Vegetarian Nutrition must-knows?!
Answers: So I'm a teen who has just recently decided to become a vegetarian. My parents think I'm doing it because they think i want to loose weight. Which isn't true because I'm doing it for the animals good. Since I'm taking all meat out of my diet and leaving in eggs and dairy (Lacto-ovo) What foods should i eat on a normal basis or what vitamins should i be sure to get to continue to grow and live healthly?
You get B12 from eggs and dairy, so that's not a big problem. Just make sure you eat when you're hungry (sounds obvious - but it's not always), since you'll likely be eating more low-calorie foods as a vegetarian.
It's probably easiest for you if you eat dairy or eggs daily so you get protein, B12 and a ton of other vitamins/minerals. Eat plenty of bright-coloured veg and fruit and whole grains, a little bit of good fat like canola or olive oil, and you'll be fine. You don't need supplements, vitamins, or any other foods on a regular basis. Ovo-lacto vegetarianism is quite easy to keep up.
If you're very interested in veggie nutrition, this site has a thorough and clear overview...
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm
wel come to the worl of vegetarian because of you more and more animals will save their live thanks:)
Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.
Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.
A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.
Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.
Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.
Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.
Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.
Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.
Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.
ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:
More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.
1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.
" Source: Seventh day Adventists study
2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.
3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.
4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.
5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.
Vitamin B12
Just make sure you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, continue to eat grains and breads, and make sure you get enough protein through nuts and beans. Don't worry about supplement vitamins unless your doctor says you need it.
Let me ask you some thing, are going to be a true vegetarian? you answer is NO! First a TRUE vegetarian will not eat or drink dairy products. They will not eat or drink or use anything that made from animals.But you say you want to still eat eggs? That is like saying you like killing babies. That is what you are eating. You disagree? go look up egg yolks. They are fertilized and unfertilized baby chicken. So you are saying you would rather eat a baby chicken who hasn't had a chance to grow up, than an old cow who has had a long and happy life.