It is very common these days that people are eating plant based foods which are easily available and they are doing so for their health benefits. About 2.5% of people go for diet free meat poultry and fish and number of people is increasing for the flexitarian way of life which is very good for health. There may be some people who tend to eat vegetables for religious or ethical reasons. There are many benefits ranging from weight loss to preventing disease of eating diets with plant foods.
The diet rich in plant based food is recommended by many organizations and institutes. You can get antioxidants, fiber and phytochemicals with low levels of saturated fat and cholesterol. The diet should consist of grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and low fat dairy.
There can be different things associated with “vegetarian”. There are many types of vegetarians including vegan who eat only plant products, lacto vegetarian who eat dairy products with plant foods, ovo vegetarian who eat eggs with plant based diet, pesco vegetarian who eat fish with plant foods, flexitarian who can eat meat, fish and poultry.
You might be thinking that there is deficiency of certain nutrients in vegetarian diets but actually it is not. There are all nutrients available in vegetarian diet with all health benefits. There are lots of vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein in the vegetarian diet. You should eat wide variety of foods to ensure adequate nutrition including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and soy products. You can get an adequate vegan meal plan from registered dietitian.
There can be less chances of chronic disease including obesity with vegetarians. They will not have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, heart disease and soem types of cancer. There is lower mass index, body fat and lower waist to hip ratio in the vegetarians than non vegetarians. The vegetarian diets can be high in fat and calories with nutritious foods.
There are so may meatless foods available which can make you vegetarians very easily.
You can find new ways of cooking and eating if you want to become ‘sometime; vegetarians or just enjoy a meatless meal. You should substitute beans for meat or poultry.
You can use familiar recipes substituting vegetarian ingredients which are the easiest way to transition into more plant based diet.
There will be strong flavors of these dishes with sweet and sour or marinara sauce. You can experiment with meat substitutes once you get used to more beans in your diet.
You can pick pre prepared vegetarian foods in your second step and you can choose many to find the right one.
You can work with more vegetarians’ meals with the following tips into your eating plan regarding your nutrition needs.
• You should use foods with extra nutrition and products with calcium, vitamin D and B 12.
• There should be use of tofu and crumbles
• You should eat dark, leafy green vegetables which provide iron and calcium.
• The use of stews, salads, omelets with beans, nuts and seeds should be common.
• You should add multivitamin/mineral in your daily diet. You can discuss with your doctor if you are pregnant about the use of supplement.
• Use low and nonfat dairy products.
• There should be more omega 3 fatty acids in your diet and you can eat fatty fish, walnuts, eggs and canola oil.
• You can also use meatless one day in week.
It is good to be vegetarian but use of lean meat, fish and poultry is also beneficial for health.