Vegetarians are without doubt a very healthy option, but it is very
important to ensure that yout food intake is well-balanced. This is
not very difficult or as clinical as it might sound. Most of the meals
you already eat probably contain ingredients from the different food
groups.
Vegetarians could stuff their faces with chips and chocolate at every
meal, but they would not be doing their health any favours. It doesn't
have to be all 'rabbit food' either.
A varied vegetarian diet will supply all the essential nutrients you
need to be fit and healthy. A typical vegetarian diet closely matches
dietary recommendations for healthy eating, being low in saturated fat
and high in fibre, complex carbohydrates, and fresh fruit and vegetables.
This simple nutrition pyramid shows what types of food a vegetarian
should eat and roughly in what quantity and proportion. Oils, butter
and fats are at the top because we only need relatively small amounts.
Bread, cereal, rice and pasta are at the bottom because we should eat
these foods the most.
Do not worry when you stop eating meat and fish, that you might be
in danger of some nutritional deficiency -- this is not the case.
All the nutrients you need can be easily obtained from a well-balanced
vegetarian diet. In fact, research shows that a vegetarian diet is far
healthier than that of a typical meat-eater. As a general rule, as long
as you eat a variety of foods including grains, fruit, vegetables, beans,
pulses, nuts or seeds, a small amount of fat, with or without the dairy
products, your diet should be healthy and you will be getting all the
nutrients you need.
For new and old veggies alike, here's some useful information for reference...
Nutrients are usually divided into five classes:
Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats (including oil), Vitamins and Minerals.
All are important to our well-being, although they are needed in varying
quantities, from 250g of carbohydrates a day, to less than two micrograms
of vitamin B12.
Most foods contain a mixture of nutrients (there are exceptions, like
pure salt or sugar), but it is convenient to classify them by the main
nutrient they provide.
Meat supplies protein, fat, some B vitamins and minerals (mostly iron
and zinc). Fish, in addition to the above, supplies vitamins A, D and
F. All of these nutrients can be easily obtained from vegetarian sources.
Protein
Women need about 45g of protein a day -- more if pregnant, lactating
or very active. Men need about 55g -- again more if very active, although
most people eat much more than this anyway.
Vegetarians obtain protein from:
Nuts -- Hazels, brazils, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pine kernels.
Seeds -- Sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, linseeds.
Pulses -- Peas, beans, lentils, peanuts.
Grains and Cereals -- Wheat (in bread, flour, pasta), barley, rye, oats,
millet, maize (sweetcorn), rice.
Soya products -- Tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, veggie burgers,
soya milk.
Dairy products -- Milk, cheese, yogurt.
Free-range eggs
You may have heard that it is necessary to balance the complementary
amino acids in a vegetarian diet. Proteins are made of units called
amino acids. There are 20 different ones in all. We can make many of
them in our own bodies by converting other amino acids, but eight cannot
be made, they have to be provided in the diet and for this reason they
are called essential amino acids.
Single plant foods do not contain all the essential amino acids we
need in the right proportions, but when we mix plant foods together,
any deficiency in one is cancelled out by any excess in the other.
We mix protein foods a lot, both meat-eaters and veggies. It is a normal
part of the human way of eating. Examples are beans on toast or muesli.
It is known that the body has a pool of amino acids, so that if one
meal is deficient, it can be made up from the body's own stores.
Because of this we do not have to worry about complementing amino acids
all the time, as long as our diet is generally varied and well-balanced.
Even those foods not considered high in protein are adding some amino
acids to this pool.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate is our main and most important source of energy, most
of it is provided by plant foods.
There are three main types:
Simple sugars; complex carbohydrates or starches; and dietary fibre.
The sugars or simple carbohydrates can be found in fruit, milk and
ordinary table sugar. Refined sources of sugar are best avoided as they
provide energy without any associated fibre, vitamins or minerals and
they are the main cause of dental decay.
Complex carbohydrates are found in cereals/grains (bread, rice, pasta,
barley, millet, buckwheat, rye) and some root vegetables, such as potatoes
and parsnips. A healthy diet should contain plenty of these starchy
foods as a high intake of complex carbohydrate is now known to benefit
health. The unrefined carbohydrates, like wholemeal bread and brown
rice are best of all because they contain essential dietary fibre and
B vitamins.
The World Health Organisation recommends that 50~70 per cent of energy
should come from complex carbohydrates. The exact amount that you need
depends upon your appetite and also your level of activity. Contrary
to popular belief, a slimming diet should not be low in carbohydrates.
In fact, starchy foods are very filling in relation to the number of
calories that they contain.
Dietary fibre
Dietary fibre, or non-starch polysaccharide (NSF) as it is now termed,
refers to the indigestible part of a carbohydrate food.
Fibre can be found in unrefined or wholegrain cereals, fruit (fresh
and dried) and vegetables. A good intake of dietary fibre can prevent
many digestive problems and protect against diseases like colonic cancer
and diverticular disease.
Fats and oils
Too much fat is bad, but a little is necessary to keep our tissues
in good repair, for the manufacture of hormones and to act as a carrier
for some vitamins.
Like proteins, fats are made up of smaller units called fatty acids.
Two of these fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acids are termed essential
as they must be provided in the diet. They are widely found in plant
foods.
Fats can either be saturated or unsaturated (mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated).
A high intake of saturated fat can lead to a raised blood cholesterol
level. Vegetable fats tend to be unsaturated and animal fats saturated.
Mono-unsaturated fats, such as olive oil or peanut oil, are best used
for frying as poly-unsaturated fats like sunflower oil are unstable
at high temperatures.
Vitamins
Vitamin is the name given to several unrelated nutrients that the body
cannot synthesise, either at all or in sufficient quantities. The one
thing that they have in common is that only small quantities are needed
in the diet.
The main vegetarian sources are listed as follows:
Vitamin A
Red, orange or yellow vegetables like carrots and tomatoes, leafy green
vegetables and fruits like peaches. It is added to most margarines.
B Vitamins
This group of vitamins includes B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin),
B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cyanocobalamin), folate, pantothenic acid and
biotin.
All the B vitamins except B12 occur in yeasts and whole cereals (especially
wheat germ), nuts, pulses, seeds and green vegetables. Vitamin B12 is
the only one which might cause some difficulty as it is not present
in plant foods. Only very tiny amounts of B12 are in fact required and
vegetarians usually get this from dairy produce and free-range eggs.
It is sensible for vegans and vegetarians who consume few animal foods
to incorporate some B12 fortified foods in their diet. Vitamin B12 is
added to some yeast extracts, soya milks, veggie burgers, bread and
some breakfast cereals.
Vitamin C
Fresh fruit salad vegetables, all leafy green vegetables and potatoes.
Vitamin D
This vitamin is not found in plant foods, but humans can make their
own when their skin is exposed to sunlight.
It is also added to most margarines and is present in milk, cheese
and butter. These sources are usually adequate for healthy adults. The
very young, the very old and anyone confined indoors can compensate
with a vitamin D supplement especially if they do not consume dairy
products.
Vitamin E
Vegetable oil, wholegrain cereals and free-range eggs.
Vitamin K
Fresh vegetables, cereals and bacterial synthesis in the intestine.
Minerals
Minerals perform a variety of functions in the body. Some of the most
important minerals are listed below.
Calcium
Important for healthy bones and teeth, with teenagers tending to need
slightly more intake than adults. Found in dairy produce, leafy green
vegetables, bread, tap water in hard water areas, nuts and seeds (especially
sesame seeds), dried fruits, cheese, vitamin D helps calcium be absorbed.
Iron
It is particularly important for teenage girls to ensure an adequate
intake of iron. Iron is needed for the production of red blood cells.
Found in leafy green vegetables, wholemeal bread, molasses, eggs, dried
fruits, lentils and pulses. A good intake of vitamin C will enhance
absorption of vegetable sources of iron.
Zinc
Plays a major role in many enzyme reactions and the immune system. Found
in green vegetables, cheese, sesame and pumpkin seeds, lentils and wholegrain
cereals.