Vegetarians weigh less than meat eaters, have a lighter BMI and are more likely to exercise.
QUINCY, ILL. -- You can barbeque it, braze it, saute it. You can cook meat just about anyway you want and it's usually delicious but that second serving of ribs could cost you a few years off your life.
Loma Linda University in California held a series of studies over the past decade of the religious group the Seventh-Day Adventists who practice vegetarianism as part of their belief system. (See a recap of the studies, here).
The study found that of the 96 thousand people that participated, vegetarian Adventist men and women live six to nine years longer than other Californians.
The study also shows that vegans and vegetarians weigh less than meat eaters, have a lighter BMI and are more likely to exercise.
But if you're still not convinced on giving up your 50 cent wings, just try cutting back. The study found that participants who limited their animal product intake to once a week had "intermediate protection" against lifestyle diseases like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Kelley Basinger isn't a vegetarian but she does offers meatless dishes at her local restaurant 2Thirty4 in Quincy.
'I think we just wanted to have something different and Quincy doesn't have a lot of vegetarian options, so just to give vegetarians a nice comfortable place to have a good meal," Basinger said.
One of those meals is her roasted spaghetti squash with roasted tomatoes, a dish she says will fill vegetarians and meat eaters.
"It's super simple, equally as hearty of a meal and it's so fresh and delicious," Basinger said. "It takes a little while to get use to eating in a vegetarian lifestyle, but once you try it, I don't think you go back."
No you don't because according to the Loma Linda University studies you only move forward living a longer and healthier life.
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