03 Sep Seven Nutrition Tips for Vegetarians
The second week of September is Vegetarian Awareness Week, and today I want to touch on some challenges vegetarians face.
I’ve had people share with me that others seem to feel defensive when they tell them they are vegetarians. It’s almost as if vegetarianism is a challenge, whether it’s put out to be or not. Lack of support not only from friends and family, but also from establishments make this decision (for whatever reason it may be) even harder. School and university cafeterias, supermarkets and restaurants often don’t provide affordable vegetarian options. As stated in The Challenge of Going Vegan by Tara Parker-Pope, add the change in flavors and textures of the foods, changing from a meat-based diet to a plant-based one is incredibly difficult. (Parker-Pope, The NYT Well Column: The Challenge of Going Vegan, April 16, 2012).
There’s a lot of misinformation about what being vegetarian is and how vegetarians receive adequate nutrition with what seems like a hyper-restricted diet. There are four kinds of vegetarianism. Vegans are people who don’t use or ingest any animal products – not even wearing silk or leather, or eating honey. Lacto-vegetarians include dairy products in their diets. Lacto-ovo vegetarians include dairy products and eggs in their diets. And finally pesco-vegetarians include fish in their diets.
Changing from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian one has nutritional challenges, mostly because we’re so used to living in a meat-based world. I’d argue all humans have challenges to meet dietary recommendations. They just differ between vegetarians and meat eaters.
As a registered dietitian, here are my top seven nutrition tips for vegetarians:
- Vegetarians need to explore their options to get their complete proteins. A complete protein provides the eight essential amino acids (nine in children) our bodies need every day. Protein create the nuts and bolts (amino acids) of every cell in our body that are necessary for almost all biological processes. There are some phenomenal plant-based complete proteins: hemp, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and micro algae. If
foods containing protein are consumed during the day, when they are broken down the amino acids all go into your “amino acid pool” and then they are used as needed. So all the aminos should be there as needed. This free downloadable resource Protein in Vegetarian and Vegan Diets (PDF) (www.vegetariannutrition.net) provides the tools you need to consume plenty of protein from plant foods. - Don’t forget to conscientiously eat enough calcium, iron, vitamin B12 and fatty acids, all of which come in dairy and meat products. You may not be getting enough in your vegetarian diet if you’re a vegan. For fatty acids, vegans should include nuts, seeds (walnuts, flaxseed, rapeseed), kelp and algae. Calcium is found in everything from leafy greens to almond butter, oranges, blackberries and more. And for an iron boost, leafy greens, beans, broccoli and more.
- Soy is an essential food choice of anyone who is going to be vegetarian to get adequate protein. Moreover, soy is usually another source of calcium because it is usually made with some form of calcium for coagulation. Most vegetarian sources of milk substitute are good sources of calcium and soy milk is a decent source of protein.
- Think color. Rainbows of color. Look at your plate and make sure you’ve got reds (red capsicum and cabbage), yellows (squash, zucchini), orange (pumpkin, sweet potato), green (kale, broccoli, peas), purple (eggplant, purple cabbage). A prettier plate filled with natural colors is a healthier meal. Also, foods work together to be absorbed better in the body!
- When working with vegetarian and vegan clients, I always encourage them to buy cookbooks or, if possible, enroll in a vegetarian/vegan cooking class. The cost of a class like this will pay its way a hundred fold over the years.
- Get an appointment with a registered dietitian to develop a balanced diet plan, learn how to combine foods, and learn about quantities needed. Also, consult informed sites about being vegetarian. I recommend Vegetarian Nutrition.
- Consult with your health care provider and consider getting an appointment with a registered dietitian if you’re experiencing a dip in energy. You might need to adjust your diet.
The more secure you are in your diet choices, the more variety you eat, and the less restricted you feel will help you on your road to becoming or continuing to be a vegetarian.