Eating for Your Health
With each passing year, more Americans suffer from obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure. Choosing vegetarian options over meat, eggs, and dairy products not only helps animals and the environment—it helps our health, too.
Nutrition Experts on Vegetarian Diets
The American Dietetic Association, the leading nutrition authority in the United States, states that "appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence....Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer."
Basic Vegetarian Nutrition
While studies have shown the many health benefits of vegetarian eating, merely removing animal products from your diet doesn't automatically ensure good health. As with any eating plan, it's important to know some basic nutrition information.
Staying physically active, avoiding foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is good advice for anyone. Fortunately, this isn't hard for most vegetarians. However, there are some key nutrients to look out for:
Vitamin B12. When nonvegetarians consume animal products, they also ingest this vitamin that is made by bacteria in some animals' bodies. Vegetarians can take a common multiple vitamin or B12 supplement, or enjoy fortified cereals or soymilk to get a reliable source of B12.
Vitamin D. This vitamin may be more important than calcium for good bone health. Our bodies make vitamin D when we're exposed to sunlight. Spending some time outdoors every day without sunscreen and, during the winter months, eating vitamin D-fortified foods or taking a supplement is a good idea for anyone, vegetarian or not.
Protein. A common misperception about vegetarian diets is that they don't provide enough protein. Numerous studies have shown that this simply isn't the case. Eating an adequate number of calories made up of any normal variety of plant foods generally gives us all the protein our bodies need.
Iron. Our bodies need iron to keep oxygen circulating throughout the bloodstream. In extreme cases, an iron deficiency can lead to fatigue and other disorders. Fortunately, iron is plentiful in animal-free sources. (For even greater iron absorption, eat foods high in vitamin C, like citrus fruits and bell peppers.)
Calcium. Everyone knows we need calcium for strong bones, but what most people don't know is that our risk of osteoporosis can be lowered by reducing sodium intake, eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising, and getting enough vitamin D from sunlight or fortified sources.
Protein-Rich and Vegetarian
Almonds, black beans, brown rice, cashews, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, peanut butter, pinto beans, quinoa, seitan (a wheat-based mock meat), soybeans, soymilk, sunflower seeds, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu, vegetarian hot dogs and burgers.
Iron-Rich and Vegetarian
Black beans, bran flakes, cashews, Cream of Wheat®, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), Grape-Nuts®, kidney beans, lentils, navy beans, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, raisins, soybeans, soymilk, spinach, sunflower seeds, tofu, tomato juice, whole wheat bread.
Calcium-Rich and Vegetarian
Almonds, black beans, broccoli, calcium-fortified orange juice, collard greens, great northern beans, kale, kidney beans, mustard greens, navy beans, pinto beans, sesame seeds, soybeans, soymilk, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu.
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