Despite the mouth watering taste of meat, some people have decided to either eat it in limited amounts or to go vegetarian, writes Vicky Wandawa.

“ I would rather die than live without eating meat,” is a response 58-year-old Moses Sserubiri (not real names) has quite gotten used to almost every time he is midway a conversation explaining the benefits he has reaped as a vegetarian.

For the majority, a life that involves menus devoid of meat is nearly as good as not living at all. At most gatherings, meat is a crucial part of the menu. A party may not be regarded a party without the delicious spicy meat and the aromatic foods such as pizza, kebabs, chaps and many more.

Despite the mouth watering taste of meat, some people have decided to either eat it in limited amounts or not at all for health reasons. These people are called vegetarians.
Dr Vincent Karuhanga, a general practitioner with Friends Polyclinic says there are five types of vegetarians i.e. vegan, lacto-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, occasional (semi Vegetarian) and macrobiotics.

Vegans eat exclusively plant-based foods and do not have meat, milk, poultry, eggs, fish and honey. What’s more, they do not use products derived from animal products such as fur, silk, wool, soaps, cosmetics, wool and leather. Lacto-vegetarians eat plant-based foods, milk and its products but not meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

The lacto-ovo vegetarians eat plant based foods, milk and its products and eggs but not meat, poultry and fish.
Semi vegetarians eat plant-based foods and occasionally consume in limited quantity any if not all of the following: meat, poultry and fish. Macrobiotics vegetarians are like the vegans but don’t consume the processed plant-based foods.

According to Dr Karuhanga, “People take on the vegetarian diet for various reasons such as being born in a family that is vegetarian, for medical reasons such as allergies and obesity that can be caused by eating meat, or because of their beliefs such as a religion that finds it sacrilegious to eat meat or because they are animal activists.”

Even though the idea of cutting out meat from one’s diet sounds hard and almost impossible, there are a number of advantages that come with a vegetarian diet. Michael Kibule, a nutritionist with Kim’s Medical Centre says vegetables contain a high level of fibre. Fibre improves the digestive health because there is quick bowel movement and this therefore reduces the chances of complications resulting from bad bowel movements such as piles, constipation and others.

Additionally, vegetables contain antioxidants properties such as zinc, vitamins C and E. These slow the ageing process. This is because their antioxidant properties do not permit oxidative cell damage. “Oxidative cell damage is the breakdown of cells in the presence of oxygen and this process increases the aging process. Therefore, with the antioxidants from the vegetables, we slow down the ageing process.”

However, it should be noted that there are some things one needs to look out for before becoming a vegetarian, Karuhanga says. “Our intestines do not digest vegetables completely and therefore the undigested bits can lead to conditions such as excessive gas in the stomach,” explains Karuhanga.

Furthermore, Karuhanga advises, “Taking on vegetarianism is okay. However, vegetarians should be careful about what they eat because they may deprive their bodies of some necessary nutrients for example vitamin B12, and essential fats.” Essential fats are needed by the body for one’s well being and in helping with nerve formation, yet our bodies can’t manufacture them, but they can be got from fish.

Although meat is tasty and has the much-needed essential fats, overconsumption comes with disadvantages. “Organ meat brings about obesity and Non Communicable Chronic Diseases, (NCCCD) such as coronary heart diseases for example cardiac failure and cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. This is especially because of the bad cholesterol from the red meat.

Gout too is a result of overconsumption of meat. “Gout is a metabolic disease resulting from excessive secretion of uric acid due to meat, therefore leading to pain and swellings of the joints.”

Karuhanga explains that some people’s bodies cannot sufficiently digest the uric acid and therefore its accumulation leads to gout. The other diseases that can be gotten from infected meat include anthrax, brucellosis, Tuberculosis, bird flu etc. Karuhanga further explains that deposition of meat leads to production of Hetero Cyclic Amines (HCA) which brings about cancer. Sserubiri who has been a lacto- vegetarian for the last 20 years says, “It has been a wonderful life since I took on this diet, because it has many advantages.”

“20 years ago, my big toe was painful because I was developing gout but when I went vegetarian, I became completely fine.”
He admits that the start was hard with temptations but he grew stronger with time. “As a vegetarian, the sense of taste changes completely to the extent that you can detect sweetness in vegetables that used to taste absolutely plain.”

As regards the benefits he has reaped, Sserubiri says,” “At my age, I see my contemporaries tortured with diseases such as gout and rheumatism, but I am fine.” Furthermore, he explains, unlike his contemporaries, he feels strong and energetic. Sserubiri adds that it was willpower that got him going.

“Will power is very important when it comes to such decisions. I used to smoke almost a whole packet of cigarettes and drank alcohol but when I decided to stop eating meat, I stopped smoking and drinking alcohol as well because the two bring temptation especially when in a bar.” He further advises that the company one keeps matters. If you are hanging around people who drink alcohol and eat meat, it is hard to sustain the vegetarian diet.

On a typical day, for breakfast Sserubiri has: Black or milk tea, whole grain bread/ chapatti, beans and a fruit. For lunch he has: Matooke/potatoes, beans/groundnuts and vegetables (a must) and this is the same for supper. “I do not live to eat, I eat to live, so long as I have all the nutrients for my body, I am not bothered about the taste or colour of the food,” he concludes.

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