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Vegetarian Diet
From being viewed as the sole province of a small fringe
element, eating a vegetarian diet has come into the mainstream, as part of the
general trend towards more awareness of eating a healthy diet and a healthy
lifestyle in general. But if you're new to being a vegetarian, there's more to
it than simply eliminating all meat from your diet. You must take steps to make
sure you still get the proper nutrition. Fortunately, that's not too difficult
a task to accomplish.
First, a couple of definitions. You may have also heard the word
"vegan" as well as vegetarian. The difference is that a vegan, while
avoiding all meat products, also avoids milk, eggs, cheese, and all other dairy
products as well. In other words, vegans avoid eating any food that has come
from another animal in any form, eating only plant-based foods, while
vegetarians just swear off meat (although some will eat seafood).
A vegetarian diet is healthier because it normally contains more fiber and
less fat and cholesterol. Many vegetarians also try to purchase and eat food
that is organic and without preservatives, which adds an additional host of
benefits.
If you don't eat meat, then you may want to add protein from other sources.
If you're still eating eggs and other dairy products, then you're getting
plenty of protein already. Americans in particular worry too much about protein
deficiency. The truth is that it would be extremely difficult for anyone living
in a rich Western country to not get enough protein, and getting too much
protein is a far more common problem.
But if you're not eating dairy, you can eat soy products, nuts, seeds, and
whole grains as an alternative source of protein.
Vitamin B-12 is an essential nutrient that produces red blood cells and
prevents anemia. It's only found in animal products, so if you're a vegan,
you'll want to either eat enriched cereals or soy products, or take
supplements.
Iron is another important nutrient that most people get from meat. Leafy
green vegetables, lentils, beans, peas, and dried fruit are all good sources of
iron (and if you're not eating meat, you're probably eating most of these
already).
Make sure you get enough zinc, which is a necessary component of many
essential enzymes in your body. Zinc can also help prevent colds, and is useful
for men to keep their prostate healthy.
The key to a healthy diet is to eat a wide variety of foods. If you do that,
it won't be difficult for your body to get all the nutrition it needs to stay
healthy.
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