What You Need to Know to Go Vegetarian

With more than 67 percent of Americans now categorized as overweight or obese, according to the ?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many people are searching for ways to lighten up and become healthier. ?Studies find that going vegetarian can be a step in the right direction.

Vegetarians tend to live longer and have lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, ?according to research by the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition, and as a group they weigh less and gain less weight over time. Even eating vegetarian part of the time can lead to improvements in health and get the needle on the scale moving in the right direction, a five- year study by Cancer Research UK found.

Anyone interested in vegetarian eating should check out ?Tuesday’s ABC health tweet chat moderated by Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News’ chief health and medical correspondent. Besser, along with Whole Foods, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, registered dietitians, bloggers, and other veggie lovers, tweeted out great tips and information to help anyone become a healthy, happy vegetarian.

Below are highlights from Tuesday’s tweet chat, as well as some recipes, tips and advice from our participants. Enjoy!

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ABC Health Vegetarian Tweet Chat Today at 1PM, ET

Broccoli is a super food and should be a staple in a vegetarian diet. Credit: Tim Pannell/Getty Images

There are lots of reasons for eating more fruits and vegetables: for your health, for the environment, for animal rights — or all of the above. ?That’s why the number of people who eat a completely vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet is growing. Currently, about 4 percent of Americans consider themselves vegetarian and another 47 percent try to go vegetarian at least part of the time, according to the latest national survey by the Vegetarian Resource Group.

Come share your reasons for embracing a vegetarian lifestyle on today’s ABC Health tweet chat, moderated by Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical correspondent for ABC News. We’ll be joined by top vegetarian bloggers, hospital wellness experts and vegetarian advocacy groups from all over the country. And for the first time ever, we’ll be live blogging during the chat to offer you recipes, expert tips and so much more.

The chat starts at 1 p.m., ET and runs for an hour. You’re welcome to participate any way you wish. ?To learn how to join the conversation, click here. ?If you just want to watch, you can see the updates below, which will appear automatically when the event starts.

Get the latest from the ABC Health Vegetarian Twitter Chat Here?

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