How Healthy Is The Vegetarian Diet?
Vegetarian diet arouses completely opposite emotions in different people. Some people are completely turned off by this diet while others are excited by the prospect of trying it out. According to the staunch vegetarians, it is the only way to stay healthy and fit throughout your life. This is the reason most celebrities who are watching their weight turn to this diet. Animal rights activists have their reasons for choosing the vegetarian diet.
However, many non vegetarians believe that those on vegetarian diet are much weaker than non vegetarians. This is due to lack of vital nutrients in the vegetarian diet that can be found in such foods as meat, fish and eggs. Though a vegetarian diet may lack such nutrients, the nutritional content of this diet is enough for the well being of the whole body. The major consideration in any diet is that it should include all the necessary nutrients.
Whether you are a vegetarian or a non vegetarian, ensure that every meal you take has the following nutrients in their adequate quantities; vitamins, proteins, calcium, carbohydrates, zinc, and iron.
Here are some of the foods in which you can obtain the above nutrients.
For calcium, dairy products, broccoli, tofu and soy beans are good sources. Fruit juice, particularly orange juice is also rich in calcium.
As for protein, the sources are quite accessible. Foods such as tofu are as good a calcium source as it is a protein source. Lentils, nuts, peas, or seeds are protein rich foods as well.
When it comes to iron, there are countless vegetables that are rich in iron such as green leafy ones. Tofu is a source of almost all nutrients in the vegetarian diet. It is also rich in iron, along with cashew nuts, rice, tomato juice and a host of other sources.
You can still get zinc from tofu. Isn’t that surprising? It is like tofu is a ‘self-sufficient’ food. Apart from this food, you can also get zinc from whole grains, particularly the germ and bran of grains. They are quite rich in this nutrient.
Additionally, most root vegetables such as beet roots, radishes or carrots among others are also rich in zinc. Lettuce, cabbage, spinach and other leafy vegetables are also very rich in zinc. As much as potatoes are thought of as carbohydrate laden food, it is also a good zinc source.
Vitamins can be taken in form of cereals, milk, soy and a host of other vitamin rich foods such as fruits.
As for carbohydrates, well, you can take it in any junk food you come across. But if you are serious about watching your weight, then you should consider safer alternatives to carbohydrates such as potatoes. The advantage is that the potatoes have less calorie content than the junk food.
Well, do you see that a vegetarian diet is as good as any other diet? So long as it is healthy, well balanced and in the recommended portions, it is as good as any other diet. Moreover, it has low calorie content and it is great if you plan to retain a firm body!