians having intermediate values ^[24]. In the EPIC-Oxford Study, weight gain was lowest for those who reduced their intake of animal foods ^[25].
• A low-fat vegetarian diet has been shown to be more effective in long-term weight loss for post-menopausal women than a more conventional cholesterol lowering program, such as the US National Cholesterol Education Program ^[26].
• Vegetarians tend to have overall cancer rates lower than that of the general population (not confined to smoking-related cancers) ^[4]. Obesity is a significant factor increasing the risk of cancer at a number of sites ^[27]. The lighter body weight of vegetarians may be an important factor in the reduced cancer risk.
• A vegetarian diet provides a variety of cancer-protective dietary factors ^[28]. Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is strongly associated with a reduced risk of some cancers ^{[29, 30]}.
• Red meat and processed meat consumption is consistently associated with an increase in the risk of colorectal cancer ^[27], whereas legumes are negatively associated with risk of colon cancer in non-vegetarians ^[4]. Risk is significantly lowered by a high intake of fruit and vegetables ^[32]. A high fibre intake is thought to protect against colon cancer ^[33].
• A recent study of half a million people in the US concluded that red and processed meat intakes were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality ^[34].
• Soy isoflavones and soy foods are known to have anti-cancer properties ^[1]. A meta-analysis of Asians who are high consumers of soy showed a significant trend of decreasing risk of breast cancer with increasing soy food intake. Whereas, in low consuming countries, soy intake was unrelated to breast cancer risk ^[35]. In the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study of approximately 5,000 women, those with breast cancer who consumed soy were more likely to survive, with decreased risk of death and recurrence ^[36].
• Meat consumption has been linked in some, but not all, studies with an increased risk of breast cancer [37]. In one study, breast cancer risk increased by 50% to 60% for each additional 100g/day of meat consumed ^[38].

References

1. Craig, W.J. and A.R. Mangels, Position of the American Dietetic Association: vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc, 2009. 109(7): p. 1266-82.
2. Larsson, C.L. and G.K. Johansson, Young Swedish vegans have different sources of nutrients than young omnivores. J Am Diet Assoc, 2005. 105(9): p. 1438-41.
3. Appleby, P.N., G.K. Davey, and T.J. Key, Hypertension and blood pressure among meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans in EPIC-Oxford. Public Health Nutr, 2002. 5(5): p. 645-54.
4. Fraser, G.E., Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 70(3 Suppl): p. 532S-538S.
5. Key, T.J., et al., Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr, 1999. 70(3 Suppl): p. 516S-524S.
6. Messina, V., A.R. Mangels, and M. Messina, The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications. 2nd ed. ed. 2004, Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
7. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board. 2002, Washington, DC.: National Academy Press;.
8. Mukuddem-Petersen, J., W. Oosthuizen, and J.C. Jerling, A systematic review of the effects of nuts on blood lipid profiles in humans. J Nutr, 2005. 135(9): p. 2082-9.
9. Rimbach, G., et al., Dietary isoflavones in the prevention of cardiovascular disease--a molecular perspective. Food Chem Toxicol, 2008. 46(4): p. 1308-19.
10. Katan, M.B., et al., Efficacy and safety of plant stanols and sterols in the management of blood cholesterol levels. Mayo Clin Proc, 2003. 78(8): p. 965-78.
11. Sirtori, C.R., I. Eberini, and A. Arnoldi, Hypocholesterolaemic effects of soya proteins: results of recent studies are predictable from the anderson meta-analysis data. Br J Nutr, 2007. 97(5): p. 816-22.
12. Fraser, G.E., Diet, life expectancy, and chronic disease : studies of Seventh-Day Adventists and other vegetarians. 2003, Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. xv, 371 p.
13. Kelly, J.H., Jr. and J. Sabate, Nuts and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological perspective. Br J Nutr, 2006. 96 Suppl 2: p. S61-7.
14. Berkow, S.E. and N.D. Barnard, Blood pressure regulation and vegetarian diets. Nutr Rev, 2005. 63(1): p. 1-8.
15. Snowdon, D.A. and R.L. Phillips, Does a vegetarian diet reduce the occurrence of diabetes? Am J Public Health, 1985. 75(5): p. 507-12.
16. Vang, A., et al., Meats, processed meats, obesity, weight gain and occurrence of diabetes among adults: findings from Adventist Health Studies. Ann Nutr Metab, 2008. 52(2): p. 96-104.
17. Song, Y., et al., A prospective study of red meat consumption and type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and elderly women: the women's health study. Diabetes Care, 2004. 27(9): p. 2108-15.
18. Villegas, R., et al., Legume and soy food intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr, 2008. 87(1): p. 162-7.
19. Jiang, R., et al., Nut and peanut butter consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. JAMA, 2002. 288(20): p. 2554-60.
20. Jenkins, D.J., et al., Type 2 diabetes and the vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr, 2003. 78(3 Suppl): p. 610S-616S.
21. Villegas, R., et al., Vegetable but not fruit consumption reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese women. J Nutr, 2008. 138(3): p. 574-80.
22. Barnard, N.D., et al., A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2006. 29(8): p. 1777-83.
23. Tonstad, S., et al., Type of vegetarian diet, body weight, and prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2009. 32(5): p. 791-6.
24. Spencer, E.A., et al., Diet and body mass index in 38000 EPIC-Oxford meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 2003. 27(6): p. 728-34.
25. Rosell, M., et al., Weight gain over 5 years in 21,966 meat-eating, fish-eating, vegetarian, and vegan men and women in EPIC-Oxford. Int J Obes (Lond), 2006. 30(9): p. 1389-96.
26. Turner-McGrievy, G.M., N.D. Barnard, and A.R. Scialli, A two-year randomized weight loss trial comparing a vegan diet to a more moderate low-fat diet. Obesity (Silver Spring), 2007. 15(9): p. 2276-81.
27. American Institute for Cancer Research. and World Cancer Research Fund., Food, nutrition, physical activity and the prevention of cancer : a global perspective : a project of World Cancer Research Fund International. 2007, Washington, D.C.: American Institute for Cancer Research.
28. Dewell, A., et al., A very-low-fat vegan diet increases intake of protective dietary factors and decreases intake of pathogenic dietary factors. J Am Diet Assoc, 2008. 108(2): p. 347-56.
29. Liu, R.H., Health benefits of fruit and vegetables are from additive and synergistic combinations of phytochemicals. Am J Clin Nutr, 2003. 78(3 Suppl): p. 517S-520S.
30. Beliveau, R. and D. Gingras, Role of nutrition in preventing cancer. Can Fam Physician, 2007. 53(11): p. 1905-11.
31. Liu, R.H., Potential synergy of phytochemicals in cancer prevention: mechanism of action. J Nutr, 2004. 134(12 Suppl): p. 3479S-3485S.
32. Koushik, A., et al., Fruits, vegetables, and colon cancer risk in a pooled analysis of 14 cohort studies. J Natl Cancer Inst, 2007. 99(19): p. 1471-83.
33. Bingham, S.A., et al., Dietary fibre in food and protection against colorectal cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC): an observational study. Lancet, 2003. 361(9368): p. 1496-501.
34. Sinha, R., et al., Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med, 2009. 169(6): p. 562-71.
35. Wu, A.H., et al., Epidemiology of soy exposures and breast cancer risk. Br J Cancer, 2008. 98(1): p. 9-14.
36. Shu, X.O., et al., Soy food intake and breast cancer survival. JAMA, 2009. 302(22): p. 2437-43.
37. Missmer, S.A., et al., Meat and dairy food consumption and breast cancer: a pooled analysis of cohort studies. Int J Epidemiol, 2002. 31(1): p. 78-85.
38. Bessaoud, F., J.P. Daures, and M. Gerber, Dietary factors and breast cancer risk: a case control study.

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12 August 2009

FAMOUS AUSSIES PLEDGE TO TRY VEG TO HELP SAVE THE BARRIER REEF

National Vegetarian Week, 28 September - 4 October 2009

An impressive line-up of celebrities are supporting the third annual National Vegetarian Week by making a ‘Pledge to Try Veg’ to boost awareness of the effect of meat consumption on our health and the environment, and to raise vital funds to help save the Great Barrier Reef from destruction due to climate change.

Cricket legend Brett Lee, world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore and head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri are among those who have made a pledge to support National Vegetarian Week, with television and radio personality Sami Lukis leading the charge as this year’s campaign ambassador.

Pledge to Try Veg is the theme of this year’s National Vegetarian Week (28 September – 4 October 2009) and Australians are encouraged to make a pledge either to try a plant-based meal, increase their plant based meals or commit to eating vegetarian for the week by visiting www.vegetarianweek.com.au. For every pledge, one dollar will be donated to the Great Barrier Reef Foundationⁱ to help fund research into protecting the national icon and tourism drawcard from environmental threats such as rising water temperatures and water acidification. If left unchecked, such issues could cause major problems such as coral bleaching and damage to reef ecosystems.ⁱⁱ

Sami Lukis, a vegetarian since the age of nine, said the purpose of National Vegetarian Week is to demonstrate that eating too much meat may have an impact on our health and a very real impact on the environment, and to inspire people to make small adjustments to their diet.

We are not asking people to make a complete switch to a meat-free diet. Rather, we are encouraging them to consider how they can make a difference globally and within the skin they’re in, by eating more vegetarian meals. We need as many people as possible to make a pledge so we can help save our Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and improve everyone’s health,” said Ms Lukis.

According to new Newspoll research commissioned by Sanitarium Health Food Company, seven out of 10 Australians are now eating plant-based mealsⁱⁱⁱ. The national survey of 1200 adults also showed a continuing trend in the belief that eating less meat and more plant-based foods improves overall health.

Sanitarium Accredited Practising Dietitian, Angela Saunders, said, “Including more plant based foods provides a number of health benefits including protection from common lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers.”

“People on plant-based diets eat more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes which are naturally low in fat, and so manage their weight more easily. These foods also contribute more fibre, helping us feel full and reducing the need for snacking,” she added.

Part of National Vegetarian Week this year is to also raise awareness of how meat production negatively impacts the environment.

Livestock activity such as agriculture involving cattle and sheep is responsible for more than a third of all human-produced methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. While methane breaks down in less than 20 years, carbon dioxide stays around for 100 years or more. Cutting carbon dioxide emissions will have no effect on global warming for decades, but reducing methane by restricting our meat intake will make a difference very quickly.

For more information visit: www.vegetarianweek.com.au

Official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/nationalvegetarianweek

ⁱ Maximum $5,000 donation
ⁱⁱ
The effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger of threats from climate change, the two most significant being water acidification (when the absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean triggers a series of chemical reactions which make the water more acidic), and rising water temperatures. If left unchecked, the long term effects will be catastrophic. Already we are seeing the effects manifesting as coral bleaching. This occurs when small changes in the water chemistry cause the microorganisms that nourish the coral to be expelled from the coral, leaving it white, or bleached. Unless conditions return to normal within four to six weeks the coral will die. Bleaching not only effects coral populations, it also endangers many other organisms in larger reef ecosystems.(www.barrierreef.org)
ⁱⁱⁱ May 2009 SNS Newspoll survey

 

Media Release National Vegetarian Week 2009 - Pledge to Try Veg - Click here to read more

Media Release Meat Lovers Harm the Environment, their Health and their Pocket - Click here to read more