Vegetarian Diets: What You Need To Know
The vegetarian diet, keto, veganism and other restrictive diets have become increasingly popular in the last few years. Some reasons include health considerations, weight loss and enhancing athletic performance. It is important to mention that although some of these diets are endorsed by athletes and other celebrities, they are not always effective, based by science or safe. Always consult a nutrition professional before starting a new diet. In the meantime, we will explore what you should know if you are considering the vegetarian diet.
Types of Vegetarianism
There are five subcategories of vegetarianism:
Pesco-Vegetarians can consume eggs, milk and fish;
Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians can consume eggs and milk, but no fish;
Lacto-vegetarians can only consume milk;
Ovo-vegetarians can only consume eggs and;
Vegans do not consume any animal products whatsoever.
Some individuals do follow a semi-vegetarian diet where poultry and fish can be consumed on occasion. Other individuals eat three to four meatless meals a week in order to optimize health.
How Vegetarian Diets Impact Health
Adopting a vegetarian diet can provide health benefits such as lower rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 Diabetes, hypertension and colon cancer. This may be due to the fact that vegetarian diets are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein. They are however high in fiber, carotenoids, folate and vitamins C and E.
Unfortunately, poorly planned vegetarian diets can lack a sufficient amount of protein, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D and calcium. Furthermore, a vegan diet may not include a sufficient amount of creatine, omega-3 fatty acids and zinc.
Carefully Planning Your Diet
Vegetarians need to carefully plan out their meals and snacks not only to ensure they take in all the necessary nutrients, but also to ensure proper protein intake and optimal caloric intake. A good way to determine whether a meal contains quality protein is to check if the food contains all the essential amino acids. Most meat-based foods contain an amount of all the essential amino-acids, making them complete proteins. Plant-based complete proteins include soy, chia seeds, quinoa, hemp, flax seeds and buck wheat. A combination of rice and beans together can provide all the essential amino acids as well.
When meeting an optimal caloric intake becomes a challenge, try to eat more frequent meals and snacks, include meat alternatives and add dried fruit, seeds, nuts and avocado.
Make sure to take in plenty of iron in order to avoid iron-deficiency anemia, zinc for proper immune system function and protein synthesis and vitamin B12 and D for metabolism and calcium absorption.
Making educated choices and planning ahead when starting a new diet will ensure optimal health is maintained and that all the necessary nutrients are consumed. Feel free to contact me if you have any general questions about the vegetarian diet and necessary nutrients to maintain general health.
