You can eat healthy and still maintain your vegetarian ideology by following the Vegetarian Diet Pyramid. It guides you on what non-meat foods you need for optimal health. Vegetarians should follow the pyramid’s suggestions per the levels of food significance. The healthy vegetarian diet is generally composed of plant-based foods.
Not all vegetarians are identical some are vegans, others are lacto-vegetarians, lacto-ovo vegetarians, and others are flexitarians. It can be hard to work out how to eat the right foods. This is where the pyramid makes things easier by providing diverse food groups and food choices inside those groups and the proper quantities of those foods. No matter which kind of vegetarian you are there are substitutes for the foods you do not eat.
If you don’t eat butter, you can saute using olive oil, water, or plant broth, or reduced fat cooking spray rather than using butter.
If you don’t drink milk, you can drink fortified soy milk, ride milk, or almond milk.
If you duck cheese, you may use soy cheese or nutritive yeast flakes, which can be purchased in health food stores.
Use tofu rather than eggs when making an egg-free omelet.
If you are very strict with your vegetarian diet you could be getting less of some of these nutrients required by your body : protein, calcium, Vitamin B-12, iron, and zinc.
Vitamin B-12 can be provide by eating soy products or by taking a supplement that contains B-12.
Iron can get replaced in a vegetarian diet by eating dried beans and peas, lentils, improved cereals, multi grain products, dark leafy green veggies and also dried fruit. You need to be in a position to absorb these sources so it’s important that along with those foods a vegetarian consumes strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage or broccoli as you consume the above iron-containing foods.
Protein can come from eggs, dairy products, beans and lentils, wholegrains and seeds.Protein can also come from meat substitutes. Zinc can also be provided by whole grains as well as nuts and soy products.
Tofu, low-fat dairy products, and green veggies such as broccoli and spinach are all good sources of calcium.
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Author: Ansaar Modack
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