Loma Linda University hospital is a Seventh-day Adventist institution that advocates vegetarianism. The religion encourages eating to maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit to honor God, states the Seventh-day Adventist American Dietetic Association. Indeed, Seventh-day Adventists have followed this diet for more than 100 years. Based on studies conducted at the university's health sciences center, Seventh-day Adventists believe that this diet prolongs life by reducing your risk of major chronic diseases, explains the Adventist Health Study website. However, you should consult with your doctor before making any dietary change.
Council Recommendations
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist's Nutrition Council advocates the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Tobacco, alcohol and foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol are viewed as risk factors for health. The nutrition council recommends that all meat, fish, and fowl be eliminated from the diet, and that you should restrict using egg yolks to no more than three per week. The Adventist health study shows a significant health advantage for those who eat a meat-free plant-based diet in contrast to those who eat a more meat-based diet.
The Plan
The Seventh-day Adventist Nutrition Council provides guidelines for consuming a vegetarian diet. Specifically, you are to consume daily: six to 11 servings of whole grains; seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables; two to four servings of dairy; two to four servings of protein-rich foods such as eggs, legumes, nuts or seeds; and small amounts of oils, fats and sugars. You should avoid eating meat and pork, poultry or fish as well as limit your intake of foods high in fat, cholesterol, salt or sugar. Alcohol and caffeine drinks are excluded from this plan.
Advantages
According to a study by Dr. G.E. Fraser in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,"
Seventh-day Adventists have a lower risk of developing arthritis, certain types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high-blood pressure. Moreover, those identified as Seventh-day Adventists among the California non-Hispanic population lived longer than the state's general population; men, on average, lived 7.3 years longer while women lived 4.42 years longer, reports Naturalnews.com. Specifically, being vegetarian with frequent consumption of nuts, a medium body mass index and high levels of physical activity within the Seventh-day Adventist population resulted in a 1.5- to 2.5-year increase in life expectancy.
Disadvantages
Since guidelines for this diet agree with those of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it is basically a healthy plan. You will need reliable sources of vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc if you choose this diet. Therefore, you should consider taking supplements, but always consult with your doctor before adding supplements to your diet.
References
- Seventh-day Adventist Dietetic Association: The Seventh-day Adventist Position Statement on Vegetarian Diets
- Loma Linda University; Adventist Health Study; 2005
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Associations Between Diet and Cancer, Ischemic Heart Disease, and All-cause Mortality in Non-Hispanic White California Seventh-day Adventists; Gary E. Fraser; December 1999.
