How To Obtain All Vital Nutrients From Your Vegetarian Diet

A human being’s health is greatly influenced by his/her diet. The food items that a human being eats during the course of the day can make a lot of difference. Depending on the culture that a person belongs to or preference, people tend to have different kinds of diets. Some of them are based on beliefs and some are based on health issues. Of late there has been a growing interest in vegetarianism. People who have been eating meat all their lives are slowly turning vegetarian as they believe that that is a very healthy diet and in the meantime feel less guilty than when they ate meat. Vegetarianism is indeed a very healthy option and even though meat eaters argue that it is difficult to get a balanced vegetarian meal, it is possible to plan a balanced vegetarian diet and get all the vital nutrients.

The main argument that meat eaters have against vegetarians is that the protein content in a vegetarian meal is less. That is a misconception. There are a variety of options for vegetarians like beans, lentils, nuts, rice and products that are made from Soya like tofu and tempeh. These are very high in protein content and can be incorporated into one’s diet without compromising on taste or appearance. Every one of the items that have been mentioned above have different textures that makes it exciting as well. Calcium is another important requirement. Vegetarians can get their daily supply of calcium from dairy products like milk and yoghurt. Lactose intolerant people can also opt for breakfast cereals and soy milk. Broccoli, turnip greens, Chinese cabbage and several other green leafy vegetables are rich in calcium content.

Whole vegetables and fruits are also very good options for vegetarians. They are low in calories, high in fibre and full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Vegetables and fruits can not only be used to create a complete diet, they also help to fight deadly diseases. Heart disease, stroke, cancer are some of the diseases that can be prevented by eating fruits and vegetables. The colour of the fruits and vegetables are caused by the content of phytochemicals. These phytochemicals when they enter the human body will act as antioxidants, immune boosters and anti inflammatories.  Opting for a vegetarian diet does not in any way reduce the supply of nutrients to the body. In fact it enhances the body’s immune system and helps it fight diseases and keeps certain deadly ailments at bay.

While eating vegetarian it is very important to concentrate on freshness. While eating seasonal

food items freshness is ensured. Fresh fruit and vegetables will be tasty by themselves and not much effort is required to make the food tasty. It is also possible to get good deals from the supermarket because fruits and vegetables that are in season will always be cheaper. When opting for grains it must be ensured that the grains are whole. 

Only whole grains contain the germ and endosperm and they are processed a major part of the nutrients are lost. Eating unprocessed whole grains will help in reducing the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

A vegetarian diet can also fulfill the body’s need for iron, zinc and B12. For vegetarians there are food items like spinach, kidney beans, peas, and apricots that have a high content of iron in them. For zinc, there are milk products and pumpkin seeds. Vitamin B12 can be found from milk products and soy based beverages. In addition to all this there is also a daily requirement of fibre. Our diet needs a proper content of fibre. This fibre does not give any nutrition to our body but it enables the digestive system to flush out unwanted waste material. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat couscous are good sources for fibre. While eating fruits like apple and pears, it is advised to eat the skin as well as the skin contains a lot of fibre. So opting for a vegetarian diet does not mean that the diet will be less healthy or less nutritious. Turning vegetarian means that there are an equal number if not more options for healthy food. So don’t hesitate, go green.