What Is A Vegetarian Diet?
A healthy vegetarian diet consists primarily of plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. A vegetarian diet of vegan diet foods generally contains less fat and cholesterol, and typically includes more fiber. But did you know that there are different forms of vegetarianism.
• Vegans eat only plant-based foods. They don’t eat foods from animals, involving meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs and cheese.
• Lacto-vegetarians consume milk and milk products along with plant-based foods. They omit eggs as well as meat, fish and poultry.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat eggs, milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt, in addition to plant-based foods. They omit red meat, fish and poultry.
• Semi-vegetarians primarily follow a plant-based diet but occasionally eat small
• amounts of meat.
No diet involving raw diet is a guaranteed solution to every health problem, but a vegan lifestyle is one of the best decisions you can make to preserve and improve your health.
Nutrients to focus on for vegetarians
Vegetarians have to be careful to include the following key nutrients that may be lacking in a vegetarian diet:
• Iron
• Calcium
• Protein
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12
• Zinc
If meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs are not going to be part of your diet, you’ll have to know how to get enough of these nutrients, or you may have to take a daily multiple vitamin and mineral supplement.
Finally what I can say is Vegetarian diets can meet all the recommendations for nutrients. The key is to consume a variety of foods including Cacao and the right amount of foods to meet your calorie needs. Follow the food group recommendations for your age, sex, and activity level to get the right amount of food and the variety of foods needed for nutrient adequacy. Nutrients that vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12.
