Hello again. I found this article on http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2004/112004/11212004/1570637, a Fredericksburg newspaper, which gives some pretty good reasons to go vegetarian.
How to be a healthy vegetarian
November 21, 2004 1:10 am
AFRIEND came to me last week, concerned that his son had decided to be vegetarian but didn't seem to realize it meant more than giving up meat.
About a quarter of American adults eat at least four meatless meals a week, according to the American Dietetic Association. Only 3 percent of Americans are full-time vegetarians, however.
Vegetarians seem to have lower rates of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancers. A vegetarian lifestyle can be extremely healthy and satisfying when done well, but it takes a bit of thought and some adventurousness.
First, a person needs to decide which of the three types of vegetarianism he or she prefers, then what new foods should be added to replace protein and other nutrients found in meats.
Some vegetarians forgo meat because they are concerned about health, the environment, animal welfare or world hunger. Certain religious groups encourage vegetarianism, such as Seventh-day Adventists, and some Hindus and Buddhists.
Types of vegetarians include:
Lacto-ovo vegetarians, who eat eggs and dairy products but no animal flesh: no meat, gelatin, poultry or fish.
Lacto-vegetarians, who eat dairy products but no eggs, poultry, meat or fish.
Vegans, who eschew eating all animal or insect products, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and even honey, which they believe exploits the bees who make it.
Semi-vegetarians, who are not true vegetarians but eat meat, fish or poultry less than once a week.Try more foods
Because a vegetarian diet is defined by giving up meats, people sometimes wrongly think that all they need to do is subtract foods from their eating habits. In reality, they need to add new foods to meet their needs for key nutrients: vitamin B-12, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Vegetarians and even vegans can meet these needs if they plan carefully. A vegetarian diet can work for children, pregnant women, athletes, older folks--basically people at any stage in their lives. All vegans and vegetarian women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should take a daily multivitamin, however, or they and their babies could suffer from vitamin B-12 deficiency.
Sometimes, people with eating disorders will say they are vegetarian in order to camouflage that they are just eating less.Muscle up with protein
Meat is a major source of protein, so if people avoid it, they need to consume other protein sources. Lacto-ovo vegetarians have it easy, as milk and eggs are rich in protein. They and especially vegans also need to add soy, beans, peas, lentils, nuts or seeds to meals.
Plant-based foods often don't have a complete range of essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein. For example, grains tend to lack the amino acid lysine. Luckily, lysine is abundant in beans. Thus, in the classic combination, rice and beans complement each other to provide protein as complete as beef. It used to be said that you had to eat complementary proteins at the same meal, but now we know that as long as you eat them in the same day, your body can save and combine them.
Protein-rich soy versions of familiar foods are widely available: Garden Burgers, Smart Dogs, soy milk, soy cheese. These are easy to substitute for meat.
It's also fun to try bean or nut dishes from other cultures that don't depend on meat. Cuban black beans and rice; Middle Eastern pita bread with hummus, a delicious dip made from chickpeas, sesame seeds, lemon juice and garlic; Chinese noodles with bean curd; and any number of delicious Indian dishes don't need meat to be complete.
Don't limit yourself to baked beans, but consider trying tofu, tempeh and all the different types of beans: black beans, white beans, pinto, pink, kidney, fava, lentils, green peas, lima beans, chick peas. Nuts and seeds include not only the familiar peanut butter but also walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds and more.Getting iron and zinc
The same foods that have protein are often good sources of iron and zinc.
Iron is needed for the red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. People who lack iron tire easily and are more vulnerable to illnesses. Zinc is key for the skin and immune system.
Iron is a bit more difficult to absorb from plant foods than from meat. However, consuming vitamin C at the same time can increase absorption. Oranges and tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C.
Rich sources of iron and zinc include not just the beans, nuts and soy foods listed earlier, but also fortified cereals, dried fruits, blackstrap molasses, and dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale and Chinese cabbage.Calcium, vitamin D for bones
Lacto-vegetarians can easily get enough calcium from milk, cheese and yogurt. They and vegans also can find calcium in soybeans, fortified soy milk, tofu, tempeh, fortified cereals and juices, figs, and leafy green vegetables, plus blackstrap molasses.
We need vitamin D to use calcium, but it is hard to get enough from food or sunlight in the northern latitudes, especially in winter, so a multivitamin is helpful.B vitamins for mental energy
Vitamin B-12 is found in nature only in animal foods such as milk, eggs and meats, so a supplement is critical for vegans. It's critical for a healthy heart. Low levels of vitamin B-12 can rise homocysteine in the blood, which is linked to heart disease.
People over 50 absorb vitamin B-12 less efficiently and should consider taking a multivitamin whether or not they are vegetarian.Fats for brain development
Omega-3 fats are also harder to get in a vegetarian diet, and even meat-eaters often don't get enough. Two of these fats, nicknamed EPA and DHA, contribute to eye and brain development and a healthy heart.
EPA and DHA fats are found in fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, and in smaller amounts in eggs and sea vegetables.
The body can manufacture these fats from another fat, alpha-linolenic acid, if the person eat 2 grams of alpha-linolenic acid a day, according to research at Pennsylvania State University released last year. To meet that goal, vegetarians need to eat daily at least: 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed or 1 cup of soybeans or cup walnuts or 1 tablespoons of canola oil.
Pregnant or breast-feeding women and people with diabetes have even higher needs for DHA. The researchers recommended these people consider taking special microalgae supplements containing at least 100 milligrams of DHA. These supplements are different than the older blue-green algae and spirulina supplements, which usually are not good sources of DHA.
JENNIFER MOTL welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.
Copyright 2004 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.
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