To Be or Not to Be Vegetarian?

Much controversy has developed since the Dean Ornish Study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (1998;280:2001-2007). People are confused with what they should eat if they have coronary artery disease. “Should I eat a high carbohydrate diet?” “A vegetarian diet?” or “maybe a high protein diet?”

The first thing that needs to be evaluated is that a lifestyle change needs to occur. No fad diet is the answer to resolving your lipid problem or heart disease. According to the American Heart Association guidelines, one can begin with a Step I or Step II diet. The Step II diet is the more stricter of the two and consists of no more than 30% calories from fat and no more than 7% of those calories from saturated fat.

Realistically, most people will not make radical changes in their diet to become a vegetarian. People will be more likely to eat vegetarian meals and increase their overall intake of vegetables and fish. But according to a response from the Ornish study, “if people make moderate changes they are likely to get worse. If they are willing to make bigger changes, they are likely to get better and better”. I believe decreasing your intake of saturated fats, and including more monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats in moderation will decrease many weight and cholesterol levels and in opening blocked arteries. Method of food preparation is of high importance as well. Heart healthy methods such as baked, broiled, grilled, roasted, BBQ, and steamed are ways that we can acquire good tasting food, while cutting the fat.