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Obesity has become a health problem of epidemic proportions, and the high fat, cholesterol laden Western diet, overrun with processed foods, is increasingly under fire. Close to five million children, between the ages of 6 and 17, are seriously overweight or obese. The leading cause of death and disability, heart disease and stroke are linked to obesity, as are diabetes, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, pulmonary embolism, chronic fatigue and insomnia.

A research study at Loma Linda University, School of Public Health¹ compared the diets of vegetarians with non-vegetarians who ate meat. The vegetarians consumed more grains, legumes, vegetables (green leafy and yellow), and fruit than the participants who ate meat, and consistently showed evidence of a lower body mass index (BMI)  

In another study involving more than 55,400 Swedish women, researchers found that vegetarians and vegans tend to weigh less and are leaner than meat eaters. Vegans had the lowest (BMI)
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition², vegetarian women weigh less than meat eaters. The researchers found that vegans (no meat, eggs, or dairy) were almost 67 percent less likely to be overweight or obese than those who ate meat. Vegetarians (no meat, can include dairy and/or eggs) were 50 percent less likely to be overweight or obese.

1) Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Sep 2003; 78: 626 – 632
2) Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Jun 2005; 81: 1267 - 1274