Nutrition of a Vegetarian

A vegetarian diet considers these nutrients in the practice:

Protein: A person doesn’t need to eat foods from animals to have sufficient protein in a person’s diet. Plant proteins alone can supply an adequate amount of the essential and non-essential amino acids provided that sources of dietary protein are diverse and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.
Whole grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts all include both essential and non-essential amino acids. One doesn’t necessarily have to consciously combine these foods (“complementary proteins”) within a given meal. Soy protein also has been shown to be equivalent to proteins of animal origin. It can be one’s sole protein source if one chooses.

Iron: Vegetarians most likely have a greater risk of iron deficiency than non-vegetarians since the richest sources of iron are red meat, liver and egg yolk — all of them high in cholesterol. However, dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer’s yeast and dried fruits can all be good plant sources of iron.

Vitamin B-12: This comes naturally from animal sources alone. Vegans need a dependable source of vitamin B-12. It can be found in several fortified (not enriched) breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverages, some brands of nutritional (brewer’s) yeast and other foods (check the labels) as well as vitamin supplements.

Vitamin D: Vegans should definitely have a reliable source of vitamin D. Vegans who don’t get as much sunlight necessarily need supplements.

Calcium: Research shows that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than non-vegetarians do. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, as well as some legumes and soybean products, are excellent sources of calcium from plants.

Zinc: Zinc is critically necessary for growth and development. Excellent plant sources include grains, nuts and legumes. Shellfish are a definite source of zinc. It is better to take care in selecting supplements containing more than 15-18 mg zinc. These supplements that contain 50 mg or more may possibly lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol in some people.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Many people would definitely ask, Is vegetarianism healthy? Yes. As long as one follows a balanced vegetarian diet, one would definitely be perfectly healthy. A properly-balanced vegetarian diet provides the entire nutrients one needs for better health. Like for example, adequate protein is found in eggs, dairy products and nuts, as well as in combination’s of foods such as pulses and grains.
The truth is that a balanced vegetarian plan has significant health benefits more than the Western meat-diet. This is why medical research keep showing that vegetarians are less likely to suffer from illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diet-related diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

Research shows that vegetarians face about 30 percent lower risk of death from heart diseases than those who consume meat, fish or poultry. The effects on cancer risk are relatively less consistent however some studies show cancer fatalities are at least 40 percent lower among vegetarians though others show no difference at all. Certainly, a number of the benefits attributed to vegetarian eating may well be related to other lifestyle choices: as a group, most vegetarians often keep themselves physically active, avoid or limit alcohol and don’t use tobacco.

One of the major health benefits of a vegetarian diet is the greater consumption of fruits and vegetables because of the vitamins, minerals, cancer-fighting phytochemicals and dietary fiber they provide. Many vegetarians get well beyond it even if the average U.S. consumption still hasn’t met the recommended minimum of five daily servings. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) claims diets containing substantial and varied amounts of vegetables and fruits prevent 20 percent of more of all types of cancer. The recommended consumption of five to 10 servings daily means a substantial amount of fruit or vegetables for the day.

There are fewer vegetarians that are overweight compared to meat-eaters but that doesn’t mean avoiding meat is the answer to weight control. Weight control is easier by filling up on fruits and vegetables instead of high-fat snack foods, sweets, high-sugar drinks and alcohol. Vegetarian eating as well has a low level of cholesterol-raising saturated fat.

Although vegetarian diets may provide a considerable lot of health benefits there are also risks involve and studies show that disorders from arising from the practice are not at all unavoidable.

According to a small observation, college-aged women who consider themselves as vegetarians are more likely to be concerned with their weight and may well be at risk of developing an eating disorder.

Vegetarians in the observation were more likely to say they feel very guilty after eating, they report that food controls their life, take laxatives, and eventually turn to intense exercise just to burn calories.

These results suggest that being a vegetarian, in some cases, may serve as a warning sign that a woman could possibly develop an eating disorder – providing an avenue to intervene before one endangers oneself. There are higher than one-third of self-reported vegetarians who appeared to be at risk. In addition, vegetarians are more often reported to weigh themselves numerous times a day, going for diet foods, and desiring to vomit after eating.

The Vegetarian Lifestyle

Vegetarianism has increased strongly in the early 1990s. It peaked at around 3.25 million in 1997, when some 2,000 people a week were said to be giving up meat due to the brain wasting disease CJD was linked by scientists to mad cow disease.

Vegetarianism, for much of the world, is largely a matter of economics since meat costs a lot more than, say, beans or rice. Hence, meat becomes a special-occasion dish (if it’s eaten at all). Even where meat is more abundant, it’s still used in moderation, frequently providing a side note to a meal rather than taking center stage.
In countries like the United States where meat is cheaper, though, people choose to be vegetarians for motives other than economics. Religious beliefs, Parental preferences, lifestyle factors, and health issues are among the most common reasons for choosing to be a vegetarian. Many people choose a vegetarian diet out of concern over the environment or most usually animal rights. And several others have more than one reason for choosing vegetarianism.