Proper vegetarian diet – What nutrients are indispensable?

A vegetarian diet has many health benefits such as a reduced risk of obesity, a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. However, a vegetarian diet is quite restrictive in terms of food and if you do not follow a vegetarian diet properly, it will lead to nutrient deficiencies for the body.

So how to build a healthy and nutritious vegetarian diet? The following article will share with you nutritional secrets, how to choose foods to replace meat and fish when vegetarian to help your body stay healthy and maintain vitality.

Popular vegetarian diets

People often misunderstand a vegetarian diet as a diet that excludes meat, poultry, and seafood. In fact, in the world there are many different types of vegetarianism and the above vegetarian way is just one of them. The most popular vegetarian diets today are:

• Lacto-Ovo vegetarian diet: Do not eat meat, fish, poultry but eat eggs, milk and egg and dairy products. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.
• Ovo Vegetarian Diet: No meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products but eggs are allowed.
• Lacto Vegetarian Diet: No meat, fish, poultry, eggs and egg products but dairy products.
• Pesci Vegetarian Diet: No meat, poultry, eggs and dairy but fish.
• Vegan diet: Only eat vegetables, roots, and fruits. Do not eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and processed foods from this source.

Building a vegetarian diet properly: What nutrients are indispensable?

When you are a vegetarian, you will often eliminate some foods from your diet, so it can easily lead to a lack of nutrients. However, there are certain nutrients, minerals and vitamins that are indispensable for the body, so you need to find alternative sources of supplements. The following are indispensable nutrients when building a proper and healthy vegetarian diet:

Macronutrients

Carbohydrates: This nutrient is found in whole grain products, especially whole grains. At the same time, whole grains are also a source of fiber, many vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Therefore, vegetarians should make sure to eat a variety of grains such as whole wheat bread, pasta, tortillas, brown rice, oats, etc.

Fats are essential because they provide important fatty acids that help your body absorb certain vitamins. To be a vegetarian properly, you should get healthy fats from nuts, nut butters, oils and avocados.

Protein is essential for muscle growth. Vegetarians need to replace meat with vegetarian protein foods. This includes nuts, nut butters (including peanut butter, almond butter, and sunflower seed butter), soy foods (such as tofu, soy milk, etc.), legumes (such as such as peas, lentils, etc.), meat substitutes (such as veggie burgers, etc.), dairy foods (such as milk, yogurt, cheese) and eggs.

Essential minerals in a vegetarian diet

Zinc: This mineral is important for your immune system, playing a role in cell division and protein formation. However, zinc is not usually found in many plant-based foods, so you can get zinc from cheese if you choose to follow a vegetarian diet with dairy products. In addition, some other plant sources of zinc include whole grains, soy products, nuts, legumes, etc.

Iron: This trace mineral is an important component of red blood cells. Some plant-based sources of iron are legumes (soybeans, lentils, peas, etc.), nutritious cereals, whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, and dried fruits. However, iron from plants is not absorbed as well as iron found in meat, so vegetarians need to add vitamin C (citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli …) to help the body absorb iron better. .

Calcium helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth. Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. In addition, you can also find calcium in broccoli, pumpkin, turnip greens, etc. However, milk and dairy products are still the best sources of calcium. If you do not drink milk, you can choose some alternative sources such as juice, cereals, soy milk, tofu, etc.

Iodine is a mineral that helps the body metabolize but is not usually available in plants. Therefore, to supplement enough iodine when fasting, you should use iodized salt when cooking. In addition, seaweed (used to roll sushi) is also a rich source of iodine that you can choose from.

Vitamins and fatty acids are indispensable when fasting

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium to make sure your teeth and bones are strong. Vitamin D is often added to some milks, cereals, and margarine. Besides, you can also take advantage of sunbathing to help your body absorb vitamin D more fully. In addition, if your vegetarian diet does not get enough vitamin D from natural foods, you should consult your doctor or dietitian to take an appropriate supplement.

Vitamin B12 is needed to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. However, vitamin B12 is only found in foods of animal origin, so it is easy for vegetarians to be deficient in this vitamin. Therefore, you should pay attention to vitamin supplements from cereals, soy milk or supplements to always ensure the amount of vitamin B12 that the body needs every day.

Omega-3 fatty acids are important fatty acids for heart health and help control inflammation. Therefore, to be a vegetarian properly and healthy, your diet cannot lack omega-3. For those on a vegan or vegetarian diet that doesn’t include eggs and fish, it’s a good idea to look for other alternative sources of omega-3s. Such as walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, canola oil, soybeans or tofu.

You can become a vegetarian for many different purposes such as fasting according to religion, belief or vegetarianism to improve health. However, whatever the purpose, you should have a proper, nutritious and healthy vegetarian diet to ensure health and maintain other body activities!