Eating More Vegetables – Less Meat – Helps Lower Heart Attack, Stroke Risks

Here’s some good news for meat lovers – you don’t have to completely give up beef, chicken and pork to reap the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Simply swapping some of the meat in your diet for vegetables is capable of lowering your risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

Researchers call it a “pro-vegetarian diet,” one that is based more on plant-based foods than animal-based foods. And it’s linked to lower risks of dying from heart disease and stroke, according to new research.

“A pro-vegetarian diet doesn’t make absolute recommendations about specific nutrients,” said Camille Lassie, the lead author of a new observational study. “It focuses on increasing the proportion of plant based foods relative to animal-based foods, which results in an improved nutritionally balanced diet.”

For the study, researchers analyzed the eating and lifestyle habits of more than 450,000 Europeans. People who ate a pro-vegetarian diet — at least 70 percent of their food coming from plant sources — had a 20-percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

The findings are in line with previous evidence on the benefits of eating plant foods to prevent cardiovascular disease.

The American Heart Association recommends a “heart-healthy diet,” which could also be characterized as a pro-vegetarian diet. High in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts, low-fat dairy, skinless poultry and fish, the diet also suggests eating foods lower in saturated and trans fats and sodium and limiting added sugars and red meats.

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