Healthy eating for
vegetarians and vegans
Healthy eating for
vegetarians and vegans
Study after study has revealed
the importance of a balanced diet to good
health.
Eating a balanced diet, one that
is rich in all the various minerals and
vitamins needed for a healthy body, can
present quite a challenge for vegetarians
and vegans.
That is because maintaining a
good balanced diet in the absence of one
entire food group, such as meat and
poultry, can be difficult.
Meat and other animal products
contain significant amounts of important
nutrients, such as protein, calcium and B
vitamins.
Vegan diets present an even
larger problem, since vegans go a step
farther and eliminate dairy products and
eggs as well as meat. Vegans in
particular often have trouble getting the
vitamin B12 they need and often must rely
on vitamin supplements for this important
nutrient.
Of course that does not mean
that vegetarians and vegans cannot enjoy
good health. Many vegetarians and vegans
can and do enjoy levels of health much
better than their carnivorous
peers.
It simply means that vegetarians
need to pay somewhat closer attention to
their dietary needs, and to be on the
lookout for signs of dietary
deficiencies.
The key to a healthy vegetarian
or vegan diet, as with all types of
diets, is practicing moderation, eating a
variety of foods, and keeping nutritional
needs in balance.
One of the most frequently cited
concerns by family members and friends of
vegetarians and vegans is how they will
get the protein they need from a diet
devoid of animal flesh.
However, getting sufficient
protein is usually not a concern for
vegetarians, since most American diets
tend to contain more protein than they
need.
Vegetarians who eat dairy
products can get all the protein they
need from dairy products, from soy based
products and from beans, nuts, lentils
and seeds.
There are many non animal
sources of protein, so most vegetarians
should not have a problem getting
sufficient protein.
Even vegans, who eschew all
animal based products, even milk and
dairy products, typically do not have a
problem with protein
deficiency.
That is because nuts, seeds,
lentils, pinto beans, split peas,
soybeans, garbanzo beans, black beans,
white beans, kidney beans, navy beans and
many more all have lots of
protein.
Vegan meals are often rich in
tofu and other soy based products, and
these products contain sufficient protein
to meet the needs of most
vegans.
In addition, the many bean based
vegan recipes are excellent sources of
protein. For instance, a cup of cooked
beans contains the same amount of protein
as a two ounce serving of
meat.
As with protein, nutritional
deficiencies are generally of no more
concern to vegetarians than they are to
the general population.
Vegetarians who follow a
balanced, nutritious diet should have no
problem meeting their daily nutritional
needs.
Vegans on the other hand, are
more susceptible than vegetarians to
nutritional deficiencies, particularly
vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin
D.
That is because the most common
sources of these important nutrients are
all animal based, either meat or dairy
products.
Of these three nutrients, the
hardest to replace on a vegan diet is
vitamin B12. The primary sources of
vitamin B12 in the diet are all animal
based.
For this reason, vegans are
generally advised to take vitamin B12
supplement, or to eat foods that have
been fortified with vitamin B12. There
are a number of such foods on the market,
including nutritional yeast and soy
milk.
Calcium is also a concern for
vegans, since the primary sources of
dietary calcium are milk and other dairy
products.
Again, calcium fortified foods
such as some soy milk and certain cereals
are important to maintaining a healthy
vegan diet.
The same is true of vitamin D,
another primarily animal based
nutrient.
The bottom line is that it is
possible to maintain excellent health
while avoiding meat and dairy
products.
The key is to follow a well
balanced diet, get plenty of exercise,
and make smart food choices.
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