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To meat or not to meat
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| The term ‘vegetarianism’ became part of the English lexicon around 1847. There are several reasons for people to be vegetarians. Although vegetarianism is not common in Western cultures, some groups, such as Hindus and Buddhists, have been practising it as part of their religions for hundreds of years. For others, it is a moral choice. These advocates of vegetarianism believe that killing animals for food is inhumane. And still others who have turned away from eating meat believe that a non-meat diet is more healthful. Meat, especially red meat, is high in saturated fats and cholesterol, which can lead to heart attacks. Some vegetarians are “hardliners” and refuse to eat any meat, seafood, or animal products, such as eggs or milk. Others draw the line at red meat and poultry, but allow themselves dairy products and fish. Because it is a good source of protein and other essential nutrients, meat is a valued part of the Western diet. However, it is possible to get our daily allowance of protein through non-meat sources such as vegetables, legumes, grains, and dairy products without consuming as much of the harmful fats. For example, one cup of lentils provides fifteen grams of protein and almost no fat. Two ounces of hamburger also provide fifteen grams of protein along with twelve grams of fat! However, one potential problem in a vegetarian diet is getting the proper balance of all nutrients. Vegetarians must be especially careful they get enough iron and B vitamins. Although no one can definitively prove the superiority of a meatless diet, all nutritionists agree that fruits and vegetables are essential to any diet. |
Do you know:
· who vegetarians are?
· what essential nutrients meat products contain?
| Are you a vegetarian? Are there any moral, religious or health issues involved? Have you ever considered modifying your diet? Why? Why not? Name all possible advantages and disadvantages of fruit and vegetable diet. |
& Reading
Read the text and be ready to discuss it. Translate the underlined words and use them in the sentences of your own.
FOOD
“you are what you eat”
Food is fuel. Our minds and bodies depend on it for the energy to be healthy and strong. Not just any food will do, though, and a bad diet can be positively unhealthy.
What is a healthy diet?
Let’s begin with the most basic questions of all… What is it in food which our minds and bodies need? Well, the answer comes in six parts: - Carbohydrates – Protein – Fat – Vitamins – Minerals – Fibre.
Naturally, different foods contain different amounts and combinations of these six. Some are high in protein or carbohydrates, for example, while others are low in fibre or fat. It can all seem very confusing, it isn’t really. All you need to know are a few simple facts, then it’s easy to:
(a) avoid what’s bad for you;
(b) choose a balanced, healthy diet.
Fibre
Adults need 30 grammes of fibre per day. Why? Because it helps the digestive system to work properly and protects it against diseases like cancer. Here’s a list of foods which have a high fibre content (notice that they’re all grown either directly or originally in the ground): - Vegetables – Nuts – Cereals – Beans – Fruit – Wholemeal bread – Pasta.
Fat
There are two kinds of fat – saturated and unsaturated. The healthy kind is unsaturated and you can find this in fish which contain a lot of oil (e.g. trout and mackerel), nuts, soya oil and some kinds of margarine. Saturated fat, on the other hand, is found in meat, dairy products, crisps, cakes, biscuits and chocolate. Too much of this variety can cause your body serious problems.
Here’s how:
(a) Fat contains a lot of calories and too much of these can make you overweight. Seriously overweight people often suffer from a long list of health problems.
(b) Fat also contains cholesterol. Too much of this can gradually start to block your arteries. This means that your heart has to work harder than usual to pump blood around your body. The result: heart disease and in some severe cases, heart attacks.
To reduce the saturated fat in your diet: (1) Grill food, don’t fry it; (2) Choose low-fat products (cheeses, milk, etc.) whenever possible.
How much fat is too much for healthy eating?
If you want to increase your chance of staying healthy, reduce fat in your diet. There is small doubt that many Australians eat too much fat. Still, fat is not all bad. Dietary fat carries vitamins A, D, E and K and supplies energy as well as fatty acids essential to proper nutrition.
Often fat improves the taste of food. It helps to produce the comfortable feeling of fullness after meals, which delays the return of hunger and discourages overeating. So we all need fat in our diets: many of us just get too much.
What can you do to reduce dietary fat, and why is this important? And how much fat is too much?
Your dietary fat should not exceed 60g of fat. In fact, the body’s need for fat can be met by as little as 15-25g of the substance each day.
How much are you getting? An average Australian consumes daily 80-90g of fat. This is worrying because high-fat diets lead to weight gain and increased risks of illness.
Excess weight is unhealthy. As your weight increases; so do your risks. Although eating too much of any food can cause a weight gain, it is easier to gain weight by eating foods high in fat.
Sugar
Sugar contains energy (in the form of calories), but that’s all. Very sweet foods don’t give you any vitamins, minerals, fibre, fat or protein. So, although sweets, cakes, cola drinks and chocolate are delicious, they are not very healthy – they cause obesity and they’re also bad for your teeth. If you’d like to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, here are some tips to help you.
· Eat more fruit (it contains all the sugar your body needs) and fewer cakes, biscuits and chocolate.
· Reduce (or preferably cut out completely) the sugar you take in tea/coffee.
· Choose breakfast cereals which are less “sugary”.
Salt
On average we eat about 10 grammes of salt per day. Twenty-five per cent of this consists of the salt we add to food ourselves. Twenty-five per cent occurs naturally in our diet. Fifty per cent is added to products by food manufacturers.
How much salt do we actually need? The answer is one gramme per day. Too much salt causes high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Here are some ways to reduce the amount of salt in your diet:
· When you buy tinned vegetables, look for ones with “No added salt” on the label.
· Eat fewer crisps, salted peanuts, etc.
· Don’t add salt to food (a) while you are cooking it, (b) at the table.
· Add lemon juice, herbs or spices instead.
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