Vital Nutrients for Vegetarians

  

Enjoy the vegetarian way of eating? Then, read on to pick up a few useful tips to help you eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet that provides the vital nutrients you need to be healthy and stay well.

 

Many individuals choose to be vegetarian for a variety of reasons ranging from religious to ethical and social. There is no single vegetarian pattern as many practice vegetarianism differently. ˜Vegans” eat only food of plant origin, ˜lacto-vegetarians”  include milk, ˜lacto-ovo vegetarians” include both milk and eggs, and ˜pesco-vegetarians” eat fish. Interestingly, some individuals are vegetarians on certain days of the week, while others go on extended periods of vegetarian eating almost akin to a fast. With all these vegetarian eating styles being so different, the nutritional challenges vary.

 

Concerns

 

As primitive humans were omnivores eating both meat and plants, it becomes a normal eating habit for majority of us too. As for those taking vegetarian diets, note that there are many essential nutrients in foods lacking in the bodies that are absolutely critical for the proper functioning.  For example, the human brain’s performance can be impaired if there is a lack of DHA and Vitamin B12. Hence it may not be wise to recommend vegan diets to kids as their bodies require more calories and nutrients in the early years of development.

Benefits

Scientific evidence suggested a well-balanced and healthy vegetarian diet is associated with a lower Body Mass Index (BMI), lower blood cholesterol levels and reduced risk of death from heart disease. Basically it has the lowest total energy and protein intake. However, it may also have a better fat intake profile and the highest dietary fibre intake.

To achieve optimal health, observe some practical tips for better nutritional balance.

 

Right diets
 

A vegan diet is right if it is a well-balanced diet. For some strict vegans, eating pattern is merely rice or noodles with vegetables. By abstaining from food of animal origin, complete proteins should be obtained from a wider plant-based food to include:

+ soy-based products like tofu and taukwa or mock meat, dried beans, nuts and seeds

+ whole grains

+ dried whole legumes

+ yoghurt

 

Vegans have to look out for other nutritional shortfalls. The common ones are iron, calcium and vitamin B12 which can be made up from plant sources:

Nutrient	Major Vegetarian Sources
1.  Iron	Green leafy vegetables, tofu, soya, legumes, iron fortified foods and dried fruits.
2. Vit B12	Iron from plant sources is easily absorbed as compared to iron from animal sources.   Thus vegans need about twice as much dietary iron as non-vegans. Combining with Vitamin C intake improves its uptake by 30%. Tempeh, dairy products, eggs, fortified products (e.g. cereals), seaweed This is a water-soluble vitamin that is involved in cellular function, blood formation and the nervous system. Typical mild cases are poor memory, depression and fatigue. High deficiency usually results in Alzheimer’s Disease, anemia, impaired brain function, mental disorders and a smaller brain. Majority of the vegans run the risk of deficiency as they abstain from animal meat and fish which contain high levels of this nutrient.
3. Calcium	Dairy products, green leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified products such as  soybean, milk, water, juice, cereal, bread, biscuits, tofu made with calcium salts.
4.  Zinc	Whole-grains, nuts and legumes It is much involved in the promotion of a healthy immune system.

5.  Vit D3   Largely found in animal foods, it is associated with depression and various diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Vitamin D2 derives from plants is found to be less effective than D3. An option is to get enough sun exposure to compensate for the deficiency.


Calcium, zinc and Vitamin D3 are vital for healthy functioning of the musco-skeletal system.

 

6.  Omega3  Knowing how lacking Omega3 fatty acid is, many vegans opt for flaxseed oil for substitute. Though it is a great source of ALA (a plant form of Omega-3), the body needs to convert to DHA to put to work. Studies show that this conversion process is ineffective in humans. A better alternative is algae containing both EPA and DHA.

 

In fact the missing elements can also be found in whole grains. By switching white rice to wholegrain, white bread to wholemeal bread, beehoon to brown rice beehoon, and pasta to wholegrain pasta, you get a host of valuable nutrients such as fibre, B vitamins and vitamin E.

 

Food preparations

Whilst most plant foods are naturally healthy, many chefs like to enhance the taste of vegan dishes with salt and sodium-containing seasonings. If the ingredients are fresh and wholesome, adding herbs and spices makes healthier choice. Soybeans, mushrooms and tomatoes are foods that can stand up well without much flavoring required.

Though plant proteins are naturally free of cholesterol and low in fat (especially saturated fat), many vegan cuisines are cooked with unsaturated oils for better tasting. Try to keep the dishes healthier by cooking with less fat and preferably stir frying.

Conclusion

 

For those who really decide to remove all animal foods from their diet, do make sure you adopt healthy diet and supplement, or may end up very ill with a compromised immune system. Doing right goes a long way in improving the overall health and can reduce one's risk of certain chronic diseases. In fact vegans are known to have a lower risk of cancer given their high fiber and low saturated fat content.
 

Source: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/foodforhealth/article.aspx?id=2620

 

VIVA corner
 

VIVA B-easy contains blood formation vitamins such as vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid. Vegans abstaining from animal proteins tend to be deficient in B12 leading to anemia and lesser brain’s performance.

VIVA Chloroguard contains essential minerals, all 21 amino acids (complete protein), the entire Vitamin B complex, high fiber and essential fatty acids.