HEALTH
These 5 things happen in your body when you stop eating meat
“Rabbit food” is better than meat — this is what happens when you give up animal protein
The World Health Organization (WHO) has made a clear statement on meat consumption: eating too much meat is unhealthy. Furthermore, red meat and processed meat have been proven to be carcinogenic.
One American study goes even further and names specific illnesses which are linked to meat consumption: alongside cancer, the risk increases for heart and respiratory diseases, stroke, diabetes, infections, Alzheimer’s and for liver and kidney diseases.
These are therefore all pretty strong arguments for putting little or no meat on our plates. But what will happen to my fitness, my metabolism and my body if I just get rid of sausages for breakfast and roast beef for dinner without replacing them with anything else?
And how easy will it be for me to give up meat? Meat lovers appreciate its earthy flavor and see it as an important source of protein, iron and vitamins. People therefore quickly fear that they will have a deficiency in these nutrients if they give up meat. The good news is, however, that in terms of nutrition physiology, this fear is unfounded. The only vitamin which is only found in animal products is vitamin B12, so if you’re a vegan you need to take a supplement. All other nutrients can be found in plants, just as they can in dishes containing meat. You just have to know where to look.
That just leaves our “addiction” to the taste of meat. Germany, as a country, has one of the highest levels of meat consumption in the world, as has been shown by recent figures from the German Nutrition Society. With per capita consumption of around 60kg, Germany is quite close to the head of the pack, globally, in terms of appetite for meat. Too close, if you ask nutrition and health experts.
But what real advantages will I have from a meatless diet?
1. Get your beach body back
Many studies show that giving up meat is associated with a significant reduction in obesity. Not only does changing your diet help you to lose weight – it also helps you keep the pounds off. Your cholesterol levels will also improve, as a plant-based diet contains less saturated fat.
2. Healthy gut flora
It’s a digestive organ, an immune hub, and it delivers nutrients to the rest of our body: the gut is where health starts. So that the digestive processes in our stomach and gut work smoothly, it’s essential that we have a healthy gut flora of “good bacteria”. Researchers at the University of New York have now been able to scientifically prove that a plant-based diet increases the number of protective bacteria in the gut.
3. A strong immune system
People on plant-based diets get ill less often. That’s the conclusion a large Australian study came to. In addition to having, overall, a lower susceptibility to infection, vegans and vegetarians are less likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney/gall bladder problems. When people give up meat, their risk of heart disease falls by as much as 29%, while their cancer risk falls by 18%.
4. Empathy
It sounds almost too lovely to be true, but it’s scientifically proven. If you give up meat, you increase your ability to be empathetic. This is the conclusion reached by Italian researchers who were able to prove that the relevant empathy centers are more active in vegans and vegetarians. Our fellow earthlings will thank us for it!
5. A sensitive nose
Smells are closely linked to enjoyment, emotions and memories. If you’ve ever had an illness that made you lose your sense of smell temporarily, you’ll know how important these sensory impressions are for everyday life. You can improve the sensitivity of your nose by giving up animal products. This is what scientists at the Charles University in Prague were able to confirm after investigating the olfactory impressions of test subjects. Not only was the group who didn’t eat meat better able to tell the difference between various smells; their own sweat was also evaluated as having a more pleasant smell.
According to this research, by giving up animal products, you will not only be doing yourself good, but also doing those around you a favor – because your body will smell better than those of omnivores.
In addition to the many benefits for our health, this is another good argument for continuing to steer clear of meat.
