VEGETARIAN DIET MUST BE WELL PLANNED.

Increasing numbers of young people are choosing to become vegetarian knowing that up to 20 per cent of harmful gases to the atmosphere come from cows and other farmed animals.

First, let me clarify that not all vegetarians stick to strictly plant-based diet.

Semi-vegetarians eat some chicken and fish, pesco vegetarians east fish and seafood in general, ovo-lacto vegetarians avoid poultry, seafood but eat cheese and eggs, and rink milk, vegans avoid anything derived form animals including honey and gelatine.

Restrictive diets must be well planned to compensate for missing proteins.
Beans, soy foods, tofu, nuts, nut butters and a combination of beans and vegetables provide sufficient protein for a healthy body.

Iron deficiency has been recognized as a main cause of North American youths’ low energy levels, fatigue and difficulty in concentrating. (I have seen many listless a student in my teaching career, and even more who had difficulty concentrating).

Lentils, beans, dried fruits, egg yolks, contain sufficient amounts of iron for am healthy diet. Calcium crucial for growth and healthy bones, available in fortified soy and rice beverages, fortified orange juice, kale, dark green vegetables and nuts.

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium. Do not forget to include at least 200 I.U vitamin D in your daily diet. Old people, dark skinned individuals, and pregnant women may need additional doses of vitamin D to complement for lack of it. (One cup of cows milk provides 100 I.U vitamin D, one cup of fortified orange juice 100, one egg 25, 2/3 tbsp margarine 50, 100 grams of canned salmon 480).

Zinc needed in very small quantities, can be obtained from miso, tofu, soy, beans, lentils, whole grins and nuts.

B12 is available from animal sources.

Vegans need to eat fortifies soy or rice beverages, or they should take supplements in the form of tablets.

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Tags: Diet, Vegetarian

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 at 06:00 and is filed under Food & Wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Zoé July 22nd, 2009 at 11:23

   Though it is nice to warn people to balance their diet as a vegetarian, I would just like to raise one question? Do all omnivore think about where they get their calcium, vitamins, magmesium, and other minerals? Is being omnivore means automatically having an easy balanced diet? No….And, come on we don’t miss proteins…even vegetarian eat much more than what they need!

2. Morten Pedersen July 22nd, 2009 at 11:26

   Well, I guess it applies to all of us, but for vegetarians I do think it is even more important to know these things.

3. Toby July 22nd, 2009 at 16:16

   Now here is a topic that sparks my passion! Wine and food is always paired with meat, this wine goes great with fish. What about the vegetarians which wine is going to go best with my pumpkin gnocchi or bean curd and vegetable noodles?

4. JIm July 22nd, 2009 at 17:16

   There is much information about the optimum vegetarian diet from the Seventh Day Adventist religion here in the US. SDA’s have actively promoted that diet for decades. It has resulted in long term research on the health benefits of a vegetarian diet on large numbers of people. The findings are quite interesting and fully support a vegetarian diet for health reasons. .-= JIm´s last blog ..Raw Food Muesli Recipe =-.

5. Megan July 22nd, 2009 at 22:22

   Probably a good post for vegetarians to read, but I’m sort of confused by one part of this article – “Increasing numbers of young people are choosing to become vegetarian knowing that up to 20 per cent of harmful gases to the atmosphere come from cows and other farmed animals.” Are you implying that people becoming vegetarians is helping the environment by eliminating the cow population? I doubt it. Sorry, I’m just not sure what the point of that sentence is. Interesting article regardless. .-= Megan´s last blog ..Grab Your Hamburgers With a Handy Hamburger-Grabber =-.

6. Francesco July 23rd, 2009 at 15:59

   “20 per cent of harmful gases to the atmosphere come from cows and other farmed animals.” While this may be true that is no excuse to become a vegetarian or to say that vegetarians are “greener.” Im not accusing of you saying this but most people read only one side of the story. Take a look at all the pesticides and chemicals that are used to produce plants. Not to mention the runoff from their use. There is no winner. .-= Francesco´s last blog ..“I saw Blue, and he looked glorious” =-.

7. Consulting July 23rd, 2009 at 16:48

   It’s perfectly healthy if you eat what your body needs. Most meat eaters think that they get everything they need because they include meat..but that’s not true simply because most of them dont include the correct amount of whole grains and vegetables that they need. Google the vegetarian food pyramid which is much like the regular food pyramid minus the meat of course.

8. Simon Wilby July 24th, 2009 at 05:32

   I don’t even know that there are so many types of vegetarians. I think I am one of those many people that sees a “vegetarian person” to be pure vegetable lovers.

9. Efusjon July 26th, 2009 at 18:57

   If you are looking at good vegetarian diets, look no further than India! They have such a large vegetarian population that has evolved veggie cooking to an art form over the millenia! Just keep in mind some foods from Indian cuisine you may not like, but you can find western substitutes. You can substitute the beans, add tofu to anything, or for many sauces you can substitute a Mexican and southwestern US flavor. .-= Efusjon´s last blog ..Pre-recorded opportunity call =-.

10. Morten Pedersen July 29th, 2009 at 16:39

    Thank you all for the comments.

11. Cherry October 18th, 2009 at 08:10

    Props on to India. I am in love with Indian food, their vast amount of veggies curry, complete with various types of bread. In fact I am going to neighboring Bhutan next year, I heard the cuisine there is also vegetables dominated. .-= Cherry´s last blog ..Calories on KFC Chicken =-.

12. Minda December 13th, 2009 at 17:40

    There are people who can’t do a VEGETARIAN DIET. I tried a few times because I know that it is very healthy to the body. But when you have work to do which requires a lot of thinking or intense physical activities you just can’t. I always had hungry. So…vegetarian is very good if you have a lower physical activity. http://allgoodadvices.blogspot.com/

13. Gastric Bypass Diet January 19th, 2010 at 21:11

    Not sure if I concur but thank u for the information By the way, can I contact you about your blog?

14. Hipolito M. Wiseman January 19th, 2010 at 23:53

    Great post.I am looking for more information on weight loss and found your blog. I will return to see what else there is on losing weight. thanks

15. tips to lose weight September 2nd, 2010 at 02:53

    I agree that several individual indulge in being a vegetarian to avoid being restless and be more healthy. In having some diet planned I certainly like the idea of making list of foods that you are going to have for the day.

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