As we the harvest season continues, here are even more reason to eat your veggies!
- Lower your risk of heart disease: Some studies show that vegetarian diets reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 40%. Even if you don’t follow a vegetarian diet, just eating more produce is beneficial. A Harvard study found that people who eat 5 cups of produce a day lower their risk of heart disease by nearly 30%.
- Prevent and manage diabetes: Studies show that vegetarians have a lower incidence of diabetes than non-vegetarians. Just as important, intervention studies show that vegetarian and vegan diets help control and reduce blood sugar – more than diets using traditional carbohydrate-counting methods.
- Protect against cancer: Eating lots of produce while eating less red meat can reduce the risk of cancers. Studies show that you don’t have to completely eliminate meat. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends eating no more than 18 oz. of red meat per week. Fill your plate with veggies!
- Help the planet: If everyone in the United States ate only plant proteins just one day a week for one year, it would have the same environmental impact as taking 7.6 million cars off the road. Plants have lower greenhouse gas emissions, use less fresh water and require less land than livestock.
“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!”
—Patti Sciulli, Group Exercise and Wellness Director