What would happen if we didn't eat meat?

The European Society of Cardiology published findings that eating a plant-based diet is not only good for your health, but it's also good for your budget. 

In a review of studies, researchers found that starting early in life by consuming vegetarian or vegan foods can help prevent heart disease, stroke, obesity, and other chronic conditions, begging the question what would happen if we didn't eat meat when we're young? 

Meat was a staple in my home growing up. Like so many families, we basically ate meat and potatoes at dinner, meat sandwiches for lunch, and a ton of processed foods that mom could fix, and still have time to work a full-time job, plus maintain some semblance of household order. Thinking back, it would have been easier on the household budget to ditch the meat altogether.

There is also no longer a question that eating a plant-based diet would help save our environment and address food shortages. 

Researchers looked at evidence dating back to 1982 that showed eating a vegetarian or vegan diet could reduce heart disease risk which is a leading cause of death, even among people who are obese. 

“We found that vegetarian and vegan diets were associated with a 14% reduction in all artery-clogging lipoproteins as indicated by apolipoprotein B", according to Professor Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, Chief Physician at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, who spearheaded the study. 

Vegan and Vegetarian diets naturally lower cholesterol 

Sifting through 30 randomized studies that spanned 1982 to 2022 revealed that eating plant-based foods lowered all cholesterol. 

That may not be news in itself though. This study was different because it looked at the levels of apoliprotein B (apoB) which is a known predictor of heart disease. It also took into account populations on different continents, in different states of health, and those with high body mass index. 

Compared to meat eaters, people assigned to vegan or vegetarian diets had a reduction in cholesterol levels, with a 14 percent reduction in apoB levels when they stopped eating meat for an average of 29 weeks. 

You could buy supplements touted to naturally lower cholesterol, or take prescription medications. and some might help. When it comes to touted cholesterol lowering supplements, I'm generally wary. 

Supplements might help lower cholesterol some, but no matter what you hear on TikTok, there isn't anything earth-shattering in the word of vitamins or other non-prescriptions to prevent heart disease that your doctor has been hiding from you. 

What are your thoughts?