Vegetarian Diets
Many people claim to be staunch vegetarians, but little do they know there are different kinds of vegetarianisms. There are actually four types of vegetarian diets:
- Total vegetarian or vegan diet: this includes only plants and foods from plants, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, grains and nuts. Dairy and eggs are completely excluded from this diet.
- Lacto-vegetarian diet: plant foods and dairy, but no eggs and meat.
- Ovo-lacto-vegetarian or lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet: this diet allows eggs in addition to plant foods and dairy.
- Semi-vegetarian people are not actually vegetarian. They don't eat red meat, but do include fish and chicken in their diet.
Are Vegetarian Diets Healthy?
Most of the vegetarian diets have no or little animal products. Therefore, they are also lower in cholesterol, total fat and saturated fat compared to a non-vegetarian diet. Vegetarian diets can be very healthy if carefully planned so that they include all the necessary nutrients in reasonable and required amounts
On the positive side, medical research has shown that vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and some types of cancer. On the flip side, however, they can be high in calories or lack some important nutritional substances.
Vegetarian Vitamins
A vegetarian needs to supplement his diet adequately to prevent any deficiencies from developing. You can ensure you have enough nutrients in your body by taking the following vegetarian vitamins:
Proteins
You don't necessarily have to eat animal products to ensure the correct amount of proteins in your body. Proteins also occur naturally in plants. However, you need to ensure that your diet is varied and contains enough calories for your energy needs.
Good vegetarian vitamin supplement can also do the trick Vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds are rich in amino-acids, which are building blocks of proteins. It's neither essential nor practical to combine all these foods in one meal.
Another source of vegetarian food very high in proteins is soy. It is just as rich in proteins as animal products. You can take all the necessary amount of proteins just from soy.
Iron
The main sources of iron are liver, read meat and egg yolk. Vegetarians, particularly vegans, run a higher risk of having iron deficiencies. However, iron is also found in spinach, dried beans, dried fruits and brewer's east. A vegetarian vitamin supplement can also help increase the iron level in your body.
Vitamin B12
This vitamin is a red herring for the vegetarians. Animal products are the only natural source for this vitamin. Therefore, vegans need to take a vegetarian vitamin supplement to prevent vitamin B12 deficiencies. However, these days, small amounts of vitamin B12 can also be found in fortified cereals, nutritional yeast, soy beverages and other foods. So supplementing the diet with vegetarian vitamin supplements and eating Vitamin B12 fortified food can help vegetarians get an adequate quantity of Vitamin B12.
Vitamin D
If you are a homebody and don't get the sun, you need to supplement your diet with vegetarian vitamin supplements, since sunlight is essential for the absorption of this vitamin.
Calcium
Medical research has shown that vegetarian diets usually lead to the absorption and retaining of adequate quantities of calcium. Calcium is found in vegetable greens, such as kale, spinach and broccoli, legumes and soy.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential for normal development and growth of the human body. Grains, legumes, nuts and shellfish are great sources of zinc. If you take a vegetarian vitamin supplement, make sure that it doesn't contain over 15-18 mg of zinc.
Overall, vegetarian diets are healthier then non vegetarian ones. But you need to ensure that you take sufficient vegetarian vitamin supplement to prevent the development of vitamin deficiency.
