A well-planned vegetarian diet can help you meet your nutritional requirements. Learn what you should know about a vegan diet.
Vegetarian diets are becoming more popular. The reasons for following a vegan diet are varied, but they include health benefits. A vegetarian diet can reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Some vegetarian diets rely on too many processed foods, which are high in calories and contain too much fat, sugar, and salt. These diets might not contain enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Planning a vegetarian meal can be adapted to meet the needs and preferences of pregnant or nursing women and people of all ages.
It is important to know your nutritional requirements so you can plan a diet around them.
Types of Vegetarian Diets
Vegetarian diets differ in the foods that they include or exclude.
- Lacto vegetarian diets exclude all meat, fish, chicken, eggs and foods containing them. Dairy products such as butter, milk, yoghurt, cheese and other dairy products are included.
- Ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, and seafood but allow eggs.
- Lacto ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, and fish but allow dairy and eggs.
- Pescatarian Diets exclude meat, poultry, dairy products, and eggs but allow fish.
- Vegan Diets are free of meat, poultry and fish, dairy products, eggs, and other animal products.
Some people eat a mostly plant-based diet, but occasionally or in small amounts, they will eat dairy products, meat, poultry, and fish. This is also known as a flexitarian diet.
Planning a healthy vegetarian diet
Choose a wide variety of plant-based food to get the best out of your vegetarian diet. Whole fruits, vegetables and grains are all good choices. Plant-based foods include nuts and legumes such as lentils or beans.
Reduce your intake of unhealthy foods and beverages. Sugar-sweetened drinks, fruit juices, and refined grains are all examples. A registered dietitian will help you develop a vegetarian diet that is right for you.
Vegetarian diet: Daily amounts based on a 2,000-calorie diet
Food group daily Amount
*All foods should be lean, low-fat and prepared without sugar, refined starches, or added fats.
Source: Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025 for Americans
Vegetables Two and a half cups of coffee a day
Fruits Two cups of coffee a day
Grains (mostly whole grains) 6 1/2 ounces per day
Dairy: Three cups of coffee a day
Proteins 3 1/2 ounces per day
Oils: You can consume 27 grams of sugar per day
Remember that the more food you eliminate from your diet, the less nutrients you may be able to obtain. For example, a vegan diet eliminates natural sources of vitamin B-12 and milk products, which are good sources of calcium.
Pay attention to these nutrients in your diet if you want to make sure your body is getting the nutrition it needs:
Calcium & vitamin D
Calcium is essential for strong teeth and bones. Calcium is found in milk and dairy products. If you consume enough dark green vegetables, they are a good source of plant calcium. Turnip, collard and broccoli greens are examples. You can also choose calcium-enriched or fortified foods. Some juices, cereals, soymilk, yoghurt, tofu, and soymilk are fortified with calcium.
Vitamin D is also important for bone health. Vitamin D can be found in cow’s milk and certain brands of soy or rice milk. It is also added to cereals, margarine, and some cereals. Check the labels of your food. Vitamin D supplements may be recommended to people who do not consume enough fortified food and get little sun exposure. There are plant-derived vitamin supplements.
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 helps to prevent anaemia and produce red blood cells. Anaemia is a condition where the body does not have enough healthy blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body. Vitamin B-12 can only be found in animal products. It is, therefore, difficult to consume enough B-12 when you are vegan. A vitamin B-12 deficiency can go unnoticed in vegans. The vegan diet contains a lot of folate, which can mask a vitamin B-12 shortage. It’s therefore important that vegans consider vitamin supplements, cereals enriched with vitamins, and fortified products.
Protein
Skin, muscles, and bones are kept healthy by protein. You don’t have to consume large quantities of dairy and eggs to get enough protein. You can also get enough protein by eating a variety of plant-based food throughout the day. Plant sources of protein include legumes, whole grains, soy products, meat substitutes and lentils.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Fish, canola, soybeans, flaxseed, walnuts and ground flaxseed are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetarians who do not eat fish may have low levels of two omega-3 fatty acid types called DHA and EPA. Some studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acid intake, such as EPA and DHA, may reduce the risk of heart disease. These two omega-3s are also important for the fetal’s development during pregnancy. The research on the health benefits of EPA/DHA varies. Vegetarians who do not consume fish or sources of omega-3 fats in their diet might consider adding fortified foods to their diet.
Iron
Iron is essential for red blood cells. Iron is found in dried beans and peas, as well as lentils, whole grain products, dark green leafy vegetables, and dry fruit. Plants don’t absorb iron as well as animal products. The recommended iron intake for vegetarians is nearly double that of non-vegetarians. Eat foods high in vitamin C along with iron-containing food to help your body absorb the iron. Peppers, strawberries and citrus fruits are all vitamin C-rich food. Tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and tomatoes also contain Vitamin C.
Zinc is also not as readily absorbed by plants as it is by animal products. Pescatarians can get zinc from seafood, such as crabs and shrimp. If you consume dairy products, zinc is found in cheese and yoghurt. Whole grains, soy, lentils and beans are all plant sources. Zinc is essential for the production of proteins and cells in the body. Zinc in the diet supports the immune system, vision and more.
Iodine
Iodine is a component of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are important for muscle growth and metabolism. Iodized sea salt can be used to add iodine to foods. Iodine is also found in dairy and seafood. If you don’t eat dairy or seafood, then you may have an iodine shortage if you do not use iodized sea salt. Iodine deficiencies can cause the thyroid to grow as it attempts to meet the body’s need for thyroid hormones. Goiter is the term used when this happens to the thyroid. Seaweed can be a vegetarian source of dietary iodine.
Getting started
A good way to begin a vegetarian lifestyle is to reduce your meat intake gradually. Increase the Amount of fruit and vegetables you consume at the same time. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Increase the meatless meals that you enjoy. Include greens as part of your daily diet. You can choose from spinach, Swiss chard, collards, and kale.
- Substitute. Try your favourite recipes without meat. Make vegetarian chilli, for example, by omitting ground beef. Add an extra can of black beans. Make fajitas with extra-firm tofu instead of chicken. Many dishes can be made vegetarian by making simple adjustments.
- Try something new. Search the Internet for vegetarian recipes. Purchase or borrow vegetarian books. Visit ethnic restaurants to try new vegetarian dishes. You can meet your nutritional requirements by adding variety to your diet.
