THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 26, 1996 TAG: 9608230383
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 28 lines
Thank you for printing the letter by PETA's Mary Beth Sweetland describing how she controls her diabetes with a low-fat vegan diet (July 19). Diabetics are not the only ones who can benefit from a vegetarian diet.
Last year I underwent surgery for uterine cancer. I decided not to resume estrogen-replacement therapy following my surgery, but I still had to contend with hot flashes, mood swings and other symptoms of menopause.
After doing some research, I discovered that a vegetarian diet - especially one that includes soy foods, which are rich in phytoestrogens - combined with aerobic exercise can help alleviate, and in some cases eliminate, the various discomforts commonly associated with menopause.
That's not all. I also learned that vegetarians are less likely to suffer from a host of ills, including heart disease, obesity, many types of cancer - even osteoporosis.
If people were better educated about the connection between the foods they eat and their health, I think most would choose to make dietary changes that would help prevent diseases rather than endure more radical procedures, such as drug therapy or surgery, later on. I know that would have been my choice.
PATRICIA MOORE
Virginia Beach, Aug. 19, 1996 by CNB